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Product Designer Matthias Gschwendtner's "New Sources" Project: A Critique of Mass-Market Furniture

3D-scanning, computational design, robotic manufacturing, birch branches

By Rain Noe - February 3, 2022

in Furniture Design

Here's a fascinating furniture concept that bears some spiritual commonality with two projects we recently looked at: The Stackabl system for making furniture from factory off-cuts, and the Kimochi no Katachi system of using one industry's off-cuts to make something out of a second industry's off-cuts.

The project we're looking at today is called New Sources, by Bavaria-based product designer Matthias Gschwendtner. "New Sources is a case study using leftover materials from the wood industry through an interconnection of 3D-scanning, computational design and robotic manufacturing," Gschwendtner writes.

"Raw birch branches are 3D-scanned and then virtually processed by algorithms to constantly recalculate all production data for each individual part of an object. Due to the irregularity of the material every object becomes a unique piece."

"The Computational Log Chair is the first object of this series. Precisely milled surfaces and edges appear all around the object and stand in contrast to the raw branch surface to display the intersection between nature and technology. Birch bark partly remains and becomes a natural ornament. It keeps the original character of the material."

While the Stackabl and Kimochi no Katachi projects are commercial and practical, New Sources is meant as an investigation and to provide commentary:

"The chair criticizes mass consumption and questions the standardization of natural grown materials in the domestic environment."

Be sure to check out his Instagram here. That's where I found shots of how he jigged up the branches:

Gschwendtner does mention above that the Log Chair is the first in a series, and I'm well curious to see the future ones. And I will say that, ironically, these Log Chair criticisms of mass consumption would probably sell like hotcakes. (My apologies to Gschwendtner.)

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Ross Oliver

2 years ago

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I avoid using branches in woodworking, as they grow under a lot more stress than the trunk, and are much more prone to warp, twist, crack, split, and even explode when you cut into them. Yes I have seen this happen. Well maybe not explode, let's say split energetically. But I guess if your material cost is low enough, you can discard whatever misbehaves.

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Jim Lewis

2 years ago

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Interesting idea. I like the way he algorithymically (sp?) makes custom, one-off pieces depending on the stock available. I hope he doesn't have a problem keeping the birchbark attached. It has a tendency to peel off when the wood dries.

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no spec

2 years ago

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this hand-crafted seeming furniture is how our new robot overlords will make us happy and comfortable in their new world order. I'm peacefully waiting and welcoming a future of biology bending to the will of machines.

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Zach W

2 years ago

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what does the Kuka arm he used to make it cost? like $20,000?? Doesn't seem sustainable.

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Zach W

2 years ago

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Does this process consume more or less energy than current furniture building techniques? I know it uses scap but then it takes a ton of effort to repurpose the material....

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- Nicholas LiCausi
  
  Zach W
  
  2 years ago
  
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  Its definitely more energy and effort, but isn't that the point of material research? Maybe 10 years from now a system like this could create more sustainable furniture design solutions.
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