The mission of the lab is to create better living environments for people and regenerate the planet through design.
VISION
BBMLab is an interdisciplinary research design and innovation hub to advance sustainable design and materials application and dissemination through open source solutions to support the transition to a biocircular economy.
At the BBMLab
WE RESEARCH
To produce ground-breaking solutions for social impact
WE DESIGN
To collaborate with industry and solve real-world problems
WE INNOVATE
To create solutions that drive national competitiveness
WE EDUCATE
To promote excellence in graduates that will change the world through kindness and knowledge
Image: Baskets produced by AANA - Artisans Association of Novo Airao Amazonas, Brazil
SPECTACLE, 2022 - 2024
In 2019, the Bio-Based Materials Design Lab was co-founded by Drs Rosangela Tenorio and Jairo da Costa, an architect [BR] and a product designer. The BBMLab aims to address the complexities of designing with bio-materials, using traditional materials, skills and state of the art technologies, suited for the social and contextual environmental conditions of each place. Of particular importance marking the formation of the lab, was the workshop - China Bamboo Design and making, conducted at the University of Nottingham China campus, and led by Traditional Bamboo Master Qian Yuankang, Drs Hiroyuki Shinohara [now based at the CUHK], Jairo da Costa and Rosangela Tenorio. The discussions that took place during that particular workshop, the favourable environment and inspirational experiences have enabled the lab to be formed. A number of activities have been developed since 2019, including industry related projects in Australia and overseas, educational and research projects. In 2020, the first Unit of the Lab was launched, the ARCT5885 – BioBased Materials in Global Settings, at the School of Design, UWA . In 2023 the BBMLab started a partnership with China, University of Nottingham where all started, and we have launched a new unit, LIVA ARCHITECTURE that brings SDGs 4, 8 and 12 to the forefront of our work
Spectacle, in its second edition, showcases the best projects of the Bio-Based Materials Design Lab [students and staff] from 2022 to 2024. This publication is the second of a bi-annual series The publication is divided into two sections: Research-led teaching [Part 1] with studio and unit projects conducted in Perth and overseas with a variety of themes and contexts; [Part 2] Design Collaboration and Research Innovation is a combination of applied research projects conducted in partnership with industry stakeholders. It is a window into ongoing research and design activities by our staff and international collaborators, upcoming activities in the Research-led teaching area, and projects that have been completed by the Lab during the last years. During these two years our staff and alumni have also been involved in projects that have gained international recognition through design awards. This is also celebrated in this section.
The lab is a collective and as such, we would like to acknowledge the many collaborators that have been working with us to make the lab a reality, and this publication possible. Our first featured project for this edition is again about Bamboo design and making, this time in Bali Indonesia, marking the link to the beginning of the lab in 2019 in China.
Jairo da Costa and Rosangela Tenorio Bio-Based Materials Design Lab Co-Founders
Bio-based Materials Design Lab Co-Founders:
Dr Jairo da Costa
Dr Rosangela Tenorio
Editors:
Dr Rosangela Tenorio
Dr Jairo da Costa
Graphic Design: David Morgan
Cover Image: Vinciane Gaudissart
Exhibition set up: LIVA MArch students 2024
Dr Rosangela Tenorio
Instagram: Dr Rosangela Tenorio
Website: Dr Jairo da Costa
Published: 2024
University of Western Australia
Bio-Based Materials Design Lab
All rights reserved by international copyrights
The BBM Design Lab acknowledges the traditional owners of countries throughout the world and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
The authors also acknowledge the Whadjuk Noonga nation, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong peoples of the Kulin nation, the traditional owners of country where this document was developed.
Architecture and Landscape Architecture students from UWA School of Design [2nd and 3rd year students] participated on the first Vertical Bamboo Studio in Indonesia (practicals). During this trip, established as a partnership with Bamboo-U Bali and the BBMDesignLab, School of Design students designed and constructed small structures in Bamboo, developed bamboo furniture and worked on models and hands-on activities involving bamboo harvesting, design and manufacturing.
Featured Students:
Riley Flecker, Mackenzie Outram-Baggs, Mackenzie Perkins, Isabella Harrison, Sinan Wehrli, Dylan Boon, Elizabeth Tweedie, Ethan Nixon, Eve Miragliotta, Bella Humm, Savannah Kelly, Joviro Rimando, Lola McQueen, Han Dai, Xin Tang, Ramona Zare, Giulia Celi
Collaborators:
Bamboo-U Teaching Staff and Carpenters
Ibuku Bali and BambooPure Factory
UWA: Associate Professor Dr Rosangela Tenorio, Grace Hernandez, and David Morgan Coburg University: Professor Dr Rainer Hirth
PRODUCT DESIGN
Riley Flecker ‘Bonafide’ Classic Stool
CONCEPT DIAGRAMS:
ISOMETRIC BREAKDOWN:
Bamboo splits are combined together using bamboo pins friction fitted into drilled out holes going through the piece creating a Pinboo board
pins are used to pin the exterior bamboo split to the main Pinboo board seat top
METHODS:
Bamboo bone legs are connected to the support ring using bamboo pins incerted using a hammer into holes drilled out using a drill
- Bamboo bones are created by running a pole through a saw and creating 3-4 (depending of the width) section cuts which are reffered to as the bones.
- The laminate ring is creaed by using thinly cut bamboo splits that are shaped into a circle template either with pressure or heat and glue together with a strong epoxy resin.
