The idea of using clear-felled land in alpine regions to grow hundreds of hectares of non-native vegetation, seasonally harvested and transported hundreds of kilometres for a purpose that had a 1 month lifespan; was a prime example to the studio of an unsustainable and outmoded industry activity.
The concept was to produce a flat packed and re-usable tree that would fit a modern design aesthetic and offer a significantly smaller ecological footprint.
Every step of the design process was carefully considered to find the most sustainably sound compromise.
The completed design features the use of locally sourced plywood, cut from a material-saving pattern by a specially devised low-energy router setup. The pieces are sealed with a linseed oil, packed in recycled packaging board and wrapped in a recycled kraftboard poster printed with vegetable based inks.
The completed design requires only a fifth of the energy and water of a traditional pine tree and produces only 1/25 of the solid waste (averaged over a 5 year cycle). It is available in 3 sizes (Small 400mm, Medium 930mm, Large 2300mm) with the smallest suitably small and light for international post.
The primary goal of the project, of presenting a current, outmoded social practice with a suitably feasible solution to the consumer populace, has been a huge success. Buro North received international recognition and publication of the design and an overwhelmingly positive response from the Australian design community.
For more information visit www.buronorth.com