Exposició TOCAR FUSTA
«Touching wood»: exploring the reuse of joinery and industrialized design
The return to wood and production processes makes LOOP DISSENY I CIRCULARITAT support this year the initiative «Touching wood» of the Pollença Crafts Fair, curated by Aulets Arquitectes and Amarar, and organized by the Pollença City Council, which focuses on the culture of abandonment of the territory to re-weave the value chain that is drawn between the tree and the furniture.
In this case, LOOP participates by focusing on design as a value component and has proposed to five designers the creation of furniture from the reuse of pine wood slats from the assembly of the Pollença 2023 Fair and from the collection of the large area of pine forests that the Juliette storm devastated in 2023, as well as the use of solid wood from bed bases from the 50s and reused joinery and windows.
From the 1960s onwards, a relocation of materials and production systems began. Places were sought around the world where the extraction of materials and manufacturing were more economical and less burdensome in terms of environmental and labor issues.
This productive change has now turned our habitat into an abandoned territory both in terms of materials (stone, clay and wood), as well as the productive fabric and technical knowledge.
In the case of wood, only 5% of the forest area is managed (this means that 95% of the forest is abandoned), and the productive fabric has lost the knowledge of working with solid wood and wood such as Scots pine. On the other hand, the wood from furniture, carpentry, windows, etc. that is no longer used is burned in Son Reus.
- ORGANITZA: Ajuntament de Pollença
- COL·LABORA: Xarxa Forestal, Tramuntana XX!, Ajuntament d'Escorca i CETEBAL
- COMISSARIAT: Amarar Tramuntana i Curro Claret
- FOTOGRAFIES: Bartomeu Sastre
- PRODUCCIÓ: Germans Adrover
How can we reverse this situation? The exhibition proposes two lines of action.
The first action is to make a line of marketable furniture that can enhance the value of Scots pine wood, thus activating the value chain that goes from the forester to the carpenter. This process must be economically sustainable for each of the actors involved.
The second action consists of finding furniture, carpentry and windows that are no longer in use and, from these pieces, making furniture and structures that show that we can extend the useful life of furniture and wood that we do not use, and give it a new use that meets our needs through the reuse of carpentry and furniture.
We need to touch wood to be able to take care of our forests.
The “Pavilion of recycled doors and windows”
The exhibition presents a pavilion built with recycled doors and windows. This pavilion demonstrates that a specific design of a wooden profile facilitates the construction in the workshop of each piece, and allows the frames to be assembled and disassembled easily. The wooden frames have been burned to protect them against insects and aging, as the burning process creates a carbonized surface layer that acts as a natural barrier. This technique, similar to the traditional Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique, also improves fire resistance and reduces the need for chemical treatments, helps extend the useful life of the designs and encourages the search for new ways to preserve wood.
Reflection on sustainability and innovation
The Pollença Fair 2024 becomes a showcase to show that innovation and tradition can come together to redefine furniture design, exploring both the potential of waste and that of wood obtained from forests, with the aim of taking care of it. We highlight the importance of an environmentally friendly approach in architecture and design. We invite all visitors to learn about this project and to reflect on the possibilities offered by the materials in our environment when we look at them from a renewed perspective.