Second Skin: Re-thinking interior design with a radical, circular and open source methodology.
Second skin is an open source methodology for interior designers to improve waste management based on a radical ethical position: creative people can’t design more with new materials, they have to design with what’s already there and nothing more that what’s strictly necessary. The project promotes the creation of circular ecosystems between manufacturers, artisans and designers to create aesthetic, functional and local solutions through an "rescue/integration" system.
Local
Spain
Bilbao
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As an individual in partnership with other persons
First name: ANDREA Last name: PETIT Gender: Female Age: 29 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: France Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Ribera de deusto 70B Town: Bilbao Postal code: 48014 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+33 6 27 30 00 65 E-mail:studio.petitmuller@gmail.com Website:http://www.studiopetitmuller.com
Second skin is an open source methodology for interior designers that aims to improve waste management and change current decorating habits in this industry. Through the creation of circular ecosystems between manufacturers, artisans and designers.
It aims to reuse materials through a rescue / integration system. Saving resources from a batch of reusable elements such as the furniture already present on the site, but also the residues of construction or demolition. “Rescue/integration is the reuse of the extracted materials and the re-implantation of materials specific to the site. The place becomes the "deposit" of its own resources necessary to its metamorphosis.
"Nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything is transformed" Lavoisier
The approach of this method begins with a close collaboration with the client and its users throught the project, then the identification of in situ or local resources and creative solutions that will be conducted in a collective process. The ambition of Second skin is to combine the strengths of all stakeholders of the project in an ecological and solidarity framework in order to achieve a personalized project consistent with the values of circularity and material memory preservation.
Second skin offers a qualitative experience for all the actors of the project. Indeed, the human dimension is at the center of the concerns of the method, on the one hand by encouraging a return to the time necessary to build (slow design) and on the other hand by giving the possibility to everyone to participate and learn. The designers of the project will have to draw original and sustainable solutions in phase with the current environmental stakes.
Circular economy
Ecosystem
Slow design
Technology
Craftsmanship
- Imagining construction waste as a resource and creating reuse ecosystems.
The "Second skin" concept aims to improve waste management in the interior design sector by utilizing the "rescue/integration" process. The process promotes the use of non-conventional materials, artisan craftsmanship, and revalorization. This approach aims to reduce the amount of waste generated and the resources needed to produce new furniture, as well as to reduce the carbon footprint of transportation.
The concept also aims to create local revalorization ecosystems by building networks and fostering a systemic relationship between users, artisans, and designers. This includes creating local workshops and encouraging collaboration and co-creation to create unique and sustainable design solutions.
Together, artisans and designers imagine the most relevant ways to reuse resources according to the specifications defined in advance with the client. The craftsman's great expertise and flexibility in shaping materials allows to imagine simple and reproducible solutions with a high quality finish.
"Future is open source" "Be part of open source community"
When the sites do not have materials to rescue, we can call on the MAKER community of fablabs for low-tech and modular solutions.
The materials are selected in the recycling centers where the sorting has been done upstream by the supplier of reused materials. This range of raw materials (slats, trays, etc.) gives visibility on the possible transformations at the time of creation. The assembly parts of these elements called: “HUB” or “ “nodes”are made from a 3D printer. We could even imagine that some users have acquired certain skills in this technology during the construction site to print themselves the parts adapted to their needs.
"Beauty matter : the slow design experience”
Second Skin’ focuses its creative mind on sustainable and unconventional materials. By working closely with craft and technology, this alliance allows materials to be reused and enhanced through the skills and high adaptability of the craftsmen. This results in original and unique decoration, while reducing waste and the resources needed to make new furniture.
Slow design and craftsmanship are slow manufacturing methods compared to industrial processes. In contrast to fast purchases and 24-hour delivery, custom designed and made products have the advantage of being waited for and desired. This approach gives value, appreciation and sometimes even a certain emotional connection to products. The objects become more than objects, they tell a story. By using this methodology, Second Skin can be an example for the new relationship between objects, space and people.
Proof of concept
The first completed Second Skin's pilot project was the offices of Aurman, a 50 year old creative agency located in Bilbao with a 400 m2 office ,with the aim to transform the workspace by reusing existing furniture and materials with a minimal environmental footprint. Staining, transforming, giving a new air to what already existed there, the end result was a workspace that opens new horizons without forgetting the past.
Due to the architectural features of the building, high ceilings, American pine floors, classic moldings... It was necessary to reuse the materials in a creative, non-standardised and unique way, preserving the material memory of the space.
