CARVED FROM CARDBOARD

Using cardboard furniture can help hospitality operations become more efficient, especially in events and outdoor spaces, since it can be quickly assembled, dismantled or transported

- PRANITA BHOSALE

When the countdown to 2020 Tokyo Olympics began, sprinter Paul Chelimo tweeted a photo of high resistance lightweight cardboard beds at the Athletes’ Village. Soon, rumours started doing the rounds that these were meant to avoid intimacy among athletes, which were later found to be untrue.

A press release from the event organising committee stated that the beds could support up to 200 kgs. Airweave, which provided 18,000 cardboard beds during the Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, later decided to donate some of them to COVID-18 affected patients in Osaka.

One person who followed these developments with great interest is contemporary artist and sustainability design expert, Bandana Jain, who uses corrugated cardboard for her creations. When she first time came across this report, it felt like a validation of her chosen medium.

While Jain has tried interlocked furniture out of cardboard, during the lockdown, she fashioned beds too. “I was glad Airweave came up with this innovative design thinking. I have encountered many people who judge cardboard’s stability and sturdiness as a medium. This international news proved its worth.”

GOOD FOR REGULAR USE

Last year, architects Varsha and Deepak Guggari of Studio VDGA created a four-level office in Pune replacing the archetypal solid partitions with honeycombed cardboard with undulating patterns. Deepak noted that this biodegradable material does not require polishing or painting, which makes it extremely cost-effective, not to mention sustainable and long-lasting.