In Taichung City, Taiwan, cardboard has gone beyond its traditional uses, becoming the absolute protagonist of one of the most original and ecological restaurants in the world.
The Carton Restaurant is an establishment that embodies eco-sustainability to the fullest. It is located inside the Carton King Creativity Park, the park made entirely of cardboard.
Plates, glasses, tables, chairs, decorations, packaging and even the walls are all made of paper and corrugated cardboard.
Looking up, you cannot help but notice the perforated paper decorations that replace traditional lamps, creating a game of lights and shadows and conferring a special atmosphere to the restaurant. Children just love the cardboard sculptures found all around the restaurant.
Born from an idea by Huang Fang-liang, General Manager of Chin Tang Paperware (a company that produces paper boxes, toys, lamps and puzzles), the restaurant attracts a large number of tourists and has become a fixed stop not so much for the food but for its alternative design.
Curious to know how cardboard can be made to be so resistant, customers entrust the chef with a demonstration. By sitting on a chair with his 100 kilograms of weight, he proves beyond a doubt that cardboard can indeed be a very strong material!
This is a clear case of project designers placing eco-sustainability first.