More than 2500 kg of furniture, floors and lighting fixtures have been saved and updated: it is hard to believe that the delicate desks that now inhabit the offices have been there for years. Aesthetics and the feeling of "new" contribute that people are more likely to care for their environment.
"Co-design: We work together"
In order to guarantee the quality of the project, the specifications and the orientation of the project are elaborated in close collaboration with the recipients. To reinforce this co-creation, collaborative workshops are organized to create the spaces in question. It is important to note that the time spent in the workplaces represents about one third of the day. It is therefore essential to guarantee custom-made workspaces in order to preserve the physical and mental health of users.
The participatory workshops aim to forge links between future users and the project designers. The objective is to raise awareness of the different professions by creating meeting spaces outside the usual frameworks. The transmission of knowledge and skills is also a priority for us. Some of the activities we carry out involve work integration and education, in order to transmit skills and values.
Craft is a historical model of transmission of knowledge. Learning is usually transgenerational and transcends social barriers, creating bridges between two complete strangers with a common goal.
Crafts and open source
The transmission of knowledge and skills is intrinsically linked to generosity. The multiplicity of exchanges makes it possible to enrich knowledge, given that knowledge is an indivisible resource.
Open source, which is an heir to the free Internet, considers diversity as a richness, contrary to the privatization of ideas and their forms. Designs are not the property of anyone in particular, they must be shared to benefit as many people as possible and allow improvements. This generates a community of enthusiasts ready to share their knowledge for the common good.
Consequently, workshops can be held within the creative and industrial ecosystem responsible for the project. This opening to the world of makers allows one to understand the stakes and the values of fablabs thanks to online tutorials, forums and access to royalty-free files.
Extending the circle of material memory
By using social networks and offering workshops, we communicate about the waste transformation processes in order to make the creative process sustainable, attractive and purposeful.
In addition to giving visibility to the behind-the-scenes manufacturing process, the communication highlights the talent and diversity of the industrial and creative ecosystem of a local environment.
This has a direct impact on creating a healthy mindset and raising awareness of the importance of waste management. The concept can be exemplary in that it shows how an ecological approach can be integrated into everyday life, while improving the quality of life and creating social links.
There are several ways to involve citizens in the Second Skin methodology:
Co-creation: in close collaboration with the recipients of the project, it is possible to create a specification that takes into account the needs and wishes of everyone.
Participatory workshops: by organizing collaborative workshops, citizens can participate in the design of the spaces by learning about the different trades involved in construction.
Job placement and education: by transmitting skills and values related to the craft, it is possible to raise awareness of the issues of the circular economy and job placement.
Partnerships with companies: Working with waste management companies, waste disposal and local authorities. This will open up an abundand flow of materials that can be reused.
Communication and awareness-raising: by disseminating information on projects and achievements, it is possible to raise awareness among citizens of the challenges of the ecological transition and the circular economy.
Second Skin is a slow-design approach that calls upon different agents to create a rich, open and transdisciplinary ecosystem. During the pilot phase of the Aurman project we identified the following essential partners ( see systemic map in attachment).
The user: He participates in the creation of the specifications. In a B2B relationship, we involve all the people who live in the space. We spend time with the managers, employees and surface agents to gain a deep understanding of the internal dynamics and diagnose unarticulated needs (in the Aurman case, a large convivial area to accommodate the entire team was identified as an "unarticulated" need).
Reuse agents: In this case, all materials have been rescued to be reworked as a raw material and 75% of them were introduced in a new form. 14% of the material was distributed to different social projects such as Emmaus. Some of the "new" was bought second hand from the same agent. For the creation of the "Cargo" table (photo) we collaborated with a local metal waste disposal center (Bilbao) which allowed us to recover used drums.
The collaborating artisans are members of DATA collective. A network of multidisciplinary talents (metal, wood, ceramics...) that we created to assist them in the diffusion and promotion of their work. Together, we designed and manufactured the furniture, making the most of the reused raw materials. Their technical expertise was essential from the beginning to the end of the project.
Espacio Open Fablab in Bilbao allows us to connect to a transdisciplinary network at all scales, from local to international. Fablabs naturally attract talented and innovative individuals from a variety of fields, while maintaining accessibility and an open source culture.
The design and elaboration was carried out by taking into account several disciplines and areas of expertise, such as waste management diagnosis, design, craft, technology, open source, eco-design, and citizen participation.
To do this, we had to work together to identify raw material sources, design within constraints and restrictions, use craft techniques to transform unconventional materials, and raise awareness and pass on knowledge.
