Leftover Synthesis

leftover synthesis

"Leftover Synthesis" explores the connection between computational design and the use of leftover materials from the wood industry. Wood scraps that fall below a certain dimension are often sorted out, burned or shredded. The concept aims to minimally process those leftovers and keep their form and shapes. An algorithmic tool adapts to the constantly changing shapes of the leftovers, which get rearranged in the form of a furniture piece and become a valuable resource again. The leftovers define the characteristics of the chairs. Through the size, number and different constraints of the used parts lead to various results, what makes each piece unique. The furniture is an “assemblage'' from the differently shaped leftovers.

multiculture

Contrary to fashion and color trends, whose demand is too often focused on single species, the furniture is made using three different woods: American cherry, maple and red oak. The timber choices we make have a long-term impact on the health of forests, with an over-reliance on a narrow selection of wood types causing serious stress on supply chains and the environment. In the case of the American hardwood forests, maple, cherry and red oak accounts for over 40% of all the standing timber so it’s vital that they aren’t overlooked. The use of leftover pieces determines the characteristics of the furniture and forms a mixed culture reminiscent of a forest with different tree species. Furthermore, intermediate steps in production such as the gluing of a board are skipped and the leftovers are only minimally processed directly into furniture. Due to the archetypal form of the furniture, the focus is on the generated patterns of the leftovers. This celebrates the shape and combination of the leftovers and impressively put on display. These form a composition and determine the characteristics of the furniture.

About the material

AMERICAN CHERRY Rich, smooth, vibrant and flexible. A medium-size tree, reaching a height of around 20m, cherry has a relatively short rotation, taking less time to mature than other hardwoods. The narrow sapwood is a light pinkish colour, while the heartwood varies from rich red to reddish brown, and darkens on exposure to light. AMERICAN RED OAK Warm, grainy, tough and bendy. Reaching a height of 21m, with a trunk diameter of 1m, red oak is the most abundant species in America’s hardwood forests. Named for the colour of its leaves in the fall, this classic oak wood has a light brown sapwood, and a heartwood characterised by attractive warm reddish-pink tones. Red oak is strong, straight grained, coarse-textured and distinctive. AMERICAN MAPLE Light, fine, hard and incandescent. A close cousin of European maple and sycamore, American maple can reach heights of 23–27m, with a trunk diameter of 75cm. Hard maple is a cold-climate species favouring the northern states, whereas soft maples grow more widely across the mixed hardwood forests of the eastern United States. All Materials are provided by AHEC ( https://www.americanhardwood.org )