Object-Oriented Upcycling: An Object-Based Approach to the Circular Economy

In this project, we explored the notion of furniture user interfaces within the context of dreams and dystopias in future urban living. In this context, some fundamental questions arise: How can furniture design evolve while maintaining and supporting our quality of life, together with notions of sustainability, circularity and respect for the environment in the context of an exponential population increase rate? And, how do these objects interface and coexist within these tensions? This chapter introduces a preliminary framework to address upcycling from an object-oriented perspective. We approached from an object-oriented ontology and conducted a case study on furniture design. A bidirectional multi-level taxonomy is presented to address notions of design, manufacturing, sustainability, circularity and respect for the environment. Based on the research findings, we recommend the integration of object-oriented upcycling strategies in the design process, as they insert a method for the re-materialisation of local waste into usable furniture.