Dutch Design Week 2022 takes place from 22 to 30 October in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. MaterialDistrict lists some of the most innovative material projects present (part 1).

Fungi inspired
At DDW, Fabulous Fungi presents its textile dyes made from pigments produced by fungi (find this material in our collection here). Their way of dyeing reduces CO2 emissions and water use as opposed to synthetic, often toxic dyes. In addition, the fungal dye is biodegradable.

The Mycelium House, hosted by Fabricademy, shows how a plant-based diet can both be nutritious and delicious. They focus on fermentation through fungus, to create tempeh, kombucha and cashew cheese. Food waste and experimentation failures can be transformed into biomaterials.

Funghi Fabulous is a series of light and ‘luscious’ interior objects, inspired b natural shapes like tree bark and mud. The exhibition showcases delicate wall objects made with natural pigments, crystals, plaster and ceramic mushrooms.

Waste
The exhibition No space for Waste is dedicated to functional design pieces made with waste materials and discarded products. Similarly, Worth the Waste shows the possibilities of using waste materials as a material resource, like bicycle racks made from old bicycles and sport flooring from climbing shoes.

Blade Made aims to (re)use end-of-life blades of wind turbines in large-scale design as an alternative or step prior to recycling. Wind blades have inherent design, engineering, material, aesthetic, ergonomic and iconic properties that make them suitable as building elements.

Biobased
The Materialized exhibition fosters new and revolutionary alternatives to plastic and other well-known polluting materials that for too long now have been the main actors of the environmental crisis. It showcases natural raw materials, biomaterials, innovative techniques, and green design.

Studio Stephan Schagen and CHRITH architects created a series of ‘portraits’ of the Dutch soil in the form of wind-dried compressed earth blocks. They can be made using just 1% of the energy required to produce fired bricks and they are 100% circular.

With their book 1000 Wool Rescuers, the Pleed Foundation kicks off its campaign to bring together wool workers, farmers, designers and students to rebuild the Dutch wool production chain. The Hollands Wol Collectief has a similar mission (find their material in our collection here).

IHOG (Innovatie Hub Oost-Groningen) uses hemp as natural reinforcement, but rather than using a synthetic binder, they turn to natural ones like magnesium and potato starch. Experiments with pressing techniques have resulted in a series of samples and prototypes. The materials have been tested on their properties by shaping them in existing product moulds.

A Blunt Story, hosted by Chandni Batra, is a project that developed a range of sandals made from plant-based and recycled materials. The sole is made from a crude oil-free material, and for the uppers they repurpose and upcycle waste that would otherwise end up as waste.

Finally, Zena Holloway grows sustainable sculptures and fashion from grass roots.

Images via DDW

Sigrid Lussenburg