Folded Lightness
Alba Collection is a three-piece furniture collection developed by Planbureau in Budapest. It includes the Sinus Shelf, Kite Chair and Dune Desk. Each piece uses thin plywood, curved surfaces and precise edges to create a paper-like appearance.
The self-initiated product design project explores how furniture can appear light while remaining structurally stable. All three pieces were prototyped. Sinus and Kite received international design recognition, while Sinus later entered production in Japan.
Client
Industry
Product
Location
Timeline
Services
R&D Project
Furniture / Collectible Design
Furniture Collection
Budapest, Hungary
n/a
Concept Development
Product Design
Prototyping
Design Engineering
Making Furniture Appear Light
Furniture often communicates stability through visible mass and material thickness. The Alba Collection began with the opposite ambition: to create functional pieces that appear almost weightless.
A folded sheet of paper provided the starting reference. Its flat surface can become a rigid three-dimensional form through simple folds and curves. The project explored whether this principle could be translated into furniture without losing the visual lightness of the original material.
Strength Through Thin Surfaces
The main challenge was to achieve structural rigidity with minimal material thickness. Planbureau explored how curved plywood surfaces could carry loads while maintaining the appearance of folded paper.
Large, continuous curves had to work alongside sharp edges and precise transitions. The geometry needed to provide stability without relying on visually heavy supports. Physical prototypes of all three pieces helped develop their forms and construction principles.
Structure Through Geometry
Alba Collection consists of three furniture pieces that use thin plywood, curves and folds to combine structural stability with visual lightness. A uniform white finish reinforces their resemblance to folded paper.
The Sinus Shelf uses an undulating profile to give 9 mm plywood the rigidity needed to span considerable distances. It received the IFDA Asahikawa Grand Prix and later entered production with Conde House in Japan. The Kite Chair was also an IFDA finalist, demonstrating the collection's design potential.
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