Honour Year Research Project - 2024
THE 'METHODS' & T.R.I.A.L.
Most Experimental Award - Melbourne Design Fringe event
2024 Interior Design Research Major Project Innovation Award
2024 Interior Design Research Award
Programs/Technologies: Rhino, Grasshopper, KeyShot, 3D Printing
INTRODUCTION
My honour year research journey represents an evolving exploration of innovative and sustainable design approaches, culminating in the T.R.I.A.L. initiative. This continuous investigation began with The Methods, where I explored the potential of unconventional materials and connection techniques and ultimately developed into T.R.I.A.L., a comprehensive program aimed at addressing furniture waste through advanced technologies and creative repurposing.
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The Methods (Initiation of Research)
In the first semester, I delved into the possibilities of using non-traditional materials—such as natural elements, recycled 3D printing waste, and found hard garbage—to create innovative and environmentally responsible interior designs. Through experimentation, I challenged conventional paradigms in interior design, emphasizing the aesthetic and functional potential of reimagined materials. -
T.R.I.A.L. (Culmination of Research)
Building upon the foundational insights gained in The Methods, I transitioned into T.R.I.A.L., a second-semester project that expanded these ideas into a scalable and practical system. Using discarded furniture as raw material, the project introduced techniques like advanced 3D printing to create unique connectors and supports, promoting sustainability and personalization in furniture design.This initiative not only explored creative reuse but also included a buy-back program to extend furniture lifecycles, fostering a circular economy while addressing the waste generated by transient student populations in Melbourne.
Synthesis of Research
The continuous progression from The Methods to T.R.I.A.L. illustrates the evolving nature of my work—starting with material and technique exploration and advancing to a fully realized application. Together, these projects redefine how we think about materials, assembly, and sustainability in design. By merging ecological responsibility with innovation, this body of work demonstrates how creative processes can address pressing environmental issues while enriching user experiences in the built environment.
THE METHODS
The Methods explored the potential of unconventional materials and innovative connection methods in interior design. I aim to challenge traditional interior design paradigms and emphasise design innovation and environmental conservation through using natural materials, recycled waste, and found objects.
The research process is divided into three main parts: collecting and reconnecting natural materials such as branches, reprocessing scrap from the 3D printing process, and splitting and reassembling hard waste to explore reuse potential.
The projects demonstrated the viability and aesthetic potential of unconventional materials in interior design. These results support the idea that unconventional materials not only reduce the environmental burden but also provide designers with a new source of creativity. The inclusion of unique textures, forms, and narratives for interior spaces through materials and assembly techniques enriches the interior spatial experience, fosters emotional connections, and increases the user's awareness of sustainability.
This research emphasises the importance of combining ecological responsibility with innovative design. The processes uncovered how designers can work with unconventional and non- modular materials to create innovative and resourceful designs. It proposes unconventional materials and connection methods that can enhance both the aesthetic and functional qualities of interiors, fostering a deeper, more personalised relationship between users and their environment.
The Methods primarily focus on research into approaches during the initial phase, where I experimented with various materials and different connection techniques.
T.R.I.A.L.
T.R.I.A.L. (Test, Reuse, Innovative, Assemblage, Lifecycle) is an innovative programme focused on addressing the significant resource waste caused by fast furniture consumption, particularly within Melbourne’s transient student population. The initiative comprises a series of ongoing tests aimed at discovering effective methods for reusing discarded furniture. The project explores the potential for creatively repurposing bulky waste by dismantling old furniture and employing various innovative technologies, including 3D printing, to generate unique connectors and supports. This approach transforms discarded items into personalised, functional furniture that reflects individual tastes and needs.In addition to utilising these creative techniques, T.R.I.A.L. incorporates a buy-back service, allowing students to return their used furniture, which can then be refurbished or reassembled. This process not only extends the lifecycle of furniture but also helps prevent the common practice of discarding perfectly functional items during moves. By offering tailored furniture solutions that differ from conventional mass-produced options, T.R.I.A.L. aims to meet the diverse needs of students while fostering sustainable practices.Ultimately, T.R.I.A.L. embodies a commitment to reducing waste, promoting a circular economy, and supporting a more sustainable lifestyle. Through continuous experimentation and exploration of reuse methods, the programme seeks to redefine how furniture is perceived and utilised in student living environments, encouraging a shift towards more responsible consumption and design practices.
I proposed a new research question: "In what ways can advanced technologies, including 3D printing, be applied to creatively repurpose discarded furniture, promoting sustainable solutions to the problem of fast furniture waste?"
