Tsutsuma Desk: 'Wrapped Chair' Innovation by ITB Students Secures 1st Place in GITC Competition
By Anggun Nindita
Editor Anggun Nindita
BANDUNG, itb.ac.id - The "Tsutsuma Desk" innovation by the Nacelle Genk Team from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), won first place in the Green Timber Innovation Challenge (GITC). The event is a wood product innovation competition organized by Forestry Organizational Capacity and Institutional Studies Fahutan (Forci) Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB).
The competition aimed to hone students' creativity in producing processed wood products in supporting sustainable forestry businesses. The final of this competition was held on Thursday (21/12/2023). On this occasion, the participants presented each of their best wood product innovations.
The Nacelle Genk team consists of three members, namely Chauci Limita Montonglayuk (Postharvest Technology 2020), Salsabiela Irfani (Postharvest Technology 2020), and Nawal Abdi (Visual Communication Design 2022).
The work they produced was "Tsutsuma Desk". The name Tsutsuma desk comes from Japanese (tsutsuma reta isu) which means "wrapped chair". It represents a wooden furniture innovation that combines a chair and a table in one box, with an additional function as a storage box or container.
This product is conceptualized to provide an efficient solution in space utilization, especially in limited environments such as boarding rooms.
"This work is purely a work of innovation from the Nacelle Genk Team inspired by the use of box chairs that take up a lot of space in a small room," said Salsabiela.
Tsutsuma Desk is made using blockboard wood coated with high-pressure laminate (HPL) as the finishing material. The idea came from the realization that box chairs take up a lot of space, especially in small spaces. With a flexible and functional modular design, Tsutsuma Desk is expected to be an efficient and aesthetically pleasing solution.
In preparation, they worked on the idea by first defining the product to be made, and describing its value proposition, innovation, and usability. Other than that, the division of team roles was done spontaneously given the limited time and the pile of end-of-semester assignments as well as final exams.
The team was mentored by Ihak Sumardi, S.Hut., M.Si., Ph.D., a lecturer at the School of Life Sciences and Technology (SITH) ITB. His role was very significant in providing input and suggestions on the Tsutsuma Desk prototype. Several other lecturers also contributed to the innovation, such as Dr. Rudi Dungani, S.Hut., M.Si., and Dr. Yoyo Suhaya, S.Hut., M.Si.
Reporter: Hafsah Restu Nurul Annafi (Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota, 2019)
Translator: Anggi Nurdiani (Manajemen, 2021)
Editor: Ayesha Lativa Mafaza (Postharvest Technology, 2021)