natural materials

In the final podcast of this season, I sat down with Mexico-based architect, Lucilla Aguilar to talk about her experience in working with bamboo for post-earthquake relief and how she created systems for working with bamboo that are replicable and easy for non-bamboo carpenters to work with. 

In This Episode We Discuss:

• The Beauty Of Bamboo Architecture
• My First Bamboo Project
• Collaborating With Other Bamboo Architects In Mexico
• Bamboo Housing For Post Earthquake Relief
• What Bamboo Can Do For Communities
• Creating Adaptable Designs
• Creating Replicable And Easy Systems For Working With Bamboo
• Building Walls For Bamboo Structures
• Developing A Bamboo Workforce
• Bamboo Building Regulations
• Bringing Bamboo Into Urban Centres
• Building A Bamboo Pavilion
• Building Inspiring and Long Lasting Structures
• Building A Bamboo Community
• The Beauty Of Bamboo Architecture
• My First Bamboo Project
• Collaborating With Other Bamboo Architects In Mexico
• Bamboo Housing For Post-Earthquake Relief
• What Bamboo Can Do For Communities
• Creating Adaptable Designs
• Creating Replicable And Easy Systems For Working With Bamboo
• Building Walls For Bamboo Structures
• Developing A Bamboo Workforce
• Bamboo Building Regulations
• Bringing Bamboo Into Urban Centres
• Building A Bamboo Pavilion
• Building Inspiring and Long Lasting Structures
• Building A Bamboo Community

We dive into the world of bamboo furniture production with Rebecca Reubens, the driving force behind Rhizome. From industrial design to bamboo furniture, Rebecca shares her journey of working with bamboo; empowering collaborations with local communities, NGOs, local governments, and craftspeople. We talk about everything from colonization, the issues with industrial design, creating products with soul, and much more. 

In This Episode We Discuss:

• From Industrial Design To Bamboo
• Investigating Bamboo Species For Furniture Production
• Using Local Bamboo
• Standardising Bamboo
• Changing The Perception Of Bamboo
• Creating A High-Value Bamboo Product Line
• Uplifting Local Bamboo Communities
• Working with INBAR
• Empowering Communities
• Working With The Local Government
• Dendrocalamus Strictus
• Traditional Skills And Contemporary Designs
• The Value Of Craftspeople
• Challenges In Bamboo Furniture
• Creating Products With Soul
• What is Next For Rhizome
• Rebecca’s Advice For Designers Who Aspire To Work With Bamb

In This Episode We Discuss:

• Bamboo As A Building Material
• How Bamboo Sits Within The Spectrum Of Materials
• Creating Rules And Codes Of Practice For Bamboo
• The Properties Of Bamboo
• Incorporating Bamboo Into A Western Context
• Engineered Bamboo
• Zero Carbon Buildings
• How Bamboo Grows
• Harvesting Bamboo
• The Impact Of Bamboo On The Construction Industry
• Researching The Manufacturing Of Engineered Bamboo In Vancouver
• Bamboo In North America
• ISO Standards For Bamboo
• How Bamboo Is Superior To Wood and How It Is Inferior
• Bamboo’s Tensile And Compression Capacities
• Opportunities With Engineered Bamboo
• Bamboo And Japanese Joinery
• The Limits Of Round Pole Construction
• Geometric Stiffness And Its Role In Bamboo Architecture
• Bamboo Testing
• University Research Of Bamboo
• Bamboo Joinery
• The Future Potential Of Round Pole Construction
• Taking Bamboo To Mars

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Learn more about Atelier One:

https://www.atelierone.com/

In This Episode We Discuss:

• How the interest in bamboo came to be
• Visit to Bali and Green Village 
• Harvesting and Treating Bamboo
• First Bamboo Project
• Building For Conscious Impact In Nepal
• Failures and Lessons Learned
• Bamboo In Nepal
• Starting Bambufolia
• Projects To Start With
• Elevating Bamboo 
• The Biggest Challenge When Working With Bamboo 
• Testing Bamboo To Make Sure It's Been Treated
• Bamboo Species
• Local Perception Of Bamboo
• Team Work
• Finding Craftsman
• Building Larger Projects
• Client Relationships
• Building A Network

Learn more about Paola's work at Bambufolia: http://bambufolia.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/bambufolia/

Sarah und Laura Tobias sind die Gründerinnen des Start-Ups TOBIAS RE/DESIGN, einem mobilen Servicekonzept für luxury upcycling von natürlichem Premium-Material in Berlin. Die Idee entstand aus einem über Generationen gewachsenen Familienunternehmen, dass sich seit mehr als 30 Jahren hochwertiger Bekleidung und deren Umgestaltung widmet und bis heute von Mutter Gisela Tobias in NRW geführt wird.

Von kleinauf mit Designermode aufgewachsen haben beide eine fundierte Ausbildung und Studium in der Modebranche durchlaufen. Sarah Tobias arbeitete lange im Vertrieb/Sales für das italienische Unternehmen ITTIERRE SPA für Kollektionen wie D&G Dolce&Gabbana, Versace Jeans Couture, Gianfranco Ferré etc. und baute Mitte der 2000er Jahre die Modemesse PREMIUM Exhibitions in Berlin mit auf. Nach Geburt ihres 1. von 4 Kindern entschied sie sich 2010 ins Familienunternehmen einzusteigen und den aussergewöhnlichen Service am Standort Berlin anzubieten.

