Adam Davies No.2
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CAN NATURE NURTURE INNOVATION? Design is a process of making, whereas nature is a process of growth. The idea of design becoming integrated into our lives just as much as nature is an intriguing concept. We are constantly connected with nature, it’s everywhere we go, just like design, yet our connec on and rela onship to design is completely different to that of our rela onship with nature. Why is this? And how do we make design integrated into our lives where we have as much of a connec on to that of nature and the environment that surrounds us?
Today we live in a society which is consump on orientated, where the way we live, the products and materials we use have a detrimental impact on natural cycles and environments. Our lifestyles produces huge volumes of waste and this system overuses oil based polymers and vital resources, to create products that have short lifespans and use materials that are harmful to organisms and environments. We need to take steps towards an impactless society, where the materials and products we create have significantly less impact on nature. The current design process can be linear and predictable, so this research explores the possibili es of using a nonlinear and experimental approach to create alterna ve materials to that of oil based polymers, which could lead to innova ve solu ons to reverse the impact we have on ecosystems and, poten ally, create 100% sustainable products that add value. I will carry out a variety of process experiments in mul ple materials as a star ng point. The aim of this book is to document this process of experimenta on and show that experimenta on with materials and design processes create ideas which ques on our whole percep on of what future design is and can be. Design should fit seamlessly into our lives and our natural world, where the products we design have influence on society and environments. Instead of design and nature being separate and working against each other, what happens when both en es influences each other's development?
We are a genera on that has become disconnected from products. Everything we come into contact with everyday has been designed and manufactured by somebody, but we have li le knowledge of the products we use, where they are manufactured, who has manufactured it, or how are they made? Our current design thinking and processes are limited and quick, which creates this disconnec on. This loss of connec on between ourselves as consumers is fundamentally down to the connec on each designer has with the products they create. If designers begin to relate and connect more within the design process, then consumers will see this connec on and rela onship through the product they are using. This is an important part of my research. Consumers need to be more aware and conscious of the products they are using and the impacts their lifestyle is having on not only the environment, but social and economics of society. 2
Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire / 2016 3
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. As a designer I have always felt a responsibility and an obliga on to design products that are sustainable and add value. This sense of responsibility is down to my upbringing. Growing up in Pembrokeshire, which is situated on the coast of West Wales and in a Na onal Park, I have had the opportuni es to experience and connect with landscapes and nature, which are diverse and varied. Nature is self-sustaining, self-genera ng and holis c, it works together to survive and develop. Diverse habitats grow together, they are a part of a bigger cycle, with each organism dependant on one another for future growth. Organisms have ourished for billions and billions of years, con nuing this evolu on and adapta on to local environments. Can designers begin to explore and u lise alterna ve materials such as starch, seaweed, paper pulp and food waste to create new materials for future development, which reduce the nega ve impact we have on these environments? We generate so much waste from the products we create and this waste increases every day. The overuse of plas c has resulted in produc on of plas c increasing from 50 million tonnes in 1950, to over 240 million tonnes in this decade. The eects of our ac vi es as designers and consumers are becoming more and more apparent. Design has become embedded into nature, for all the wrong reasons, with each plas c par cle, our connec on decreases.
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PLASTIC WASTE. It’s now universally acknowledged that we have a significant waste problem and this problem is working its way into our natural cycles. Our oceans currently have five masses, where this waste forms and collects. 90% of the waste products in the earth’s oceans is plas c, this equates to 8 million tonnes of plas c. Less than 10% of all plas c we produce gets recycled and repurposed. These masses are ge ng bigger and bigger, with natural flows, and our oceans are dispersing this waste all over the world. It is es mated that there are 5 trillion pieces of plas c are in our oceans and we add significantly to this each year. Plas c is versa le with proper es that make it ideal for mul ple applica ons and this versa lity means that it can be applied to mul ple products. However these quali es are overshadowed by the nega ves plas c create. Fundamentally the waste we see on coastlines shouldn’t be there. Why are we using materials that go through intense manufacturing processes and take hundreds of years to break down in nature, for short life span and single use products? As designers we need to focus on the long term impact we have on the environment, we can no longer con nue crea ng products that have short lifespans.
To guide my progress into materiality and sustainability, I referred back to the work of Michael Braungart and William McDonough. They are both the lead authors of the book Cradle to Cradle. Cradle to Cradle is an ever changing summary of over a decade’s worth of research that explore ideas of what future products would be and how these products will have no nega ve impact on the environment, within the manufacturing process, use and disposal. It is a guide that designers can use for the realisa on and manufacture of products, which cover economic, social and environmental, benefit and growth. Its aim is to reduce nega ve consequences that occur through designing, manufacture and distribu on of products. It provides designers with alterna ve approaches to design that changes and influence the fundamental percep ons of what design is. Having this alterna ve approach could, and already has started to create innova ve solu ons to global problems, something needs to change and seeing that professionals are becoming more aware of this, is encouraging. The ethos outlined in Cradle to Cradle has always been a relevant ideology within my design prac ce, no ma er how much I develop as a designer, and if my design interests change, this book has had significant influence in the development of the work I do. My personal ideologies of design have drama cally changed since becoming a designer, in part down to Cradle to Cradle.
