Nils Askhagen

My degree project revolves around creating furniture through reuse for mass production.

Currently, reuse design is often done in limited quantities, as the materials being reused are often not available in larger quantities. This can lead to high production costs as new designs often need to be created, depending on the available materials. Since there are significant limitations on how materials can be modified, there is often a compromise in the design as well. These pieces of furniture tend to have an experimental look that may not appeal to a broad consumer base.

The construction industry accounts for a significant portion of society’s total waste. Large quantities of construction timber are dismantled during demolition work. Unfortunately, these are almost always burned to generate energy. According to EU directives, this should only be done with materials that cannot be recycled. If a furniture manufacturer had access to used construction timber, they would have a steady influx of materials that could be converted into furniture and other interior furnishings.

Additionally, there are strong incentives against working with Swedish timber. Naturskyddsföreningen states on their website that timber volume has increased in the last hundred years, while the biological diversity of the forests has decreased drastically. The project Regelverk aims to demonstrate the possibilities of designing and manufacturing wooden furniture without needing to fell a single tree.

Based on standard dimensions of the construction timber, 45 x 70 mm, I have designed furniture made from 100% reused materials that can be mass-produced while still being aesthetically pleasing to make them accessible to a broad consumer base. Welcome to the Regelverk project.

Thanks to Rivners AB and Lisa Tan.