Projects

Rethinking how materials are designed and experienced in the Philippines.

Why?
Certain materials are known for the harm they can cause to a range of species and ecosystems, yet they continue to be made and used. Material
and waste challenges are pervasive for island nations (e.g. the Philippines). Shifts in material practices are needed to make safe materials for the ocean.

What?
A materials hub in the Philippines, which has a physical space and a digital counterpart. The hub would educate about locally available natural
materials, support research and development of ecologically safe materials, and link buyers and sellers of materials in the Philippines.

How?
The focus is on what is local in the Philippines, regarding materials and the species and ecosystems that need to be considered in developing
and testing materials. Key parts of the hub are collaboration, testing for ecological safety, and access to the life cycle information of materials.

For whom?
The hub helps material designers make materials that are both ecologically safe and technically sound. It connects them with companies in the Philippines looking for alternatives to plastics, in compliance with recent policies. Workshops and tours would also be offered to schools and the public.

Impact:
The widespread adoption of MPMD would lead to the production and use of safe materials, compatible with ecosystems. Replacing problematic petroleum-based materials would reduce damage and fatalities. Additionally, localized material systems would support livelihoods and contribute to circular economies.

An incubator for social transformation

Why?
People striving for social change often face mental, financial, and systemic challenges that undermine their effectiveness. This thesis explores how we can create supportive structures to enable long-term, meaningful work.

What?
Three interconnected, pragmatic prototypes were developed – a creative hub Nodo, a funding platform Basislager Nachhaltigkeit and a community initiative Sentigarten, Postwägeli – each addressing a different structural gap. Together, they laid the foundation for the concept of the Amt für Macherei, a think tank and incubator for transformative societal work.

How?
A growing network of pragmatic interventions emerged from lowthreshold ideas and was shaped through iterative design. The Amt für Macherei provides a framework to sustain and expand this synergetic way of working – enabling ideas to grow into realworld impact.

For whom?
Creating meaningful spaces for socially engaged work involves building a supportive ecosystem that allows designers, educators, youth, and grassroots activists to collaborate sustainably and work together, reducing individual exhaustion and precarity.

Impact:
The project traces a slower, more deliberate designerly practice—fostering mutual trust and shared goals of the community—reframing transformation as a shared, ongoing practice. It shows how small interventions achieve impact through their synergies and common interests to enhance sustainability.

Overcoming social barriers in education through new narratives.

Why?
In Germany, education is closely tied to social background. Studies show that children from non-academic families are less likely to pursue higher education, even when they have the same abilities as their peers. Unequal access to resources, networks, and opportunities creates systemic disadvantages that reinforce class barriers.

What?
This toolkit addresses classism by reframing the narrative of social mobility in education. It challenges the myth of meritocracy, showing classism as a systemic issue not a personal failure and advocates for true freedom of choice in education.

How?
The toolkit targets three levels: individuals, multipliers, and society. It empowers individuals through workshops, mentoring, and bias checks; trains educators to recognize classism and apply fairer assessment criteria; and encourages policy makers to adopt reforms for equal access.

For whom?
Classism harms individuals and the economy by wasting human talent and potential. Education systems benefit from reduced dropout rates and improved outcomes. A fair education system strengthens democracy and ensures diverse perspectives are available to tackle future challenges.

Impact:
Educational partners are encouraged to value human potential and recognize privilege genuinely. A society fostering equal opportunities strengthens as it reduces social tensions and promotes inclusion. This is essential for innovation, social progress, and a resilient democracy.

Exploring paths to connect asylum seekers and host communities in rural Switzerland.

Why?
Seeking asylum is filled with challenges like language barriers, emotional stress, and isolation. In rural Switzerland, this is compounded by geo-graphical distance and limited resources. Locals may struggle to connect with asylum seekers, particularly without co-ethnic communities.

What?
This project aims to empower both rural communities and asylum seekers to navigate the “mountains” of social and environmental barriers that hinder mutual connection.

How?
Using the asylum center in Morschach as a pilot site, Cathy serves as a mediator, bringing together local community groups, non-profit organizations, volunteers, and asylum seekers to build a robust network of mutual support.

For whom?
Through workshops, interactive activities, and collaboration facilitation, the project strives to benefit government entities, civil society, organizations, educational institutions, community members, and asylum seekers. The initiative promotes integration and encourages meaningful engagement among all parties involved.

Impact:
By fostering supportive relationships, it helps asylum seekers adapt to the new environment. For locals, the project promotes empathy by highlighting the challenges faced by asylum seekers and encouraging cultural exchange, thus fostering a more inclusive environment that benefits everyone involved.

Reimagining education for Indigenous communities in Jawadhu Hills, India

In Jawadhu Hills, India, over half of the tribal children, who are the first in their families to attend school, drop out due to migration for work, lack of school resources, and lessons disconnected from their lives.

