Ana Otero
PhD student, BAU College of Arts & Design Barcelona
SILA is a project of Ana Otero, designer and researcher, on material research and experimentation to extend the life cycle of the waste generated in the kitchen through biomaterials. Through a circular approach, she experiments with ways to revalue food waste with high percentages of calcium carbonate, such as eggshells and sea shells, to convert them into raw material for biocomposites that follow the precepts of Green Chemistry for applications such as 3D printing. The project also researches and experiments with ways of using materials of biological origin to promote eco-social mediation.
Ana’s doctoral research focuses on experimenting with biomaterials generated in the kitchen through its political and aesthetic dimensions as an eco-social mediation tool to try to change the paradigm of our relationship with what surrounds us.
The items exhibited are the results of the aforementioned experimentation, they are 3D printed objects made out of eggshells.
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Erzsébet Rozália Szabolcs
Student, MOME
Due to the absence of the wool processing industry in Hungary, several tons of wool go to waste every year. During her final project, Erzsébet Szabolcs experimented with a composite material created from a mixture of wastewool and a gelatin-based hydrogel. During the development of the material, she formed the wool into an unusual hard material, the properties of which she illustrates through a collection of containers. The shape of the containers is determined by the structures she designed and the different qualities of the material. When creating the design, it was important that all elements of the objects were made of the same material so that it could degrade under composting conditions within three to four months. The aim of her thesis is to show an alternative to how we can use this valuable raw material without the missing tools.
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Formlabs
3D printing technology developer and manufacturer
3D printing helps developing noteworthy products with unique properties, with less cost, in less time, and in many different industries such as medicine, automotive, aerospace and footwear design. It is one of the most sustainable ways of creating products and objects due to less materials wastage, less human involvement and very less post processing and energy efficiency.
Formlabs has become the largest supplier of professional stereolithography (SLA) and selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printers in the world. Their Form3+ printer produces functional, high-quality prototypes and end-use parts in record time. The Form 3+ refines Formlabs patented LFS technology to consistently deliver presentation-ready parts with unbelievable surface finish.
As part of the ecosystem, after printing Form Wash helps cleaning the printed items and Form Cure brings parts to their maximum mechanical properties with its 13 LED-triggered post-curing process.
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Fanni Tóth
Textile designer
Fanni Tóth’s work, Life Stitcher, was inspired by her grandmother's embroidered textiles, which she has re-designed and rewritten their story for a new generation using contemporary techniques. She borrowed not only the materials from her grandparents' time, but also the mentality of the era that everything can be reused for something else. The main aim of the project, besides promoting upcycling, is to learn to appreciate the pieces of our wardrobe and to heal them, to keep them in circulation even when they can no longer fulfil their original function. The final result of the project, which can be seen here, is a new set of materials, with different thicknesses of textiles and different uses.
During her graduate research she realised that it was not enough to argue against fast fashion, Fanni must encourage the public to appreciate the existing garments we already produced. She believes that a good relationship between our textiles and ourselves is essential for a more sustainable future.
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Balázs Ágoston Kiss
Digital Craft BA student, MOME
From the beginning humans are in a constant search for the base of existence trying to understand the forces involved in the formation of such complex matter surrounding and forming us. As technological innovation becomes the biggest impact of the future of species and environment, radical changes are starting to appear. The development of robotics, bioengineering and complex algorithms endows us with new skills and assigns a very different path. Enabling us to expand our bodies and consciousness to reach places we were unable, overcome diseases and deficiencies which we are vulnerable to.
In his research, Balázs’s goal was to examine new materials and technologies involved in this rapid change. As a result of the project, Balázs has created systems inspired by biology and nature using synthetic materials, algorithms, and 3D modelling software, which can be seen exhibited here.
The exhibited “creature” is made from 3D printed PLA, and it was prepared with mixed techniques including pneumatics and the use of microcontrollers.
