Circular Thinking

The handling of existing resources and the adaptation of industrial production to closed material cycles will become more and more important for the industrial societies in the forthcoming decade. The orientation steering away from the consumption of a resource and leading to its use is of crucial importance for material-intensive branches and will become a driver for innovations in view of the increasing world population. Both manufacturers and designers are working on innovative upcycling processes which will reduce on all levels the employment of resources and energy to a remarkable extent.

Ideally no waste products should accumulate at the end of a life cycle but high-grade materials should be generated which form the starting point for a new product life. Recycling is changing to upcycling and waste products are transformed to materials with specific qualities in the field of innovative product design. The resources are circulating within cycles both biologically and technically. This is an ideal conception of the industrial culture in the 21st century!

Based on a number of outstanding examples of manufacturers, designers and architects the experts of the HAUTE INNOVATION Agency for future-oriented materials and technologies from Berlin will present on a special stand space called “Innovation of Interior” the potentials of innovative upcycling processes and the creation of sustainable material cycles.

The highlights of the show with 100 exhibits on 500 sqm were:

Upcycling
– The Plastic Mine: Home accessories from industrial plastic waste (Studio Thier&VanDaalen, Eindhoven)
– DenimX motor-cycle: Circular jeans composite (Marc Meijers, NL)
– de_escalator: Seat made from old escalator (Michael Hensel, Leipzig)
– Paper Bricks (WooJai Lee, Eindhoven/New Sealand)

Bio-based Materials
– Beleaf Chair: Furniture made by recycling fallen leaves (Šimon Kern, Slovakia)
– HAMMER: Body made of wood (Becker Formholz, University Kassel, Volkswagen AG)
– Terroir: Lamp shade made from seaweed and paper (Jonas Edvard, Copenhagen)
– Elephant dung paper (Maximus, Sri Lanka)

Biofabrication
– BIO 3D Manufacturing: Growing Furniture (FullGrown, UK)
– Interwoven: Exercises in rootsystem domestication (Diana Scherer, Amsterdam)
– Algae Ink (Living Ink, USA)
– BioBrick: Cement-free building blocks by microbiological growth processes (BioMason, USA)

Smart Energy
– Blue Freedom: The world`s smallest hydro power plant (Blue Freedom, Fürth)
– MooV energy chair (Nathalie Teugels, Antwerp)
– Solar-harvesting pavement (Platio, Hungary)
– Oval Gear Meter: Energy harvesting on rotary motion (Fraunhofer IIS, Nuremberg)

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