BRAND-DEFINING SITE FURNITURE AS A CO2 DEPOT
a model project of Weimarer Land Tourism according to all the principles of the New European Bauhaus
The brand-defining site furniture combines beauty with sustainable circular design for the municipal sector and brings the EU’s New European Bauhaus initiative back to the origins of the original.
The concept shows that it is already possible today to store CO2 for 100 years in products and material cycles without risks to the environment or society.
The first two benches of the “Silva” model and a bicycle rack were installed at the Thuringian Open-Air Museum Hohenfelden in October 2022.
A total of 100 benches are to be placed at selected trailheads in the Weimarer Land region by 2024.
The “Silva” bench with the CO2-saving material flow design behind it has been nominated for the international Green Product Award 2023.
This model project shows how medium-term CO2 storage (over 100 years) in products and material cycles already works today without any social or environmental risks.
Climate protection that has a direct effect for at least 100 years.
Removing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing carbon in material flows is currently the most sensible and effective way of countering climate change. Avoiding, reducing and offsetting CO2 emissions will not be enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement. By removing the carbon from CO2 and storing it in the material used for our outdoor furniture for at least 100 years, we are helping to reduce the amount of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere.
With the prototypes of our Silva outdoor bench and the Salaix bicycle park, we are demonstrating how technical material flows can be developed as permanent CO2 reservoirs and how all other outdoor furniture must be designed in order to have a direct and sustainable impact on global climate protection in addition to aesthetic and functional aspects: produced CO2-neutrally using renewable energies and circulating in material cycles.
A circular economy that is already working.
The innovation of the site furnishings for the Weimarer Land lies in the planning design approach, based on a material flow that can serve as a CO2 depot. The product design thus nourishes a sustainable technical material cycle. Due to the robustness of the material, the bench has a service life of 30 years, at the end of which it is fed in one piece into a recycling process that has already been developed. The return flow and thus the closing of the cycle is guaranteed by a binding take-back contract with the material manufacturer. The single-component construction of the outdoor furniture is part of this recyclable design approach and guarantees the 100% recyclability of the selected GCC (German Compact Composite) material at the end of the product life cycle. The composition of the material enables it to be transferred to further product life cycles without any loss of quality.
Tourist model project in Weimarer Land makes CO2 storage in material flows tangible and tangible.
11 October 2022 was the starting point for a pioneering model project in the spirit of the “New European Bauhaus”. On this Tuesday, the first two benches and a bicycle park were installed at the Thuringian Open-Air Museum Hohenfelden. They are the first part of a sustainable site furnishing programme that will contribute to increasing the quality and attractiveness of tourism in the Weimarer Land region.
Mrs Kasten-Wutzler, Managing Director of Weimarer Land Tourismus e.V., sees the installation of the first two benches as an important start for more sustainability in tourism. The brand-defining site furnishings show that a bench can be more than just a place to sit. It characterises the landscape, increases the quality of stay, can serve as a CO2 reservoir and is therefore a model example of climate protection.
The project, which was initiated by Weimarer Land Tourismus e. V., is being conceptually and content-wise supported by the Erfurt design agency RITTWEGER und TEAM GmbH. The initiators are receiving technical support from the network for sustainable management B.A.U.M. e. V. (Regional Office Germany Centre).
The benches designed are made from 100% recycled and recyclable materials and show that it is already possible to store CO2 in products and material cycles in the long term – without any risks to the environment or society. This is the basis for getting one step closer to the “net zero emissions” demanded by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Compared to conventional benches made of wood, concrete and steel, the bench made of GCC material has a service life of over 30 years. During this time, it is virtually maintenance-free. This robustness reduces maintenance costs, prevents vandalism and theft, so that a three-fold longer life cycle can be achieved compared to the materials otherwise used. The single-component design and recyclability of the selected materials ensure that the outdoor furniture can be recycled.
The composite material GCC is certified to the highest possible international product standard Cradle to Cradle Certified™ with gold status and even achieves platinum status in the area of material health. This means that the material can be reused for new products after the end of the product life cycle without any loss of quality or downcycling and also ensures that no harmful substances are released for the benefit of people and nature.
There are plans to install 100 benches at selected trailheads by 2024. It is intended to be a joint project between local authorities and companies in the Weimarer Land region that will serve as a nationwide model for the sustainable future of off-road furniture.
On Tuesday, 11 October 2022, the first models in the fresh and modern design were officially set up and inaugurated together with the Weimarer Land Tourism team, the team from the Thuringian Open-Air Museum Hohenfelden, municipal contacts and representatives of the press. Mayors from the Weimarer Land region took the opportunity to see the feel and quality of the material for themselves, so from now on it’s time to try it out.
You can download the brief concept for the site furnishings HERE.
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Unsere Tourismus- und Wirtschaftsregion Weimarer Land bietet mit ihrer zentralen Lage in der Mitte Deutschlands viele Chancen und ideale Bedingungen für in- und ausländische Investoren. Wir freuen uns darauf, gemeinsam mit Ihnen neue Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten zu finden und anspruchsvolle, zukunftsweisende Projekte zu realisieren.