Materials Design for Transition toward regenerative ecologies
Section outline
-
-
-
In this week you will explore the theoretical foundations of the contemporary Materials Design field, covering its historical, theoretical, and methodological perspectives. Understanding the history of materials in design is essential to grasping the current landscape and considering how a holistic approach to designing with and for new materials can influence the transition toward sustainable production and consumption systems.
We will introduce fundamental concepts, such as the expressive and sensory dimensions of Materials Experience and the Material Driven Design method, which offer insights into the relationship between materials and design. Building on these foundations, DIY-materials will be introduced, showcasing their potential to empower designers who view materials as elements that define a project's language and environmental impact. Finally, you'll engage with materials tinkering, an exploratory approach to discovering material properties and opportunities through hands-on experimentation.
-
-
Students mustView
This episode introduces the foundational concepts of Materials Design, an emerging yet increasingly recognised field within the design discipline. Over the past decade, materials design has evolved into a vital research, education, and practice domain, influencing diverse areas such as product, fashion, interior, interaction, service, and communication design. This episode outlines the field's historical, theoretical, and methodological foundations, setting the stage for exploring critical concepts in subsequent episodes, including the expressive-sensorial dimension of materials, the Materials Experience concept, and the Material Driven Design method.
-
Students mustView
This episode delves into Materials Experience, a framework for understanding how materials shape user interactions across four dimensions: sensorial, interpretive, affective, and performative. These levels reveal how materials evoke sensory responses, convey meaning, influence emotions, and invite specific actions, transforming materials into active elements in design.
The episode also introduces the Materials Driven Design (MDD) methodology, which positions materials as a starting point for design innovation. MDD guides designers through stages of exploring material properties, envisioning user experiences, mapping interaction patterns, and creating concepts that fully leverage material qualities. Whether working with familiar, novel, or experimental materials, MDD enables designers to develop products that enhance user engagement and foster unique, impactful experiences.
-
Students mustView
One recent and significant approach in the field of materials design is the DIY-materials approach, where materials can be designed, developed and self-produced mainly by designers. The DIY-Materials approach is based on tinkering with materials and direct hands-on experimentation. This practice during the design process allows designers to improve and refine their sensitivity toward materials and their qualities. This video discusses the research conducted to define the phenomenon of DIY-Materials, demonstrating great promise for contributing to transition towards sustainability. It presents a DIY-Materials Kingdoms framework and exciting case studies.
-
Students mustView
This episode introduces Materials Tinkering, an experimental approach in Materials Design that emphasises exploration and creativity. Materials tinkering involves crafting DIY materials using simple ingredients, often from local, abundant or waste sources. Designers experiment with recipes, techniques, and processes, creating unique material samples through trial and error.
The process includes selecting ingredients, adjusting recipes, and testing qualities like texture, durability, and appearance. This iterative method enhances designers' understanding of material properties and invites creativity through direct experience. Documenting each step with notes, photos, and videos is essential, as it creates a detailed record of experimentation. The final output often includes a variety of material samples, a lab notebook, and even narrative videos.
-
-
This week fosters a critical understanding of sustainability, circularity, and regenerative design concepts alongside material innovation, supporting the shift toward more responsible and balanced production and consumption patterns. You'll gain insight into promising materials and learn how creativity and design expertise are essential in driving this transition to sustainable solutions.
This week offers an in-depth exploration of materials design within the frameworks of sustainability, circularity, and regenerative practices. We start by examining materials derived from waste, including concepts like symbiotic materials and urban mining, which align with Circular Economy principles. This approach emphasises creating new materials from waste and scraps, supporting a shift toward a bioeconomy paradigm.
You'll also engage with emerging digital manufacturing technologies, mainly 3D printing, to examine how waste materials can be transformed into valuable design resources. The module further delves into sustainable perspectives on wearables and e-waste and the role of materials in interaction design. Finally, we introduce you to biodesign by exploring biological interaction design.
-
-
Students mustView
This episode introduces the concept of Materials Design for Transition. After a brief overview of the field, it explains why materials designers increasingly adopt circularity, sustainability, and regeneration principles. Highlighting the global environmental crisis and issues arising from current production and consumption patterns, the video addresses the urgent challenges surrounding material use today. It also outlines critical approaches supporting Materials Design for Transition, emphasising the importance of expanding knowledge to foster sustainable development.
-
Students mustView
This episode explores innovative approaches to transforming waste into valuable materials through upcycling, industrial symbiosis, and urban mining. Starting with upcycling, it examines how designers repurpose waste to create high-value materials, contributing to a shift from a "take, make, waste" model to a circular economy. The episode highlights industrial symbiosis, where companies collaborate to exchange by-products and waste, minimising resource use and environmental impact.