- Notches for attachment is either made with a drill or cut out using a Mutik for ra seemels joint
ELEVATION
DIAGRAMS:
MATERIALS:
Bamboo bone legs are connected to the Pinboo seat top bamboo pins incerted using a hammer into holes drilled out using a drill
- 1x 35cm diameter Pinboo board top
- 1x bamboo split
- 4x bamboo bone legs
- 1x laminated support ring
- 2x long pinboo pins
- 16x short connection pins
TOOLS:
- Mutik (traditional knife)
- Hrill (3mm drill bit)
- Hand saw
- Hammer
- Jigsaw (curtting pinboo board)
- Epoxy (lamination)
- Hatchet (removing internotes)
Bamboo
The design process began turned upside down as the then developed into the use organic curvilinear roof. Following it was found that this design and also due to having all space. Hence the design for and attached to the back crating up the space whilst still maintaining central tower. The final evolution being raised and the addition expand the usage of the café.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT:
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT:
The design process turned upside down then developed into organic curvilinear it was found that this and also due to having space. Hence the design and attached to the up the space whilst central tower. The being raised and the expand the usage of construction notable frame, rafters they normal traditional which pole. centre with attached in which by bundle
The final construction notable of frame, concrete/stone rafters are they provide normal bamboo strength traditional which loses pole. A lidi centre surrounded with a rope foundations attached to in which the by drilling bundle and a metal screw required
CAFE DESIGN
HYPERBOLIC CENTRAL TOWER
BAMBOO TALI RAFTERS
INTERIOR SEATING AREA
CAFE EVELATED ABOVE GROUND
1:20 SECTION:
VOLCANIC STONE EXTERNAL BOARDER
1:20 FLOOR PLAN:
ACRYLIC SKYLIGHT
OUTSIDE SEATING AREA
ACRYLIC SKYLIGHT
LIDI BUNDLE MAIN STRUCTURE
BAMBOO DURI FLOOR
CONCRETE STONE AND REBAR FOUNDATION
KITCHEN AREA
PELUPUH (FLATTENED BAMBOO SHINGLE ROOF)
BAMBOO SPLIT FLOORBAORDS
Mackenzie Outram-Baggs
Bar Stool
A
Mackenzie Perkins
Stool To Read a Book By and Bamboo Pod Cafe
Isabella Harrison
Re-Light and Stingray Cafe
Sinan Wehrli
The Flower Pot Stool and The Bluebell Cafe
Boon
Dylan
Hyperbolic Lantern and Kerang Laut Cafe
Elizabeth Tweedie
A Workman’s Stool and Cafe Visor
Ethan Nixon Mushroom Lamp
Eve Miragliotta
Tiga Permukaan
Bella Humm
Sunflower Lamp and Bunga Cafe
Savannah Kelly
Metade and Cafe Canephora
Joviro Rimando
Cage Lamp
Lola McQueen Laval
Tri-Stool
Tripod Lamp
Xin Tang
Fishing Rod Standing Lamp and Cafe Design
Ramona Zare
Boho Beach Weave
Giulia Celi
The Tukang
Additional Product Designs
David Morgan [Graduate of the Year Award 2019-2021], Grace Hernandez, Dr Rainer Hirth, and Dr Rosangela
Tenorio
Site Visits
PT Bamboo Pure
Site Visits
Green School & The Arc
Site Visits
Green Village
Site Visits
Bambu Indah
UWA at Bamboo-U
An Interview between Associate Professor, Dr. Rosangela Tenorio and Maria Farrugia, Co-Founder of Bamboo U
Why did you join Bamboo U? and How do you think joining a program like this might impact a student’s learning and career?
I myself attended the Bamboo U course back in 2018 as a student in a public course, and the purpose was to check the feasibility of making the practical knowledge and expertise offered at Bamboo U linked to our accredited architecture teaching program.
Since 2019, with another colleague, I have founded the Bio-Based Materials Lab, and we have been introducing experimentation through teaching at UWA School of Design courses at the Masters’s level [e.g. strawbale, bamboo, mycelium], but nothing was available for undergraduate students. We have managed to get the support of the Australian Government, through the New Colombo Plan Award [NCP], and this undergraduate offering became a possibility. Now, after this successful collaboration with Bamboo U, this will be an offering for our students as a Vertical Hybrid Studio, offered face to face in Bali on the Bamboo U campus and in a hybrid mode with additional work integrated learning students in Perth and in Timor-Leste.
Architecture and Landscape Architecture students have very intensive training, with many requirements to be fulfilled as part of their 3+2 years of training. Universities and accreditation bodies have obligations to the public to provide professionals in the market that understand and are aware of all regulations and are ready to comply with the quality and safety standards required. On top of that, the duty of care to our students,and the difficulties in providing a safe learning environment, make it much harder for staff to put in the extra work to get students out of the classrooms and experience the real contexts, and the real world, which is fundamental for their real learning as an architect and landscape architect.
Can you share a couple of highlights of the course? What was the biggest takeaway for you and for your group and how do you feel this might impact students’ work in the world and their future?
The course was extremely well organised, we have discussed the customisation for quite a while, in particular in relation to timing and content, as it needs to fulfill not just the practical experiences that Bamboo U does so well, but it also needed to fulfill our own accreditation requirements.
I personally had my own expectations of what this course could mean for our students. Being 2nd and 3rd-year students, they have a lot ahead of them, until they leave the University grounds. It is important that they are able to question themselves, and their positions in this profession, so that they can be a solution to the problems that we are facing today in regard to our built environment, which is responsible for around 40% of our Co2 emissions. It takes time to reflect on these issues, as it can become quite overwhelming when you think by yourself, somewhere in a classroom. As they came as a group, the time and the learning opportunities at Bamboo U all the time, were prone to such questioning, and I think it’s the tribe there and all the guests and the work that surrounds Bamboo U that is the most impressive.
Our students were exposed to all the different projects, the real buildings surrounding them, the history behind them, as well as the technical aspects of their making. They had the chance to ask questions, to discuss and disagree with motivations or rationales, to meet with those that made it possible, to see where the materials come from, and what’s made of it once the end of its lifetime arrives. This is a process that is priceless for a student. By finding faults in whatever parts of the process, which is absolutely normal, they can find a place where they themselves can work on a solution, and this is what we need in a community, on a planet committed to sustainable growth. We can’t do this alone.
What did students create during the course?
Students were tasked with three projects that were interconnected. For the UWA School of Design, they had to design a small café. This is a project that the Bio-Based Materials Design Lab has developed some time ago, and the project is being developed. This project was used during the initial phases, to get students into the design process using model making and drawings altogether. It is very hard to get students past their first year to use hand drawings or model making. The pressure in architecture offices to be proficient in all types of CAD tools, makes students stay away from these types of tools, which can be detrimental to their learning.
“A combination of skills [be it digital and physical model making and drawings] is an essential component of architecture training. With this in mind, they have embraced the process and it was very good to see their development.“ This process was accelerated and advanced, as they passed through the construction phase of a small kitchenette built for Bamboo U. We spent 5 days working on the full-scale construction, and in there, students learned the details, the process of making, transporting materials to its minute detail, from foundation to roofing.
