TATAMI ReFAB PROJECT

HONOKA has developed a unique material by mixing biodegradable resin with IGUSA grass extracted from discarded Japanese tatami mats. By using ExtraBold’s large 3D printer, this project showcases furniture that reintroduces tatami into modern life.

Tatami mats have been a part of Japanese daily life for centuries, but their usage has declined yearly. We designed a series of furniture to reintegrate tatami into our everyday lives using 3D printing and recycled materials so that we can pass on the tatami culture to the next generation. Throughout the production process, discarded IGUSA grass provided by Ikehiko Corporation was powdered and mixed with cellulose acetate in a granulator at ExtraBold to make pellets for 3D printing. Thanks to the large-diametre nozzle printing technology, this project has been a success, which would have been impossible if we used just a standard filament-type 3D printer.