While sketching, we also came up with the idea of making the machine modular. This could help the machine adapt to different placings in the city. The interface as a stand alone module could be installed directly into a wall, like an ATM. There would be a container on the inside of the wall, and the system would be emptied from there. At the sites where wall mounting isn’t suitable, the interface could be mounted in a housing. The modularity would enable the ability to change single parts if broken, and not the entire machine, to prolong the machines lifetime.
While Hive blended into the city by resembling Aarhus’ other street furniture, the idea for Chameleon was to reflect the surroundings in order to blend in. The moodboard below shows some polished aluminum products, that reflect the colors of the surroundings. Using blue details was a way to connect the machine to the cups and the rest of the Reuseable campaign.
For a truly sustainable Reuseable system, the machines also need to be sustainably produced and in sustainable materials. When looking for more sustainable material options, there are many things to take into consideration. For example,
- Tracking: where the material comes from, and how far it needs to be transported for the next step of production.
- LCA, Life cycle assessment: how big an impact on the environment the extraction of the material has. These are complex calculations and are made by experts who calculate different parameters in different stages of production of a product and the impacts in several perspectives, such as biodiversity orCO2 emissions.
- Lifetime and end of life: how long the material can last and how can the end of life be avoided.
- Reuseability: if the material can be used again in its current state.
- Recyclability: if the material reaches its end of life, can it be recycled and not lose its quality in the process.
- Social sustainability: the workers producing the products should not be exposed to any hazards or dangerous methods in manufacturing.
For Chameleon we thought of using recycled, unpainted aluminum since it was an opportunity to use a material that does not reach end of life at the product’s possible end of life. Aluminum can be recycled almost indefinitely without losing quality and requires 90% less energy to produce than virgin aluminum. Paint often contains toxic substances both dangerous for humans and nature. It also makes there cycling process more difficult, which turns unpainted aluminum into the best choice. The machine housing itself would therefore be made of recycled, anodized aluminum.
Designing for Real Life: What we learnt from the Reuseable Project
This project was kicked off during a quiet moment last summer and became a huge learning experience—one that, not least, made us more humble about designing for all people in a city. There can never be only one answer to questions like the ones we ask in this blog series; the answers are probably as numerous as the number of people in the city.
When the project was wrapping up in December, I wanted to share what we had achieved. So, in December 2024, Design-People received visitors from Aarhus Municipality and Tomra. I presented our insights on the Reusable initiative and the two design concepts: Hive and Chameleon. While Tomra and Aarhus Municipality had been working on the same issues for a long time, they agreed with many of our insights and were also impressed with what we had accomplished.
We discussed the challenges we had faced during the process, and in the end, I got to see the brand-new Tomra machine, now standing at the university.This was a machine that - just like our two concepts - would handle both takeaway items and cups. It was great to see how they had lowered the inlet and made it larger, similar to our design proposals.
The machine Tomra showed us was also a test model, and its form was deliberately still quite anonymous. But who knows - in the future, some of the ideas we presented might influence their reverse vending machine…
We gained valuable insights into the complexity of designing for public, shared systems - especially those that aim to change everyday behavior. We learned that functionality alone isn't enough; public objects like the Reuseable return machine must also fit into the social, visual, and physical rhythm of the city. Our design explorations Hive andChameleon let us practice designing with a focus on flexibility, inclusivity, and modularity when imagining future infrastructure. We strongly believe that material choices, placement, and even small interface decisions can shape how people interact with sustainability initiatives. At the same time, we cannot predict how people interact with objects and should therefore be open, rather than trying to control how people use the object in question.
Most of all, we were reminded that sustainable design is not only about minimizing environmental impact, but also about creating experiences that feel intuitive, approachable, and aligned with the values of the communities theyserve. Without these human-centered qualities in urban design, true sustainability simply cannot be achieved.
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