Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Students created chairs, lamps and loungers out of every day trash in an innovative environmental scheme launched by the Canadian University of Dubai.

Fourteen second year students from the School of Architecture and Interior Design at the Canadian University of Dubai have been turning second-hand objects and trash into something altogether more beautiful as part of a competition called ‘Furnitrash’.

Whereas recycling involves the manufacture of new products from trash and waste materials, upcycling involves individuals combining waste material to make something completely new and bespoke and has sparked a trend among young people across Europe and North America.

The students’ pieces - which include a chair made out of old cassette tapes and a portable lounger made from plastic bottles - were judged by a panel of experts on their design, function and the creative use of materials.

The winner, 19-year-old Cobra Jahani, designed a visually stunning lightshade from second-hand plastic spoons. She said: “I almost withdrew from the competition because I thought I had no chance of winning. People persuaded me to keep my entry in and when they called my name in first place, I couldn’t believe. I was delighted.

“The spoons came from restaurants in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. I went round a few places just asking for the spoons they weren’t going to use. I had to go back a few times, but my persistence paid off.

“I really enjoyed doing the project and I now look at everyday objects a little bit differently. I’ll definitely be doing more upcycling”

Hazem El Khatib, Vice President of the Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID), was part of the judging panel and believes upcycling has a big future in Dubai: “Upcycling and ‘green’ design is becoming more and more prevalent in the work that we do.

“It is very trendy in other parts of the world, but Dubai is a very cosmopolitan place and as a result design trends seem to take a bit more time to take hold, but we have definitely seen an upturn in environmentally conscious deign here recently.

“It is great to see establishments like Canadian University of Dubai encouraging students to take part in green projects like ‘Furnitrash’. The quality of design from the students at Canadian University of Dubai is higher than I have seen at a lot of other places. I think it helps that the people leading the projects have experience outside of the classroom.”

Dr Serkan Gunay, Assistant Professor at the School of Architecture and Interior Design at Canadian University of Dubai, said: “This is the first time we have run this competition and it has been very successful. The challenge was to get students thinking about the design everyday objects and how they can use those objects to something totally new.

“The competition encompassed deign and creativity and has a very strong environmental theme at its core. The plan is to take the idea to high school students across Dubai next year.”
The winners were announced at the Canadian University of Dubai’s annual Interior Design Day, where design students from each year of the course exhibit their best works.