Edward Robinson from UPM Biocomposites says that he is very excited about the Biofore Tea House project realised by design students from Tongji University.
One of the main design criteria for the Biofore Tea House was to develop a modular design that allows flexibility and mobility.
The floor of the Biofore Tea House is made from UPM ProFi Design Deck — a very high-tech product. The principle polymer used in UPM ProFi Deck is a high-performance polypropylene that has exceptionally high impact resistance in both hot and cold climates.
Colours that stand the test of time
Robinson says that another advantage of UPM ProFi Deck is its superior colour durability over the wood fibres found in traditional composite products.
“Unlike wood and other composites, UPM ProFi is free of lignin, which is removed during the pulping process when making paper. Lignin is a natural substance that causes wood and other natural fibres to turn grey when exposed to sunlight. Removing lignin means that fibres have better colour durability than other traditional composites.”
Thanks to this durability, the colours of UPM ProFi are also lighter and fresher compared to traditional composites that use wood as their raw material.
“Therefore, it has been very popular in restaurants, hotels and homes. That has been the main driving force for our design deck range for architects and designers who have wanted to find an alternative for traditional materials.”