Recycling x Creativity = Turning Old into Gold
What do most of us do when we have old, unwanted furniture at home? We dispose!
But what if our trash can be turned into something new and useful?
Beauty of Circular Economy
HOOP (pictured left) is a coffee table given a second life (from its old form, pictured right). It acts not just as a coffee table but also as a catalyst for family interaction as they play toss the ball into the hole.
The idea of turning discarded household items into new furniture was first mooted at CCK Town’s HaCCKathon held in October 2021. The event, facilitated by Ngee Ann Polytechnic, saw over 80 residents coming together to co-develop an eco-plan to transform CCK Town into a sustainable eco-town.
After the HaCCKathon, Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Design and Environment, CCK Town Council and the Brickland Sustainability Workgroup got together to bring the idea of upcycling old furniture to life — and Project Circular was born.
This project seeks to educate participants about a concept called the Circular Economy. It helps to reduce the amount of waste thrown away by transforming rubbish that would have gone into the incinerators and landfills into something useful. It promotes responsible consumption and helps companies to become more eco-friendly.
CCK Town Residents, Scanteak and CNA Join Hands with Ngee Ann Polytechnic
At the start of this year, a group of enthusiastic Brickland volunteers helped to spread the word among fellow Brickland residents to source for unwanted pieces of furniture.
Subsequently, with the help of CCK Town Council and estate cleaners, these volunteers helped to move and transport the tonne of discarded wood furniture to Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Design and Environment.
At Ngee Ann Polytechnic, 39 second-year Design students set to work, spending 7 weeks conceptualising, designing and constructing new furniture pieces out of the unwanted furniture.
Popular local furniture manufacturer, Scanteak, stepped in to offer the students design, construction and marketing expertise from its top management and most experienced craftsmen, while local media giant, Mediacorp, supported the project by documenting the entire process as part of its CNA Green Plan Campaign.
This project would be a key feature of a TV episode on the Singapore Green Plan 2030 which will be aired on 25 April 2022 on CNA, focusing on the Green Economy, one of the five pillars of the plan.
See the Upcycled Furniture in Person
Born out of wooden panels salvaged from donated furniture (pictured right), the Casita (pictured left) is a cat-friendly piece of furniture which is both a human seat and also a cat’s home-cum-lookout tower.
Out of the 35 pieces that were designed, a total of 9 pieces were selected to be put up for public display at Scanteak Toh Guan Showroom.
They will also be for sale and all proceeds will be donated to Brickland Cares to fund future green initiatives and community needs.
Check out the selected upcycled furniture pieces now!
Date: 12 to 15 March 2022*
Time:
- 12pm – 9pm (Mon to Fri)
- 11am – 9pm (Sat & Sun)
Where: Scanteak Toh Guan Showroom 8 Boon Lay Way, #02-22/23, Tradehub 21, Singapore 609964
Project Circular shows what can be done, if we treat our waste with a little bit of creativity, instead of just throwing it away.
Born from the ashes of old chairs (left), the Chairlax (right) is a foldable chair on the ground for the casual mobile gamer.