Designer Justin Floyd has worked with Composite Integration on several ‘closed mould’ projects over the years. However, Justin’s newest venture, Solid Wool®, is unlike anything previously attempted and is a fascinating example of the cross over between design, engineering and innovation in materials.
Based in Buckfastleigh, an old woollen town in the south west of England and with technical input from Composite Integration, Justin has developed a new way of working with wool as a composite reinforcement. Driven by a desire to bring some manufacturing back to his town, Justin looked for new and innovative ways of using this natural material.
The company uses wool from upland, hill-farmed sheep, historically used in the UK carpet industry. Demand for this wool is in decline and is considered almost worthless, a by-product of sheep farming. Combining the wool with bio-resin, this material can be considered truly sustainable.
Wool is a sustainable and plentiful resource. For as long as the sheep have grass to graze on, there will be a yearly fleece.
By using the coarse fleece of Sheep farmed in the UK’s uplands, value is added to a by-product of this industry.
Solid Wool® has used this unique material to design and manufacture some truly beautiful products. The Hembury Collection features simple, classic furniture for the home, office or business space. The collection uses wool from the hardy Herdwick sheep of the Lake District. Wild and tough, they live on the highest of England’s mountains.
The bio resin used has a 30% bio-based renewable content which is sourced from waste streams of other industries, such as wood pulp and bio-fuels production. Furthermore, the sustainable manufacturing processes used to create the resin give a 50% reduction in Carbon Footprint and Greenhouse Gas Emissions over traditional resins.
Hembury Chair
Taking inspiration from the Eames Plastic Side Chair, which was originally manufactured using glass reinforced plastic in the 1950’s, the Hembury Chair is moulded using the unique Solidwool material. With classic, simple lines, the chair is a very comfortable piece of furniture for the dining table, office or living space.
Visit the Solid Wool website: Solidwool