As they returned to Perth, their small café had changed substantially, given their hands-on experience with bamboo, both on model making and on the construction site, they feel free to move from laptops, and digital models, to plans and elevations or sections and hand sketches. Their folio submission was due on Friday 9th December 2022, and I am impressed by the fluidity of their design process, and their attention to detail, facing without fear the resolution of joinery connections, that only my Master’s students would be working on in other studio projects. Their confidence in researching, and finding a solution is really at high levels, as they feel confident they can find the answers, and they don’t need to know everything. “I’m not sure how to connect this,… but, Someone else might have done this detail before, and I will just need to find out how to adjust to my own solution,” said one student yesterday during our tutorials here in Perth.”
So the Café model-making and the construction site were a great opportunity to advance their learning, and here in Perth, they are reflecting and advancing on how to improve their siting, considering other requirements, like privacy, levels on the site, structural aspects, that affect views, affordability and so forth. While also making use of different tools and skills to express their designs, for a wider audience.
The product design station was another activity they have done, and it was to design a lamp or a stool in 48 hours. We have done this sort of activity before here at the BBMLab with our Master students, using cardboard, mycelium, strawbale, hemp, and other materials. The students had time to think before on what they wanted to achieve.
They were briefed by the Bamboo U team and received a demo session from the bamboo carpenters. They all went straight into fabrication, and the most impressive results came out. Very good for the first attempt at bamboo product design. Most of the bamboo stools and lamps had concepts derived from what bamboo can do, and the processes of making, which could reduce the uses of glues or laminated material and processing.
It was also one of the suggestions, that they could minimize the use of joinery that could require high levels of carpentry so that the products could be replicated by others that would not have this sort of skills. Some of the students used concepts like a design for disassembly [Lola’s camping stool] so that the products could be flat packed and dismantled as necessary for transport and ease of disposal.
Do you have any advice for other professors or institutions that are wanting to bring students to learn about bamboo at Bamboo U?
I think you need to come to Bamboo U first as a student. Try it yourself. I never put my students into any foreign program or anything outside of the ‘normal’ without trying it myself. We need to put ourselves into our students’ shoes, and see the world through their lenses. By doing so, we also become receptive as they will to the knowledge that will be offered to them, and we can also be critical to it and build a unit/research project that can be suitable for all players involved.
Bamboo U has been extremely consistent and open to our discussions and customisation, and they are more than happy to work with you on your particular needs. I think we are the first Australian Architecture School to join them in a program that is part of our core accredited curriculum with an extremely successful outcome. We hope that many other universities in Australia and elsewhere follow.
Australia has a carbon footprint per capita of around 16 tonnes of CO2 per year. If everyone lived like Australians, we would need 5.2 planet earths to survive. Bamboo and all the countries that produce and live with bamboo, might not be teaching Australians how to build with bamboo as they experience, but potentially will be offering an alternative view on how to live sustainably on this planet from a social, economic, and environmental perspective. And if we can get architects to learn that from year 1, we are off to a behavioral transformation in our profession.
STUDIO TIMOR 3, 2022
This studio was the third of a series of research studios, that seeks to ask questions about IDENTITY, COLLECTIVE, ENVIRONMENT & EDUCATION [ICEE] in Timor-Leste.
This studio presented the challenge of redesigning a rural school secondary environment in the island of Atauro, Timor-Leste, through design that considers curriculum and community beyond school grounds. The study assumes that innovative learning spaces can support the reconfiguration of school practices in a community-centred approach that will enable students to understand their villages’ main hurdles and construct new ways of thinking, working, and living in their communities.
Since the physical school environment is, in essence, the place for the development of the teaching-learning process, the architecture of the school is also part of the education system (Scarpato et al., 2020). Schools are designed spaces that project a system of values in their materiality. Halls, corridors, playgrounds, classrooms and even furniture items indicate prevalent worldviews and notions of pedagogy.
The Studio engaged into research to identify conceptual design propositions for the school and its expandable boundaries / vicinities [island of Atauro], where isolated communities today have no access to education.
Dr Raquel Scartezini, Laird and Tran Studio, Professor Dr Rainer Hirth, Architect Deepti Wetjen
Unit Coordinator:
Associate Professor Dr Rosangela Tenorio
Darian Astone
School of Atauro
Nguyen Bui
Escola Livre de Atauro
Riley Drennan
Eskola Bio-inovasaun de Atauro
Kaushik Gatla
Community School, Atauro
Atauro Secondary School
Tillee Jackson
Mina Markovic
Secondary School in Atauro
Ishita Lyka
Escola Dos Sonhos
STUDIO TIMOR 4, 2022
This studio is the fourth of a series of research studios, that seeks to ask questions about IDENTITY, COLLECTIVE, ENVIRONMENT & EDUCATION [ICEE] in Timor-Leste. Students engaged on architectural propositions for a DESIGN LIBRARY fostering synergies from traditional and contemporary arts and crafts of the Timorese and the Brazilian people.
The DESIGN LIBRARY: BRAZIL/TIMOR is a dynamic makers’ space for knowledge exchange and education, that documents the past with live archives of materials and resources, educates and creates for the future with contemporary spaces for learning and making, and engages audiences through innovative exhibitions and performances that represent both countries. It is meant to advance the development of arts and crafts innovation and entrepreneurship in Timor through a close relationship with Brazil. The site has a convoluted history just like Timor as a country itself. It has Portuguese ruins, as it has been almost destroyed by fires in the 2000’s. It is set in a very important location by the port of Dili, and it was acquired by the Government of Brazil to foster the diplomatic and cultural relations between the people of Brazil and Timor, but it is still in ruins due to Brazil’s dynamic political scenarios over the last 2 decades.