"Not so school" challenges traditional norms and institutional practices by creating an alternative learning space that is safe, welcoming, and relevant to students. It aims to empower communities to take ownership of their schools and advocate for their rights.

Using social design methods like research, dialogue, and community collaboration, the project explores long-term challenges and needs. It experiments with new strategies, interventions, safe spaces, community tools, and workshops to create lasting change.

The initiative focuses on supporting first-generation tribal students and their communities in Jawadhu Hills, who have faced exploitation, discrimination, and limited opportunities due to their socio-economic status.    

Upcycling furniture and mindsets

The furniture industry contributes significantly to fast consumerism and environmental issues. Despite these challenges, it presents an opportunity to optimize resource use and promote sustainability.

Each year, over 10 million tones of furniture are discarded in Europe, with only 10% being recycled. This project seeks to transform discarded materials into secondary resources within a circular economy by designing products that extend their life cycle and connecting local partners and supply chains.

The design incorporates a supply chain with local partners providing waste materials, which are used to create modular, flexible, and playful furniture. The goal is to promote upcycling of fast furniture and inspire industry players to embrace the Looped philosophy.

"Looped" is more than just a product; it’s a system that tackles the fast furniture issue by offering sustainable solutions to consumers, encouraging an upcycling movement, targeting design universities, and aiming to partner with companies like Ikea to establish upcycling hubs in stores.

Sowing curiosity for plants

Urbanization and inadequate education have led to a widespread lack of basic botanical knowledge, resulting in disconnection from nature and limited engagement in climate and biodiversity protection.

To address this, a manifesto guides the creation of location-specific activities such as workshops, displays, and artefacts. These initiatives aim to change people’s perceptions of plants and foster a deeper connection with the natural world.

The interventions spark curiosity, encouraging future interest in and support for the plant world. Through storytelling and reflections on plant-human relationships, they promote knowledge and inspire a shift in perspective.

Designed to be adaptable, these site-specific activities are ideal for a variety of educational settings, including museums, botanical gardens, conferences, and more, making them versatile tools for diverse stakeholders in education.
  

A teachers' network to promote education in and with nature.

The Regenerative Education Network creates space for regular meetings to facilitate and promote teachers' and stakeholders' exchange, networking, and cooperation. The website provides an overview of existing offers, courses, and further training from all relevant organizations and associations in Switzerland's outdoor and nature education field. The research highlighted the need for an offer for regular exchange as part of the written master's thesis in January 2022. 
The great interest in the first ""Regenerative Education"" network meeting confirmed the research findings. Teachers would like a platform to meet on an ongoing basis and work together on teaching ideas and visions. The exchange of implicit practical knowledge plays a vital role in this. With this knowledge, teachers can overcome the last hurdles and thus significantly contribute to implementing outdoor lessons. All pupils should be allowed to learn outdoors one day a week all year round. Regeneration means an improved quality of life for everyone involved, including nature. The goal is a critical-thinking, self-effective, and sensitized generation of students who recognize the value of the natural environment and act accordingly. The revolution in regenerative education begins with networking!
   

Design strategies, recycling concepts and material research for circular mattresses

Why are up to 1 million mattresses disposed of in Switzerland every year and none of them are recycled? The vision of ECOMADE is to initiate a paradigm shift towards a sustainable and circular mattress industry. In view of the fact that 90% of the ecological footprint of mattresses is linked to the materials used, the focus has therefore been on the aspects of materials, recycling and design. Exploratory material and process developments were carried out in collaboration with the industry. This resulted in practical strategies for Swiss mattress manufacturers on how they can become more sustainable and customer-friendly through product design.

With the support of: Mattress Alliance Switzerland, 
Roviva Roth & Cie and Ikea Foundation Switzerland
   

Anuvad (meaning: Translation in Hindi) integrates E-textile technology in traditional crafts. The collaboration with craftsmen in rural villages and tech experts developed a range of heated rugs, heated cushions (to provide heat in places where conventional heating solutions are scarce) and LEDs embedded in scarves (for visibility and security). These products show the seamless integration of technology in textiles through weaving. Anuvad creates sustainable smart materials by enabling traditional crafts to grow in the ‘digital era'. This project shows the potential in the age-old skills of traditional craftsmanship and takes it forward to the future.
  

Modified raw material wood - technology transfer through the collaboration of designers and scientists.

White Wood is a material concept based on wood. Compared to the natural raw material wood, a chemical treatment combined with compaction achieves the tripling of tensile strength and stiffness. A further material advantage is its deformability in the wet state, which allows the production of complex shapes and design elements. The WhiteWood project analysed the design and material science collaboration via a “Material Diversity” approach.