Wrapping Waste

Description

This project transforms leather scraps from upholstery factories into furniture using algorithms. Digital tools scan, analyze, and sort irregular materials in order to efficiently integrate every single piece of leather into the design.

In the process, the central algorithm solves complex tasks to optimally and evenly distribute flat digitalized pieces of leather across the surface of an object. Based on a selected design specification, the arrangement is iteratively refined and gradually improved. Currently, an average of 86% of each piece of leather can be used, with some pieces that are not cut by others even reaching up to 98%.

The result is a patchwork surface with minimal material loss – and leather is just one example! The shift from standardized resources to material-driven, generative processes makes the recycling of remnant material not only sustainable, but also scalable.