Fir-ever

Long description

Fir-ever uses low-demand reclaimed Douglas-fir from demolition waste and integrates it into a circular furniture design system. Countries worldwide use lumber as a prime component in construction, yet once a building reaches its end of life the lumber is often disposed of or downcycled, decreasing in value and/or releasing previously stored embodied carbon. Emerging deconstruction companies worldwide are forging new business models through dismantling buildings as opposed to traditional demolition, and reselling the foraged materials. But not all of the materials are valued the same for construction reuse, and there is a lack of demand for the high quality, shorter length timber that is being removed from older, deconstructed buildings.

Fir-ever proposes a furniture design system that utilizes this lumber, prioritizing fastener-free assembly and circularity within the product itself. The design will honour the origins of the lumber by using every inch of the wood in the design’s various components, reducing wood waste and keeping the embodied carbon in the product indefinitely. Full length lumber will make up the overall structure, and can be returned via a buy-back program and repurposed into another product. All offcuts produced during fabrication will be used to make the product’s sculptural base component, so that the wood is entirely re-integrated back into the product line via a circular system. Each product sold will be accompanied by a graphic showing the particular building the reclaimed wood originated from, creating a sentimental connection between the consumer and the product, and increasing its perceived value and lifespan.

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