Featured Students:
Dylan Cheung, Eugene Tiong, Louisa Peters, Pulu Zhou, Marnie Allan, Kai Yang Tan
Collaborators:
Dr Raquel Scartezini, Laird and Tran Studio, Dr Ingrid Van Bremen, David Palazon, Brazilian Embassy Brazil in Timor
Unit Coordinator:
Associate Professor Dr Rosangela Tenorio
Dylan Cheung
Timor-Leste and Brazilian Design Library
Eugene Tiong
Artisan Oasis
Louisa Peters
A Safe Haven
Pulu Zhou
Marnie Allan
Timor Design Library
ACCESS POINTS INTO THE SITE
NOISE POLLUTION AROUND THE SITE
VEGETATION AROUND THE SITE
AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING
Yang Tan Identidade
Kai
BIO-BASED MATERIALS IN GLOBAL SETTINGS, 2022
Through a series of seminars and tutorials delivered face to face this course explores the theoretical background of Architecture and Product Design practices in the context of a circular economy. Considering numerous practical case studies, classical literature in the field will be discussed to critically understand materials, processes, and products within its entire supply chain. The application and extended possibilities for bio-inspired design experimentation are explored in this unit. The industrialisation potential of biobased materials is investigated. Standardisation and certification procedures, rationale and future scenarios are discussed. Site visits and experimentation workshops are set for students to engage with BBM production and construction requirements within an international and Australian design industry scenario.
Students were asked to Design a Bio-Pavilion that is truly circular and brings innovative design for the UWA campus. Design for circularity, design for excellence, design for longevity, design for no carbon emissions, design for innovation. The students used the work they had done for their first and second assignments to advance this proposition, working in groups of 3-5 for the final assignment to produce 1:1 scale models of part of their structure and 1:20 models along with panels containing their circularity diagrams and detailed drawings.
Featured Projects:
(UN)WASTE Pavilion by Mariya Senina, Julia Keymer, and Louisa Peters
Box Mycelium Pavilion by Trang Mai, Parthiban Subhashini, and Midhula Kotharu
Papillon by Kathy Chapman, Stuart Confait, Jordie Ipsen, and Grace Webster
Strawbale Pavilion by Bernadine Ngo, Dennis Wong, Imann Azzuddin, and Vivien Wu
Summer Pavilion by Michele Stambulich and Paige Miles
Kelp Rack Pavilion by Lucas Allen, Mikkel Lorentzen, Sofie von Kauffmann, Alison Wong, and JD Otto
Collaborators:
Dr Jairo da Costa, Deepti Wetjen, Christian Wetjen, Paul Dowling, Dr Hiroyuki Shinohara, Patrick Beale, Andy Bradshaw, Richard Evans, and Daniela Rivas
Unit Coordinator:
Associate Professor Dr Rosangela Tenorio
Mariya Senina, Julia Keymer and Louisa Peters
(UN)WASTE: a cardboard pavilion for doing nothing
Trang Mai, Parthiban Subhashini, and Midhula Kotharu
The Box Mycelium Pavilion
Kathy Chapman, Stuart Confait, Jordie Ipsen and Grace Webster
The Papillon Pavilion is a paper-making space nestled in Tropical Grove. Papillon, like its namesake, is a place for the transformation of something mundane into something magical.
TROPICAL GROVE
Bernadine Ngo, Dennis Wong, Imann Azzuddin and Vivien Wu Strawbale Pavilion
Stambulich and Paige Miles
Michele
Summer Pavilion
Lucas Allen, Mikkel Lorentzen, Sofie von Kauffmann, Alison Wong, and JD Otto Kelp Rack Pavilion
Practical Workshops
BIO-BASED MATERIALS IN GLOBAL SETTINGS & DESIGN PITCH COMPETITION, 2023
Students and alumni were invited to design ‘A’ Design studio room, around 24m2 [roughly 6x4m space] using one, two, three or all of the following materials: Bamboo, Timber, Strawbale and Mycelium. The ‘A’ Design studio room would not exceed an overall cost of AUD $35,000 [final product] and parts were to be designed for modularity, DfD [Design for disassembly] and to fit into a truck size not larger than 90m3. The ‘A’ Design studio room is meant to be sited adjacent to the school of design UWA, and to become a truly circular building bringing innovative design for the UWA campus with completely different aesthetics. A total of 55 students and alumni submitted projects [13 groups]. Eight groups were shortlisted for the final design pitch competition.
First Place: 24/12 Studio
Runner-Up: My-Cell
Joint Third Place: Natural Pavilion and Breathe Pavilion
Public Vote Winner: Breathe Pavilion
Finalists:
My-Cell - Thao Thanh Pham, Michael Dean, Yuan Xu, and David Morgan
Bale Box - Corbyn Bisschops, Khosrow Farahmand, Riley Drennan, and Savannah Kelly
Dr. Hiroyuki Shinohara - Chinese University of Hong Kong
Humberto Marum - METIO
Dr Jairo da Costa - University of Twente / BBM Design Lab
Julia Catalano, Sophia Do, Matthias Widjaja, Paul Jung - BBM Design Lab Alumni
Lara Pinho - UWA Social Impact
Patrick Beale - Advanced Timber Concepts
Dr Rosangela Tenorio - BBM Design Lab / UWA Social Impact
Thao Thanh Pham, Michael Dean, Yuan Xu, and David Morgan
My-Cell [Runner-Up]
Corbyn Bisschops, Khosrow Farahmand,
Riley
Drennan, and Savannah Kelly Bale Box
Bianca Sorensen, Disha Karmakar, Ishitha Lyka, and Nguyen Bui
Breathe Pavilion [Third Place / Public Choice Vote]
Julia Keymer, Mariya Senina, and Louisa Peters
Paper Scissor Studio
Zhou, Kaushik Gatla, and Ben Moreschi
Pulu
Alpha Box
Wanyi Ning, Yuerong Wu, Jason Zhang, and Eugene Tiong Natural Pavilion [Third Place]
Sonita Hean, Lerg Yu Yap, Menghan Li, and Yangtian Kang Panel Pavilion
24/12 Studio [First Place]
Justin Katsumata Yu, Jordan Niven, Carla Spanja, Lucy Nam
Practical Workshops
LIVING ARCHITECTURE (LIVA), 2024
Through the lenses of film, architecture and product design, the differences between indigenous and western responses to environmental themes such as energy use, water preservation, food production, shelter construction have been discussed in this new unit: LIVING architecture. We looked into particular indigenous groups and societies [e.g. Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, India, Timor-Leste, Japan, Chile, Bolivia, Kenya, amongst others] to understand their responses on what constitutes sustainable development in communities. Contemporary architecture has been focusing predominantly on technological, climatic and material aspects of sustainable practices, as the central pillars of sustainable development [environmental and economic pillars]. In this unit, we acknowledge the importance of social and cultural pillars as equally important for sustainable development. We argue that design needs to consider an understanding of indigenous philosophy and vernacular architecture to generate truly sustainable, climateresilient structures and products. Students and guests discussed conceptual frameworks such as ‘Knowledge, Practice, Belief Complex TEK’ as envisaged by ecologist Fikret Berkes. The combination of TEK [Traditional Ecological Knowledge] and TECH [Lo and High] and its application in the creation of material culture might be one of the opportunities for designers to contribute towards an inclusive and diverse planet.
