Residue is a material project that used Material Driven Design as a method for developing a material with qualities adapted for the end product. The starting point of the project was a problem area that was identified in the wood furniture industry. At present, large amounts of waste are created or other materials that are not natural are mixed into the manufacturing of double-curved surfaces of wood materials. The project was therefore about, through Material Driven Design, investigating whether it is possible to create a completely biological, wood-fiber-based material that can simultaneously be formed into double-curved surfaces.
In the material development process, wood fibers and bone glue were used as main components. These were experimented with together with other components in an MDD process to arrive at a new material proposal. The result of the project was the material called "Residue" since it is only made to residual products from different industries. The material mainly consists of wood shavings from wood furniture industries and bone glue were used as a binder in the material. Bon glue is an adhesive made from bone remnants from the slaughter industry. The bone adhesive was chosen as a binder, partly because it is completely organic and biodegradable, but also because it has thermoplastic properties. This led to the fact that the final material also had thermoplastic properties and can be re-shaped for re-use and recycling of the material. The two organic components make the final material 100% biodegradable and make use of natural residues that are otherwise not used, which is a sustainable way of using natural resources.
To show the material's unique technical and sensory properties, the material was applied to a seating furniture. The entire furniture consists only of organic components, which makes it completely biodegradable and possible to insert into a circular system without the need for any extra separation steps of different materials. Through die casting, a seat shell was created that shows the possibility of creating double curved surfaces of the wood fiber-based material. The formability of the material provides good opportunities for creating comfortable, ergonomic shapes, which meant that a chair was a good product for use of the material. The bone structure was built of solid oak and was assembled with wooden plugs and bone glue. The intention with the end product was not only to create a sustainable piece of furniture, but also that the visual and sensory properties of the material would contribute to a unique look that gives the furniture an emotionally pleasing value for the user.
