ASHES TO ASHES
Interdiciplinary collab Stora Enso Nymölla
2020
An interdisciplinary project collaboration
between Kajsa Willner and Olle Högberg at Stora Enso Nymölla
with the goal and mission of developing
new sustainable materials and applications
using industrial waste.
A project called What matters 2.0 organized by Form/Design center. Designer Kajsa Willner collaborated with pulp and paper materials company Stora Enso to turn biofuel ash from its production process into a series of pedestals with history-informed shapes.
“When tackling many of today’s challenges I believe an important key can be to look back in history for solutions.” Willner says. “Starting with the Egyptian pyramids, on to the temples of Greece and later to the Romans who produced Roman concrete from volcanic ash, I found contemporary research on geopolymer, often based on coal ash.”
“Geopolymer is an inorganic 3D structure formed between amorphous SiO2 and Al2O3 at medium heat (about 100 degrees) in the presence of strong alkali.” “These components are found in high concentrations in fly ash from coal combustion, which has been researched the most, but they are also found in smaller quantities in fly ash from biofuels like the one from Stora Enso.” According to the designer, with optimal mixing, geopolymer concrete is stronger, more environmentally resistant and has a lower carbon footprint than concrete made using Portland cement, the most common type of cement. “I wanted to create massive, cast objects, to really demonstrate the potential with the material and that it can work to replace Portland cement in many applications,” Willner said.
CLIENT
Stora Enso Nymölla
PHOTO CREDIT
David Stjernholm
MOVIE
https://2021.southernswedendesigndays.com/sv/event/what-matters-20
CURATION
Kiosk Studio
Exhibited at Form design / center 2020
and in Matter Displaced at Southern Sweden Design Days 2022