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SMOBYA
Biotech company
SMOBY is a bio-based novel material, made from bacterial nano-cellulose and does not contain any petroleum derivatives. SMOBYA’s technology makes it possible to create a strong, durable, supple material from waste and raw materials to tackle global challenges with a system solution approach contributing to a circular economy and a positive social impact.
We boost the BNC during growth while modifying hydrogel via varied chemical functionalisation techniques in the most sustainable way to develop a perfectly leather-like biomimetic material.
They aim to drive positive change, starting with the fashion industry, using enhanced natural materials while providing the quality and performance comparable to animal leather.
SMOBY is more than a sustainable leather alternative; with the power to customise BNC’s aesthetics, SMOBYA is developing an advanced multifunctional material that was never available before. Their aim is to unlock new levels of creative control by growing the material of tomorrow.
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Viaplant
Viaplant is producing creative composites with a unique look that is defined by real plant ingredients as the result of in-house research and development. Their aim is to bring the beauty and diversity of nature closer to people and to create unique value in living spaces by telling stories through plants.
They primarily produce Viaplant composites that can be used as paving materials in the HORECA sector, as well as in an office space, commercial and private buildings. The panels can be used for walls (wall cladding, kitchen backsplash) as well as furniture. In addition to architecture, they can also be used in design projects, typically in the form of lamps, utility items and jewellery.
In addition to Viaplant ® RESIN, which is made from resin, they also produce Viaplant with a polylactic acid (PLA) binder made from vegetable starch in response to global sustainability issues, and they also pair plants with glass. Each of the three material combinations is produced using different manufacturing technologies.
Viaplant® PLA is bendable, so it can be used on curved surfaces, and its thickness of around 1 mm allows to make a variety of plant wallpapers among other things. Viaplant ® GLASS is ideal for kitchen backsplashes, glass railings and shower enclosures due to its increased resistance.
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Piñatex®
Non-biodegradable leather alternative
Piñatex® is made of fibre from the waste leaves of the pineapple plant. These leaves are a by-product from existing pineapple harvest, so the raw material requires no additional environmental resources to produce.
Inspired by the abundance of natural resources, including the use of plant fibres in traditional weaving such as the delicate Barong Tagalog garments, Dr. Carmen Hijosa, founder of Ananas Anam Ltd, sought to create a new, non-woven textile that could be commercially produced, provide positive social and economic impact, and maintain a low environmental footprint throughout its life cycle. The use of pineapple leaf fibre, an agricultural waste product, provides the opportunity to build a scalable commercial industry for developing farming communities, with minimal environmental impact.
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Naturing, doctoral masterpieces
Anett Papp DLA
A remarkable ambition of contemporary art is to erase boundaries. By navigating on the margins of nature and man-made territory, crossover solution emerges. Separate genres, disciplines feed off each other, they can stretch each other’s limits, and along analogies, then as a consequence of their migration, they can reinterpret their own definition. Textile is a genre that arises along the principle of interaction. Root systems that grow intelligently can develop into a continuous and connected surface, into textile. By using the set of rules that guide the functioning of plant parts in motion, cooperation can emerge between the creator and the plant co-creator. This connection facilitates the understanding of textile, and at the same time, it opens up new horizons.
wheatgrass, own technic, textile growing
Varinex
3D printing company
At VARINEX’s booth, visitors can get acquainted with PolyJet™ technology by Stratasys®, a leader in polymer 3D printing solutions. With this technology you can create full-colour, realistic prototypes that look, act, and feel like the real product.
You can see the Stratasys J55™ Prime 3D printer in action, and through many full-colour, realistic 3D printed models we assure you that with this technology even the most creative ideas can be brought to life!
Stratasys is focusing on the fashion industry this year and is proud to showcase its 3DFashion™ technology.
FORÆVA 3D printed dress by Lana Dumitru and Vlad Tenu, with Cross-cultural digital 3D printed embroidery designs that give a fascinating insight into the way that social connections can be made through storytelling.
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Rikk Péter - Mushroom, Baby!
