We can’t wait for this year’s London Design Festival, and we’re excited to announce that London-based furniture design company Formtank will be launching a series of sustainable table designs at 100% Design next week! Using a single sheet of industrial steel in the most efficient way possible, these cutting-edge “2d3d” tables are constructed to maximize yield while minimizing waste to less than 4% per linear meter.
Capable of carrying a considerable load, the volume of each table’s base is just ¼ of the volume of the glass it supports. Formtank’s 2d3d tables are manufactured by CAD/CAM technology and once cut, the steel is hand formed and finished. All Formtank products are manufactured in the UK.
If you are in London between the 18-21 September, you can see Formtank’s furniture at stand H94 at 100% Design, Earls Court.
+ Formtank
+ Formtank at 100% Design 2008
These designs look like they waste a lot of material for their leg design considering that a Parson style table is the most economical materialwise. You might celebrate the design but, please, not the unefficient use of material.
I disagree with you Barbara. This is a very efficient use of material Considering steel can be almost 100% recycled, as well as the table glass, and it is cut from a single sheet, this is a very efficient use of materiel. Please explain how it is not.
Beautiful forms as well. Thanks!~
The basic premise of this table- to efficiently use a full sheet of steel- is flawed in terms of “sustainability”. Why use a full sheet when a fraction of that would work?
“4% Waste” on the factory floor is not a measure of environmental or material efficiency. Its a measure of how much of a sheet was used. I would rather they “waste” 50% of the sheet and use it to make a second table.
Seriously, 3 or 4 legs, trusses between them and some cross-bracing would be plenty strong. This table is an extremely inefficient use of steel!!
Lastly, shipping that table would be ridiculously expensive and take up a large volume (more fuel), A light-weight and compact-able design would be preferred.
From a user point of view I imagine bumping my knees on it trying to sit.
If this is a typical level of criticism Inhabitat.com puts into posts, I am off-put and disappointed. Shame on you.