Professional Documents
Culture Documents
conscious design
Alexander Schul is a young German designer, winner of
the 2019 Rossana Orlandi Guiltless Plastic Contest,
with his project “Substantial Furniture” project.
February 6th, 2020
Aiming to use plastic waste for the creation of a new aesthetic and style of
sustainable furniture, Alexander Schul developed a collection of products, from
seating to lighting. Substantial Furniture is a functional collection that proves
one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
DesignWanted interviewed Alexander to find out more about it. Let’s take a closer
look.
Alexander Schul: “Shortly after graduating in 2018 my work was selected for the
Designblok Prague diploma selection. After winning the 1st award, Rossana
Orlandi, who was part of the Jury, recommended me to apply with the
project for the Guiltless Plastic competition.
The project was entirely self-motivated, meaning I didn’t design it for a specific
competition. Therefore the overall experience was quite amazing and
reassuring that my approach to design does make sense.“
Sustainable design is on the rise and everyone seems to be
doing it. Why is Substantial Furniture, an alternative and
award-winning solution?
The pure aesthetics, hence the choice to use only one material, makes the objects
visually easy to integrate into any interior. The Substantial Furniture pieces are
not only functional in their use, but also in their storage and shipping since
they are composed of flat packable parts.”
Alexander Schul: “The process of production would only involve cutting, press-
molding and then CNC-milling of the material. After that, all the parts can simply
be assembled with screws.
The sheets get produced by Smile Plastics. The visual pattern of the material
originates from the diversity of the starting material; plastic waste. Therefore the
creation of patterns is a natural option that actually simplifies the production
process of the sheet material. Separating all the colors would be a far more
difficult task.
The small reflective details you can see in the material are the shredded remnants
of aluminum lids which conventionally get used in yogurt cups. The resulting
pattern / visual appearance not only looks interesting but also arises from an
efficient manufacturing method.“
What other designers you are inspired or influenced by?
What other fields and inputs outside of the design world
provide you inspiration?
Alexander Schul: “There is not really one particular designer I am inspired by.
There are many existing ones which I like.
For this particular project, my aim was to transform the once disposable trash
into something that will be long-lasting, in terms of quality but also visually.
Therefore I actually tried to use the 10 Commandments of Dieter Rams,
whose designs have proven to be timeless.“
Alexander Schul: “Outside of design, I am interested in Philosophy and
Architecture. I, lately, really enjoy listening to Alan Watts. He is known for
interpreting and popularizing Eastern Philosophy for a Western audience.
3. Designing my own electric car. One that doesn’t look like it’s going to slice
you up in case of an accident.”
Which are the main values, core concepts or style inclinations
that, above all, will always represent the studio and yourself?
Alexander Schul: “I think sustainability is a topic that I´ll always integrate into
my work in one way or the other. To me, sustainability is not a trend, but the
topic of the coming decades.
I believe the biggest circumstance influencing design in the last century was
the industrial revolution, resulting in new approaches such as seen by the
Bauhaus or Ulm Schools. The new approach was to design for efficient industrial
production, which resulted in an entirely new style.
I think it depends on your personality. If you are easily stressed out and are often
anxious about the future, you should probably get a job first. If you like the
excitement and think you can manage the up and downs that are involved in
starting your own firm, whilst being able to face the potential failure, then
you should do that.“
Undergraduate student of Industrial Design at NABA, Milano. Thinker, doer and
outdoors enthusiast. Understanding the world in order to help the shift towards a
sustainable planet through design and every day action.
Related articles