More or less, but not entirely. We knew that recycled plastic would be a main feature, but initially the focus was a greenhouse plasticbolstered withsome rice husks. After several developments, the finished result did not entirely convince us and the formats were not entirely suitable, so we switched to recycled plastic from detergent bottles, which was finally used in the slats. We have made the structure fromaluminium tube from the verystart due to its resistance, lightness and its easeto work with.

In commissioning the project, the main idea is that it should be a chair suitable for balconies, hence its small size. The English word forbalcón, in Spanish, is "balcony". So, in the studio, to informally refer to the project we called it “La Balconi”, but without the intention of giving it a definitive name. And the truth is that when the time came for us to present it in Madrid, Balconi had made such an impact on us that we couldn't name it anything else. And so, it stayed: Balconi.

The first thing is that it clearly and consciously evokes classic balcony chairs, but in an updated, revised way. There we wanted a connection to be generated intime. And then there is materiality. Recycled plastic as we have used it connects you with the waste, with the recycling process, the smell of soap lets you know that it was a container before a chair. If you look at it carefully you can identify the remains of popularbrand caps. We believe that these stimuli generate an emotion and, above all, lead you to imagine stories. To imagine how many clothes will have helpedto wash the place where you now sit. To think what would have happened to that waste if it had not been recycled in this chair.

As we said before, the waste comes from the selective collection of packaging in Spain. Common soap and detergent bottles that once we throw in the Spanish yellow containers for plastic, go to a waste selection plant, are crushed and conditioned to be able to recycle them into new products. It is true that there are now many brands that claim to use recycled plastic... in this case, the material used in Balconi is the first in Spain with an Aenor-certified post-consumer origin. This plastic is legitimately recycled from the packaging that all of us had at home just a few months before.

It is relative, because not all containers weigh the same, but assuming that they were all large detergent bottles, we would have about 30 bottles per chair.

It's interesting, because even though it's the same material, the approach has been completely different. In the Play Now space, recycled plastic was combined with a wooden structure. Under the sun and rain, the wood degrades and the plastic remains. In contrast, in the Balconi collection, recycled plastic is combined with aluminium and here the relationship between the two is different. Aluminium is everlasting, but what about recycled plastic? Here is the challenge. Obtaining a suitablestrength of the materials that make up each piece regardless of their nature.

That's how it is. In our way of working, we integrate environmental impact analysis through LCA in the design method. In fact, we even work for many brands exclusively in the field of consultingfor theimprovement of their products on an environmental level. We have discovered a greatinterest in improving the sustainability of the processes, but also, in general terms, facing great barriers. In short, the main challenge is trying to continue keeping everything the same but also wanting to achieve a different goal. The inertia that has led us to the unsustainability of our system must be reversed from the roots. If you continue to work with the same supplier, with the same engineer and maybe even with the same designer, the result will most likely be the same and you will not get any change.

You have described it perfectly. Aluminium is a light and resistant material. Possibly the most suitable for outdoor equipment. And yes, it is recyclable, but we must not forget that aluminium has a great impactin terms of itsextraction, so it is essential to guarantee its recycling to ensure that there is enough recycled material on the market so that we can make recycled aluminium products. But its great feature is durability. The most sustainable product is the one that is used the most, for the longest time.

We share many points of view with Alejandra and the “Happy Accident” is something that unites us in our most artistic works. Posing this dialogue between industrial material and photographic image speaking the same language, although in different forms, so to speak, was amazing. Not to mention the excellent exhibition organized by the colleagues from Il•lacions. A very emotional and intellectual mix. Vitamins for creativity.