Tools, Plant & Equipment
Building for the future: creating
furniture from V&A packing crates
As part of the V&A Museum’s
commitment to sustainability it has
developed two exciting furniture
upcycling initiatives using surplus stock
of its exhibition pack crates. These
initiatives demonstrate how waste
materials can be given a meaningful life
beyond a limited purpose.
In one initiative, nine designers were
partnered with clients from the 999
Club, a homelessness charity in London,
to co-create a piece of furniture
that can be taken into temporary
accommodation. The other gathered
designers to create tables and chairs,
also using the waste packing crates, for
a Food Waste Feast that was held at the
Day of Design event.
Throughout the project Festool
power tools were used. James Wilson,
Marketing Manager at Festool UK said
“We are delighted that Festool products
were part of this sustainability initiative,
that has enabled expert designers/
makers to share skills with people
who have experienced homelessness
enabling them to create unique pieces of
furniture.”
The project had a five-week turnaround
time from design and creation to
exhibiting at the Day of Design Festival
that was part of the London Design
Festival. The short time around time for
the project meant that the power tools
used needed to be sturdy, reliable and
deliver accurate results, fast.
Furniture designer and maker, Tom
Olesen (@tomtedesign) joined the
project to mentor one of the 999 Club’s
clients. “It is the small innovative
features of Festool tools that make
life easier. For example, on the router
OF 1010 the spindle stop means that
changing cutters is simple, so we can get
the job done quickly” Tom explained.
Zoë Louizos, Sustainability Co-
ordinator, V&A said: “We are thrilled
to have been able to use Festool
products. This project makes valuable
use of our surplus materials and
showcases creative solutions to waste
and provides a platform to support a
78
diverse community of designers and
makers, demonstrating design solutions
to environmental and social issues we
currently face.”
Festool is a manufacturer of
premium power tools for professional
tradespeople. To discover more about
Festool please visit www.festool.
co.uk and for more on the project
please visit
https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/design-
and-society/upcycling-our-waste-
crates-in-response-to-ldfs-day-of-
design-challenge