CARBON BANKS
We collaborated with research and innovation company SPACE10 on a speculative design project that aims to encouraging furniture circularity through the blockchain. Carbon Banks investigates how people treat everyday objects, and whether they may be incentivised to have a more sustainable relationship with their furniture - through generative digital assets.
Client: SPACE10
Sound: Mauricio Lobo
Design & Production: Zünc Studio
The project imagines how a physical, wooden chair could be connected to a generative digital asset on the blockchain to create an emotional bond that would incentivise us to keep, repair, trade, and recycle our furniture.
We designed and produced this digital asset in the form of a tree, which grows with the age of the chair. The longer the chair is kept and cared for, the wilder, lusher, and more unique the tree would grow. Our visuals were inspired by key findings from an extensive white paper by WINT Design Lab. Together with SPACE10 and Bakken&Bæck, we crafted a visual narrative to present the research project on a dedicated microsite.
We designed and produced this digital asset in the form of a tree, which grows with the age of the chair. The longer the chair is kept and cared for, the wilder, lusher, and more unique the tree would grow. Our visuals were inspired by key findings from an extensive white paper by WINT Design Lab. Together with SPACE10 and Bakken&Bæck, we crafted a visual narrative to present the research project on a dedicated microsite.
The NFT is minted and added to your wallet upon scanning a unique code embedded into the furniture's design. The unique code was generated using generetive techniques, using procedural code inspired by patterns found in nature.
Acts of maintenance and care are rewarded with new growth
The tree bursts into bloom and is engulfed by blossoms during its end of life period, a reference to the balsa tree which uses all its remaining energy to produce a brilliant display of flowers.
A key technical challenge was figuring out how to animate the tree from a seed to its full form. We designed this big, intricate tree with many different branching systems and leaf types, and then needed to animate the growth it in a specific order.
After some research, we developed a workflow that meant we could design and animate the tree in one software - Speedtree - which led to a relatively smooth design and animation process.
After some research, we developed a workflow that meant we could design and animate the tree in one software - Speedtree - which led to a relatively smooth design and animation process.
Explore the 3D tree yourself here:
