Project : Briket Year : 2024 Assistant : Anne Bertoncini
The Briket stool is an innovative project centered around reusing wood waste, specifically sawdust. Built with nine legs, and devoid of chemical additives or metal components, Briket can be fully recycled through fire for heating. The manufacturing process is both simple and environmentally neutral: wood waste is compressed alongside potatoes which is another natural component produced in excess and wasted by the food industry. The vegetable acts as a natural binder to create a material with consistent strength. Beyond being an experimental and innovative piece of furniture, the Briket stool could also be produced directly where wood waste is abundant: in sawmills, carpentry shops, and workshops dealing with large quantities of wood.
The design is inspired by wood pellets used for heating. By creating nine legs, the stool can be slowly disassembled to be put in a fire. While starting with the inside legs, Briket can still stand and be used as a stool until the last legs are taken apart. Briket raises awareness about the wood waste produced and how it can be recycled. While the function of stool is merely a transitory state, the project embodies a vision to demonstrate a wood production cycle.
It has been presented for the first time during the “Salone del Mobile” in Milan. The OUT OF THE WOODWORKS exhibition, developed by the Geneva gallery NOV, presents projects which aim to demonstrate a new appreciation of the value and current role of wood in our material world. It took place in the “House of Switzerland” organized by ProHelvetia.
