This was a project brief given to us as Industrial Design students to design a bio desk luminaire, looking at the sustainability and availability of the materials and ingredients we will be using to develop our biomaterials. The design should be biodegradable since most products are labeled biodegradable but take decades to compost, We should look at the biomaterials that are easily compostable in a short time compared to the existing products.

There is countless potential to bring about significant change at the nexus of design as well as sustainability in an era characterized by environmental concern and sustainable innovation.

Supplies

I tested many samples for the luminaire part of this project, but here I'll focus more on the supplies I've used on the final bioluminaire prototype.

For preparing the gelatine biomaterial:

-Stirring spoon

-Container bowl

-Pot + Stove

-Measuring spoons

-large surface (drying), which could be a plank's surface

The second material used to make this bio-luminaire stand is a clay mixture with coarse river sand, as seen above in the pictures.

-Tablespoon

-Jag of water

-large surface (mixing); in the pictures, I've used a tile and pieces of tiles to give the clay mixture shape

-Microwave to speed up the curing process

The third supply was the scroll saw used in the workshop to make the reinforcers for the luminaire and also prepare the loofah sponge and the gelatine bioplastic to rest on top of the reinforcers.

-Scroll saw

-Scissors

-Chisel

Step 1: Gelatine Biomaterial Preparation

This is where I prepared the gelatine biomaterial. Below are the ingredients I used to prepare it:

-Gelatine, 3X 10g

-Water, 100ml

-Vinegar, 50ml

-Glycerine, 5ml

-Bicarbonate of soda, 15 ml

-Tumeric, 5g

The above measurements were for the first time I tested if the material would work, In the actual preparation of the final prototype, all the ingredients are three times as many as those of the tests.

Method:

1. Mix the vinegar with water and turmeric inside a pot and put on low heat. Pour the gelatine sachets into the pot after 7–10 minutes when the mixture is hot, and mix thoroughly until blended.

2. Pour the glycerine and bicarbonate of soda into the mixture and stir, then pour onto the surface for drying (about 24 hours) to thoroughly dry.

Properties of the finished material

This mixture is glue-like for its stickiness, and its viscosity is like that of a syrup. When dried. When dried, it is flexible and can withstand stretching and tension. The light passes through the material neatly and changes color due to the addition of turmeric to the mixture for color (any color can be used to stain the gelatine mixture since it is colorless). It's very flexible, similar to a sheet of floor mat.

Step 2: Clay Biomaterial Preparation

The ingredients needed for the clay biomaterial preparation are below:

-Clay soil

-Coarse river sand

-Water

The clay is mixed with the coarse sand, in this case, the coarse sand will strengthen the clay when it cures and add a bit of weight to the stand for the luminaire to not fall off when in use.

The coarse sand was not measured, nor was the clay. I took enough for the stand and kept mixing the sand step by step until it felt rigid. Then I started shaping the stand with rectangular pieces of tile for consistency on the outer part of the stand.

Step 3: Reinforcers Preparation

The pictures above show the process of making both the additives that make up the luminaire, which are the reinforcers made of birch wood and loofah sponge for aesthetics to the luminaire through it, and these materials will be stuck together using a 'Kores 100% natural glue' since in this project the aim is to use eco materials and additives possibly.

Step 4: Assembly of the Luminaire

The pictures above follow the steps on how the luminaire was assembled. The loofah, birch wood reinforcers, and gelatine biomaterial are mounted on the top of the cay biomaterial stand, and the cord for the light will go through the clay's hole on the corner shown in the pictures above.

The birch wood reinforcers protrude to the bottom of the loofah and go through the 3 drilled holes on the top part of the clay biomaterial.