At the 2013 London Design Festival, designer Benjamin Hubert presented Ripple, a minimalist plywood table. Hubert described it as the world's lightest timber table, developed with Canadian manufacturer Corelam.
Lightweight plywood table design with impressive strength
Hubert created a table that is 2.5 meters long and 1 meter wide and weighs only 9 kilograms. Its structure uses three-ply, 0.8 mm birch aircraft plywood, with edges only 3.5 mm thick. The Canadian-sourced material is related to the timber used for the Hughes H-4 Hercules, known as the Spruce Goose. Working with Corelam, Hubert developed a corrugated plywood construction inspired by cardboard and formed under pressure. According to the designer, the process saves 70 to 80 percent of the material compared with a standard timber table.
Solid plywood table
The corrugated, super-light wooden structure is reported to be 200 percent stronger than traditional solid spruce. Thanks to its low weight, Ripple can be assembled and moved by one person.
Lightweight sandwich structure table legs
Ripple has a discreet contemporary design language and points toward sustainability and resource conservation. The project reflects British designer Benjamin Hubert’s interest in minimalist forms, new materials and innovative production methods.
Plywood table with a corrugated structure
Ripple light wooden table
plywood table requires 80% less material than a standard table of the same size
High-pressure lamination process
Laminating the wood
Ripple table made of birch plywood
Process video: Ripple, the lightweight wooden table by Benjamin Hubert, on Vimeo.
Peter Dark
miranda_shida
Taus Kishiev
