fly ash becomes material in bentu design’s second mine project

 

At the confluence of Poyang Lake and the Yangtze River in China, BENTU Design initiates The Second Mine, a project that reuses coal fly ash from the nearby Shenhua Power Plant as a basis for material exploration. The project explores fly ash as a primary material for concrete urban furniture, transforming it into a durable composite through a process of recombination with slag and other solid waste. Within this system, cement content is reduced, while the material’s internal structure is refined. The resulting objects rely on the fine, powder-like quality of fly ash, which behaves both as filler and as an active component, contributing to density, surface continuity, and long-term stability.

 

Rather than treating waste as a residual category, The Second Mine frames it as a form of ‘urban mining’, where existing industrial outputs are reintroduced into new cycles of production. The furniture pieces are conceived as material studies, where texture, weight, and surface variation reflect their origin. Subtle tonal shifts and granular finishes make the composition visible, embedding the material’s history within its final form.

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all images courtesy of BENTU Design

 

 

local materials and circular design shape ‘second mine’ project

 

Developed through local sourcing and production, the project by BENTU Design Studio establishes a link between environmental conditions and design outcomes. By working within the context of regional industry, BENTU Design constructs a material language that is both site-specific and process-driven, where reuse becomes a defining element of form and appearance.

 

At a broader level, The Second Mine proposes a model of circular design in which discarded matter is re-evaluated and reworked into new applications. Through this approach, the project situates material transformation not only as a technical process but as a framework for rethinking how objects are produced, used, and understood.

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the Second Mine by BENTU Design reuses coal fly ash as a design material

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fly ash from the Shenhua Power Plant forms the basis of the material research

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industrial waste is redirected into new cycles of production

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the project explores fly ash as a primary component in concrete furniture

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the material is combined with slag and other solid waste

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the resulting objects emphasize density and surface continuity

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the furniture is designed for durability and long-term stability

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each piece reads as a material study