Ayca Yilmaz Design

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Future Heirlooms is a project initiated by the American Hardwood Export Council in partnership with The Circle and Yonga Mobilya, drawing attention to the potential value of design, materials and workmanship, deployed during the production of furnitures, which may become family heirlooms, passed down from down through generations.

The project is designed to increase the recognition of Turkey's next generation of emergent designers and demonstrate how good design with quality hardwoods can leave a light environmental footprint, with timeless designs producing ‘heirlooms’ that last in contrast to the current throwaway culture of disposable furniture.

How can wood play a role in the functional materialization of the concept, for cats to determine territory, hide, and create a safe and playing area? And what can be done for a pleasant feeling in an exchange area? The effect of wood becomes perceptible from different angles when touched and within ambient light. In this sense, red oak provides dynamic visibility with a contrasted wood grain structure and invites those around it to take a look at its surprising layout. Thanks to the natural oil selection applied to the American red oak, an effect that reveals wood grain colors was achieved.

In the design process, a detail that surprises the users (i.e. cats) was developed, and the deep surface texture was added. In this way, functional depth has been added to the cat's claws. The building, which was designed to be disassembled, is a beneficial touch in terms of sustainability.

According to AHEC's Life Cycle Assessment, developed to provide quantitative data on the sustainability of American hardwoods and the environmental impacts of their consignments:

• All the American hardwood lumber used to make the designs for Future Heirlooms arrived in Turkiye carbon negative.

• All the American cherry, maple and red oak used to make the designs would have been replaced in the US hardwood forest through natural regeneration in just 2.3 seconds.

Preliminary calculations based on extensive data collected shows the following: The amount of carbon stored in the American hardwood lumber on arrival at the factory in Turkiye was 1.705 tonnes CO2e, compared to emissions associated with all extraction, conversion, and transport of the lumber of 0.947 tonnes CO2e, resulting in a carbon footprint of -(minus) 0.757 tonnes CO2e. Through natural regeneration, the replacement time for all the US hardwood lumber used for the project (1.08 tonnes) would be just 2.3 seconds. The total biogenic carbon stored in the final pieces was 1.107 tonnes CO2e. The total carbon footprint of all the designs was just 112 kg CO2e - most designs being either carbon negative or close to it.

For the duration of its lifetime, The Empath Door will keep 396.6 kg of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) out of the atmosphere. Total footprint is -69.1 kg of CO2e.