The work presented here is collaborative, from the students cohort as well as from the people that have been part of the discussions and part of the projects that the students developed throughout 12 weeks.
The LIVA students and staff acknowledges the traditional owners of countries throughout the world and recognizes their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. We also acknowledge the Walmajarri Nation, the traditional owners of Country where Assignment 2 projects have taken place.
Kimberley Weave: Cameron Crocker, Vinciane Gaudissart, Julian Mason, and Bez Peglar The “Curious Corner”: Ahmad Irfan, Hinal Bhesania, Kaleivaani Chukapermal, and Avita Noronha Tjanpi Hub: Dara McNally, Kai Yang Tan, Katherine Downie, and Edgar Carpenter
Collaborators:
Dr Jairo da Costa, Laird and Tran Studio [Broome], Professor Paul Memmott [UQ] Dr Aline Frey [UNSW], Architect Joao Caeiro [Root studio-Mexico], Dr Hiroyuki Shinohara [CUHK], Brendan Hodge [Yakanarra School], Yakanarra Community Kimberley
Unit Coordinator:
Associate Professor Dr Rosangela Tenorio
Image: Woman weaving a straw mat using leafstocks of Aruma [Ischnosiphon polyphyllus] at AANA [Artisans Association of Novo Airao, Amazonas, Brazil
Vinciane Gaudissart
TEK Reference: Waru Waru Agricultural Terraces, Peru
Source references/images: https://www.lo-tek.com
Source references/images: https://www.lo-tek.com
Process Video: Making a Clay Tile
Julian Mason
Katherine Downie
Kaleivaani Chukapermal
Cameron Crocker, Vinciane Gaudissart, Julian Mason, and Bez Peglar
Kimberley Weave
Ahmad Irfan, Hinal Bhesania, Kaleivaani Chukapermal, and Avita Noronha
The “Curious Corner”
Dara McNally, Kai Yang Tan, Katherine Downie, and Edgar Carpenter
Tjanpi Hub
LIVA Featured Collaborators
Dr Jairo da Costa
Laird and Tran Studio [Broome]
Professor Paul Memmott [UQ]
Dr Aline Frey [UNSW]
Architect Dr Joao Caeiro [Root studio-Mexico]
Dr Hiroyuki Shinohara [CUHK]
Brendan Hodge [Yakanarra School]
Yakanarra Community Kimberley
Practical Workshops
AWARDS – BBMLAB [2022- 2024]
Bio-Based Materials Design Lab have selected projects and students that have shown exceptional performance and quality of design work along with outstanding commitment to the circular economy principles in design. The students and their projects are showcased here. We congratulate all awardees for their achievements and their contribution to the Lab.
BBM Design Lab Award 2022
Individual 48 Hours Stool Designs and Cafe Timor, Bali
Students:
Mackenzie Perkins - A Stool to Read a Book By and Bamboo Pod Cafe
Riley Flecker - ‘Bonafide’ Classic Stool and Cafe Design
Savannah Kelly - Metade Stool and Cafe Canephora
These students developed exceptional individual projects in product design and architecture during the Bamboo Design and Making intensive studio in Bali, Bamboo-U.
BBM Design Lab Award 2023
My-Cell
Project Team:
David Morgan, Thao Thanh Pham, Yuan Xu, and Michael Dean,
Receiving the runner-up award for the ‘A’ Design pitch competition, this project was designed and developed remotely by a full group of BBMDesignLab alumni. The team expressed thoughtful, technical, and innovative design with mycelium in the project, impressing the voting panel and the lab.
BBM Design Lab Award 2024
Yakanarra Multipurpose Art Space (Yak-MAS Building)
Project Team:
Eugene Tiong, Kai Yang Tan, and Nguyen Bui
The project aims to build a new multipurpose building, the Yakanarra Multipurpose Art Space (Yak-MAS Building), to revive the school’s strong artistic traditions. This building will be a hub for education and creativity, accommodating activities ranging from reading and computer literacy to art production and musical expression. Expected to be used by students and community members throughout the day and potentially during evening functions, the Yak-MAS Building will be a versatile space fostering learning, creativity, and community engagement. The new building will complement the existing structures, providing a seamless integration with the environment and the community’s daily life. The project will contribute to the community’s resilience against climate-related challenges and provide job opportunities during and after its construction
The project was developed as part of a WIL [Work Integrated Learning experience] where the students led the design process, supported by registered architects [Christian and Deepti Wetjen] and Associate professor Rosangela Tenorio [UWA].Client: Yakanarra School Community and Project developer: Metio, Canberra.
BBM Design Lab Merit Award [2022 - 2024]
(UN)WASTE: a cardboard pavilion for doing nothing and Paper Scissor Studio
Project Team:
Julia Keymer, Louisa Peters, Mariya Senina
[UN] WASTE:
A small carbon footprint (one tonne of corrugated cardboard is responsible for 538kg co2 emissions or in other words: with only 0.8% Of global emissions, the paper manufacturing industry is considered as one of the lowest greenhouse gas emitters. In comparison, the co2 emissions of plastic and aluminium are 4-6 times greater). Paper and cardboard packaging are from renewable resources (trees) and therefore play an important role in the circular economy. Cardboard can be recycled up to 8 times before being composted. The material’s circularity, renewability and sustainability are almost limitless. Recycled paper and cardboard provides 80% of the cellulose fibers needed to make corrugated cardboard, the remaining 20% “new fibers” come from saw-mill waste and forestry by-products. Under correct circumstances, cardboard can completely turn into organic matter within a span of only two months.
