“Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment by reducing the consumption of non-renewable resources and minimising waste.”
Here at Gas&Air Studios 99% of the materials we use in our furniture designs, wood interiors and installations are reclaimed or recycled. All the timber we use is sourced from the local area, 90% of which is from unwanted or damaged pallets that are otherwise destined for landfill, or to be disposed of in other ways.
All our furniture is designed with an eco friendly mindset. We aim to combine strength of form with environmentally aware design, with the added aim of producing zero material waste during the production process. For example, our Pallet Chairs & Tables are built from a single pallet, with all material waste of small off cuts and old nails, either recycled or used to produce wood chippings. This is the same for the XChair. This is made solely from the thicker timber from the pallets which are left over from the production of our other deigns.
^Sustainable design; the folding Pallet Chair & Table
Over the years our products have featured in ‘Pallets 3.0: Remodeled, Reused, Recycled : Architecture + Design’ from Chris van Uffelen and in ‘Green Design: Volume 1’ from Dorian Lucas.
We are regularly working alongside companies who want to be environmentally conscious when putting together their events or installations. Our furniture has been used at the sustainably minded events Bubble London, Happy Place Festivals and Taste London , amongst others.
We have been lucky enough to work alongside designers and architects whose ethos is heavily driven by the need to be eco-conscious when deigning or building any new space. This is ever more important now and moving forward into the future. This was especially important for Sessions Market & We Like Toda who we collaborated with to design and build furniture for Shelter Hall in Brighton.
^Bespoke tables and benches for Shelter Hall, Brighton. A sustainable, eco conscious design and build
We have worked on many other eco conscious build projects including wood interiors, furniture and installations for commercial premisses, public exhibitions and events and beautiful private homes. Over the years we have have designed and built the following;
- Wooden shop counters and shop units.
- Bespoke wooden desks and worktops
- Purpose built bars and shelving with sinks, lighting and storage.
- Wood interiors and entire rustic wood walls & partitions.
- Integrated public seating areas.
- Public Exhibition stands.
- Large scale furniture installations for events and public domains.
- Fitted furniture pieces for private homes including beds, tables and sofa units.
- Bespoke rooftop seating and table units
- Eco pop up furniture for bars, shops and markets.
- Serving bars and restaurant host stations.
- Complete restaurant, bars and shop fit outs
For every one of these project there was a conscious effort to incorporate reclaimed and recycled materials and reduce waste.
For the Deliver #3 show at Twickenham in 2018, we designed and built over 300 metres of partition, walkway and display walls out of the re-usable pallets. Each pallet was second hand and was sent back to the supplier or re-used after the event was finished. None of the pallets were taken apart or damaged, meaning it was a truly sustainable, zero waste event set-up. Every pallet used was ‘recycled’. The Deliver exhibition is the “European rendezvous for e-logistics”, where over 1,200 international leaders in e-commerce and logistics meet to display their products and services.
For The Edge Cycleworks shop in Lancaster the shop fit centred around a shop counter built entirely from reclaimed scaffold boards. As well as bespoke coffee tables and fitted shelving units. For this commission we used 100% reclaimed or recyclable materials.
In 2022 we designed and built bespoke bespoke shop counters for Ware Recycling Centre and Doble Motorcycles in Coulsdon.
^Recyclable materials used for a recycling centre shop counter
Throughout the last ten years we have built many pallet wood walls. This is no not only an eco friendly way cladding an interior or exterior wall, but it also very cost effective. Using reclaimed timber means that each wall is unique and beautiful in it’s own way. We have installed pallet walls in private homes, bars and restaurant and cafe interiors. As well as at our own workshops in London and Norwich!
^Pallet wood walls are great for creating unique feature walls
For The Pizzashed, a wood fired pizza bar in Bury St Edmunds, we kitted out their awesome little space with a bar, pallet wall, storage, fitted tables and stools. All the materials we used for the restaurant fit out were reclaimed, recycled or headed for landfill…a truly zero waste project.
^Eco friendly wood interior; the Pizzashed, Bury St Edmunds. An eco conscious, zero waste shop fit.
The work we undertook for Blackmagic Design involved designing and building portable bars, pallet display walls & cases and TV stands for their 2017 pop-up European tour. Throughout the collaboration with the client the focus was on creating a sustainable, zero waste event. This we achieved through re-usable designs, made 100% from reclaimed timber and recyclable and sustainable materials. No plastic in sight!
The pop up tour went to 5 different European cities across Europe. The use of the items we built meant that at each location there was a continuous aesthetic and get-in and de-rig times were reduced. But most importantly the waste at each event was virtually none.
^Sustainable materials used for a European pop up tour
Now we are in our tenth year we are proud to look back at the many eco friendly and sustainable projects that we have worked on and hope to continue this work long into the future.
Check out our Sustainable Furniture for a Sustainable Home blog from back in 2013…. www.gasandairstudios.co.uk/sustainable-furniture-manchester