SME
Mycelium composite is created from agricultural waste, using the saprophytic lifestyle of fungi and the power of fungal filaments. These furnishings and design products were also created in collaboration with artists, with sustainability in mind, thus reducing our ecological footprint. The organic surfaces of the objects have a natural effect that has a positive impact on the user's mental health. Modern technologies such as 3D printing and algorithmic design were also used in the creation of the objects.
The lampshades were prepared together with Kiskery Design.
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HereWear
Rebecca Early
HEREWEAR innovates with a holistic, systemic approach towards the creation of an EU market for locally-produced circular textiles and clothing made from bio-based waste. New material solutions will build on the latest bio-based polyesters and cellulose developments. Three novel waste streams (seaweed, manure, straw) will be developed for cellulosic textile fibres. Emerging sustainable technologies for wet and melt spinning, for yarn and fabric making, will be developed and piloted at semi-industrial scale. For finishing, coating and colouring biobased agents will be evolved. Microfibre release will be significantly reduced via measures all along the textile manufacturing process.
Garment prototypes for streetwear and corporate clothing will be produced by connecting up microfactories, organised into regional value creation circles; or by platform-supported, networked production resources. Use phase and end-of-life processing management – repair, re-use, recycle – will be implemented through novel structures. Full transparency will be provided through blockchain-enabled labelling and the configuration of a digital twin, informed with LCA information. A database and guidelines will be produced to support the design of fashion goods; with a focus on the best performance for bio-based materials and for reuse/recycling. Further guidelines will help the industry to take-up these results.
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Flóra Lukovics
Student, MOME
The brave use of materials that live around us and their subtle integration into our everyday objects is an important design task. Mushrooms are great teachers: it is particularly exciting to work with them, because growing them is a slower, more organic process, during which acceptance, openness and trust in the honesty of nature are important factors.
With this project, Flóra’s goal is to create an experience, with the help of which the user can form a more conscious and confidential relationship with these living organisms, and discover their aesthetic and functional values.
Her experimental side table strives for a balance between forms strictly designed by man and gently shaped by nature: the tabletop panels grown from mycelium rest on a simple solid wood frame, giving a tactile rhythm with their pattern.
COMPO//COMBO
Material research course using the aspects of raw material-centric design
Kondor Edit DLA
Temesi Apol DLA
2021/2022
KFI
MOME
The aim of the course is to sensitize design students to the possibilities of raw material-centric approaches.
Restorative raw material-centric design, which forms the basis of the course’s approach, is based on DLA research by Apol Temesi. The doctoral dissertation explores the aspects and possibilities of taking responsibility for design by actively shaping sustainable object culture and supporting sensitive cooperation with nature. The design process, which begins with the conscious selection of the raw material, can contribute to the perception of industrial residues as raw materials, thereby recycling them to achieve full circularity. In addition, it can contribute to the replacement of non-degradable materials by exploring its as yet unknown or forgotten natural renewable raw material sources. At the same time, it can eliminate the natural damage caused by non-degradable plastics.
The methodology for integrating design behavior into education with the values of the environment in mind has been formulated through an analysis of international publications over the past 10 years. The study of this was also part of Apol’s research, which was published in the 2022 issue of Disegno.
The methodology is based on research conducted by Elvin Karana, a professor at TU University in Delft, and Valentina Rognoli, a professor at Milano di Politecnico. Raw material-centric approaches, with the introduction of DIY tools and the use of sensory atlases, make it possible to integrate the introduction of the new approach into the design education of designers.
The students in the course are selected from students in the fields of glass, ceramics, metal, textiles and design, who delve into the complexity of material development viewers step by step during the semester by exploring an environmental problem and selecting a raw material. Students keep a research report on the analysis and exploration of the problem, the physical and chemical examination of the raw material, and the steps of the experiment of material association. This systematic, analytical approach connects design and scientific perspectives through an agile methodology for the development of DIY materials.
In the course of the research, we support our students in deepening in the related fields of science, as well as in cooperating with partner universities that support material development, in which BME and University of Pannonia are currently our professional partners.
The raw materials research course was first announced in the fall semester of 2021. The success of this laid the foundation for the continuation of the course, which we conducted in the spring semester of 2022.
