snøhetta recycles worn-out ﬁsh nets and ocean waste into S-1500 chair for NCP

for the past two years, snøhetta has been tackling the plastic problem — one as preoccupying as climate change — with a research project related to the material. the aim has been to understand plastic as a material, its journey and footprint in the value chain, as well as its inherent qualities. with it, the design practice wants to shift the public’s attitude towards used plastic, from treating it as a waste to seeing it as a valuable resource that offers many different possibilities once it has served its original purpose.

all images by bjornar ovrebo, courtesy of snøhetta
video © kjetil andersen, courtesy of snøhetta

made from 100% recycled plastic, the S-1500 chair by snøhetta, made in collaboration with furniture manufacturer nordic comfort products (NCP), has been presented during stockholm furniture fair 2019. the plastic material for the chair comes from the local fish farming industry in the north of norway while the subframe is made from recycled steel. by eliminating the need to use new raw material in the production, the chair has obtained a carbon footprint which is one of the lowest in the market.

the body of the chair is created by processing and grinding worn-out fish nets, ropes and pipes into a granulate that can be injected into formwork, generating endless possibilities for developing new objects. thanks to this, the S-1500 chair is a structural redesign of norwegian modernist bendt winge’s classic R-48 chair from the late 1960s, also produced by NCP. due to its production technique and varying plastic compositions, the pattern of each chair will be unique, even if the chair is mass produced. featuring a matte, pebbled, dark green surface that resembles marble, the S-1500 chair tells the story of plastic that has been on a journey as fish nets in the north sea, to the production facilities of NCP and eventually ends up as a chair in a school, a home or a public facility.

the project contributes to building a local, circular economy, as it employs plastic waste from the local industry to produce chairs in the same area. in order to reduce the need to produce new, virgin plastic, consumers and industry need to acknowledge the value inherent in used plastic and find ways to substitute virgin plastic with recycled material. with the development of the s-1500 chair, snøhetta hopes to inspire people to employ waste material in new and sustainable ways through innovation and design.