Wanted: designer for circular office furniture

The Circular Cocreation Hub (CICO HUB) joins forces to bring companies and organisations together and support them in the transition to circular business. This platform therefore aims to increase knowledge about waste management and circular entrepreneurship, discuss problems and thresholds and create (chain) cooperation.

The hub is one of 12 Flemish social circular hubs and has as partners Leiedal, Voka West Flanders, Howest, Constructief, De Kringloopwinkel and Designregio Kortrijk.

Developing circular solutions based on residual streams with a focus on reuse and reducing waste. In short; creating impact by cleverly turning waste into raw material.

To increase this impact, emphasis is placed on cooperation with tailor-made companies, as they have a flexible approach to production and makes working on a local scale easier.

With this also comes the identification of obstacles that make implementing a circular economy difficult.

Designregio Kortrijk, Constructief, De Kringloopwinkel and The Fair Furniture Group are joining forces to develop sustainable furniture (and possible derivatives) for the office market, made from residual flows from the Kringloopwinkel (mainly from old furniture that does not get sold in the Kringloop shops).

To bring this vision to life, we are looking for a designer to help shape this project.

WHO

Designregio Kortrijk Coordinates the project and brings together design, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Constructive Bespoke company and producer of circular furniture and custom-made products.

De Kringloopwinkel Supplier of residual flows and expert in reuse.

Delta Group Umbrella organisation of, among others, De Kringloopwinkel and Constructief.

Fair Furniture Group Specialist in sustainable office furniture and commercial partner for the furniture line.

A lot of second-hand wooden furniture of various sizes, materials, types, ... Not all these items find a new life after several attempts to sell them. The material that makes up this furniture is too valuable to be disposed of as waste. To this end, we will look for new uses within the office furniture market.

The aim of this assignment is to develop, in co-creation, a piece of furniture based on materials recovered from second-hand furniture. The furniture is currently undefined (this can take the form of a chair, bench, table, wall, ... and possible derivatives). Its production will be carried out by the employees of Constructive. Eco-design principles will be used to develop the new circular furniture(s), in such a way that the material can also be reused after this life. The assignment runs from concept and design development to implementation and optimisation within the production process in collaboration with Constructief.