Design Competition Focuses On Recycled Mattresses
January 21, 2009A design competition that is focused on finding ways to recycle mattress and box spring materials presented a first place award to a group from Emeryville, Calif., who created what are called Helix acoustical panels for office partitions and room dividers.

The competition is presented by Rubicon National Social Innovation of Richmond, Calif., and Architecture For Humanity, San Francisco. It was sponsored by Keetsa Mattress, San Francisco, and the International Sleep Products Association.
A reception will be held Thursday at Keetsa Mattress to showcase 20 designs. Other winners included (2nd Place) Deconstructing and Reconstructing Sleep, London, England, for a design of a permanent shelter; and (3rd Place) Silk City, Manchester, England, a design for a sustainable agricultural program focused on silk production. The Judge's awards went to Dream On, a sofa design from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Chairtress, a whimsical entry from Princeton, N.J., that functions as either a toy or a piece of furniture.
The Discarded Dreams competition challenged designers to come up with useful products that RNSI may test in a new mattress deconstructing facility it is starting up in San Jose, Calif, together with Goodwill Silicon Valley.
