From Local Waste Materials to Interior Design Material Exploration

What if materials that are commonly regarded as waste could be given a new life through design?

Through our material exploration initiative, we collect various local waste materials from the surrounding area and transform them into composite materials for interior design applications. This process connects local material sourcing with hands-on experimentation and digital knowledge documentation.

The exploration follows three main stages: Local Waste Sourcing, Iterative Fabrication, and Digital Knowledge Sharing.

1. Local Waste Sourcing

The process begins by sourcing and collecting leftover materials from everyday businesses within a 5-kilometer radius of the campus. Materials are collected from a variety of local sources, including food markets, furniture workshops, bakeries, cafés, local vendors, and other small businesses. At this stage, materials are not simply collected as waste.
Each material is observed and considered based on its characteristics and potential for reuse. Its form, size, texture, condition, and visual qualities are taken into consideration during the selection process.
The collected materials are then brought to the Pusat Cipta Kreasi Nusantara (PCKN) for further exploration and processing.

2. Iterative Fabrication 

At the Pusat Cipta Kreasi Nusantara (PCKN), the collected materials enter the stage of iterative exploration and fabrication.

Different types of waste materials are tested and combined to explore new possibilities for composite materials that can be applied in interior design.

This process has resulted in 80 composite materials. Each composite is the outcome of experimentation with different material combinations and fabrication methods.

Rather than focusing solely on producing new materials, this process also seeks to understand how the characteristics of waste materials can change and evolve when combined with other materials.

3. Digital Knowledge Sharing 
   Each composite material is systematically documented once it has been developed. The documentation includes its material composition, fabrication process, resulting characteristics, and potential applications in interior design.
   This documentation is then developed into an open-access digital library. In this way, physical experiments conducted at PCKN can be translated into digital knowledge that can be accessed, studied, and further developed.
   
   Through this process, waste materials do not simply remain as discarded resources. They are collected from the surrounding environment, brought to PCKN for exploration, and developed into 80 composite materials with diverse characteristics and potential applications.
   
   Ultimately, this initiative is not only about reusing waste materials. It is about reconsidering the potential of materials available in our surroundings, transforming them through design, and sharing the knowledge generated through the process so that it can continue to evolve.