A Survey of Material Ecologies

M1: Seaweed Material Samples, We+ 

M1.1: Shape study, 2023

M1.2: Printing experiment, 2023

M1.3: Fading experiment, 2023

M1.4 : Coating Experiment, 2023 

This section showcases the material samples developed for We+’s project Less, Light, Local is a research project that explores alternative value for discarded / non-edible ITA NORI. Leveraging the inherent qualities of nori—its durability, lightness, and sustainability as a sheet material—the project incorporates ARAKAWA GRIP technology, to create an installation. The special edition for Design Trust Futures Festival 2025 is displayed at Sea Garden: Design Trust Ideas Lounge. 

Originally derived from Japanese handmade papermaking techniques, ITA NORI has been used for sushi and rice balls since the Edo period. However, climate change, rising water temperatures, and shifting ocean currents have led to nutrient-deficient seaweed, making much of it inedible and wasted. This project explores alternative applications for discarded / non-edible ITA NORI, reinterpreting it as a sustainable material similar to washi. By utilizing local resources and techniques, it honors traditional wisdom while exploring contemporary uses. As seaweed is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, discarded / non-edible ITA NORI is gaining global interest for its potential in sustainable design. 

M2.1: Loofah Lamp Prototype, Yu Jianing and Winnie Heung (Design Trust Seed Grant recipients)

Supported by Design Trust Seed Grant, This-Is-Loofah is an innovative furniture project exploring loofah as a sustainable design material. By combining loofah with customized bioplastics, we have created functional, eco-friendly furniture. Our project demonstrates loofah’s potential to reduce reliance on traditional materials and minimize waste by utilizing an underused resource. We aim to promote loofah as a sustainable alternative, addressing natural resource over-exploitation and contributing to a circular economy. Additionally, we seek to empower rural farmers in China by providing new income sources, fostering economic growth. By showcasing loofah’s possibilities, we hope to inspire designers and industry professionals to adopt sustainable practices and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration across design, architecture, agriculture, and environmental conservation.

M2.2: Hong Kong Soil Prototypes – Upcycled Excavated Soil in Hong Kong, Niko Leung

(Design Trust Feature Grant recipient, Design Trust Futures Studio 2022 Designer Mentee)

Design Trust Feature Grant research “Hong Kong Soil” explores the technical and cultural opportunities of recycling & reusing discarded soil from construction sites, not only from the intention to minimise environmental burden but also through deep research and experimentations, to manifest qualities of this material that would be valuable to our city. Since 2021, Hong Kong Soil has been navigating a terrain that was rarely explored. Through inquisitive research and experimentation, the Project unfolds the charm of dirt, transforming it into a body of work at a variety of scales. A series of samples, maps, objects and installations will be exhibited, and engagement activities will be organized, to demonstrate a possible economy where we find circularity and empowerment.

M2.3:  Impossible Brick – Oystershell Brick Porotype, Lidia Ratoi (Design Trust Seed Grant recipient)

Supported by Design Trust Seed Grant, “Impossible Bricks” is a multidisciplinary project pairing together robotic fabrication and the development of natural building materials, based on food waste, oyster or shell formations, plant seeds, tree bark etc. Transcending traditional design and built processes, which can be best described as human-centric and have previously acted selfishly towards the natural environment, “Impossible Bricks” creates an empathetic, conscious interaction between man, environment and technology.

The process consists in on-going research on both materiality and new formulations and interpretations of digital fabrication, as well as its software counterparts. It is proposing a shift that disrupts the current narrative of consumption – by turning the exhaustion of resources into the inception point of construction, taking inspiration from “Impossible Food”, created as an alternative to eating meat, and therefore cease the disregard of the human impact on other species or nature itself.

Hong Kong Brick – Upcycled Construction Waste Brick, Florian Wegenast & Christine Lew

(Design Trust Seed Grant recipients, Design Trust Futures Studio Designer 2019 & 2022 Mentee)

As part of Design Trust Critically Homemade curated by Marisa Yiu in 2021, Hong Kong Brick is a design artefact created from the construction waste of shops that were taken down during the pandemic. In the process, small gravel, cement, and glass pieces were collected from different shops around Hong Kong, broken down into smaller fragments, then utilized in a terrazzo casting to create a new brick. Thinking beyond the immediate crisis, the designers decided to cast a brick form to also feature the duality of bricks as the foundation of rebuilding something new, representing how the past can propel us to create a positive impact for the future.

M3: Design Trust Futures Studio 2019 Dancing Pheonix Feature Carpet Sample, Elaine Yan Ling Ng

(Design Trust Feature Grant recipient, Design Trust Futures Studio Designer 2019 & 2022 Mentee)

Considering the notion of time and the object's relativity with the space itself, as well as Haw Paw Mansion repurposing into a music foundation, the new carpet enables a personal journey within the space, just like music. Experimenting with a special blend yarn with Tai Ping's unique tufting technique, the designer formulated new ways of working with interactive fibres. Incorporating these three ideas, the key Chinese mythology figure Phoenix she designed on the carpet can be perceived differently from different angles, lighting levels, and distances, in different times of the day, and indoor temperatures.

M4: Upcycled Plastic Samples, Jacqueline Chak (Design Trust Futures Studio Designer 2022 Mentee)

EDITECTURE is proud to introduce their innovative branch, reEDIT. Beyond interior design, reEDIT is dedicated to advancing sustainable research and development. The mission is to redefine sustainable design, breaking stereotypes by merging cutting-edge technology with visionary creativity. reEDIT aims to seamlessly integrate sustainability into mainstream culture, making it both accessible and aspirational.