A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF BIO-BASED MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT BY DESIGNERS USING A DIY APPROACH IN A CIRCULAR CONTEXT

DS 110: Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2021), VIA Design, VIA University in Herning, Denmark. 9th -10th September 2021

Year: 2021
Editor: Grierson, Hilary; Bohemia, Erik; Buck, Lyndon
Author: Asbjörn Sörensen, Charlotte; Rosén, Therese
Series: E&PDE
Institution: School of Arts and Communication (K3), Malmö University, Sweden
Section: Educating Designers and Engineers for a Sustainable Future in Design and Engineering Education
DOI number: 10.35199/EPDE.2021.91
ISBN: 978-1-912254-14-9

Abstract

Recent academic literature on material practices within design has revealed a lack of strategies that can support designers during the different stages of developing bio-based materials when using a DIY approach. Earlier studies have shown that the most successful material designers strategically gathered knowledge both through literature, systematic material experiments and by using their network to find external expertise. The choice of strategy was related to prior experience and the material designers level of education. This paper suggests a strategy based on a comparative case study combined with a contextual literature review. The bio-based materials in this study are produced by using local resources; they promote sustainability, are placed in a circular context and underlines the importance of the connection between a context, a community and the designer. Material-driven design practices, applying DIY approaches to material development processes in combination with a theoretical framework from circular design and sustainable development can provide entry points to address parts of the complexity and envision new alternative solutions. Conclusions aim to encourage designers, researchers and tutors to respond to emerging needs by re-thinking material practices in design.

Keywords: DIY-materials, material-driven design practices, sustainability, design education, value creation

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