Bamboo is a material with many good properties - sustainability through fast regrowth and easy further processing and versatile application possibilities through its mechanical characteristics. Unfortunately, it is still used relatively little. Now it was important to us on the one hand to use these positive properties for a clever design, on the other hand we wanted to add a positive association through the choice of the object we would choose to design.
When we go inside, what is there with more positivity and joy than new life? Children are our future and it is our job to offer them the best possible. So is there a better metaphor when it comes to paving the way to a better future than the sheltered weighing of our future generations into a better tomorrow. So the topic was found for us - a cradle. Since weighing is associated with a movement, it was obvious to use the unique flexibility of the material for this purpose.
The flexibility of the material is the core element of the Baboo Swing cradle. It enables the parents to slightly swing the cradle in a sideway motion to calm down the baby and imitate the movement it had inside the mother’s womb.
With a total width of 76 cm the cradle fits through all regular doors and can be maneuvered through all doors inside of a small apartment. The felt gliders on the bottom piece will ensure a smooth movement. The top arch can be used to mount a baby mobile, toy or canopy. Since the piece of furniture is intended to be sent by post, it must be divisible in order to match the possible dimensions. The entire basic construction is made of bamboo. The upper frame can be delivered as a whole. The lower one consists of four parts and is assembled very simply and as usual with wooden dowels and eccentric connectors after receipt. The parts are first glued to optimize material consumption and then processed by a CNC milling machine. The side rungs are simple straight parts that can be easily made from the raw material and thus keep material and energy consumption low.
In order to look at the sustainability concept in a deeper way, we were concerned not only with a simple assembly, but also a simple dismantling. This makes it possible to either pass the cradle on to the next family by post at the end of its useful life or to send the product back to the producer so that it can be refurbished if necessary. Thus there is an immense relief when it comes to the longest possible useful life.
To ensure that it can be dismantled, we decided on simple wood screws, as these are highly reusable and offer familiar and easy handling. Since these are mass-produced, the energy consumption is relatively low. To top it off, the basket is made of bamboo-based fabric. It is connected to the upper frame with snap fasteners. Thanks to an insert plate, it keeps its shape and can be equipped with a mattress.
