Seed to Seat
In response to an open brief for “something to sit on” and addressing the question “What is the true environmental impact of design?” six high profile Australian and New Zealand designers have created pieces in collaboration with the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC). Adam Goodrum, Greg Natale, Anne-Claire Petre, Ben Percy, Todd Hammond and David Trubridge used American cherry, tulipwood or red oak and, in Trubridge’s case, thermally-modified American ash. The full environmental impact of each completed design has been calculated. Both Evostyle in Sydney and David Trubridge in Whakatu, who manufactured the pieces, collected data on all inputs in terms of materials, energy usage, transport and wastage. From this information, AHEC is producing a profile for each design, drawing on data from their Life Cycle Assessment research for 19 hardwood species. AHEC has also calculated that it would take a mere 2.2 seconds for all the wood used in the six “Seed to Seat” designs to grow in the US hardwood forest.