Paper Scissor Studio:
Playful. Simple. Accessible. A timber structure with bamboo skin, able to expand and contract, be transported to a new location, and covered for shade and protection. For Gathering, Learning, Playing and Sharing. The project was driven by a desire to be accessible and affordable in both materials and construction, making it feasible for a small team to manufacture, transport and assemble. Utilising bio-based materials, with a focus on simple construction methods, imbues the project with principles of sustainability. Bolted joints provide strength and longevity, ease of assembly and the ability for disassembly. A scissor mechanism allows for contraction and expansion of the structure, as well as ease of transportation. While assembled, the studio can be condensed, moved to a new location and reopened. A room to close, pick up and take with you. The flexibility of the design studio allow it to adapt to a range of uses in a range of locations. A yoga room in the morning, design studio during the day, and exhibition space at night.
BBMLab Graduate of the Year Award [2022 - 2024]
Eugene Tiong
The prize is proudly awarded to the student who, in the opinion of the selection committee and collaborators of the lab, has contributed the most to advance the core mission of the lab and its vision through excellence in academic performance, design practice, service [research and education] and engagement [communities].
During the last 2 years Eugene Tiong has excelled in all the units he has taken part with the BBMLab, individually and as a group member, embracing the vision of the BBMLab to advance biomaterials and its applications for social and environmental impact. His participation in our selected work integrated experience [WIL] in 2024 has shown even more the talent and professional attitude that shines through his design skills, collaborative spirit and passion for Architecture and design for empowerment. We congratulate Eugene on this achievement and wish him all the best on his future career plans.
- Dr Jairo da Costa and Dr Rosangela Tenorio
weco architecture is the proud sponsor of the prize money given for the BBMLab GOYA [2022 - 2024]. We are very grateful for their continuous support. You can see more about weco by visiting their website weco.au
02 DESIGN COLLABORATION & RESEARCH INNOVATION
FEATURED PROJECTS & COLLABORATORS
Awards: Staff & Alumni
• Uma Chair, A’Design Italy, 2023
• Ida Chair, A’Design Italy, 2023
• Buka Panels, A’Design Italy, 2023
• YBY [A’Design Italy, IDA-USA, D&AD UK, CERI WA]
Exhibitions
• BBM Design Lab, Homan Futuru, and Project for the Brazilian Embassy Timor-Leste, Dili [2022]
• Uma Chair at Dutch Design Week [2023]
• YBY [2023] and FLOAT [2025] at WA Museum Boola Bardip - National Science Week AUS
Research
• Brise Classroom Kit [concept/background] [2023]
• Atauro Pilot School Project - Timor-Leste [2023-4]
• UNNC & Zhejiang University Research Collaboration [2024-2025]
• Design Incubator: WIL - MAFS Building Kimberley [2024]
Bronze A’Design [Italy] Award Winner in Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose, Restore, Repair and Upcycle Design Category, 2022 - 2023
Design Team:
Jairo da Costa, Rosangela Tenorio, David Morgan
Award description:
Uma chair was designed using circular principles and sustainable design strategies. It is the first product in a series of furniture designed for sustainable personal fabrication aimed at low-income communities in developing and emerging markets. Uma is made of locally available hardware and bio-based materials with natural and non-toxic finishing. It is intended to empower people, allowing anyone to fabricate sustainable furniture for better living spaces. Its name comes from the official languages of East Timor, Tetum and Portuguese, meaning “Home” and “First”, respectively.
Ida Chair
Bronze A’Design [Italy] Award Winner in Furniture Design Category, 2022 - 2023
Designer:
Jairo da Costa
Award description:
Ida embodies a unique design through an elegant and timeless aesthetic, focusing on simplicity, ergonomics, materials and modern craftsmanship. It showcases how prosumer products like Do-It-Yourself furniture can be intelligent, sophisticated, functional and, most importantly, sustainable. The chair can be customized and ordered online, ready to assemble locally or made by anyone using a web platform and digital fabrication technologies. The result is a versatile chair with a single sustainably sourced material and a few parts assembled in seven easy steps without nails, screws or glue.
Buka Panels
Bronze A’Design [Italy] Award Winner in Biomaterials, Ecological and Sustainable Materials Category, 2022 - 2023
Designer: Rosangela Tenorio
Award description:
Buka Panels are mycelium and bamboo external wall panels that can be locally sourced and manufactured to scale with very little resources or machinery. Designed for warming climates, the panels offer increase in thermal and daylight comfort with low energy consumption and low embodied energy. The use of digital fabrication in the design minimises the number of joinery components while allowing for multiple configurations and efficient detailing. It is a flexible and yet simple design that allows for entrepreneurship opportunities for income generation and social impact.
Bronze A’Design [Italy] Award Winner in Circular Economy and Waste Reduction Design Category, 2022 - 2023
Silver International Design Award [IDA - USA] Winner in Toy Design/Construction Toy Category, 2022
Yby is the first magnetic construction and balance toy made out of mycelium and bamboo, and is completely plastic free. It challenges the conventional design of wooden toys by using a system of arches and linear pieces that operates both in compression and in tension. This allows Yby to form organic shapes spanning in all directions. It is open-ended with a customised locking system to provide endless opportunities for play. Yby was developed in the belief that imagination is an essential part of childhood and that caring for the environment is the platform for their future. Yby is 100 percent plastic free and is manufactured using bio-based materials. Yby means ‘Earth’ in Tupi, an archaic language spoken by the indigenous peoples from Brazil.
EXHIBITIONS
We have curated exhibitions in Timor-Leste, The Netherlands and Perth - Australia, targeting diverse group of users and bringing the message of design with biomaterials at the forefront of future biocircular economies.
The exhibitions featured the launch of the BBMLab works in Timor-Leste in partnership with the Bamboo Institute, along with the housing publication on the Traditional Architecture of Timor-Leste [4 regions] Homan Futuru and the selection of 5 projects developed by BBMLab graduates for the Brazilian Embassy in Dili Timor-Leste.
The exhibition opening took place at Fundacao Oriente - Dili on the 16th November 2022 with a talk by Associate Professor Rosangela Tenorio and the Honourable Ambassador of Brazil in Timor-Leste Mauricio Medeiros.
