41,415 plastic straws compose modular installation in korea
A sea of translucent plastic straws, precisely 41,415 of them, forms A+U LAB’s temporary installation in Busan, South Korea. Designed as a traveling structure, the modular piece, aptly titled 41,415 Straws, reimagines one of the most familiar disposable objects. Arranged in a square-on-diagonal grid, red, yellow, orange, white, and clear plastic straws transform into a vibrant, porous volume measuring 3 meters wide, 2.75 meters high, and 11.4 meters long. As viewers move around it, the installation shifts in transparency and color, creating a spatial experience from an unexpected everyday material.
images courtesy of A+U LAB
A+U LAB conceives the structure as a nomadic exhibition
In this project, Korean studio A+U LAB investigates material reuse and modular design through a playful system. Each straw, identical in length at 25 centimeters, is slotted into custom-fabricated acrylic connectors—laser-cut components that allow the entire structure to come apart and be transported with ease. The installation is fully recyclable, reflecting an underlying critique of the ubiquity of plastic while simultaneously embracing its potential for spatial experimentation.
From a distance, the structure appears as a luminous field, with density and porosity fluctuating depending on angle and light. Up close, the straws oscillate between order and chaos, forming a mesh that is both delicate and monumental. There’s a constant push and pull in the installation—between fragility and scale, order and randomness. The closer you look, the more it plays with your perception. As sunlight passes through the layers of color and clear plastic, the structure seems to shift and shimmer, balancing moments of symmetry with bursts of irregularity. It’s both precise and unpredictable, all at once. Conceived as a nomadic exhibition, 41,415 Straws is designed to activate public spaces and invite new readings of material culture.
the modular piece is composed of 41,415 straws
A+U LAB reimagines one of the most familiar disposable objects
arranged in a square-on-diagonal grid
red, yellow, orange, white, and clear plastic straws transform into a vibrant, porous volume
the structure measures 3 meters wide, 2.75 meters high, and 11.4 meters long
as viewers move around it, the installation shifts in transparency and color
a dynamic spatial experience
a sea of plastic straws forms A+U LAB’s temporary installation in Korea
A+U LAB investigates material reuse and modular design
project info:
name: 41,415 Straws
architect: A+U LAB
location: Busan, Korea
lead designer: Lawrence Kim
project team: Eunji Choi, WooJin Choi, DaeUn Gam, SeungGu Kang, JongO Kim, BeomJun Lee, HeonJu Lee, WonSeok Lee, Jiho Paeng, JuYeon Ryu, Sevde Sevinc Seo, SungCheul Shin, JungHo Yeom, JuHae Yu
institution: Pusan National University
designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom
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