Researchers at Swiss design school @ECAL_ch designed a series of flat-pack furniture made of a cellulose sponge material, that grows when soaked in water. Called Under Pressure Solutions (UPS), the project imagines a lightweight furniture system made of a biobased and biodegradable material. The sponge material is made of wood offcuts. It gains it strength from the cellulose fibres that reinforce the tree. Read more at MaterialDistrict.com #materialinspiration #sponge #cellulose #furniture #furnituredesign #ecal #milandesignweek #ups #underpressuresolutions

A venture that grows wheatgrass into templates carved from beeswax to create lamps and acoustic wall hangings from root. Root textile by @Rootfull / More at MaterialDistrict.com #materialoftehday #materials #roots #plantroots #textile #acoustic #rootfull #roottextile #wheatgrass #interiordesign #fashiondesign

Designed by Nils Sorger and @WertelOberfell, the +/- Brace is a user-centered, fully customisable elbow brace, produced by combining 3D printing and laser-cutting technology. The brace relieves elbow pain, promotes comfort and reduces risk of injury and irritation during demanding physical tasks or sport activities. It is made using additive 3D printing and subtractive laser-cutting, two technologies which make easy customisation and on-demand manufacturing possible. Read more at MaterialDistrict.com #materialinspiration #3dprinting #lasercutting #brace #elbowbrace #werteloberfell #nilssorger #materialdistrict

The material is made from 100% wool felt and due to the wool and to the patterns it is very good for acoustic purposes. Crafted felt by Studio @NaomiRemijn / More at MaterialDistrict.com #materialoftheday #materials #wool #felt #woolfelt #smocking #acoustic #acoustics #interiordesign #materialdistrict #studionaomiremijn #Walcheren #zeeland

Material designer @ellebi.design ’s project ‘Nice to seed you’ developed a material made of the biomass of microalgae, grown in domestic wastewater. The aim of this project is to outline a circular process in which waste generated by one process serves as nourishment for another. In this case, Bordini used microalgae biomass that comes from a purification process of domestic wastewater from a German waste disposal centre. Read more at MaterialDistrict.com #materialinspiration #alage #packagingmaterials #matreialdesign #wastewater #biobasedmaterials #laurabordini #materialdistrict #microalgae

An acoustic solution made in Italy from renewable materials. ARCHISONIC Cotton by @ImpactAcoustic / More at MaterialDistrict.com #materialoftheday #materials #acoustic #acoustics #archisonic #archisoniccotton #impactacoustic #materialdistrict #interiordesign

Researchers at the @UofMichigan in the US developed a system which can be used to make load-bearing structures like bridges and shelters using origami modules. Origami shapes are versatile components that can fold compactly and adapt into different shapes. For years, researchers have struggled to create origami systems with the necessary weight capacities while keeping the ability to quickly deploy and reconfigure. The researchers of the University of Michigan have done just that. Read more at MaterialDistrict.com #materialinspiration #origami #loadbearingorigamistructures #universityofmichigan #architecture #materialdistrict

An ongoing material research examining the inherent relationship between clay and metal. Terra Alchemny by @yuval.yh / More at MaterialDistrict.com #materialoftheday #materials #materialresearch #clay #metal #yuvalharel #yhstudio #materialdistrict #terraalchemy #materialdesign