Our disposable life style means that the produc on of plas c will con nue unless we look to alterna ves that could have similar applica ons, but not produce the nega ve impact in which oil based polymers create. 11
Ini al experimenta on began with collec ng and using some of the plas c waste found on Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire. The aim of this material experimenta on was to emphasise the amount of waste we create and how much is deposited into environments. A er spending a short amount of me on the beach collec ng this plas c waste, I u lised it as a means of crea ng furniture, in simple processes that could create a viable product. Through this experimenta on, I found that reworking and recycling waste plas c was very simplis c. The material was easy to sort, shred, melt and reform. This was all achieved through using limited tools and resources at home. As we create more and more plas c each day, we should be developing solu ons for what happens with this plas c a er use. Adding a secondary life to this waste can reduce the impact we have even further, our waste should not be ending up within the environment and having poten ally catastrophic effects. To emphasise why this material experimenta on was important, I wanted to create a simplis c form that would not be intrusive if I was to return to the loca on of where I sourced the material. This was more than just about the form of the product created, the material experimenta on proved that it’s achievable to u lise waste efficiently. I found that returning to Freshwater West beach with the final outcome was insigh ul, the material went from being a nega ve to a posi ve by applying a func onal design to this waste. 12
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STARCH. The research developed on from recycling plas c waste, through to looking at totally eradica ng it. If the overall waste material is reduced signiďŹ cantly, then environmental habitats can begin to return to natural states in which environments can develop without the eects of our manufacturing and disposable lifestyle having any nega ve inuence.
Mul ple experiments ended up with mould spores being produced and underlying strength of the starch biopolymer was lacking. The material created also went through a process of shrinkage, with large fractures being created, which also weakened the structural integrity of the biopolymer. These aspects would need to be addressed if I was to take material experimenta on with starch further.
Even though experimenta on with plas c waste and reusing it to create new products was successful, I wanted to explore the poten als of natural polymers that will reduce our output of oil based polymers. This explora on into Biopolymers started with starch. From extensive research into starch I realised that under certain condi ons, its proper es have similari es to that of oil based polymers. I wanted to explore these similari es, and observe how starch could be applied to products that replace our tradi onal use of plas c. The material experimenta on started with crea ng quick form genera on, to understand these proper es further and to see if it could lead to the development of products. From this quick form genera on I concluded that using starch as a new material could be viable, but more development was needed. Beginning with this research gave me extensive insight into future processes that could be applied to material experimenta on.
Carrying out this research I learned that mould would be a problem within the manufacturing, as I am using organic ma er to create form. Certain factors would need to be considered for this approach to be successful. To combat and reduce the possibili es for mould to occur, a pasteurisa on process was needed. The process involved hea ng the mixture to a high temperature, making sure all the bacteria could not survive and form more mould. But this was s ll unsuccessful in crea ng a bioplas c that could be used within design, so an alterna ve approach was needed. For a number of years I have been fascinated and intrigued by the capabili es and proper es of Algae. I have previous experience with working with certain types of Algae and I wanted to explore the no on of using it as a means of biomaterial, so the next stages of this research focussed on the poten al proper es of Algae. The research carried out with starch has played a vital role in the next stage of material experimenta on.
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SEAWEED. As shown in the imagery at the start of this book, we have significant problems with plas c waste that ends up in places where it shouldn’t be. What we now perceive to be natural is actually becoming unnatural due to this impact, our ecosystems are saturated with plas c waste and a fundamentally new approach is needed. With more and more people moving to urban areas our connec on to these ecosystems are diminishing and we are losing the value of environments that surround us. Our rela onship with products, materials and our natural world need to be entwined. I have grown up in an environment which has taught me the value of nature and the importance of conserva on has had a significant influence on my approach to design. Design needs to be a self-sustaining system, which is circular and contributes to developing environments sustainably. The idea of crea ng products through a circular system where sustainable materials and process are core values in the development of future products can mean the benefits of design increase and the nega ve impact of design decrease. I want this research to emphasise that design can be like nature, a part of a sustainable loop that influences a huge number of factors. The objects and furniture I want to create will be using a circular sustainable loop that allows me to control the produc on through to use and then disposal of that product.
