COFFIRE

Currently, at least 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide each year, producing at least 8 million tons of coffee grounds. Most coffee grounds are discarded, landfilled or incinerated along with other waste. There is also a part of coffee grounds that will directly enter urban sewage discharge through the sewer. Therefore, the disposal of coffee grounds as waste will not only consume a lot of energy but also cause certain harm to the environment. Nevertheless, this design follows the concept of sustainable design, exploring a new possibility for the treatment of coffee grounds.

​

The innovative colouring technology was derived from the ancient pit burning technology. During the low-temperature firing process at 600-800°C, coffee grounds on the surface of the lamp will release biodiesel and sugar. Under the influence of temperature, humidity, coffee grounds’ concentration and other variables, the interaction between the two substances will show a pink random texture on the surface of the object.

In addition, the traditional sandpits used in the pit burning process are replaced by gas kilns. It is easier to control gas kiln as a modern firing technology in terms of operation, achieving mass production and greatly improving the yield of lamp firing. The gas kiln can be controlled at a constant temperature, so that the colour of the fired lamp is more stable. Since there are no trace elements in a gas kiln, the colour saturation of the fired lamp is higher.

​

Due to the innovative colouring technology, COFFIRE has a pink marble-like surface texture, which is a wonderful effect that no other glaze can achieve. The texture and colour produced through this firing technology are different, making each lamp unique.

​

Created by Zhekai Zhang, studio KAE