Shimmering Wood by Structural Colour Studio
Nature’s brightest colours – like those found in peacock feathers or butterfly wings – are created through microscopically small nanostructures.
Designs for a Cooler Planet highlights
Get to know some of the most interesting projects from the previous Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibitions envisioning sustainable future
Cutting the carbon out of concrete
The Radical Ceramic Research Group is pioneering potentially transformative alternatives to traditional concrete, the world’s second largest source of emissions.
Radical ceramics: Rethinking geopolymers
A living laboratory, with local materials, experiments and haptic prototypes to uncover the potential of geopolymers.
New Aalto University initiative bridging two schools: Arts, Design, and Architecture, and Engineering. Focused on research within the Department of Design and Civil Engineering, we explore clay as a material for geopolymers and its potential in studio ceramics.
Playing with the music of the brain
Common neurological disorders like depression and chronic pain can be challenging to treat with conventional methods. An automated version of a long-used brain stimulation technique holds real promise as a reliable and effective drug-free alternative.
Wireless connection to the human brain
Learn about cutting-edge technology to study the brain, revolutionize diagnosis and transform therapy.
Huoju-A – a multi-sensory wooden pavilion
Mindful, experiential architecture.
Alusta pavilion – Environmentally conscious architecture
A place for encounters between humans and non-human animals.
A human-friendly, giant insect hotel emerged in the middle of the city
Alusta, built from clay and populated by plants, is a sanctuary for pollinators and a meeting place for all living things.
Fluff Stuff: Textile fillings from rewetted peatlands
An exhibition featuring prototype textile products and fillings, ranging from interior textiles to fashion apparel.
An eco-filling to replace down
A hundred years ago, cattail fluff was used as life vest filling – now a Finnish company wants the eco-friendly material for pillows and winter coats. Restoring peat bogs for cattail cultivation would also significantly reduce Finland’s emissions, according to the company.
The results of the Sun-powered Textiles project will be presented as showcase jackets
A showcase jacket is a tangible result of the Sun-powered Textiles project
Sun-powered Textiles - Textile solar cell modules for energy harvesting in wearables
The research results of the Sun-powered Textiles project will be presented
Irene Purasachit saw the floral industry’s waste problem firsthand – now she makes material for handbags from discarded blooms
Nearly half of cut flowers end up in the trash, never making their way to dinner tables or first dates
Flower Matter: innovative materials from flower waste
Turning flower waste into environmentally responsible materials.
No more plastic wrap? Students create novel biobased packaging for cucumbers
A dip in the biobased liquid gives cucumbers a protective film. Innovative idea will be presented in the international BioDesign Challenge competition.
Materialising the Future – CHEMARTS 10 years
Why recycle bio-based materials? Can bio-based materials replace plastics? Does it make sense to use trees as materials?
Multidisciplinary project 'Shimmering wood' shortlisted in Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards
Shimmering wood is an innovation of Noora Yau and Konrad Klockars.
Parallel paths: Designer and materials scientist conjure up glimmering colours out of wood
Designer Noora Yau and materials scientist Konrad Klockars have used wood to conjure up a colour, which is transparent yet glows like a copepod in shallow water. The pair’s good chemistry and open attitude towards asking silly questions is a great help in their work.
Hidaka Ohmu – The seaweed pavilion
The seaweed pavilion is on display at the A Bloc shopping centre on the Otaniemi campus 16.11-16.12.2020. You can experience Julia Lohmann's Kombu Ahtola algae piece at Annantalo (Annankatu 30, Helsinki) on 20 August 2020–31 January 2021.
Seaweed pavilion Hidaka Ohmu
The installation Julia Lohmann designed for the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2020, is on display at the A Bloc shopping centre in Otaniemi.
Julia Lohmann: ‘We know too much and do too little’
Lohmann’s magnificent seaweed pavilion won the sustainable design category for Dezeen Awards 2020.
Natural Indigo: New Luxury from Northern Fields
Crops4Luxury (PeltoLuksus) project studied special crops that could replace synthetic textile dyes sustainably and ethically
MARIMEKKO & NATURAL INDIGO
Marimekko has collaborated with Natural Indigo Finland in the use of natural indigo blue colouring originating from the Woad plant, cultivated in Finland. Part of the Autumn 2021 collection, the garments and bags are industrially printed at Marimekko’s Herttoniemi factory. These products show that fashion can be produced more locally, more sustainability and more transparently, important elements for building an understanding of what sustainable fashion will be in the future.
Materials: Cotton
Color: Woad Indigo
Technique: Industrial printing
Other Kinds Of Fashion
Through design creativity we can solve many problems in the fashion industry. Based on different kinds of fashion design approaches, we can take account the extended use phase, different body size, redesigning with old clothes, using natural dyes and creating sustainable beauty. Through these different design strategies, we can transform fashion culture towards one which is in better balance with the environment.
Want to read more about Designs for a Cooler Planet?
A glimpse of hope for a better future. The annual Designs for a Cooler Planet festival showcases thought-provoking prototypes, experiments, and perspectives offering a glimpse of hope for a better future.
Everything you need to know about Designs for a Cooler Planet - all frequently asked questions in the same place
All of the previous Designs for a Cooler Planet materials in the same place.
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