Eero Aarnio, an artist worldwide famous for furniture designs, such as the iconic Ball Chair, has designed an eco-playhouse made with corrugated board. Aarnio has always been interested in different materials and the opportunities they create. Corrugated board has a particular fascination for him due to its light weight and environmental credentials.

Thanks to its design and the lightweight board construction the playhouse can be conveniently moved from place to place. The playhouse can be set up indoors or outdoors, if the weather permits. It can also be folded up for easy storage. “During this exceptional period people have spent more time at home with their families. Assembling a playhouse is a nice thing to do together and gives enjoyment to the whole family,” commented Eero Aarnio. “In the past, my own children have built huts out of empty corrugated boxes,” Aarnio recalls.

The sustainable white kraftliner materials provided for the production of the playhouse are made by Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group. Metsä Board’s white kraftliners were used for the surfaces: MetsäBoard Pro WKL 160 g/m2 was chosen for the outside due to its smooth printing surface and MetsäBoard Natural WKL Bright 160 g/m2 for the inner surface. The used kraftliner type is B-flute.

“Screen printing technology gives the liner surface a uniform, beautiful colour tone. MetsäBoard Pro WKL provides fast drying of the printed ink. Thanks to its high printability and excellent production efficiency, it was an ideal material for this project,” comments Ilkka Harju, Packaging Services Director EMEA and APAC Metsä Board.

The playhouse has been produced by two Finnish company Futupack and Capertum. (7 Sept. 2020)