Coir Chair

At the base of this chair design laid an idea of developing a biocomposite material from coconut fibre mat and epoxy resin. Coconut mats are produced in sheets which can be easily formed into any shape. The main challenge was infusing the mats with resin in a way that they still preserve shaping possibilities of a dry mat. The best results were achieved when coconut mat was infused under vacuum conditions. The achieved composite showed much higher structural performance parameters than composite in which resin was applied with brushes and rolls. Additionally, the final composite has interesting aesthetic qualities as from a distance it resembles marble stone. The final shape of the chair was achieved by wrapping infused mats around polyurethane mould and placing the together in a vacuum bag.

Students: Marin Petkovic, Victor De Smet, Liedewij De Pestel
Tutor:  Piotr Baszyński, Jan Petrš
Suprevisor: Jun.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Arch. Hanaa Dahy
Design Studio: Material and Structure, WS 19, University of Stuttgart.