Dutch Design Week, 2023
Uma Chair
What steps are needed to transform open-source appropriate technologies from digital assets distributed on the internet to tangible realities that benefit society and respect the planet’s limits? The Sustainable Making Future project, featuring the circular UMA and IDA chairs, puts forward a vision for sustainable, equitable and desirable making futures. It provides tools and resources that empower citizens to shape the future of personal fabrication in a positive way. This project by the Bio-based Materials Design Lab in collaboration with the University of Twente is part of the Making Matters Sample Gallery at the Dutch Design Week 2023. The Sample Gallery is an initiative from researchers and students at the 4UT. Design United curated by the Making Matters team at the Dutch Design Week 2023.
When critically discussing the future directions of making, it is crucial to consider how emerging digital fabrication technologies will bring about meaningful solutions to shape the everyday lives of individuals and communities by promoting sustainable living and working. Manufacturing at a personal level is advancing at a remarkable pace. Therefore, we expect a significant increase in the number of people creating physical objects at home or in maker spaces. This phenomenon can represent an increase from hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions of users “making almost anything”. The paradigm shift represents a change in society’s role in material production and mass customisation, allowing citizens to actively build better living and working spaces. However, little is known about the scale and impacts of distributed production via personal fabrication. There are serious implications for sustainability as personal fabrication continues to spread rapidly because making physical objects inherently consumes material and produces waste.
Fabrication at a personal level is increasing remarkably due to the democratisation of access to digital fabrication technologies, the rise of maker spaces, and the widespread dissemination of the Maker Culture (Do-It-Yourself Movement) on the internet. As citizens engage in a more critical and active role in material production, we need design solutions that can be produced by anyone, anywhere, using sustainably sourced and local materials such as bamboo and mycelium. Nevertheless, we lack appropriate functional and creative solutions for personal fabrication that comply
with sustainability and can be tailored to people’s culture, heritage, and ways of living.
This transdisciplinary project explores how emerging technologies, traditional knowledge, and affordable resources can empower people to take on an active role in the transition to more decentralised, equitable and sustainable production systems. The project aims to explore appropriate open-source technologies that are easy to adopt by citizens at all skill levels to foster the transition to circular and distributed systems as an alternative to mass production. We investigate how personal fabrication can function as an alternative model of production and consumption, driving new sustainable practices and assisting citizens in creating more sustainable living and work environments.
Soon, millions of people worldwide will make their own furniture in maker spaces or at home using digital fabrication technologies such as hand-held CNC routers and 3D printers. Although promising, this social innovation phenomenon increases material consumption, product production and waste disposal. Therefore, designers need to collaborate with citizens to develop sustainable open-source solutions that prevent negative environmental impacts, enable sustainable production, and promote disruptive innovation for positive social change. To tackle this challenge, we created UMA and IDA - circular chairs designed to spark critical conversations. They address the role of citizens in making more sustainable living and working spaces for individuals, communities, and organisations.
WA Museum Boola Bardip - National Science Week AUS
YBY [2023] & FLOAT [2025]
National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. Running each year in August, it features more than 1000 events around Australia, including those delivered by universities, schools, research institutions, libraries, museums and science centres.
https://www.scienceweek.net.au
In 2023, YBY playkit was invited to exhibit at the WA Museum Boola Bardip - Perth during National Science week. Over 1000 children and adults visited the stands and had a chance to play and have fun exploring innovative toys made with biomaterials and completely plastic free. They learned as they interacted with the displays on how the toy industry is still the most plastic intensive industry in the planet. 90% of toys are made of plastic that contain PVC or Phthalates, are petroleum based, hard to recycle and mostly used for just 6 months before being sent to landfill.
In 2025, FLOAT playkit will be on display at the new exhibition set up by Mycboo Studio, at WA Museum Boola Bardip during National Science week [16-17th August 2025]. Children will be able to imagine and design with biomaterials and learn more on the impacts of plastic toys through hands-on fun activities and story telling.
RESEARCH
Featured Research Projects:
Brise Classroom Kit Concept/Background, 2023
Atauro Pilot School Project, Timor-Leste, 2023 - 2024
UNNC & Zhejiang University Research Collaboration, 2024 - 2025
Design Incubator: WIL - MAFS Building Kimberley, 2024
Schools in Australia have used temporary buildings for over 40 years. Can we GROW the next generation of schools out of agricultural waste by-products?
Agriculture accounts for over half of Australia’s land use, and Western Australian farmers produce over 10 million tonnes of waste biomass every year, much of which is not utilised commercially, with many farmers having to pay to dispose of their agricultural residual by-products. Australia is home to extreme heatwaves which directly affects the thermal performance of buildings and occupants’ health and productivity. When occurring in schools, increases in temperature has been shown to have a strong effect on mood and student performance, by decreasing memory and cognitive ability, which affects learning ability. School infrastructure in remote and regional areas have been poorly designed to withstand the extremes of warming climates. Most structures built in remote areas are reliant on external skilled labour and imported materials, leaving communities with high energy bills, low quality infrastructure and lost opportunities to create high added value jobs for themselves. Growing schools is a way to grow citizenship, engage into a circular economy to deliver direct long-term solutions that are driven by the challenges and opportunities brought by climate change. As stated by the IPCC [2022] “Annual frequency of days over 35°C in Australia may increase from anywhere around 20–70% by 2030 and heatwave frequency may rise by 85% if global warming increases from 1.5°C to 2.0°C.
BRISE is a pre-fabricated classroom derived primarily from mycelium bio-composites, bamboo and timber. The classroom is cladded by the BUKA Bio-wall system, furnished by the UMA chair family and the YBY playkit.
Renders by Masters of Architecture Student Ryley Drennan, Studio Timor 3
Atauro Pilot School Project - Timor Leste,
2023-24
This report presents a case study on an integrated proposal that aims to empower youth through a reform of the rural school curriculum and physical infrastructure on Ataúro Island, Timor-Leste. One of the poorest nations in the world, TimorLeste has a predominantly young population, with 64.6% of its inhabitants under age 30 years and 35% under age 15 years. To capitalize on this demographic dividend, prompt and comprehensive education reforms are needed to enhance the quality of education and the productive capacity of the population. This paper focuses on Ataúro, an island in Timor-Leste with 10,295 inhabitants. In 2022, 44% of youths not attending school and 21% of the adults were either unemployed or economically inactive. This study presents a pilot project aimed to identify the major challenges faced by students and educators on Ataúro Island. Using a qualitative design and a convenience sample method, data were gathered through field research and analysis of official documents. The findings of this research contribute to a proposal for a concept zoning design intervention for the school aligned with a curriculum review for the local school. The project suggests that creating innovative learning environments can facilitate the transformation of school practices in a community-centered approach. This approach empowers students to address their villages’ main hurdles and develop new perspectives, skills, and ways of living in their communities.
