NAKNAK × Taiwan Power Company – Retired Transformer Box Repurposing Project

We are honored to collaborate with the Taipower Cultural and Creative team in repurposing retired transformer boxes. Through a process of deconstruction and reassembly, these boxes are given new missions. After two years of material experimentation and mass production testing, we are excited to unveil the Taipower heat pads, showcasing the beauty of these once-sealed transformer boxes!

NAKNAK’s philosophy focuses on achieving the best balance between minimalist aesthetics, functional needs, and production methods. Each dismantled transformer box has unique signs of wear, including scratches, paintings, graffiti, and even advertising stickers, all of which have become familiar, distinctive features in Taiwan’s daily landscape. Our initial design goal was to retain the original surface texture of the transformer boxes while carefully examining how each processing step affects the final product. We also engraved a source code to indicate the city where the box was in service before becoming a Taipower heat pad, linking Taipower and the public through their everyday electricity use.

As heat pads are common items on dining tables, we hope that the natural textures from these retired transformer boxes add a touch of story and meaningful beauty to daily life.

Taipower heat pad production documentary video: https://youtu.be/QHMct3a2wtQ