Semantic effect and material driven design
In the first part of the project, a material concept is to be developed based on a selected association term.
The second part deals with the design method ‘Material Driven Design’.
As part of the course, students first analyze the sensory perception, functional properties, and semantic dimensions of meaning of a material. Building on this, an association term (e.g., sporty, artificial, or playful) is drawn from a defined pool of terms and systematically related to the material.
From this connection, students develop a material concept whose intended effect corresponds to the respective associative term. In addition to examining the semantic effect of materials, students use this as a basis to design a product according to the principle of material-driven design. The application, function, and design of the product are consistently derived from the specific properties of the material.
The material consists of crushed eggshells and has a grainy, matte finish. The light coloring and irregular structure create a natural, plant-like appearance. With its rough texture and organic look, our material has an earthy feel and resembles surfaces found in nature.
Eggshells are a by product from food production and will be considered waste. In order to gain the material they were cleaned and milled into smaller peaces. The climbing holds were pressed into shape by adding a binding agent and are immedialy ready for use immediately after hardening, without any postprocessing like coating.
The design of the product was directly inspired by the properties of the material. Its rough surface and high stability and resilience suggested an application where grip and resistance are crucial. That is why climbing holds were chosen. The material is particularly well suited for this purpose as it is functional even without an additional coating. At the same time, it represents a sustainable alternative to conventional climbing holds made of synthetic resin, which release microplastics when abraded and are not recyclable.