This article was originally featured on our sister site ARCHITECT.
Courtesy Woojai Lee
Courtesy Woojai Lee
Based in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Korean-New Zealander designer WooJai Lee likes experimenting with nontraditional materials in the furniture and objects he creates. One of his latest projects is PaperBricks, crafted from used newspapers.
Courtesy Woojai Lee
Lee turns discarded newspapers into a pulp, mixes in wood glue, and presses it into molds to form bricks that look like concrete masonry units. Once the shape has set, the bricks are taken out of the mold to dry, and then sanded for uniform and smooth edges. The 2-inch-thick bricks measure 4 inches wide by 11.8 inches long, and have a marble-like surface reminiscent of the Turkish Ebru art form.
Courtesy Woojai Lee
Though he’s still figuring out more applications for his creation, Lee has already put together a furniture series called PaperBricks Pallets, which consists of a side table and two benches. The collection demonstrates the use of PaperBricks as functional building blocks. “PaperBricks are currently under development into interior pieces such as wall panels and room dividers [in order] to further [explore] series of furniture and objects,” Lee tells ARCHITECT in an email.
Courtesy Woojai Lee
Courtesy Woojai Lee
This article is part of a series of weekly spotlights covering the latest in innovative products and materials. Read more of ARCHITECT’s Object of the Moment coverage here.