The result of this interdisciplinary collaboration was the creation of a unique and sustainable project, which values the people, the raw materials, and the creativity that transdisciplinarity offers. This process adds considerable value to the concept by adapting traditional craft practices to a modern and innovative approach, taking into account current environmental issues in order to create a warm working environment that enhances the well-being of users.
Today we are facing an environmental crisis, where materials are transported around the world to reach Europe, where the Covid-19 crisis has disrupted global supply chains and with rising costs.
The development of the 'Second Skin' project in 2019-2020 has highlighted the importance of adapting our approach to construction by deconstructing established patterns in order to address crises in a local and civic way. This project taught us to see abundance in scarcity. An abundance of resources destined to be buried.
Now that the prototype schemes have been developed, tested and validated. It will be possible to propose partnerships with local actors in order to create circuits for the recovery of raw materials to be reused and raise consciousness about the need for a more radical approach to circularity in design.
Mainstream sector: burn and buy
In mainstream interior design, the project has to be the quickest, easiest and cheapest. Taking the most lucrative route is not without consequences.
Second skin: local solution
The innovative approach of "Second Skin" was born from the combination of our transdisciplinary skills, craftsmen, makers, designers and interior decorators. This 360-degree vision allowed us to take into account the context and the issues at stake on different levels: social, economic, ecological, historical and aesthetic. And to use our projects as a field of experimentation to respond concretely to the systemic problems we have identified.
By integrating local actors as key elements in the realization of the project, we guarantee the feasibility and quality of the construction site. Users are involved in the creation, while suppliers become collaborators.
Our objective is to go beyond the simple realization of a project to create a symbiotic relationship between all the actors involved.
The industrial and creative ecosystem will make it possible to determine the means made available and thus calibrate the creativity.
This close collaboration with the local economic ecosystem allows the regeneration of the craft and furniture sector. Indeed, the furniture sector has been reducing the number of players for decades to the benefit of large industrialists who offer low-cost products, without ethics or value.
The Second Skin project is distinguished by its sustainability, which is guaranteed by the quality of execution, uniqueness and the ecological and social values conveyed in each project.
The craftsmanship is highlighted through the variety of creations, as well as a superior quality of finish and an extended life cycle due to the proximity of the craftsmen who can provide maintenance. Second Skin's philosophy is to go against the mainstream by applying an ethical method that values local resources, both human and material.
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE
In order to promote an effective circular economy, designers involved in the methodology will need to engage in a continuous learning process with other actors in the field. This involves the exchange of experiences and knowledge to improve existing practices. Documentation will be a key tool to store and transmit this information, so that it can be used as a support for future actions.
“ Local partner solution “
This process is designed to be replicable in situations where a local industrial and creative fabric exists and is receptive to the circular economy approach. To ensure the reproducibility of this methodology, it is necessary that public institutions facilitate the application of this action at different levels (access to deposits, standards and regulations, subsidies for sustainable initiatives, etc.) in order to be in line with European commitments to fight global warming.
Moreover, the customer also plays an important role in this equation. The pedagogy of the method must make the client aware of the benefits of this action, because only an educational communication will allow a paradigm shift.
Finally, the personal, emotional and professional involvement of all the actors involved is essential to guarantee the reproducibility of this concept.
Therefore, the involvement of all actors is considered a prerequisite for the successful implementation of this methodology.
Economic: The global economic challenges are characterised by a crisis in employment due to the deindustrialisation of Western countries. The current ambition is to return to local or national production in order to guarantee a short circuit. Relocation has also had the effect of outsourcing waste treatment by exporting it. From this observation, job creation through the circular economy and waste recovery could be a major economic solution.
In the West, globalisation and delocalisation have resulted in a professional orientation towards tertiary occupations, which has led to the gradual disappearance of craft skills. The Second Skin methodology would allow the revival of learning and transmission in an innovative application of its skills, particularly in the recovery of waste.
Ecological :
Climate change has forced states around the world to commit to reducing carbon emissions and to rethink the current economic model.
At COPs, treaties are ratified and commitments signed, but for the public, tangible evidence remains abstract. The reaction must be immediate and at all levels, and certain local initiatives must stimulate the movement in order to make concrete examples visible. This awareness and confidence will only increase the ambition and impact of these new committed actors.
Design :
Like the scientific approach on the need for free and universal knowledge, research and creative solutions must be disseminated to as many people as possible so that they can be constantly improved to meet the global challenges of today and tomorrow.
