A Roadmap for the Delivery of Circular Furniture Design Principles in an Irish Technological University - A Case Study Analysis

Abstract

The delivery of circular product design principles within higher education is seen as an important tool within the European Union’s (EU) plans to transition to a circular economy. However, due to the nuances present within different industries and product categories, the circular design practices of one industry do not necessarily translate to others. This research aimed to introduce circular furniture design principles into an Irish Technological University (TU). To achieve this, the objectives were: 1) To conduct a literature review of the theoretical ideal of circular design principles in the context of product design, higher education, and the furniture industry. 2) Conduct interviews with selected circular furniture practitioners concerning what circular design principles they consider. 3) Investigate current design principles delivered in the case study TU by gathering data from lecturers and students. 4)Introduce a list of recommendations for circular furniture design principles within the case study TU based on the thematic analysis of data gathered. The findings from interviews within the furniture industry revealed that there is a certain level of disconnect between what is viable within a functioning circular furniture business, versus the idealistic aspirations that were uncovered within the literature review. While these theoretical ideals for circular design set worthy aspirations to aim for, current design practice is still highly traditional, and in order to instigate a system-wide transition to circular design and circular economy, a more pragmatic application of feasible design principles is necessary. Findings from the case study TU show that circular design that is carried out tends towards theoretical ideals as opposed to proven pragmatic solutions. As such, recommendations from this research will suggest that these proven solutions be made visible to lecturers and learners, particularly in the areas of business models, product design strategies, and environmental and social consciousness.