I then delved deeper into this direction and named the project T.R.I.A.L. — Test, Reuse, Innovative, Assemblage, Lifecycle. This project involves a series of tests to find the best methods for reusing discarded furniture. By dismantling old furniture and using 3D printing to create unique connectors and supports, I explore how to turn rubbish into personalized, functional furniture that meets individual aesthetic and functional needs, while embodying the Assemblage theory. Assemblage emphasizes the combination of items from different sources to form a new whole, providing both functional and aesthetic freedom and highlighting the uniqueness of each piece of furniture.
The process of T.R.I.A.L. can be summarized in six steps: First, collecting old furniture. Most of the materials come from roadside and apartment rubbish piles in Melbourne’s city center. I also plan to create a student furniture recycling program and collaborate with local governments to turn items that would otherwise end up in landfills into usable resources.
Next, the collected rubbish is 3D scanned to create a digital library, storing their digital models. This not only facilitates digital design but also helps me manage resources more effectively when designing. In Rhino, I can freely combine these digital components to find creative combinations. Then, based on client needs, I reassemble these components to design unique furniture pieces. My design process often involves several iterations, sometimes adjusting in the digital environment and sometimes experimenting directly with physical materials. Once the final design is confirmed, I design custom connectors and 3D print them to assemble.
According to data, approximately 940 tons of furniture are discarded in Melbourne each year, with only a small portion dismantled and recycled into new materials. The rest is sent to landfills, causing significant resource waste. As a major group within Melbourne's transient population, students often choose cheap "fast furniture" due to frequent relocations, discarding these pieces when they move, contributing to a simplified but wasteful consumption model.
To better understand this phenomenon, I created a survey at the beginning of second semester to gather opinions on furniture use and disposal, receiving 38 responses. Whether local or international students, nearly everyone mentioned that they had bought furniture. However, only 5.9% of respondents chose second-hand furniture, as most believed second-hand items were unreliable or difficult to transport. When I asked how they disposed of their furniture when moving, 32.4% said they discarded it, and nearly half chose to sell it. But considering that only a small portion of people buy second-hand furniture, the likelihood of selling old pieces is low. Therefore, 68.8% of respondents answered "yes" when asked if they would discard their furniture. This attitude directly contributes to Melbourne’s large volume of hard rubbish.
Inspired by this, I began exploring ways to give value back to these discarded resources. Based on the theory of Adhocism, I experimented with dismantling found rubbish and reassembling it through various connection methods to make it reusable. Adhocism’s flexibility encouraged me to create functional and unique furniture based on readily available materials.
The 3D-printed connectors I use are made from PLA material, which is non-toxic, biodegradable, and made from starch or sugarcane. PLA is environmentally friendly and can be easily recycled to make 3D printing Filaments again.
These testing results were applied to five furniture pieces. Unlike previous designs, which were random combinations of available components, these pieces were made with a clear focus on their functions. This includes a chair, a clothes rack, and a side table that students commonly purchase according to the survey, as well as a fence and floor lamp that I believe I need in my current living situation.
I tested with combinations from my library, and then physically arranged them to finalize the designs. These furniture pieces incorporate the connection methods I had previously tested. The floor lamp uses direct geometric blocks as connectors after modeling, with a special connector designed for the bulb and lampshade, securing the wires with a circular ring.
The chair uses a method of drilling holes to connect the tubes to the seat. I also added a small mesh board for placing a cup or phone.
The fence I designed can be used to protect models while drying or as a tool rack. It uses circular rings for assembly, allowing the divider to open and close, and has added storage components for small parts and stationery.
The clothes rack primarily uses connectors that need to be melted and shaped, as the cylindrical materials often have uneven thickness. Fixed-size connectors might not fit properly or could be too loose, and there are angled connections that are hard to measure. However, by designing the connectors slightly larger and using an open-ended opening, I could melt and wrap the connection points securely.
For the side table, I used Grasshopper to generate some decorative geometric shapes within the defined area between the two components I found. In this project, I also experimented with using VR to assist with assembly. I needed to break the model into smaller pieces to fit the printing size and then use a heat gun to assemble them. The side table provides some structural support but is primarily decorative, aiming to achieve a more personalized result that reflects individual taste and needs.
This projects also supports the principles of Assemblage and Anti-Consumerism—by giving old furniture new functions, extending its lifecycle, offering personalized design choices, and opposing disposable consumer culture.
In the future, I hope to develop T.R.I.A.L. into a business model, offering furniture buy-back services for students, collaborating with local governments to recycle and reassemble rubbish, and ultimately providing customers with customized furniture that meets their needs. This process not only extends the life cycle of furniture but also helps prevent the waste of usable items discarded during moves. T.R.I.A.L. offers a personalized alternative to traditional mass-produced furniture, aiming to meet the diverse needs of students while promoting sustainability. T.R.I.A.L. embodies a commitment to reducing waste, promoting a circular economy, and supporting more sustainable lifestyles, while striving to redefine how furniture is used in student living spaces and fostering a shift towards more responsible consumption and design practices.