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Regenerated Material
/industrial waste, manufacturing waste/
Focusing on the intrinsic value of the raw material, it is possible to develop materials where materials that are a burden to the environment can be revived. The inclusion of these materials in the design process typically starts with the DIY methodology, but at the same time they also carry the possibility of returning them to the industrial cycle.
Zsuzsanna Deák
RECYCLING OF FLOAT GLASS AND GLASS SLUDGE
“In my work, I examined the recyclability and lower energy requirements of architectural float glass waste and glass sludge, which affects thousands and hundreds of tons of raw materials every year.
I processed the raw materials at different temperatures and added additives. This process can be used in industrial conditions and the product can be reintroduced to the manufacturing cycle. The process is suitable for the production of glass tiles, glass bricks, and architectural glass. In addition, after grinding and melting, the glass slush became suitable to produce thermal insulation materials. The measurements of the material experiments were carried out in cooperation with University of Pannonia in Veszprém.”
Rebeka Csiby-Gindele
WASTE FROM CUT FLOWERS
“The problematic waste I have chosen is green waste from cut flowers produced by the flower industry. I researched their secondary uses, as they are often thrown away before they are used, despite the fact that the conditions of their cultivation and their transportation have a huge ecological footprint.
The purpose of the material experiment was to create a material that can be returned to the horticultural industry as packaging and storage material. I divided the material into three parts - flower, stem, leaf - and used them by themselves, mixed them with different additives and manipulated them with different procedures. Regarding additives, I experimented with increasing the starch and cellulose content of the material.”
Flora Lukovics
DRYER LINT
“The material I examined was the natural fibres that are accumulated in industrial dryers called dryer lint, and I also investigated how to recycle it, but this is currently unsolved. The removal of dryer lint from the drier is necessary because its presence can damage the machine.
During various experiments, I explored the properties of the material, I searched for the answer to how this material can be manipulated with the basic functions and positive properties in mind.”
Berta Ujváry
DRYER LINT
“In my work, I experimented with the technique of paper immersion, during which I investigated the applicability of microfibres collected in the laundry as raw material through material combinations. I associated microfibers with various plant fibres and yarn waste which is a left-over product of textile production. The goal was to find the most suitable combination of materials, where only the cellulose found in the raw materials used holds the paper together, without the use of added adhesives.”
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Interaction
/metal, glass, clay/
When materials are combined, their properties can change as a result of chemical and physical processes. In the process of interacting with each other, changes in material structure and surface reactions, special effects may occur. During these processes, the observation of new reactions that can be experimented with, and then their successful application, makes the materials suitable for introduction in new areas. The inspiration for material associations typically unfolds from the inclusion of neglected, residual materials.
Sarolt Sógor
APPLICATION OF MOKUME WITH NON-PRECIOUS METALS
“My main goal during the course was to find ways to bond base metals together. My main goal was to look for ways in which non-precious metals can be joint together. I tried the traditional Japanese mokume-gane technique, soldering and mechanical joining. After the initial eliminatory experiments, I chose alpacca and copper to work with. They are similar enough in composition to fuse without solder, but also suitably different in physical behaviour to be fascinating test subjects. I also observed the behaviour of these joint materials by forming them into bowl-like shapes.”
Melinda Doktor
GLASS AND METAL MIXTURES
“Mixing glass with metals is difficult in some cases due to their coefficient of thermal expansion and different chemical and physical properties, and usually produces an uncertain result. My goal is to set up an experimental material palette which presents materials including aluminium, iron, manganese, and brass glass. After preparing the palette I conducted experiments to examine the mixing ratios of glass and potter’s clay.”
Ingrid Válint & Antal Zilahi
SYNERGY OF THE GLASS AND METALS
“We were curious to know how to mix metals with glass, because during our studies we never got a proper answer to the question of how to use these two materials. Our aim was to create a new metal-glass effect that was aesthetic, exciting and innovative. We want these materials to be able to live together for the long term.”