Additionally, the concept of urban mining is introduced, showcasing how designers can extract valuable resources from urban waste streams, such as food and electronic waste, aligning with principles of urban metabolism. By recovering materials from city waste, urban mining helps create sustainable materials, supporting circular economy goals and fostering resilient cities.
-
Students mustView
This episode introduces additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, which builds complex parts layer by layer from digital models. The democratisation of 3D printing, fueled by open-source communities and affordable technology, has made 3D printing widely accessible. This accessibility encourages designers to innovate with emerging materials, contributing to sustainable design practices and aligning with global goals like the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
-
Students mustView
This episode explores how 3D printing redefines waste management by transforming discarded materials into valuable design resources. Through diverse examples, viewers see how waste plastics, biomass, and other materials are upcycled into products ranging from furniture to construction modules. Spanning multiple disciplines, the episode highlights 3D printing's role in supporting circular economy practices and driving materials innovation for sustainability.
-
Students mustView
This episode addresses the environmental impact of materials used in wearable devices and the challenges posed by e-waste. Wearables—encompassing electronics and textiles—are often composed of plastic, textiles, and electronic components, creating significant disposal and recycling issues. E-waste, predicted to increase by 38% by 2030, includes many small devices like wearables, making sustainable alternatives essential. Exploring bio-based materials like mycelium and pulp-based computing offers potential solutions. These materials can support sustainable, biodegradable options for wearables by integrating microorganisms. Emphasising circular economy principles, the episode encourages separating biological and technical cycles to keep materials in circulation through reuse and recycling.
-
Students mustView
This episode examines the increasing importance of materiality in interaction design and its implications for sustainability. Emerging from the Human-Computer Interaction domain, the material turn emphasises understanding materials as active agents in the design process. Integrating bio-based materials offers sustainable possibilities, as they are often biodegradable and can be crafted with digital fabrication and DIY techniques. Case studies feature innovative use of bio-based materials, such as Alganyl bioplastic and biofoam, highlighting applications in wearable tech and sensor integration. These examples illustrate how embracing material traces, imperfection, and biodegradability can shape sustainable, meaningful design practices. The episode underscores the potential of bio-based materials to drive sustainable interaction design by blending material agency with responsible, regenerative approaches
-
-
-
This week explores the transformative field of biodesign, where biological processes and organisms are harnessed to create sustainability- and regenerative-oriented living materials. A key takeaway from this module is the awareness that biofabricated materials, once experimental, are now a viable reality. These materials, developed through multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches in biodesign, offer unique qualities and applications that contribute fundamentally to sustainability in design.
Throughout the module, you will gain an understanding of biofabrication, what it entails and what it can achieve. Through case studies from various design sectors, you'll gain insight into the significant progress in research and experimentation with biofabricated materials. The module covers innovative materials like fungal mycelium and bacterial cellulose, revealing their potential in design for sustainability.
We also explore bioreceptive materials designed to encourage and support biological growth, providing an environmental benefit. Additionally, you will learn about designing with bacteria and engage in biotinkering activities to explore the creative possibilities of working with living organisms at a hands-on level.
-
-
Students mustView
This episode explores the concept of biofabrication, which was initially rooted in the medical field and is now expanding within biodesign to produce innovative materials through biological processes. Biofabricated materials are created by cultivating organisms like bacteria, algae, and mycelium, harnessing their natural growth behaviours to generate sustainable alternatives. By using controlled biological systems, biofabrication offers less impactful processes and materials, supporting the shift toward sustainability. The episode provides an overview of biofabrication's potential in design and its role in developing eco-friendly materials and products
-
Students mustView
This episode delves into biofabricated materials developed from fungal mycelium, a focal point in Biodesign due to its unique properties and design potential. Mycelium-based materials are cultivated through Biotinkering—experimental practices that allow designers to explore these materials' capabilities. The episode provides an overview of current research, highlighting case studies from biology, design, and industry, showcasing how mycelium is used to create sustainable, versatile solutions in various applications.
-
Students mustView
This episode features an interview with Maurizio Montalti. Montalti's approach, inspired by symbiotic relationships and a fascination with the micro-scale, seeks to challenge conventional paradigms and promote critical thinking through tangible, alternative materials. As co-founder of MOGU, a company advancing mycelium-based materials, Montalti discusses his journey in scaling sustainable materials for industrial use and reflects on his contributions to education and design culture.
-
Students mustView
This episode explores Bioreceptive Materials, a niche within Biodesign that focuses on designing inert materials to support and nurture life. Unlike typical bio-based materials, bioreceptive materials are crafted to encourage the growth of organisms like lichens, mosses, and algae on their surfaces. Designers create environments where life can flourish by carefully tuning features such as porosity, pH, colour, and texture.
