PRINT YOUR CITY

Rotterdam research and design studio The New Raw say the annual waste from every three residents in Amsterdam should be enough to 3D print two big plastic benches for deployment in public places throughout the capital of The Netherlands. The firms' printed prototype, the XXX bench, is the first to show the way.

The new initiative called Print Your City!, utilises 3D printing to transform plastic waste into urban furniture. The plastic used to 3D print each 50 kg (110 lb) XXX bench is sourced from pellets from municipal waste or flakes from ground-up products. The 150cm-long x 80cm-wide prototype has been produced using a large-scale pellet extrusion 3D printer and seats two to four people.

The New Raw says the XXX is designed to rock, with users needing to "find equilibrium together, or use their energy to rock each other."

"Cities provide a suitable field for large, long-lasting and easy to trace applications for recycled plastic," explained the studio. "In this field, the technology of 3D printing enables closing the material loop of plastic with a short recycling path and a zero waste production process. Furthermore, it can combine modular repair and mass customisation, making a more circular city feasible with more engaged citizens and less CO2 emissions."

The shape and size of the bench can be customised to meet specific needs, and businesses could also have logos or messages integrated into the design. And at the end of its useful life, the bench itself can be recycled – perhaps to make more street furniture.

The XXX bench is the first to hit the streets, but The New Raw's research project is already looking at broadening its range, including branching out to recycling bins, playgrounds and bus stops made with recycled plastic components.

Images © The New Raw