ruben beckers designs the world's lightest wooden table

kleinergleich5 lightweight wooden table by ruben beckers
image courtesy ruben beckers

german designer ruben beckers has developed ‘kleinergleich5’ (less than or equal to 5), the lightest wooden table in the world. a winner of the [D3] contest at imm cologne 2014, the project features an intricate grid-like design beneath the surface to ensure a high structural load-bearing capacity. weighing half as much as benjamin hubert’s ripple table at 4.5 kilograms, the table uses layers and strips of wood for its construction, exponentially minimizing its weight. the legs are slotted directly into the voids within the underside, eliminating the need for a table skirt that traditionally acts as a stabilizer for all four corners.

the kleinergleich5 table won the D3 contest at imm cologne 2014
image courtesy ruben beckers

the design features an intricate grid-like structure beneath the surface to ensure a high structural load-bearing capacity
image courtesy ruben beckers

the table weighs half as much as benjamin hubert’s ‘ripple table’ at 4.5 kilograms
image courtesy ruben beckers

the project was led by professor jakob gebert at the kassel school of art and design
image courtesy ruben beckers

the legs are slotted directly into the voids within the underside, eliminating the need for a table skirt
image © designboom

grid-like design detail
image © designboom

table construction detail
image © designboom

D3 contest winner, ruben beckers at IMM colgone
portrait © designboom