plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary

produced entirely from discarded plastics, the seating elements draw from the iconic adirondack chair's form.

Hyojin Kwon edited by christina vergopoulou August 13, 2025 5 min

Plastic Reimagined: From Campus Waste to Public Seating

At Atlanta Contemporary, Plastic Reimagined presents a series of Adirondack chairs and collective seating elements produced entirely from discarded plastics collected at the Georgia Tech campus. On view from June 21st to September 7th, 2025, the installation functions as both a design exhibition and a prototype for rethinking the role of reclaimed materials in public environments.

Developed in Spring 2025 through ARCH 6050: Architectural Studio Design + Research at Georgia Tech’s School of Architecture, the project was led by Assistant Professor Hyojin Kwon, founder of Pre- & Post-. Graduate students collected post-consumer HDPE and PLA from campus makerspaces, waste collection streams, and local recycling facilities. The materials were shredded, pressed into sheets, milled with CNC routers, or cast into volumetric forms. Surface variations, including marbled color patterns and irregular textures, were retained as integral elements of the final designs, establishing a distinct material language.

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 1 — Jude – Adirondack-inspired chair extruded by hand-built tool, weaving recycled HDPE into swirling, candy-like forms | all images by Andrew Thomas Lee

Reimagining the Adirondack chair through Circular Design

The Adirondack chair served as the project’s formal reference point. Students explored multiple fabrication strategies, including lamination, voxel-based modeling, custom mold casting, and modular assembly, to reinterpret the typology. Each outcome was evaluated for ergonomic performance, structural stability, and adaptability of the design process. In the gallery, the seating pieces are arranged as a civic landscape, accompanied by process documentation and fabrication footage. These materials illustrate the project’s workflow, from waste collection to finished objects, as well as the roles of community partnerships and shared tools.

Originally conceived as a studio-based investigation into material literacy and circular design, Plastic Reimagined now operates as a case study in the adaptive reuse of local waste streams. The project, led by designer Hyojin Kwon, suggests potential pathways for integrating reclaimed materials into public space through community-led fabrication and design. By combining computational workflows with manual production techniques, the work positions design as an active participant in the development of sustainable material practices.

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 2 — Vincent – hand-shaped recycled plastic forms fused into a sculptural Adirondack, with joinery hidden beneath swirling, marbled surfaces

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 3 — Modu-Chair – Adirondack form built from PLA/HDPE cubic modules, echoing quilting patterns through stacked, interlocking blocks

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 4 — Framework – waterjet-cut lattice in recycled HDPE, translating Adirondack solidity into a modular, transparent structure

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 5 — Plastic Lamina – tiled HDPE panels combining precision-machined frames with hand-rolled, patterned inserts

plastic-reimagined-campus-waste-vibrant-chairs-atlanta-contemporary-hyojin-kwon-designboom-1800-2 — all seating elements are on view at Atlanta Contemporary

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 6 — Lumishift – Adirondack reinterpretation in UV-reactive recycled HDPE, shifting color under sunlight to reveal material intelligence

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 7 — AfterMatter – CNC-carved plywood panels repaired with melted recycled PLA, turning material decay into a colorful design language

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 8 — Plastic Amalgams – rocking chair combining HDPE and paper mâché, designed to balance durability with the material’s gradual outdoor decay

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 9 — Plastic Rocks – marbled HDPE and PLA form a monolithic, stone-like chair that reinterprets the Adirondack as a chiseled block

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 10 — Brick and Mortar – Adirondack chair reimagined through a modular system of recycled HDPE–glass bricks joined with HDPE mortar

plastic-reimagined-campus-waste-vibrant-chairs-atlanta-contemporary-hyojin-kwon-designboom-1800-3 — discarded plastics are shredded, pressed, milled, or cast into form

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 11 — Plastic Pressure – chair formed from heat-pressed recycled plastic panels, showcasing patterns shaped by thermoplastic behavior under pressure

plastic reimagined transforms campus waste into vibrant chairs at atlanta contemporary - 12 — PlasticShell – contrast layers recycled HDPE cubes with sand and stone grit, creating a tactile surface where smooth plastic meets raw, granular textures

project info:

name: Plastic Reimagined: Material Agency & Circular Design
designer: Pre- & Post- – Hyojin Kwon | @pre__n__post

location: Atlanta, GA, USA

dates: Jun 21st – Sep 7th, 2025

instructor & curator: Hyojin Kwon

participants: Anuj Chhikara, Darby Fly, Sara Hill, Ash King, Brian Lachnicht, Nicholas Liubinskas, Kayla Rinoski, Tianxiang Sheng, Sarah Thrasher, Rachel Witherspoon, Taylor Jensen, Qin Wang, Kai Wang

host: Atlanta Contemporary | @atlantacontemporary

support: Arts at Tech Catalyst Grant, Georgia Tech College of Design, School of Architecture

materials: recycled HDPE and PLA

photographer: Andrew Thomas Lee | @andrewthomaslee

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.