Researchers:
Dr Raquel Scartezini, Associate Professor Dr Rosangela Tenorio
Drawings/Diagrams:
Master of Architecture Students: Nguyen Bui and Riley Drennan
UNNC & Zhejiang University Research Collaboration, 2024-25
The collaboration between the University of Nottingham China [Ningbo, UNNC], The University of Western Australia [Perth, UWA] and Zhejiang University [Hangzhou] is advancing design, testing and monitoring of the BRISE system for compliance with Building Standards.
The objective is to develop a full scale test cell at UNNC campus to advance the feasibility of external panelling system across hot-humid contexts and commercialization of mycelium based products for construction
Project Leads:
China: Professor Dr Wu Deng [University of Nottingham Ningbo China - UNNC]
Australia: Associate Professor Dr Rosangela Tenorio [University of Western Australia - UWA]
Research Partners:
Assistant Professor Dr Tongyu Zhou [UNNC]
Associate Professor Dr Shunqin Chen [Zhejiang University]
Collaborators:
Boran Yu, Jiaxin Wu, Chaohui Zheng, Hao Zhang, Shimin Chen, Michael Dean
Lab Technicians:
Kate Yuan and Jason Yang
This project is jointly funded by a Research Collaboration grant from the University of Western Australia and the University of Nottingham Ningbo China.
UWA delegation during signing of articulation agreement, March 2024 - UNNC
Image:
Ningbo
Image: Research Students, UNNC
Image: Zhejiang University Mycology Laboratory
Image: Zhejiang University Mycology Laboratory
Design Incubator: WIL - MAS Building Kimberley, 2024
Yakanarra, established in 1989 by the Walmajarri people, is a community deeply rooted in its cultural and linguistic heritage. Situated near the traditional and sacred site ‘Parnany’ and the vital water source Mangunampi Jila, it has been a significant campsite for Aboriginal people for centuries. The community has grown into a thriving hub of 150 Indigenous individuals, with around 35 houses, a store, and an Independent school founded in 1990. This school is part of the Aboriginal Independent Community Schools network, providing a curriculum rich in Maths, English, Health, Well-being, and the Walmajarri language, all funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments. Yakanarra Community School is dedicated to fostering a safe and nurturing environment where both Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge is valued and where the main aims are to practice and pass on traditional cultural activities, language, and care for their ‘country’, thereby ensuring a safe and healthy upbringing for the children, away from the challenges faced in urban areas.
The project aims to build a new multipurpose building, the Yakanarra Multipurpose Art Space (Yak-MAS Building), to revive the school’s strong artistic traditions. This building will be a hub for education and creativity, accommodating activities ranging from reading and computer literacy to art production and musical expression. The design is led by final year MArch students as part of a work integrated learning unit ]WIL], supervised by registered architects Christian Wetjen and Deepti Wetjen and Associate Professor Dr Rosangela Tenorio.
Project Team:
Project Liason/Client: Brendan Hodge - Yakanarra Community School Principal / Yakanarra Community
Project Development and Project Management: Humberto Marum - METIO Director
Project Architects: Associate Professor Dr Rosangela Tenorio, Christian Wetjen, Deepti Wetjen
Master of Architecture Students: Eugene Tiong, Kai Tan and Nguyen Bui
The students and staff Acknowledge The Walmajarri Nation, the traditional owners of Country where this project has taken place.
The LAB [YAK Lab and Bio-Science Lab] is a pilot testing and monitoring building, to be assembled at warming climatic conditions [hot-dry/hot humid] for a period of 18-24 months. The aim is to collect comparative data on thermal performance, energy efficiency, biodegradability, and mechanical properties of components and elements. Alongside the research objectives, the building aims to be a hub for education on biomaterials and digital manufacturing [the Grow lab concept], and be used for a diverse range of activities [e.g. exhibitions, workshops, etc].
Project Team:
Rosangela Tenorio, Michael Dean, and Jairo da Costa
WECO
Connecting people through collaboration to create enriching, sustainable environments for learning, working and playing.
weco are proud to be sponsoring the Graduate of the Year Award 2024 as part of our practice’s commitment to support excellence in education and assisting student transition into practice.
We collaborate with schools and local communities to understand their environments and together, we discover opportunities for innovation which skilfully balance cultural, social, functional and environmental sensitivities.
weco was established by Paul Edwards and Christian Wetjen in 2024, following reflection of architectural practice locally and overseas, over the last 25 years. weco is how we like to work – we collaborate with people, bringing together all of our collective skills and experiences to generate ideas, solve problems and create innovate design outcomes which aim to surpass expectation.
As no two projects are the same, weco assemble and lead specialised teams to suit individual clients and project goals. To do this, we like to collaborate with a range of like minded practices, locally and nationally. Our ‘people focused’ approach allows research and expert knowledge sharing through an open exchange across practices, education providers, other disciplines and our clients. We really enjoy getting involved early in the project through front end project definition plans, master planning, concepts and briefing. We also love the opportunity to fully realise the project vision, taking projects through to construction
weco have award winning experience in public / community and private education projects across Western Australia. We are currently collaborating with architectural practices on a range of community, sport and recreation project opportunities and together with Cumulus Studio, we are advancing a major hospitality and tourism project in 2025.
“Our vision is of a fun and agile practice who collaborates to positively impact the future of our communities.”
Images opposite: Top left: Scarborough Primary School Development (weco personnel at Site Architecture Studio), Top right: Master Plan for redeveloping and re-purposing a sport and recreation site, south of Perth. Bottom right: Karla Katitjin Bushfire Centre of Excellence for Department of Finance (weco personnel at Site Architecture Studio), photo; Dion Robeson). Bottom Right - Rockingham Youth Centre (weco personnel at Site Architecture Studio, photo; Dion Robeson).
Bella Humm, The Sunflower Lamp, Bamboo Design and Build Studio 2022
