CartonLAB Creates High-Design Structures out of Humble Cardboard

<a href="http://cartonlab.com/">CartonLAB</a> brings architecture to the masses by exploring the immense potential of using <a href="http://inhabitat.com/cheap-cardboard-packaging-protects-one-of-the-worlds-most-expensive-olive-oils/">common cardboard</a> as a building material. The design group from <a href="http://www.mohoweb.com/index.php">Moho Arquitectos</a> transforms corrugated paper into furniture, freestanding walls, and pixelated pavilions. In doing so they provide advertising venues with a much healthier and more renewable solution to the typical vinyl and PVC-covered pressboard displays that end up in the trash at the end of their short lifespan.

<a href="http://cartonlab.com/">CartonLAB</a>'s playful design approach adds to the appeal of using the lightweight, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/brilliant-corrugated-cardboard-kranium-helmet-is-4-times-stronger-than-polystyrene/">strong</a>, and flexible material.

They designed a display for Microsoft that could change shape at every collage stop on a promotional tour.

The structure was made by stacking up boxes like building blocks.

A simple colored tile set enhanced the dimensionality of the display.

Examples of cubic display designs.

Construction of the cubic display.

Exploring the complex design potential of cardboard, cartonLAB also produced a <a href="http://www.rethinking-architecture.com/introduction-parametric-design,354/">parametric</a> display for Ability Diseño Gráfico. The intricate folded structure can be easily collapsed and flat-packed to fit in a van.

At its simplest, cardboard can serve as a clean billboard where information can be diplayed in complex ways. The medium enhances the information being expressed rather than serving as a distraction.

The<a href="http://inhabitat.com/shigeru-bans-cardboard-bridge/"> durability </a>and packabilty of cardboard has been proven through daily use, so it’s refreshing to see the material find its place in high design. It provides a viable alternative to the display industry, which often relies upon toxic, non-renewable and non-recyclable materials.