Side Arm Chair is a minimal chair created by Tokyo-based designer Daisuke Yamamoto. In an age where the construction industry is increasingly faced with the challenges of waste management, a groundbreaking product series, “FLOW,” seeks to address this issue by promoting a circular material life cycle that minimizes industrial waste. At the core of this project is the awareness of the “scrap and build” mentality, which sees recycled construction materials being discarded and replaced with new ones. To tackle this problem, the designers of “FLOW” have chosen to focus on Lightweight Gauge Steel (LGS), a widely used and frequently discarded building material. The innovative approach involves designing and constructing spaces with the understanding that they will eventually be deconstructed, while using materials and processes with the highest purity. This enables the reclamation and reuse of post-demolition building materials in the creation of new furniture, with minimal component requirements. The “FLOW” product series is born from this concept, with deconstruction as a fundamental assumption. This challenges conventional thinking and promotes a fluid material life cycle that minimizes industrial waste. The project aims to stimulate discussions surrounding the way we handle discarded materials in our current “scrap and build” society. By reevaluating the need for disposal, the designers hope to demonstrate the potential for repurposing these materials and breathing new life into them.

Photography by Masayuki Hayashi