Transforming studio paper waste into recyclable Furniture

By Eugene Kim

"Funded by the Pratt Graduate Student Engagement Fund, the research began with a single question: ""What happens to the paper used during an architecture presentation?"" The trace sheets, printed drawings, paper models, and presentation pages produced each semester across architecture schools are almost universally discarded after critique. This research treats the paper waste stream not as an endpoint, but as a material whose lifecycle can continue beyond its original purpose.

The project investigates the viability of waste paper pulp combined with a fully natural adhesive system as a structural material for furniture, positioning recyclability, low toxicity, and material transparency as primary design drivers. Rather than relying on synthetic binders, this research develops and tests a Dextrin + Methyl Cellulose adhesive formulation that achieves low mold risk and exceptional dimensional stability for interior-use furniture. This hybrid system outperformed all other natural binders evaluated across five performance criteria: Strength, Mold Resistance, Flexural Strength, Price, and Recyclability.

The adhesive ratio was determined by analyzing the complementary physical and mechanical properties of each component. Dextrin contributes high initial tack and rigidity upon drying; Methyl Cellulose contributes flexibility, water retention, and workability under wet conditions. Each ratio iteration was evaluated for how these properties reinforce rather than cancel each other, balancing the brittleness of excess Dextrin against the extended drying times of excess Methyl Cellulose.

Critically, the adhesive is fully water-soluble. At the end of life, fabricated furniture can be returned to a recycling facility where immersion in water dissolves the binder within 15 minutes. This process returns the material to its original pulp state, ready for recycling and reuse. "