Platform X Presents: Sofa 01 & Tables 02

Platform X is The Senator Group's House of Innovation, a place where creativity takes shape, ideas are born and questions are valued above answers.

We present the freedom to fail, explore, create, re-think and re-imagine. Harnessing the unknown - we see opportunity.

Here we share with you are creative search towards a more sustainable future. We don’t have all the answers, but we are asking the right questions.

We believe both longevity & transparency are key to lasting design, so we asked the question - How as designers can we impact the future?

Wanting to change the norms and standards of a typical design brief to ensure we are building something better.

From material choices to the way we put a product together and envisioning the product’s afterlife, everything comes down to design and engineering. There are many ways to incorporate sustainable design into a project, such as self-assembly, using waste materials, designing for repair and refresh, and extending the product’s lifespan.

Lifecycle analysis is a huge part of the act of designing; we must be responsible and understand every stage. This is something which is an embedded part of our work, we are no longer designing mechanically, financially or aesthetically, we have to understand the metrics from a carbon perspective to create truly great products.

We are designing with data.

Sofa 01 is a sustainably constructed classic sofa archetype. Its minimalist aesthetics highlight comfort and durability. The pared back design language focusses the eye on the quality of the fabric and upholstery. To elevate spaces Sofa 01 can be specified with additional cushions in different sizes and colours.

Sofa 01 has been designed for domestic and hospitality spaces. Its simple modularity works well for small and large configurations. Modules are linked with a universal bracket, enabling the user to reconfigure layouts effortlessly.

Sofa 01 is fully modular; any component can be replaced with basic tools. Individual covers can be easily dry cleaned or replaced. The sofa does not use any PU-foams or glues to create a truly sustainable design.

To extend the longevity of the product whilst remaining sustainable, the sofa is broken down into individual parts to stop the process of disposing the full unit. When doing this it often leads to material going to waste that is not yet at the end of its life making replacement parts a much more sustainable solution to increase the overall product life span.

Below is a breakdown of the material used.

Springbond was developed to provide an environmentally conscious alternative to PU Foam that doesn’t compromise on performance. Using recycled PET plastic to manufacture products that are 100% recyclable after use, it is chemical and dust free and emits virtually no VOC’s making it both safe and hypoallergenic.

Zielgler is produced from PET bottles that are collected and recycled in the closed PET circulation. They are pressed and then shredded to form PET flakes. From these, a granulate is obtained that serves as a starting point for the production of polyethylene staple fibres. These fibres are the raw materials
for nonwoven production.

Our plywood is sustainably sourced and FSC® certified. Plywood utilises timber better, as it leaves no waste. This means the number of trees cut down will be reduced to one-third compared to solid wood.

Made in the UK and using smart processes, the coil springs currently use 18.5% recycled steel, this will increase up to 90% recycled steel in the next 3 year with British Steels transition to Electric furnaces as part of its Decarbonisation plan. (When this change happens KG CO2e per seat unit will be 2.2 using recycled steel).

Renewed Loop by Gabriel is based on textile- to-textile recycling and carefully crafted from a blend of recycled textile waste and post-consumer recycled polyester. 100% recycled and fully recyclable, Renewed Loop closes the loop and creates a circular system in which textile waste is eliminated and materials are recycled again and again.

Naturally curious we are always researching new materials and processes. Platform X, our internal Innovation Lab, we explored a range of new and experimental materials to create a series of tables made solely from a single material.

Simplifying the design down to one material enabled us to calculate the Co2 footprint and the lifecycle of each individual table and material used, we then compared the entire range to see which had the smallest Co2 footprint. 

Through this data-driven exercise we want to challenge the perception of a materials credentials to understand what the sustainable materials of the future will be.

Tables 02:
Tables 01 is an experiment into understanding the perception of sustainability through materiality. Through data we wanted to evaluate the true over 12 materials to learn if the products we think perceive are sustainable truly are.

Below is a breakdown of the material used.

– Bamboo 6.9kgCO2e
– Powder coated Steel 32.3kgCO2e
– Aluminium 24.5kgCO2e
– Concrete 28.8kgCO2e
– Oak 3.4kgCO2e
– Mycelium Hemp 3.2kgCO2e
– Cardboard 3.1kgCO2e
– Cork 4.4kgCO2e
– Birch Plywood 4.5kgCO2e
– Recycled Fabric Board 3.5kgCO2e
– Acrylic Glass 16.8kgCO2e
– Glass 17.5kgCO2e
–Jesmonite 44.7kgCO2e
– Seaweed Board 2.84kgCO2e
– 3D Printed PLA 14.2kgCO2e

Keep an eye out for further ideas and inspiration to the answers we don’t have, but the questions we do.