Week 10: Sustainability. Biomaterials.¶
Assignments¶
- Biomaterials
- Reflection
Biomaterials¶
This is the first time I have worked with biomaterials, so I decided to keep things simple. I am preparing two basic recipes using agar agar and gelatine. For now, I am not using any other additives.
I have a couple of silicone moulds, so I am using those rather than fabricating new ones.
Agar Agar Recipe¶
- Water: 300 ml
- Agar agar: 10 g
- Glycerol: 16 g
Gelatine Recipe¶
- Water: 55 ml
- Gelatine: 10 g
- Glycerol: 5 g
I cooked both recipes following the information in the biomaterials presentation provided by Fab Learning.
For now, everything looks fine. I have to wait 7 days to see the results. I am going to monitor the samples and try to keep the humidity low to avoid mould growth.
Reflection¶
- Have you considered sustainable practices in your teaching in the pasts? How? What aspects do you think should be improved in your own teaching environment?
My experience is that most Design and Technology (or related) subjects include sustainability in the curriculum. To help students understand the importance of minimising the environmental impact of a product, I use the concept of the six R’s (Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair). We look at how these can be applied in practice when designing and manufacturing products.
When students are given a design task, they also need to take into account life cycle analysis (LCA) in order to assess the environmental impact associated with a product (materials, manufacturing, transport, use, and end of life).
I believe that making sustainability more explicit in the assessment criteria could be a good way to ensure students consider it more consistently. If sustainability is assessed, students are more likely to think about it throughout the design and manufacturing process and to explain the specific practices they used (for example, material choice, waste reduction, reuse of offcuts, and end-of-life options).
- How Digital Fabrication might support sustainable practices? When using Digital Fabrication what actions you can take to support sustainable practices.
Digital fabrication encompasses a range of manufacturing processes and materials. As I explained before, lessons and projects can explicitly include sustainability by using frameworks such as the six R’s and life cycle assessment to help students make informed design decisions.
Digital fabrication can support sustainable practices because it enables precision, iteration, and optimisation. For example, CAD and CAM allow students to refine dimensions before making, reduce errors, and plan material usage more efficiently.
When using digital fabrication in the workshop, I remind students of the importance of using materials responsibly to avoid waste (cardboard, textiles, timber, plastics, metals). This includes showing them how to nest parts on a sheet to minimise waste, selecting the right thickness and material for the purpose, and reinforcing the importance of a strong design phase and detailed engineering to avoid producing unnecessary prototypes and therefore reduce material use.
- How could you integrate both culturally reflective learning and digital fabrication in your environment? Could you come up with some project ideas using digital fabrication in which cultural diversity of students is highlighted?
I’ve had the opportunity to work in very international and diverse settings, both in terms of students and teaching staff from all over the world. Teaching in the Middle East while following the British curriculum required some adjustments. Seasonal projects linked to Christmas, Halloween, or other cultural or religious celebrations that are common in Europe were not always relevant in that setting, because they only connected to a small number of students.
To make learning more culturally reflective, I try to use examples that represent different regions and traditions. For instance, if I’m teaching how architecture takes inspiration from nature, I would show examples from around the world as well as local examples that students recognise (e.g., a bridge many of them cross on the way to school).
I also think it is important to acknowledge that product designers are influenced by their culture, history, and background. When students are tasked with designing and manufacturing a product, they should have a voice in the process and feel free to express their identity and cultural references through their design choices.
Tools¶
- Tools or software used
- References or tutorials followed