Interviews

Pablo García, CartonLAB

May 18, 2022
198

CARTONLAB: cardboard design for a better world

“We believe in a new culture of contemporary design based in innovation and sustainability. We are an architecture studio focused in cardboard creations. Cardboard is a wonderful material to express your values. It is recyclable, lightweight, easy to ship and assemble, resists heavyweights and durable”

When you imagine that it is impossible to discover new objects and designs made of cardboard, the talent of projects led by young people surprises you. Like the Spanish studio cartonLAB, they like a challenge! And they continue to innovate with ingenious and innovative designs. All of them, of course, made of cardboard and with flat packaging to facilitate shipping and transport and reduce the carbon footprint.

CartonLAB takes product design and interior design to a new dimension by using cardboard as an organic and environmentally friendly material in all of its projects. Their philosophy is to combine the principles of sustainability, creativity and contemporary design.

The studio was born from the design team of Moho Architects, seeking with this new adventure to combine the design and production of different projects where the main material is cardboard. Set up in Murcia, in Southern Spain, in 2009, they have designed over 300 projects in trade shows, retail floors, pop-up stores, art exhibitions and many other areas.

This award-winning studio have already completed a large number of projects for brands and companies all over the world, from Hawaii or Venice to Miami and Kuala Lumpur and recently New York, where they were in charge of building the pop-up store for the American brand Nuhü Division together with the architect Javier Jiménez of Studio Animal. A space designed under a clear premise, sustainability, of which both parties are standard bearers, given that cardboard is one of the most ecological materials available and Nuhü’s casual garments are characterised by being made from 100% organic cotton. The connection and harmony between the parties has meant that the launch of this avant-garde and temporary shop has been achieved in record time: just one month, including design, manufacturing and assembly processes.

They designed their own fun and stylish cardboard furniture line too which is available at their eCommerce shop. Check it out!

Our lifestyle editor, José Berrocoso, chats with Pablo García, one of the cartonLAB founders, to find out about the scope of recycling in a new chapter for architecture and design.

CityPages Magazine: Cartonlab was founded in 2010, what is the philosophy behind the project?

Pablo García: There has always been a “lab” vocation. A space for research in order to explore the limits offered by designing with a material as special as cardboard. A material that allows us, from a responsible and ecological positioning, to respond to multiple issues that the current society demands, mainly in the sector of ephemeral installations and events.

CPM: With all the advancements in materials technology, cardboard has become more than just the “thick kind of paper” you use to make boxes or packaging. What are the benefits of using cardboard?

PG: One of the most obvious characteristics of cardboard is its lightness. Although we use all kinds of different ones, depending on the type of project, the heavier cardboard sheet will always be much lighter than one of any other material. This allows us to easily manipulate it and optimize transport logistics. As everything is transported disassembled, in flat packs, we ´re even able to ship in a single big pallet, the materials to build up a whole installation.

However, we speak of a surprisingly resistant material, as long as it has a proper structural design. With it, we have designed stages, platforms, structural beams, and all kinds of functional and resistant furniture.

CPM: What about the environmental benefits?

PG: It’s a big advantage being working with one of the most ecological materials, mostly in a context in which no one doubts about the need of positioning a company in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Produced in part from recycled cellulose, with quality seals that guarantee the origin of the paper from well managed forests, and being 100% recyclable for later use, cardboard becomes an unbeatable material when it comes to control its traceability and to be able to close the circle between production-manipulated-consumption and recycling.

CPM: CartonLAB designs and produces booths, events, pop-up stores, exhibitions… What has been the most original/weird request so far?

PG: We can find cardboard industry absolutely everywhere. That makes it much easier to think about working with it as a fully exportable concept.

We have always thought of cartonlab as a company with a global vocation, capable of adapting to the times in which the “unlocation” of services allows us to manage projects from any of our two headquarters (Murcia / Miami), or even take the advantage of a growing network of proximity suppliers if needed.

The most extreme example of this came with one big booth work, in which we received an order from the Russian government, with an intermediate from Genève (Switzerland) was designed it in Murcia, produced it in Miami and shipped to Hawaii, where we assembled it.

CPM: Tell us about the coolest projects that you have developed with CartonLAB.

PG: Cardboard is a material that allows to achieve, in a very short time, to generate a fully personalized and unique project.

In this sense, we are fortunate to have carried out dozens of projects of different kinds all over the world. Perhaps because it is a recent one and because the stars aligned in the best of ways (situation, clients, brand, recognitions…), we have a special affection for the New York Pop Up Store whose article accompanies this interview.

CPM: Back in January 2020, when the interiors of the Olympic village were first unveiled, the sustainable low-carbon cardboard beds immediately grabbed attention. What’s the future of the cardboard?

PG: Although “functional” cardboard furniture has been around for quite a few years now, it’s surprising that it’s still in the news. This gives an idea of the enormous field of opportunity that lies ahead of us and that companies like ours are trying to lead.

CPM: What are the latest trends of cardboard?

PG: It´s incredible how day by day it is consolidating as a material that can be found in so many different markets and formats; furniture, interior design, scenography and even fashion.

CPM: What´s the future of the industry?

PG: Large carton companies linked to the packaging industry and its R&D must step forward and feed the market with truly innovative products that allow us to think of much more ambitious applications for cardboard through qualities that at first may seem alien to this material (resistance to fire, water…). From there, its consolidation in markets such as construction can be unstoppable.