From cladding made from CO2 waste to recycled paper tiles, there is no shortage of intelligent green materials today – OnOffice has selected some of the most exciting products at the cutting edge of design’s green revolution
Made of Air
Made of 90% atmospheric carbon, this radical material system is energy positive, customisable and beautiful. As more cities around the world demand lower carbon footprints from buildings, Made of Air can significantly reduce the CO2 footprint of buildings and help real estate developers, architects and cities achieve climate targets. Made of carbon from the environment, Made of Air removes more CO2 from the air than it emits, and is a versatile enough material that it can be made into cladding, furniture, or flooring. madeofair.com
Graviky Labs
Indian artists have been turning air pollution into street art with a paint made from carbon soot. Air-Ink is an innovative product by Delhi-based Graviky Labs that uses pollution to create paints and inks. Created after Delhi residents were concerned about the heavy air pollution staining their clothes, the unique technology identifies particulate carbon as a recyclable waste and uses it as material for safe-to-use dyes. Founder Anirudh Sharma developed the technology to capture, purify and repurpose carbon soot first as a researcher at MIT and then back in India with Graviky Labs, setting a precedent when it comes to rethinking pollution. graviky.com
Aectual
Flooring company Aectual is pushing the envelope when it comes to sustainable manufacturing – its robotic 3D printers and software tools produce smart building products that are shaped in the most efficient way to ensure zero waste, and less CO2 emission. Aectual’s terrazzo-like flagship flooring is made from a unique bioplastic which is 3D printed into shape. One of the brand’s newest additions to the family is a line of multi-dimensional structural wall elements, which debuted at Clerkenwell Design Week in 2019. With acoustic properties, the pattern and shape can be entirely customised to function as room dividers, wall panels, and exterior cladding. aectual.com
Dear Human
Canadian studio Dear Human has dedicated its practice to thoughtful material use, and projects often begin with playful experimentation involving industrial castoffs and scrap materials. A standout among its many creations is the Papertile system, made entirely from recycled paper. Jasna Sokolovic and Noel O’Connell developed a technique to create tiles that are as hard as board but as light as cork, and can be painted or dyed like paper. The tiles feature great sound-absorbing qualities and easy installation. Dear Human works with Montreal businesses to use 100% post-consumer paper which is collected locally. dearhuman.ca
Ecobirdy
Recycled plastic products are usually recognised as grey, dull and unattractive. Antwerp-based design studio ecoBirdy is working hard to challenge these misconceptions. As such, the studio has developed ecothylene – a recycled material that looks a lot like a colourful terrazzo finish, but is actually made from post-consumer plastic. Thanks to advanced sorting technologies, ecoBirdy is able to produce recycled plastic with similar qualities to virgin plastics. The sorting process is labour intensive, but the ecological and aesthetic benefits make it worth doing. ecobirdy.com
Images courtesy of Made of Air, Graviky Labs, Aectual, Dear Human, ecoBirdy
As featured in OnOffice 145, July 2019
