IKD presents outside-in up-cycled bench at secret shelters exhibition

IKD presents outside-in up-cycled bench at secret shelters exhibition
all images courtesy of IKD

‘outside-in’ is one of nine winning proposals for the ongoing secret shelters exhibition hosted at the heritage museum and gardens in sandwich, massachusetts. the interactive furniture element was created by cambridge-based firm IKD. the concept revolves around the inversion of a typical tree bench, which faces users outwards, with their backs towards the tree. instead, ‘outside-in’ focuses attention on the green giant itself, one of heritage’s cherished tulip trees, creating an intimate space between the user and the natural element.

the bench sits around one of heritage’s tulip trees 

the piece’s name also reflects its construction. one of the most recognizable characteristics of wood, the bark, remains visible but is flipped to face inwards. this configuration allows for the utilization of waste-lumber — which composes approximately 38% of every processed log. rather than be passed onto the create low-quality secondary products, ‘outside-in’ maximizes the resource, up-cycling it into a viable product. the secret shelters show is ongoing currently until october 15, 2015 at heritage museums and gardens in sandwich, MA. 

children at ‘outside-in’ 

concept 

seating area

construction concept

up-cycling waste 

design diagram  

fabrication 

surrounding site 

a group enjoying ‘outside-in’ 

project info:

lead: yugon kim
design team: yuki kawae, steven hien, tomomi itakura
project name: outside-in
location: sandwich, massachusetts, USA
exhibition: secret shelters (until october 15, 2015) 

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.