Faculty of Design

Industrial Design

Esteban Poblano-Zenil

Melting Pole Table: A Reflection on Time, Climate, and Urgency

How can furniture design serve as a visual and emotional statement about global warming, encouraging reflection and awareness through everyday objects?

“Project Value Proposition / Description:The Melting Pole Table is a sculptural piece of furniture that transforms a functional object into a powerful reminder of the environmental crisis. The design draws inspiration from the ongoing melting of the Earth's polar ice caps, caused by global warming. A blue acrylic panel represents the ocean, while fragmented white structures symbolize melting icebergs. The table’s legs evolve into iceberg forms, shaped like an hourglass to highlight the urgency of climate action. The "Melting Pole" table is crafted from basswood, finished in white paint to reinforce the metaphor of the iceberg. The legs and tabletop are made from acrylic, a material chosen for its clean appearance and transparency, allowing light to pass through and cast shifting patterns, making the piece feel alive and constantly changing, much like the fragile ecosystems it represents. The Melting Pole Table invites users to engage not only with the table itself but also with the deeper narrative of environmental responsibility it carries.Insight, Idea, Impact:Unlike traditional eco-conscious furniture that focuses primarily on sustainable materials or production methods, the Melting Pole Table acts as an emotional catalyst. It is designed to provoke thought and spark conversations around climate change by embedding storytelling directly into its form. Through symbolic material choices and meaningful form, the table shifts sustainability from an abstract concept to a visible, tangible experience. It challenges users to reconsider their relationship with the environment every time they interact with it, making climate urgency not just an idea, but a presence within daily life.”