Re-defining Finishing, Performance and Durability: User Re-Manufacturable Surfboards

Abstract

This paper makes the case for surfboards being a prime archetype of user-object relations. It goes on to argue that design for remanufacture involves redefining notions of finishing, performance, and durability that underpin our relationship to material goods. Using the design of beginner-to-intermediate surfboards for user remanufactures as an illustration, the overlap between traditionally discrete phases of creation and use is explored as a way to extend life-spans and reduce non-linear material use.