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Degradable Composites
/trigger raw material use, development of degradable composite/
One of the objectives of raw material-based design can be defined as experimenting with degradable composites, with the use of which one of the non-degradable materials can be replaced. By using alternative raw materials, they become compostable at the end of their life cycle, so they leave no environmental burden behind. The search for raw materials typically starts with assessing the possibilities of local material use, such as attempts to recycle agricultural waste.
Martina Kovács
DECOMPOSING CLAY
“The field of research I have chosen is the study of decomposing clay. I chose two types of clay that differ greatly in their lime content. In my experiments, I observed the decomposition properties of the Kishajmás potter’s clay and the 254 kreaton mass in its plastic, dry state, and when fired at different temperatures. I tried to break down these states of the clay in different ways, such as in acidic and alkaline environments, i.e., in carbonic acid, vinegared earth, as well as in cold and warm water. Later, I mixed different organic materials - poppies, cornmeal, coffee grounds - into the mass, with which I changed the structure of the clay.
The challenge for me is to recognize the possibilities and exact time of clay decomposition.”
Roberta Wende
SUNFLOWER SEED
“I worked with a plant-based material with a high cellulose content, which is a by-product of the food industry and it does not have a new life stage. For most of the experiments I used sunflower seed husks. For me, the most important was to create an alternative for these materials for interior use, so I tried to create materials that are resistant to physical impacts.”
Vanda Kaviczki
HEMP-BIOPLASTIC
“Examining the cause of the high level of waste generation in the footwear industry, the disassembly after wear and the degradability of shoe soles were highlighted for me as a design task. To replace non-degradable (EVA) soles, I set myself the goal of experimenting with a degradable alternative that uses and develops renewable raw materials.
In my experiments, I used hemp stalks as a base, associating this with a mixture of biodegradable plastics. I did my work with the help of the Department of Polytechnic, BME. The goal of material development is to achieve a flexible, abrasion-resistant, high-tensile, and durable material using material association and foaming. The results of the experiments have opened up forward-looking and exciting opportunities in the development of degradable alternative shoe soles.”
Dóra Szilágyi
MYCELIUM BASED COMPOSITES
“In my experiments, I investigated the possibilities of producing a mycelium-based biocomposite raw material. The properties of the surfaces grown with fungal yarns created on different media were analysed through small series. Experimenting with sustainable and biodegradable materials as an object creator, which provides an opportunity to explore alternatives. Mycelium, as a raw material, is an emerging raw material that can be used to revitalize agricultural waste.”
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Alternative glaze and clay effects
/rocks, fruit seeds, pigment hack, transparency/
In recent years, the review of pigments used in industry has emerged as a design challenge. The resulting professional discourse covers the mapping of alternative sources of colouring materials and the reinterpretation of the aesthetics of the use of colour. Mapping visual effects and alternative pigments is an emerging area in the field of raw material-centric design.
Anna Budaházy
PIGMENT HACK
“My aim is to create a series of tests using one glaze and to test how the glaze is affected by changing the ratios of its ingredients. By the end of the series one can look at the test results and see how each ingredient changed the effect, surface and texture of the base glaze and by this it might be easier for a student to understand and learn the effect of the ingredients we use in mixing ceramic glazes.”
Lea Szolnoki
ASH GLAZE
“In my experiment, I set myself the goal of producing an ash glaze that can be produced from stone fruit seeds and nut shells.
My point of view is that the materials should be by-products of factory work processes or organic materials that are not composted.”
Dorottya Vértessy
MINING WASTE
“My research is primarily driven by curiosity, I am interested in whether the conditions for glaze formation are met by using a glaze raw material that is not a purified, sterile, storebought powder, but one that I have collected and processed, impurified rocks. Using contaminated raw material instead of purified material in ceramic glazes has produced spectacular results. Each of the materials collected from different locations produced different results. Without exception, the glazes produced a continuous layer of on the surface of the clay sample.”
József Kovács
TRANSPARENCY
“My goal is to create a ceramic material that can be used well in 3D printers and to increase its transparency after firing.”
