Anyone who’s ever bought anything from IKEA knows the joys of fiddling around with L-shaped Hex keys and screwdrivers for assembly. Much as we grumble about the process, this tool-assisted assembly process is what makes the items sturdy and keeps their cost down. But Israeli industrial designer Ruthy Shafrir wants to take things a step further and altogether remove the need for any tools in the assembly process of her hive-like shelf unit, called Ruche. It’s made from either aluminum or cardboard sheets that slot into one another, and offers surprising sturdiness given the lack of any structural fasteners. The cardboard version can support up to “10 kg (22 lb) for the small 15.5 in (34.5 cm) high version, to 64 kg (142 lb) for the large (39.4 in (100 cm)). In the sturdier aluminum model, the small version can bear 18 kg (39.6 lb) and the large 80 kg (176 lb).” That’s a lot for something that can allegedly be assembled in around 6 minutes.
Currently on Kickstarter, pledges start at $30 and go up to $180 for the large aluminum Ruche.
Hit the jump for more pics and links.
[ Project Page ] VIA [ Gizmag ]
