Rotterdam studio The New Raw has turned discarded harbour rope into a set of 3d-printed rope stools for the city’s waterfront. The stools rock when someone sits on them, and each one carries the colour of the rope it came from.
The urban furniture project, called Buoy, is shortlisted in the sustainable design category of the 2026 Dezeen Awards.
Founder Foteini Setaki began by collecting plastic ropes from Rotterdam harbour. The ropes had been used to manage boats and would otherwise have been thrown away.
Salvaged waste is becoming a serious design material, and Niklas Roy shows the same idea in a timepiece. Niklas Roy’s Clock Built From Salvaged Saxony Materials is worth a look for its reuse of discarded parts.
The ropes went to Maastricht, in the south of the Netherlands. There they were cleaned, shredded and mechanically recycled into pellets.
Back in the studio in Rotterdam, the pellets were melted and 3D printed layer by layer. The material bonds as it is deposited, so the stools need no separate binder, Setaki told Dezeen.
Sourcing the rope for 3d-printed rope stools
Marine rope is hard to recycle. Setaki said it contains a mix of materials that collect residues over time. The team therefore selects ropes with the highest polypropylene content before processing.
The pieces contain no virgin plastic. A small percentage of additives gives them durability outdoors, including UV protection. Setaki said these additives do not prevent the material from being recycled again.
Each of the recycled rope stools has a slightly different hue. The variation comes from the original rope colour, not from added pigments or coatings.
The bases are pointed, like the tip of a spinning top. When a person sits down, the stool rocks. Setaki chose this motion to echo buoys moving on the water.
“We wanted the seats to carry a recognisable link to their maritime origin, through both their shape and the slow movement of floating buoys,” Setaki said. “Borrowing that movement brings a playful quality to sitting, and the connection to the harbour becomes something you can feel.”
Each stool is engraved with its batch and production number. The stools are then placed along Rotterdam harbour.
Setaki presented the project as a model for designers who work with surplus materials from their own cities. “Working with a local waste stream is a way of strengthening the relationship between the city and its harbour,” she said. She added that the approach could work in other port cities, starting with their own discarded materials and local networks.
Reclaimed materials also feature in architecture projects that tackle waste. Thai Students’ Reclaimed Wood Eco-Toilets in Suphanburi offers a useful comparison for anyone interested in sustainable building from recycled stock.
Setaki and Panos Sakkas founded The New Raw in 2016. The studio turns locally sourced plastic waste into 3d-printed furniture.
Buoy is shortlisted alongside other sustainable design projects. These include a cement-free architectural material made from waste date pits, and a lighting installation for an Australian bookshop built from its own printing-error publications.
Source: dezeen.com
Frequently asked questions
What are the Buoy stools made from?
The Buoy stools are made from discarded harbour rope collected in Rotterdam. The rope was cleaned, shredded and mechanically recycled into pellets, which were then melted and 3D printed layer by layer.
Why do the Buoy stools rock when someone sits on them?
The stools have pointed bases, like the tip of a spinning top, so they rock when someone sits down. The designer chose this motion to echo buoys moving on the water, linking the seats to their maritime origin.
Do the recycled rope stools contain any virgin plastic?
No, the pieces contain no virgin plastic. A small percentage of additives provides outdoor durability, including UV protection, and these additives do not prevent the material from being recycled again.
Why does each Buoy stool have a different colour?
Each stool has a slightly different hue because the colour comes from the original rope, not from added pigments or coatings.
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