Project Overview

Our project is a simple, neat and handsome side table with a gently recessed top to hold a drink, book or alarm clock.

The top is made from high quality Portugese cork that is precision CNC crafted, hand sanded and finished with a mix of linseed oil and bees wax. Cork is natural, soft, light, durable, renewable and impermeable to water.

The frame is fabricated from 3mm thick aluminium alloy tube and finished in blue powder coat paint. Aluminium tube is strong, light and recyclable.

Organisation

Tiny Kiosk

Team

Josh Henderson and Kristen Leong.

Project Brief

To create a simple and functional side table that is honest in the use of materials, thoughtful in assembly and suitable for use both inside and outside.

Project Innovation / Need

The project innovation is how the product life cycle is considered in the design of the side table.

The side table is made of two parts. To assemble, the frame is simply pushed into the slots in the underside of the top and held by friction. There are no mechanical fixings as the cork top grips the aluminium frame in place in a manner similar to a cork sealing a bottle.

This ease of assembly and unassembly results in a smaller packing size when shipped, no requirement for tools or adhesives and allows the individual pieces to be either recycled or to biodegrade after use.

Design Challenge

There were two broad design challenges; materials and assembly.

Our design process began by looking at the opportunities present in cork and aluminium and considering how to make the best use of their natural qualities when crafting them to suit a purpose.

The rounded form of the side table responds to the softness and granular structure of agglomerated cork as well as the capabilities of CNC manufacture. The friction joint exploits the natural flexibility and ‘grip’ of cork.

Designing the depth and tolerances of the joint to be stable and to allow for easy assembly and disassembly was a challenge. The design was refined through the testing of prototypes.

The frame makes use of the structural efficiency of aluminium tube. The radius and distance between the bends responds to the capabilities of mandrel bending.

The side table was designed in a way that allows configuration for transport. It is essential that the side table was able to be made compact for packing. This is achieved by removing the top and placing it within the frame when packed in a box.

Sustainability

The side table is designed to use materials that are either fully biodegradable or recyclable.

Cork is renewable as it takes only eight years to produce, it is the bark of the cork oak tree so it may be harvested while the tree continues to grow. Aluminium is recyclable.

The ability to easily separate and recycle the individual components of the design is consistent with 'cradle to cradle' sustainable principles of material use.

Maximising the use of material from a standard agglomerated cork block was a means to minimise waste by reducing the amount of discarded material. This influenced the minimal form.