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EXPLORING THE SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN

HUMANITY +

 TECHNOLOGY




01

Circular Design Sytems


02

Industrial Design




CIRCULARITY

Cyclical Design Systems


While my work explores the symbiosis between humanity and technology at the digital scale, I began my journey in design with designing products, where I explored circular product design systems.
 


01

Circular Design Systems
Exploring circular materials for application at the product scale with bio polymers and built-environment with concrete alternatives. 




PROJECTS

Biomaterials | Scale: Products
Harnessing food waste as a biomaterial for products.

CHALLENGE

How might we harness food waste as a biomaterial to develop programmable products that biodegrade over time?

Food waste, particularly from shellfish produces 6-8 million tons as the annual global production of shrimp waste, crab and lobster shells. Chitin can be derived from these shells and it is the 2nd most abundant organic material on the planet.











CREDITS
Instructors
Meg Jackson & Michael Gonzales (Biomaterials)
Andrew Kudless (Computational Design)

Research Partners
Calvin (Hao-En) Sun

CourseS
Biomaterials
Computational Design

Year
2023/24

Location
University of Houston
College of Architecture & Design
Houston, TX, USA
Stock Photography
Unsplash.com

CC Iconography
Nounproject.com

 






 Concrete Alternatives | Scale: Built-environment
Exploring concrete alternatices with discarded sugarcane bagasse from a local grocery store.

CHALLENGE

How might we leverage sugarcane bagasse as a sustainable alternative to concrete while maintaining structural integrity?

This project explores the use of sugarcane bagasse as a sustainable alternative to concrete by developing a series of biodegradable bricks. By leveraging the fibrous byproduct of sugarcane processing, the project aims to reduce construction waste, lower carbon emissions, and create a structurally viable material that decomposes naturally at the end of its lifecycle.






CREDITS
Instructors
Meg Jackson & Michael Gonzales (Biomaterials)
Andrew Kudless (Computational Design)

Research Partners
Calvin (Hao-En) Sun

CourseS
Biomaterials
Computational Design

Year
2023/24

Location
University of Houston
College of Architecture & Design
Houston, TX, USA
Photography
Pascal J. Bakari & respective copyright holders.

CC Iconography
Nounproject.com


 


02

Industrial Design
This series of projects explores products ranging from cardboard and recycled materials and packaging to eco-friendly cookware and a muscle recovery tool for athletes




PROJECTS ︎︎︎
Project Title
Scope
Year                    
Scale
Épices
Industrial Design
2021
Physical
Project Title
Scope
Year                    
Scale
Versa
Industrial Design
2020
Physical


Product overview
 
 
Versa is a portable muscle recovery tool for people on-the-go. Based on findings from observational research and user interviews,  I focused on developing concepts for a recovery tool that is versatile and portable.



The main challenge was finding a way to keep the product organized and easily accessible for users. It also had to be easy to clean and adaptable to different needs and recovery tools.
How it works

Users can easily store their recovery tools into the large foam roller and roll it around the yoga mat. For carrying, they can wrap their existing resistance band around the grommets on the mat.


Research

According to studies conducted by the Sports Sciences Faculty at Laval University, stretching alone is not effective for long term muscle recovery. Additionally, I conducted a survey that found most reponspondents (athletes and occasional gym-goers) don’t use recovery tools as often as they would like due to portability and accessibility issues.
The Laval University study also found that massaging with foam rollers and various combinations of recovery tools are the most powerful techniques for long-term muscle recovery.From these findings, the main objective was to help athlete and gitness enthusiasts use muscle recovery tools more often by designing a tool that’s easy to carry to the gym/travel with a variety of tools for conditioning and recovery.


Ideation & Prototyping

I turned to sports and nature magazines for inspiration. I wanted to tell the story of athletes going off the grid to recharge by traveling and exploring nature and taking their recovery tools along with them.

With this story and my research findings in mind, I began sketching concepts that would help my target users conveniently store and carry their recovery tools.


Validation
With the help of friends who tested my initial prototypes and Professor Min, we arrived at this concept. Users can wrap the yoga mat around the double foam rollers and use the resistance bands to create a loop for carrying it over the shoulder. From observing my friends testing the prototype, this solution was the most intuitive way to carry the tool.


Feedback from professors included exploring nylon/leather materials for the strap as well as incorporating a wider band for comfort. Overall, I really enjoyed this project. I especially enjoyed the research and interviewing my friends to identitfy their needs. I plan to continue refining this project for my portfolio.

Credits
Instructors: Min Kang & George Chow
Project: Human-Centered Design, S22
Year: 2022
Location: University of Houston College of Architecture & Design
[Sources] Muscle recovery research: Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Poitiers , François Billaut, Laval University Aaron Petersen & James Broatch, Victoria University (2018) (See the study︎︎︎)
User survey: 45+ responses from athletes, coaches, and occasional gym-goers. (View full research report︎︎︎)

A huge thank you to Sam, Akanksha, Payton, Sarah, Estelle, and my mentor Dr. Nina Rios-Doria for helping me with the research on this project!
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