Laura Tobias machte meine Ausbildung bei dem renommierten Modeunternehmen Closed in Hamburg und arbeitete anschliessend dort im Marketing mit Fokus auf Event-und Messe Koordination, Shoperöffnungen und PR.
Nach einer kurzen Erfahrung beim Fashion Giganten Zalando im Einkauf stieg Laura 2017 mit in das Familienunternehmen ein, um die Vision einer nachhaltigen Kreislaufwirtschaft in der Mode voranzubringen.

Mit Gründung des Start-Ups August 2021 liegt der Fokus darauf das Konzept aus der extremen Nische zu holen. Der einzigartige Service, der bisher einem vorrangig lokalen, exklusiven Circle von Kunden:innen bekannt und zugänglich war soll zukünftig über verschiedene Kanäle mehr Sichtbarkeit und Erreichbarkeit erlangen und von allen, an zirkulären Lösungen interessierten Konsumenten national und international nutzbar sein. 

Entdecke die innovative Welt des Luxus-Upcyclings mit Sarah und Laura Tobias, den Gründerinnen von Tobias Redesign, während wir ihr einzigartiges mobiles Servicekonzept erkunden, das natürlichen, hochwertigen Materialien wie Pelz, Leder und Seide neues Leben einhaucht. Wir werden in die faszinierende Geschichte ihres Familienunternehmens eintauchen, das Erbe ihrer bahnbrechenden Mutter

MycoWorks is a biotechnology company that specializes in the creation of mycelium-based materials. 

If you’ve visited the digital pages of FUTUREVVORD at all over the past two years, you’ve likely read about a mushroom leather product–a coat, a bag, or a pair of sneakers. “Mushroom leather,” however, is a bit of an oversimplification; it’s more accurately a mycelium-based material. 

Mycelium is the underground, root-like structure of mushrooms that lives and feeds off of other organic matter. Under the right, lab-controlled conditions, mycelium can be grown into sheets that can mimic the look, feel and durability of animal-derived leather. 

For MycoWorks, this creation is called Reishi. 

MycoWorks, soon to turn 10 years old, has grown alongside its flagship material. In the time we’ve launched FUTUREVVORLD nearly two years ago, we’ve seen MycoWorks collaborate with the likes of luxury fashion house Hermès, designer Heron Preston, milliner Nick Fouquet, and most recently automaker General Motors, where the two are exploring the possibilities of using mycelium leather in our cars. 

In our interview with Philip we talk about how MycoWorks found its beginning in the art world, particularly sculpture by Mr. Ross himself, how Reishi is changing industries, the power of collaboration and storytelling in changing those aforesaid industries, what’s next for MycoWorks, and so much more. 

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Luke Haverhals came to the latest episode of Progress Over Perfection donned in items made with his own brand’s materials: a Ralph Lauren tee and Allbirds kicks. Clearly, he’s a man on a mission. And his mission is to get humans off the petrochemical supply chain and back onto the natural one.

Haverhals is the CEO and Founder of NFW (Natural Fiber Welding), known for its revolutionary plant-based materials MIRUM® and CLARUS®, and used by the likes of Camper and Pangaia. At NFW, if it ain’t 100 percent it ain’t good enough. If you take a look at the materials that it produces, you won’t find a drop of petrol or toxic chemicals anywhere. Whereas some companies may mix plastic-based materials with plant-based ones, NFW is 100 percent plastic free.

We sat down with Haverhals for a very interesting chat that moved from the efficiencies of engineered materials (a roll of MIRUM is much more efficient than an irregular shaped cow hide) to the hard economic truths of next-gen material production, and how to be “compatible with the Earth.”

Haverhals and Daniel Navetta, FVV’s Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, also talked about what real transparency and traceability looks like. Humanity is “destined to end in tragedy [if we’re not] truthful and holistic about how we measure and discuss our impact,” says Haverhals. “And that’s something that’s not happening well in our world right now.”

The big issue of scalability was also tackled. “If you want to change the world, you've got to get thousands of brands, including the biggest brands in the world, to show up to your place of business,” says Haverhals. You’ve got to go all in. And if the problem you’re facing is as destructive as the climate crisis, your solutions better be moonshot in ambition.

“When you look at the 2050, 2030 climate goals, human rights goals, those things will not happen with people who simply do incremental tinkering on the current system. It requires radical vision and disruption of the current system. Not every part of the system, but certain parts cannot stay the same and should not be recognizable by 2050.”

Plenty more fascinating subjects are addressed, including why we should think about materials as nutrients for the Earth. It’s tasty stuff.

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It seems simple enough, but what IS a Waldorf toy? In this episode my guest Meagan of Whole Family Rhythms and I talk all about Waldorf toys. What kind of play are Waldorf toys meant to inspire? Why all natural materials? These are just some of the questions we explore in this episode. 

Today’s show is the first in a segment dedicated to those who create with uncommon or interesting materials and as soon as I landed on this theme, I knew I needed to reach out to today’s guest. Katie J. Evans of Hart Variations is a jewelry designer who uses things like butterfly wings, snake skin sheds, bones, entire insects, and feathers to create really stunning and unique pieces.

In the interview, we talk about how her materials are ethically and legally sourced, which is a process I wasn't familiar with. I envisioned her walking along and finding the materials, but it turns out there are actually rules and regulations and official suppliers for these types of materials.

We also talk a lot about her creative process, why she decided to hire help, how she’s navigated the jewelry world to find the right audience for her work and why feedback from her customers has made a world of difference in her business.

You can find the full episode + show notes at creatingyourownpath.com.