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From spending me at Freshwater West beach, collec ng plas c waste, I wanted to try and incorporate my experiences of this beach within this research. With this in mind I started to u lise a material which is readily available, self-sustaining and abundant, by combining seaweed with a number of natural materials, such as paper pulp and sawdust, I have created a new direc on in which this project can develop.
Further process and material experimenta on led to outcomes being successful. Using a combina on of seaweed found from local beaches and already processed agar. I mixed these natural glues with the waste materials, paper pulp and sawdust. This experimenta on showed that it was achievable to create a bio-composite that had structural integrity and a material that didn’t deteriorate over a short amount of me.
All seaweed was sourced and harvested from local beaches within Pembrokeshire, I collected a variety of species, to see how each react under certain condi ons and which would be suitable for my needs. A er being dried and I then ground the seaweed into a fine powder and slowly cooked it into a natural glue, u lising its natural adhesive found within. I combined this natural adhesive with mul ple organic waste materials to create a strong bonded composite that could then be used to manufacture small batch objects.
Using already processed agar, made quick material experimenta on easier, I didn’t need to create my own fine powder from the seaweed I collected at the local beach. This being said, I do want the final outcomes being created to be made from materials I find, and process these to be used within a manufacturing process that creates objects that are 100% organic and could easily be disposed of, without any nega ve footprint being created a er use.
Mul ple process experimenta on tests were carried out, and ini al outcomes resulted in the seaweed composites becoming mouldy a er a dura on of 4 days. As men oned before, a pasteurisa on process was needed to reduce the possibili es of mould being produced. This process involved the cooking and reduc on of seaweed, to a stage where no bacteria could survive or develop. Using the quali es of the seaweed to my advantage, I realised that the high amount of salt found within, would cause a natural preserving effect that would stop and combat mould even more.
Extensive material experimenta on is s ll needed for this research to develop into viable outcomes. I feel that what I have achieved so far within this research is a good star ng point and it’s given me a basis on which I can develop objects, knowing how I can apply materials to manufacturing processes. This research is becoming more and more relevant to our environmental impact. I strongly believe that the direc on its heading can lead to future materials being that based on seaweed. U lising the natural proper es of organic materials to fulfil a need that has no impact. 37
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PAPER PULP. AGAR. SAWDUST. AGAR POWDER.
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SEAWEED + PAPER PULP. SEAWEED + SAWDUST.
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AGAR POWDER + SAWDUST. AGAR POWDER + SAWDUST + PAPER PULP.
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AGAR POWDER + PAPER PULP. AGAR POWDER + SAWDUST.
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AGAR POWDER + PAPER PULP. AGAR POWDER + PAPER PULP + SAWDUST.
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I entered this research with no preconcep ons of what the outcomes would be. I wanted the project to be selfevolving and autonomous, with the material and process experimenta on dicta ng the direc on in which the research develops. I have always found this way of working can lead to unexpected and innova ve solu ons. The research is self-directed and the outcomes are not “forced”.
Throughout this explora on, I have been carrying out processes that would normally be considered/carried out in lab situa ons. Even though I am not a scien st, or have access to a lab, the experimenta on carried out has been highly successful. I have become a bioscience hobbyist, using basic tools to achieve material science.
It is apparent throughout this research that material experimenta on is fundamentally an evolu onary process. I feel this experimenta on into alterna ve materials has given me a considerable understanding into the poten als of where this project can develop.
Can all designers of the future become Chemists or Biologist? What will the outcomes of these explora ons be and how does it influence the context of design? Working in this way could lead to strategies that improve the ecological performance of the objects around us.
The next stage would be the applica on of this research to mul ple outcomes, where each outcome demonstrates the capabili es of the composite materials. Specifically the outcomes I produce will be furniture typologies that reflect and represent the ethos of this research. I want the products I create to fit with the natural ideology behind the research and the aesthe c of coastline found in Pembrokeshire.
The aesthe cs of design could rapidly change down to experimenta on with nature and biological processes. We need to adapt and harness these natural process for environmental and sustainable change, we can no longer go on crea ng products that have no considera on for the environment we live in and the solu ons to most of our problems are right in front of us.
I consider myself a mul -disciplinarian, my design interest do not only lie within product design. I have always had a curiosity of natural processes and how these could influence future outcomes. Working with other disciplines outside of design has widened my knowledge of natural process. Having a wider knowledge of different disciplines allows solu ons to be found that can be unexpected.
I have always felt that design should be accessible to everyone, designers should be working together to develop alterna ve types of materials and process to change how our impact on the world happens. With this in mind, I want this research to be an example, to show that designers have significant influence throughout our lives.
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Adam Davies Product Designer 07852 950 035 atdaviesdesign@gmail.com @adamddesign adamdaviesdesign.co.uk 50