Bioreceptive materials have applications in architecture, urban resilience, and biomonitoring, as demonstrated by case studies that use these materials to foster biodiversity, rehabilitate polluted areas, and increase biophilia in urban spaces. This transdisciplinary approach highlights the role of design in supporting ecological regeneration.
-
Students mustView
This episode examines bacterial cellulose (BC) as a sustainable alternative material in design, particularly in the shift toward a circular bioeconomy. Produced by bacteria such as Acetobacter xylinum, BC can be biodegradable, compostable, and versatile, making it ideal for applications in fashion, packaging, and beyond. Examples include using BC as a leather alternative and sustainable packaging. Projects showcase BC's unique qualities, flexibility, resilience, and leather-like texture, highlighting its potential for real-world applications. This episode underscores the growing interest in bacterial-based materials for sustainable, regenerative design solutions.
-
Students mustView
This episode explores biotinkering with bacterial cellulose (BC), focusing on its potential for sustainable design applications. At Politecnico di Milano, researchers are experimenting with BC to create diverse material states, such as KBC monolayer, KBC tartare, and KBC agar, each with unique properties for design. By leveraging BC's self-adhesive and moldable qualities, designers can create 3D shapes, textures, and intricate graphic effects.
Projects like DeForma at Polimi highlight BC's circularity, using food and kombucha waste to grow new materials. Although BC is eco-friendly and biodegradable, challenges like water sensitivity and high production costs remain. Researchers are exploring natural treatments to enhance durability, positioning BC as a viable alternative to synthetic materials across industries.
-
-
This week provides insight into the evolving landscape of materials design, focusing on the research locations, tools, and skills that define this emerging profession. You'll explore the key spaces where materials design research, and development are taking place today, from interdisciplinary labs to collaborative hubs or industrial locations, highlighting how these environments drive innovation and conscious materials design.
Additionally, you will gain an understanding of the role of the contemporary materials designer, examining the expertise required to operate at the intersection of design and materials. This module emphasises the tools and methodologies, such as Life Cycle Assessment, that empower designers to evaluate and refine materials for environmental impact, contributing to sustainable design practices.
We conclude with a summary and perspective on the core ideas covered in this module, forming a comprehensive constellation of critical concepts in materials design for transition, which will guide future work in the field.
-
-
Students mustView
This episode traces the evolution of design spaces from artisan workshops to Biolabs, reflecting the shift toward sustainability and interdisciplinary collaboration. Traditional workshops emphasised craftsmanship, while the Industrial Revolution introduced design studios, separating design from production. Technological labs added advanced tools for innovation, followed by Fab Labs that democratised digital fabrication. Today, Biolabs supports materials design and biodesign, enabling work with living organisms in controlled settings. These labs blend design, technology, and biological knowledge, fostering sustainable innovation with biodegradable and biofabricated materials. This progression highlights design's evolving role in creating ecologically responsible, future-ready solutions.
-
Students mustView
This episode explores the critical role of materials in shaping civilisation and enhancing quality of life, emphasising that successful products must blend functionality with appeal. Although researchers have proposed sustainable and circular materials, they are not yet prevalent in everyday products. For a product to thrive, it must meet user needs and offer an engaging "personality," often achieved through thoughtful material choices. Moving forward, designers must master materials knowledge and skillfully apply it to create products that are not only sustainable but also resonate with users in terms of functionality and aesthetics.
-
Students mustView
This episode covers Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a science-based method for evaluating environmental impacts across a product's life cycle—from raw material extraction to disposal. Initially developed in the 1970s, LCA has become a critical tool for designers and companies, allowing them to understand and mitigate environmental impacts. Through steps like defining goals, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation, LCA provides valuable insights that guide sustainable design and decision-making. Although complex, LCA is essential for materials designers to develop environmentally responsible products and processes, ensuring informed choices for a sustainable future.
-
Students mustView
This episode explores the evolving role of materials designers, specialists whose expertise in material properties, aesthetics, and functionality positions them as pivotal agents in design for sustainability and regeneration. From the 1960s, which focused on material perception, to today's integration of circular and regenerative concepts, materials designers craft meaningful, environmentally conscious material experiences. Projects like the European Made, Materials Designers initiative spotlighted these designers' influence in promoting sustainability through material manipulation and creative experimentation. At Politecnico di Milano, ongoing research defines the skills and practices of materials designers, emphasising their potential to drive sustainable transitions in product design and industry.
-
Students mustView
This final episode wraps up the MOOC, emphasising critical insights from our journey through materials design for sustainability, circularity, and regeneration. It revisits foundational theories and historical evolution, highlighting essential points from case studies and research at Politecnico di Milano, such as biofabrication, industrial symbiosis, and digital fabrication, as innovative sustainable approaches. Additionally, this episode underscores the significance of tools like Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in evaluating environmental impacts, reinforcing the role of materials as essential agents in fostering a sustainable future.
-
-
-
-
-