ÉCAL’s pop-up sponge furniture grows to ten times its size

Researchers from Swiss design school ÉCAL have unveiled a range of flat-pack furniture at Milan design week that needs to be soaked in water to reach its final form. The collection, called Under Pressure Solutions or UPS, is constructed from thin, compressed sheets of cellulose sponge, allowing the objects to fit into flat parcels – some small enough to squeeze through a letterbox – for more efficient shipping. On arrival, the grow-at-home products must then be drenched in the bath or the shower, causing them to blow up to around 10 times their original size in a matter of seconds. Once wrung out, the sponge is left to dry and harden, creating sturdy, self-supporting furniture that can carry the weight of a person and outperform conventional plastic foam in terms of durability, according to the researchers. Read more on Dezeen: WATCH NEXT: MIT researchers create flat-pack food that takes shape in water - Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest architecture and design movies: Like Dezeen on Facebook: Follow Dezeen on Twitter: Follow us on Instagram: Check out our Pinterest: