Founded in 2024 in Guidel, Brittany, France, the company Tiny Binocles designs and manufactures compact mobile homes characterized by their distinctive round windows and use of bio-based construction methods. The structures combine practical living spaces with sustainable materials, reflecting a design approach rooted in carpentry craftsmanship and ecological responsibility.

The twin circular windows, a defining element of the Binocles series, provide daylight, natural ventilation, and framed views of the surrounding environment. This feature not only establishes the houses’ recognizable identity but also enhances their environmental performance. Founder Ambroise Humeau, trained with the Compagnons du Tour de France and in Switzerland, applies techniques influenced by boatbuilding, emphasizing compactness, efficiency, and durability while incorporating natural finishes.

all images courtesy of Tiny Binocles

the design emphasizes compactness, efficiency, and durability

The Binocles collection consists of six variations. Grand-Duc (22.18 sqm) spans two mezzanines, accommodating four to six occupants. Lapone (17.39 sqm) is a single-level model designed for step-free accessibility, while Chevêchette (12.94 sqm, 4.28 m length) offers a compact solution for two. Each unit is mounted on a 3.5 t trailer, keeping them legally towable under Europe’s standard B(E) license. Alongside the Binocles series, the company also produces the Classiques collection, which adopts more conventional aesthetics.

Sustainability principles are integrated into every design. Timber is sourced from responsibly managed regional forests, insulation is made from bio-based materials free from petrochemicals, and natural oils are used to protect wood surfaces, allowing them to age without synthetic coatings. Prototypes were presented at the 2025 Grande Expo du Morbihan in Vannes and the Foire Internationale de Bordeaux, where visitors could explore the first series of models. With its combination of modular design, ecological materials, and distinctive architectural identity, Tiny Binocles positions its houses as adaptable mobile dwellings suited to diverse contexts.

Tiny Binocles specializes in compact mobile houses

each design is defined by its distinctive round windows

the houses combine practical layouts with ecological materials

circular windows frame views of the landscape

bio-based construction methods are central to the approach

the design emphasizes compactness, efficiency, and durability

timber is sourced from responsibly managed local forests

the round openings also provide daylight and natural ventilation

natural oils protect wooden surfaces without synthetic coatings

project info:

name: Tiny Binocles | @tinybinocles
designer: Ambroise Humeau

location: Guidel, Brittany, France

models (Binocles): Grand-Duc, Lapone, Chevêche, Noctua, Hulotte, Chevêchette

models (Classiques): Masquée, Oural, Épervière, Pagodes, Petite-pagodes

dimensions & areas: 12,94 sqm–22.18 sqm

materials: timber frame, bio-sourced insulation, natural finishes, locally sourced woods

mobility: 3.5 t trailers; permit B(E) category

status: in production, showcased Vannes 2025 & Bordeaux 2025

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On UAL Showcase, University of the Arts London’s directory of new creativity, graduates are redefining how we think about materials, and now the platform makes it easier than ever for employers, collaborators and commissioners to discover and connect with them. From transforming food waste into sweets and bioplastics to creating jewelry, nail art, and water-purifying sinks from discarded materials, and hair extensions from textile remnants, their projects highlight both ingenuity and urgency. As one of the world’s leading universities for art and design, UAL provides its graduates with the visibility to share their work globally, offering audiences a glimpse into new processes that respond to today’s environmental and social challenges.

graduates on UAL Showcase are redefining how we think about materials | image © Pascal Schonlau, all images courtesy of UAL (top image: Micromentum by Andrea Carrera)

students explore raw matter in design

University of the Arts London (UAL) has been shaping creative education since 1842. Unlike a static directory, UAL Showcase is a global, searchable platform designed for industry engagement, which gets updated year-round. With discipline filters, project mock-ups, detailed profiles, and direct contact tools, it allows businesses to quickly find the creative expertise they need, whether to hire talent, commission work, or collaborate on innovative solutions. 

Across disciplines such as architecture, interior design, jewelry, biodesign, product design and sound art, students on Showcase explore how raw matter can be reimagined. Some projects turn industrial residue into tactile objects, while others experiment with microbial growth, plant fibres or algae to create sustainable alternatives. This material-led approach not only generates visually compelling work but also proposes tangible solutions to reduce waste streams and inspire new industries – solutions that companies can explore further through the platform.

Genevieve Carr’s ‘Nailed’ project | image © Pascal Schonlau

meet the graduates behind UAL showcase

Detailed profiles document how designers test, refine and adapt unconventional materials: grinding down food scraps, cultivating living organisms, or weaving synthetic hair from recycled threads. This behind-the-scenes perspective reveals both technical skill and experimental risk-taking, helping potential collaborators understand the process behind the innovation before connecting directly through Showcase.

For example, Genevieve Carr, multidisciplinary designer and material researcher, presents ‘Nailed’ – her graduate project that turns nail salon waste into a 3D printing filament, used to create nails inspired by botanical drawings.

With a background in accessories, she’s exploring its potential for wearable design and collaboration, and through Showcase, her work is discoverable by anyone looking to commission or hire talent in this area.

As she explains about her work, ‘The great thing about this material is that I can snap the nails up and put them back in the machine and do the whole process again. It was really important to me to try to keep it as closed loop as possible and create the smallest amount of waste. So, if this project were to be scaled up, it would be important to me to keep this.’

Huda Ashari’s ‘Redefining Palm Oil’ display

Similarly, ‘Redefining Palm Oil’ by Huda Ashari, an agile architecture graduate training as a regenerative designer at the intersection of science, technology and design, redefines palm oil as a solution rather than a problem. A key innovation as part of the project is POME Bioplastic, created from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME), a waste byproduct. Bacteria transform POME into a biodegradable material that enhances soil health and promotes plant growth, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics. 

‘These bioplastic bags that I made through the short chain lengths would take about six months to decompose. In the UK especially, we’ve not really tackled an alternative for single use plastic bags. The bags that we use now, I think they call them forever bags in Tesco or Waitrose, they’re still a blend of things, and even though they’re biodegradable, I don’t think it’s as quick as six months,’ Huda mentions.

bacteria transform POME into a biodegradable material that enhances soil health and promotes plant growth, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics

Jacob Tucker, product and furniture design graduate, uses Showcase to present Precrete, a water-purifying sink made from tabby concrete, an ancient process using oyster shells. Accompanied by a ‘mess’ table made from scrap wood, the project provides practical applications for industries concerned with water sustainability and ecological design.

‘It‘s a really ancient process where you collect the shells, after the organism has died of course, and then you fire them, which can be done in a number of ways. It’s very similar to how concrete works. With concrete, you’re firing limestone to 900° or above sometimes and I’m firing shells to 900°; you could do it over a bonfire. I did it in a ceramics kiln. Once you’ve fired it, it goes from calcium carbonate, which is the important component, that’s what is so prevalent in limestone as well, to calcium oxide. If you’re burning something, you’re getting rid of all the carbon and then you add water once it’s out of the kiln and it becomes calcium hydroxide, which is the material you want. It’s what’s closest to cement,’ describes Jacob.

Jacob Tucker’s ‘Precrete’ project

‘Precrete’ is a tabby concrete sink that can be used to treat and restore local biodiversity with water purified in the basin

Graduates on UAL Showcase know that every complex problem requires a creative solution — learn more about what the next generation of designers is up to and find recent creative graduates to hire, commission or collaborate with on UAL Showcase.

project info:

name: UAL Showcase

organization: UAL – University of the Arts London

designers: Genevieve Carr; Huda Ashari; Jacob Tucker

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Reductio ad Lermaense is a collection of bags made from bulrush-based biomaterials that examine the ecological, cultural, and political history of Mexico’s Ciénegas del Lerma from 1870 to the present. The Ciénegas del Lerma once represented the largest wetland in Mexico’s central plateau. Today, only 11% remains after more than 170 years of industrial pollution, water extraction, and other anthropogenic pressures. These changes have disrupted the wetland’s biodiversity and weakened traditions such as bulrush weaving, historically practiced by local artisans. As ecosystem deterioration has progressed, bulrush (Typha latifolia) has shifted from a valued resource to an invasive species.

The project by Manuel Díaz Tufinio reinterprets this material condition through design. Using bulrush-derived biomaterials, the designer developed three leather-like bags that chart the progressive loss of the wetland over time. Rather than proposing a solution, the series functions as a critical design artifact that reflects the ecological transformations of the Lerma lagoons.

all images by Manuel Díaz Tufinio unless stated otherwise

cartographies of Mexico’s last wetlands by manuel diaz tufinio

Designer Manuel Díaz Tufinio crafts each bag in correspondence to a specific moment in Mexico’s wetlands history. The 1870 bag (60 × 20 × 5 cm) references the first attempts to drain the bodies of water by the Mexican liberal government. The 1951 bag (28 × 17 × 5 cm) is shaped from a map that coincided with the creation of the Lerma System, a vast network of canals and pipelines that diverted water to Mexico City. The 2025 bag (10 × 8 × 5 cm) represents the current state of the Chimaliapan lagoon, reduced to a fraction of its original size and capable of holding only minimal objects. Their progressively smaller storage capacities serve as a metaphor for the loss of ecological function.

The title Reductio ad Lermaense references both the endangered Lake Lerma axolotl (Ambystoma lermaense) and the rhetorical device reductio ad absurdum. This dual reference underscores the absurdity of the wetland’s steady disappearance and the intertwined loss of species, materials, and cultural practices.

Reductio ad Lermaense is a bag collection made from bulrush-based biomaterials | 1870 bag

the project explores the ecological and cultural history of Mexico’s Ciénegas del Lerma | 1951 bag

industrial pollution and water extraction have reshaped the wetland’s landscape | 2025 bag

centuries-old bulrush weaving traditions have weakened with ecosystem decline | image by Anne Kinnunen

bio-based cellulose leather combines bulrush fibres, seeds, Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)

the design transforms bulrush into a leather-like biomaterial for new applications

materials samples

outlines of the lagoons are taken from hydrological cartographies

the bio-based material’s elastic characteristics are similar to those of leather

biomaterial gets laser cut to achieve more defined silhouettes

project info:

name: Reductio Ad Lermaense
designer: Manuel Díaz Tufinio

materials: Bulrush fibres, seeds (Typha latifolia), Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), Wool
thesis supervisor: Eeva Berglund
advisors: Anna van der Lei, Ena Naito

photographer: Manuel Díaz Tufinio, Anne Kinnunen

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Miniature and portable record Tiny Vinyl can play a four-minute song on each side of the four-inch disc using any standard turntable. Each record holds up to four minutes of music per side, which is ideal for singles or special releases, and the record measures just four inches across, compared to the standard 12-inch LP format. Tiny Vinyl uses traditional record pressing techniques adapted for smaller formats. The manufacturing process, which uses bio-attributed vinyl, creates authentic grooves that hold audio information just like full-size records.

Each pressing run receives sequential numbering with TV numbers printed on both the packaging and the disc itself for authentication and collectibility tracking. In total, the miniature record Tiny Vinyl weighs only 15 grams, lighter than a standard LP’s 140 grams, and its compact size allows it to fit in pockets. Despite its small size, it maintains the classic vinyl record appearance with grooves, center labels, and the familiar black disc format. Artists can also customize vinyl colors and packaging design just like the traditional 12-inch LP jackets and discs.

all images courtesy of Tiny Vinyl

Vinyl made from renewable plant materials

The miniature record Tiny Vinyl uses 100 percent bio-attributed vinyl, a significant departure from traditional petroleum-based vinyl production. It derives from renewable plant materials instead of fossil fuels, and the manufacturing process creates vinyl that remains chemically identical to traditional vinyl. This material choice reduces the carbon footprint while maintaining audio fidelity. Tiny Vinyl records play at 33 RPM on most manual turntables without requiring special equipment. 

The records work with standard turntable needles and cartridges, but the turntables with automatic features like auto-stop or auto-return may struggle because their tonearms cannot reach the record’s center while maintaining contact. Users must disable these automatic features or make sure that their tonearm can reach the platter center during playback. Each side of the miniature record Tiny Vinyl holds exactly four minutes of audio content. It may be considered a limitation, but it also makes the format ideal for singles, promotional tracks, or special versions. 

miniature and portable record Tiny Vinyl can play a four-minute song on each side of the four-inch disc

the disc still plays using any standard turntable

each record holds up to four minutes of music per side

Tiny Vinyl uses traditional record pressing techniques adapted for smaller formats

the disc weighs only 15 grams, lighter than a standard LP’s 140 grams

artists can also customize vinyl colors and packaging design

project info:

name: Tiny Vinyl | @tinyvinylrecords

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Fahrenheit 180º, a design collective founded by Jeremy Morris and Luca Carlisle, develops From the Tagus to the Tile, an installation exploring the potential of regenerative biomaterials in architectural surfaces. Presented in the gardens of Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Center of Modern Art, the project reinterprets the city’s traditional azulejos using tiles produced from oyster shells and seaweed collected from the Tagus River, the Sado Estuary, and local food systems.

The installation is composed of three sculptural elements, a modular kitchen, a bench, and a linear table, clad in the biomaterial tiles. These tiles are designed to be biodegradable, dissolving back into natural systems as part of a circular design approach. Their development emphasizes the ecological value of oysters, which serve as natural filters, purifying up to 200 liters of water daily, stabilizing coastlines, and supporting marine biodiversity.

the ‘line,’ represents the invisible bio pigments around the banks of the river Tagus | all images courtesy of Fahrenheit 180º

Fahrenheit 180º explores Geometries and Biomaterial Tiles

The material palette reflects the diverse colors of the Tagus and its banks, developed through a collaboration with PhD student Mariana Simões. Hues range from earthy oxides and poppy seed tones to the pinks of microalgae, expanding the chromatic possibilities of tile production beyond conventional blue-and-white traditions. Oyster shells, of which 60,000 tons are produced annually in Portugal, are sourced from farms and restaurants. After sterilization through heat and UV treatment, the shells are ground into powders of varying aggregate sizes, then bound with seaweed material to form the tiles.

The sculptural forms, referred to as ‘creepy crawlers,’ rest within the museum gardens with angular, irregular legs that suggest movements from an underwater landscape. Their geometries favor organic distortion over strict rationality, linking ecological storytelling with spatial experimentation. From the Tagus to the Tile extends Studio Fahrenheit 180º’s research into regenerative practices that challenge extractive material systems. By revisiting the legacy of oyster farming in the Tagus estuary and connecting it with contemporary design, the project advocates for bioregional thinking and material approaches rooted in local ecological processes.

wasted shrimp shell acting here as bio pigments

3 modules are part of a deconstructed kitchen, with a gas hob and two cutting counter tops

Oyster Sink module

the project explores regenerative biomaterials in architectural surfaces

Oyster Sink module detail

the oyster sink in action, with a closed filtering system, the water is part of a continuous loop where the plants act as natural filters

three sculptural elements include a kitchen, a bench, and a table

samples of various prototypes

ingredients: Oysters, Mussels, Algae, Pin resin

tile sizes: from 14×14 to 10×10, ingredients: Oysters, Algae, Bio pigments

marble tiles, representing different water states of the Tagus Estuary

the ‘egg’ has been pigmented with natural micro-algae from the salt marshes of Samoucou in Lisbon

‘crassostrea angulata’ is the real name of the oyster species native to Portugal

project info:

name: ‘From the Tagus to the Tile’ – ‘A flor do azulejo a cor do Tejo’
designer: Fahrenheit 180º | @Fahrenheit_180

lead designers: Jeremy Morris, Luca Carlisle

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MYMORI’s biomaterial kit lets kids and adults grow mushroom toy blocks on their own using mycelium. There’s no finished product yet since the users need to grow the blocks from a kit, which includes all the biomaterials needed to craft and cultivate the toys. Once the ingredients are mixed in, users get to watch MYMORI’s mushroom mycelium toy slowly grow until they can play with them and stack them up like ordinary blocks. 

The team’s purpose is to educate the users about nature and how to care for the environment as well as to make biomaterials coming from living things much more familiar in everyday use. The texture of MYMORI’s mushroom mycelium toy retains the natural grain and grittiness of the biomaterial. When the users touch it, it feels soft and light on the outside but firm on the inside. When they smell it, it can evoke the scent of a forest or fresh bread. Once the toys are ready, children can play with them in many ways by stacking the blocks, drawing faces on them, or building small structures like castles.

all images courtesy of MYMORI

Speeding up the hardening process using toaster oven

To use MYMORI’s mushroom mycelium toy kit, users first crush the biomaterial included in the box and mix it with flour. Then, they place it into the mold and leave it in a dark place for four to six days. After that, they remove it from the mold and let it grow for two to three more days. Finally, they dry it in a well-ventilated space for another two to three days, and after that, it is ready for use.

In case the kids want to play with it as soon as possible, the supervising adults can use a toaster oven to dry it. The mycelium material is a mix of mushroom spores and plant waste. The kit includes spores from oyster and lychee mushrooms and different types of wood materials. These small differences change the look and feel of the toy slightly, but they all work the same way.

the texture of MYMORI’s mushroom mycelium toy retains the natural grain and grittiness of the biomaterial

reusing washable plastic mold

The growth form is the plastic mold used to shape the toy, and it is clear so the children can see the toy as it grows. It is also reusable and washable by hand, too. The kit also includes gloves, an alcohol wipe for cleaning, a bag of flour, and a card with instructions. The MYMORI’s mushroom mycelium toy kit uses only natural materials, so there are no chemical additives, and the main ingredients come from farms, so they are safe to touch and handle.

The idea of MYMORI is to return to the joy of making things with natural materials, just like people did in the past when they built homes or made clothes by hand. At the time of publishing, there’s a MYMORI mycelium workshop taking place at Musashino Art University Ichigaya Campus on August 9th, 2025, to try growing the toys on site.

when the users touch it, it feels soft and light on the outside but firm on the inside

children can stack them up like ordinary blocks

the kit includes spores from oyster and lychee mushrooms and different types of wood materials

when smelled, the toy evokes the scent of a forest or fresh bread

there are no chemical additives included in the set

project info:

name: MYMORI | @mymori_project

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A team of South Korean designers transforms discarded eggshells into Re:shell, a biodegradable building material

designed as a series of modular, interlocking brick-like elements. Conceived to combat the nation’s rising construction waste, the project utilizes the natural properties of eggshells to create a zero-waste composite with applications ranging from small products to large-scale architecture. The blocks safely return to nature at the end of its life cycle, serving as a sustainable solution to a pressing urban problem in South Korea.

all images courtesy of Re:shell

TACKLING SOUTH KOREA’S CONSTRUCTION WASTE MANAGEMENT

The project began as a response to South Korea’s rapid industrialization and urbanization, shaped by large-scale construction from the 1970s and 80s. As many of these aging structures are slated for redevelopment, the nation faces a significant waste management challenge, with construction materials accounting for 45% of the nation’s total waste. The design team, part of the Living Design Lab at Seoul National University – Department of Design, addresses this issue by merging traditional Korean architectural philosophy with a new material science.

Re:shell uses discarded eggshells to create modular, biodegradable building bricks

LOCAL WASTE TURNS INTO MODULAR BIODEGRADABLE BRICKS

The team chose eggshells as the core material for their abundance and ease of collection from local bakeries and restaurants. Crucially, the main component of an eggshell is calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), a key ingredient in cement that provides strong binding and hardening qualities. The production process involves washing, drying, and grinding the shells into a fine powder, which is then combined with natural additives to enhance its properties. The team experimented with red clay for improved durability, wheat bran for a smoother texture, and straw for greater flexibility and lighter weight. The material demonstrated exceptional hardness in strength tests and showed clear signs of natural decomposition when buried in soil, ensuring zero residual waste.

Inspired by a design philosophy rooted in the unity of nature and human, the team created prototypes for various scales. Echoing Korean traditions like the portable soban table and adaptable room layouts, the Re:shell composite offers a versatile and scalable application range, from small-scale products and interior partitions to exterior facades. The team’s future goals include developing waterproofing while maintaining 100% biodegradability and exploring its potential as a structural building material.

applications range from small products to large-scale architecture

with the natural properties of eggshells the South Korean team creates a zero-waste composite

the biodegradable building material is designed as a series of modular, interlocking brick-like elements

the eggshells can be easily sourced from local bakeries and restaurants

the material showed exceptional hardness and a clear capacity for natural decomposition, ensuring zero waste

project info:

name: Re:shell
institution: Living Design Lab at Seoul National University – Department of Design | @livingdesignlab.snu
design team: SungYun Jang, SuYang Choi, Hwi Song, SeongHa Lim, YoungYun Cho
material: eggshells

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lisa kostyra | designboom

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Ewelina Bialoszewska embeds seeds into her homemade photo book, so viewers can plant and grow the album after. Rightly named Growing Album, the project combines photography with agriculture by producing a plantable image journal made from paper that contains seeds. Users can plant the entire book in soil to grow plants, and artist Ewelina Bialoszewska even matches the seeds to the ones shown in the photographs.

It is a personal project for the Polish artist. She makes the papers from the old maps of her hometown and the newspaper clippings that her grandmother has saved over many years. During the papermaking process, Ewelina Bialoszewska adds seeds to the pulp mixture, which come from the same plants that appear in the photo book. So, when the viewers see tomatoes growing in an image’s background, the seeds around that page contain actual tomato seeds mixed within the paper fibers so that they don’t easily fall off or can’t be scraped off.

all images courtesy of Ewelina Bialoszewska

Biodegradable paper embeds the seeds into the soil

Artist Ewelina Bialoszewska uses transfer printing techniques to create images on the seed paper and photo book. This process produces images that appear faded rather than sharp, and the fading effect represents how memories become less clear over time, an intentional effect for the project. The paper biodegrades in the ground while the seeds germinate and grow into plants. The growing process takes several weeks to months, depending on the plant species and growing conditions, and as the paper breaks down, it also provides nutrients for the sprouting seeds.

The paper production for Ewelina Bialoszewska’s homemade photo book process requires careful timing to preserve seeds since they must remain dormant during papermaking and storage while retaining the ability to germinate when planted. The artist has developed techniques to protect seed integrity throughout the manufacturing process, and some of the seeds embedded, or that can be included, onto the pages are vegetables, herbs, and flowers that typically grow in Polish gardens. Each plant species requires specific growing conditions for successful germination.

Ewelina Bialoszewska embeds seeds into her homemade photo book

The Growing Album touches on migration and identity issues

Each page of Ewelina Bialoszewska’s homemade photo book tells a story through the combination of image and seed. The photographs document specific locations, gardens, or plant life from Poland, while the embedded seeds enable users to recreate parts of these environments anywhere in the world. The album works in various climates though success rates depend on local weather and soil conditions. Some plants adapt better to new environments than others, so users may need to adjust watering, sunlight, and soil conditions for optimal growth.

The Growing Album touches on migration and identity issues. For the artist, many immigrants feel disconnected from their cultural roots after moving to new countries, and the album seeks to establish physical connections to their homeland through gardening. It’s a means to allow people who moved away from their birth countries to grow plants from their homeland. In this way, users can cultivate living connections to their places of origin, instead of only viewing photographs of home, familiar objects, and their loved ones.

viewers can plant and grow the album later on

rightly named Growing Album, the project combines photography with agriculture

the image journal is made from paper that contains seeds

users can plant the entire book in soil to grow plants

the artist even matches the seeds to the ones shown in the photos

Ewelina Bialoszewska adds seeds to the pulp mixture for the photo book

the artist uses transfer printing techniques to create the images

the fading effect represents how memories become less clear over time

the paper biodegrades in the ground while the seeds germinate and grow into plants

project info:

name: The Growing Album

artist: Ewelina Bialoszewska | @ewelina_bialoszewska

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The Puddle Pavilion by i/thee is a free-form canopy made from algae-based bio-resin cast directly on the ground with no formwork. The installation was sculpted through an additive process that the design team, led by Neal Lucas Hitch, refers to as Action Architecture. During construction, algae-based resin was poured, splattered, and flung onto the floor, left to settle naturally according to the principles of fluid dynamics, and then suspended atop slender custom steel columns to hover above Mud Creek in Bondurant, Iowa, outside Des Moines. The pavilion appears as a solidified resin river, or puddle, frozen in time, an abstract expressionist painting liberated from the canvas.

all images courtesy of i/thee

i/thee’s canopy fuses with the Landscape

The Puddle Pavilion is the second piece of infrastructure in an ongoing art implementation masterplan that studio i/thee has designed for the City of Bondurant, Iowa, following The Dining Room (2024), a set of intentionally eroded rammed-earth walls, and preceding The Garden (2026), a meandering fractal boardwalk. Serving as a canopy at the Eagle Park entrance to Mud Creek, the work invites visitors to linger and engage more deeply with the local ecology of the site. ‘With the Puddle Pavilion, we were interested in achieving formal literalism. Where other architects and artists have sought to create works ‘like’ or ‘as’ a flowing river, we aimed to sculpt a piece by literally capturing the ephemeral beauty of moving liquid frozen in time. The Puddle Pavilion is not a metaphor: it is not like a puddle, but rather it is a puddle, made by carefully poured layers of algae-based resin, left to find their own forms under the influence of natural forces such as gravity, surface tension, and fluid dynamics, as well as environmental variables including temperature and wind speed,’ shares designer Neal Lucas Hitch.

custom-fabricated joints connect the resin canopy to stainless steel columns

Abstract Realism in Resin and Steel

Tapping into the intrinsic beauty of natural phenomena, the installation embodies what we refer to as the oxymoron, Abstract Realism: abstract in the sense of being non-figurative and non-compositional; realist in the sense of being non-representational and non-symbolic, sculpted in participation with natural forces. ‘Here, art, architecture, is not a static object imposed top down by architects issuing plans, but a dynamic dance in which design is conceived as a negotiation, through the participation of architects, builders, and the natural environment working together in symbiosis,’ concludes i/thee’s lead designer.

the free-form canopy casts shade for visitors below

a solidified river of resin floats over the park landscape

sunlight filters through the edges of the semi-transparent resin

resin forms appear to merge with the surrounding sky and clouds

the sky is visible through openings in the resin canopy

resin was poured directly on the ground with no formwork and left to find its own form

resin poured, splattered, and flung in an additive process

the canopy is lofted above the site on slender stainless steel supports

the pavilion frames the entry stair to Mud Creek in Iowa

the form of the canopy echoes the natural currents of the adjacent creek

a puddle of algae-based bio-resin hovers above Mud Creek

algae-based bio-resin was cast with no formwork to create the hovering free-form surface

project info:

name: Puddle Pavilion

designer: i/thee | @i____thee

design team: Neal Lucas Hitch, Kristina Fisher, Martin Hitch

location: Bondurant, Iowa, US

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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Myco-Type produces mycelium blocks, sheets, and paste using sawdust, coffee grounds, and local agricultural and municipal waste. These biodegradable architectural and design materials come from recycled and local resources, mixed with mycelium to grow organic, multipurpose objects that can be used for different projects. The process starts with collecting waste materials, including sawdust from woodshops and coffee grounds from local cafés, which are used as feedstock. The next step is mold preparation, where the tools and containers are sterilized to prevent contamination by other microorganisms. It is here where the mycelium is added.

It can come from spores, grow kits, spawn, or liquid culture, and it is mixed into the feedstock inside the mold. A thin cover keeps it moist and clean, allowing the growing phase to start next. The mold is kept in a space with the right temperature, humidity, and air, so the mycelium can grow through the feedstock and around it, forming a solid shape. This stage takes a few days to a few weeks. After the mycelium has grown enough, it is removed from the mold, and then it is dehydrated using heat or sunlight. This ends the life of the fungi and makes the material stable. At this point, it can be cut, sanded, joined, or shaped, producing Myco-type’s mycelium blocks and sheets.

all images courtesy of Myco-Type

mushroom-based paste with wheat bran to create biomaterials

Myco-Type – a project by researchers Arvind Bhallamudi, Vaishnavi Mehta, and Calgary Haines-Trautman – explores how mycelium, or the root-like structure of fungi, can turn local waste into usable materials, such as blocks and sheets. The former is made from sawdust, water, and mycelium, which is light and can be cut, drilled, and glued. The latter uses coffee grounds instead of sawdust and makes thin, flat panels. These can be shaped using laser cutters and saws. There’s a third one in paste form. It is still being developed, but so far, the team says it can be shaped by hand, in molds, or by 3D bioprinting, and it also uses sawdust, wheat bran, and mycelium culture.

The team adds that these materials capture more carbon than they release. Each block stores about 200 grams of CO₂, making the materials carbon-negative. They break down in the soil in six to eight weeks and in water in about 12 weeks, and can be composted in the end. The team uses equipment from mushroom farming – such as mono-tubs, grow tents, and inoculation chambers – in the production. The materials are not alive when used, but only during the growth phase. Heat at the end of the process kills the fungi, but it is also possible to make live mycelium products (these need attentive care so they can stay alive). At the moment, these materials are experimental, and the team says that some tools like wire-cutting and CNC machines are hard to use on them. But the process allows tuning, and by changing inputs and growth conditions, they can achieve different properties and results.

a burst of mycelium growth at the surface after removing a block of substrate from its mold

surface enhancements including walnut paste, wheat paste and beeswax

detailed view of the biomaterial

Myco-Type’s mycelium blocks show the gradual decomposition process over four weeks

view of the compressed, dense mycelium sheets

the biomaterials are ideal for architectural and design projects

a night lamp with a mycelium shade integrated with a 3D printed base and motion detection system

stool and modular furniture grown on cardboard molds for the waste and fungi

view of the mushroom-based sheets for facades use, to name one

project info:

name: Myco-Type

advisors: Tom Weis, Dr. Andreas Mershin, Dr. Jennifer Bissonnette, Peter Yeadon, Charlotte McCurdy, Hillel O’Leary, David Kim, and Haley MacKeil

supported by: Rhode Island School of Design – Somerson Sustainability Innovation Fund, Industrial Design Department, Edna Lawrence Nature Lab, and CoWorks Interdisciplinary Lab

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: matthew burgos | designboom

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