“Glacier” Stool: 3D-Printed, Designer, Biodegradable

 “3D-printing is a chance to produce full-scale furniture models of high quality. By that we are not limited by any geometrical restrictions. This is pure creativity”.

Daniel Büning, a designer and co-founder of NOWlab Studio

NOWlab is an architecture and interior design studio located in Berlin, Germany. In their job the founders of the company seek to combine hi-tech and natural motives. And one of the latest design pieces of the studio is a “Glacier” stool/ table with a very distinctive three-dimensional shape and history of creation.

Its design idea was inspired by the peculiar structure of ice of a famous Mendenhall glacier located in Alaska. This place is getting more and more popular among designers, photographers and architects of the world – anyone who seeks unique cold colors for their jobs. Why? Because the internal structure of the glacier is just gorgeous: being inside it you can watch all the stages of water freezing. Somewhere it seems like the water froze in a second, having created true ice clouds. This spectacle is so magical, that makes a truly indelible impression on everyone working with real objects, like buildings, furniture and art pieces.

Inspired by this natural wonder, the designer team of NOWlab got down to creating a unique stool, which was destined to be named respectively – “Glacier”. But repeating such a complex structure out of some solid material and using traditional tools was extremely expensive and too complicated. That’s when the designers decided to opt for 3D printing.

As a rule, such furniture is designed as a modular piece that can be assembled from a number of parts. But the guys were not looking for easy ways – they wanted their stool to be completely monolithic. That’s why they purchased a 3D-printer with one of the largest print areas in the world – with a volume of over one cubic meter.

To make the stool even more naturalistic, chosen was the relevant material – 100% biodegradable plastic.  Its semi-transparency makes the product very realistic, like a real piece cut out off solid ice. Despite the light weight of the stool, its internal structure ensures its high durability.

How often the greatest human ideas are inspired by the surrounding nature – the most beautiful and flawless creator.