What If Lab: Sustainable Society

What if.. we could design our sustainable society together?

By Erasmus Huis

Indonesian x Dutch designers

Five Indonesians designers teamed up with designers from the Netherlands to find new solutions for some of the complex challenges that define Indonesia today: Sustainable Education, Clean air and Bio Based Materials

Clean air: UNMASKED, making the invisible visible (2019-05-01) by Erasmushuis and Air pollution is a serious problem in Indonesian cities, with Jakarta’s air quality, as one of the worst worldwide. It is an ever-growing problem that impacts global climate and more directly the health of the residentsErasmus Huis

Clean air: UNMASKED, making the invisible visible

Air pollution is a serious problem in Indonesian cities, with Jakarta’s air quality, as one of the worst worldwide. It is an ever-growing problem that impacts global climate and more directly the health of the residents.

What if Lab Unmasked Photo 2 (2019-05-01) by ErasmushuisErasmus Huis

UNMASKED

There is little information available on pollution levels, seldom real-time and often hidden in apps or platforms. All this time, residents opt for the convenience of private motorized vehicles, unaware of the accompanying air pollution and risk it has for their health.

What if Lab Unmasked Photo 3 (2019-05-01) by ErasmushuisErasmus Huis

UNMASKED

UNMASKED takes local sensor data and presents it in a clear and engaging way. Using the metaphor of particles in the air, real-time pollution levels are broadcast on the street on public displays. Other than that, UNMASKED can be accessed on the mobile phone.

Designers: Unmasked (2021-07-22) by Robert LalenohErasmus Huis

Designers: Unmasked

Vivian Maretina is a product designer passionate about social design projects, working to solve humanity problem and empowering the economic value for the people.

Sustainable education: MariBuat (2019-05-01) by ErasmushuisErasmus Huis

Sustainable education: MariBuat

The MariBuat project investigates the establishment of a sustainability education programme in Indonesia through combining the local curriculum "Kurikulum 2013" and "Sustainable development goals" into an educational tool.

What If Lab - MariBuat - 9955 (2015-01-01) by ErasmushuisErasmus Huis

MariBuat

The goal is to provide children with knowledge and ways to reduce our impact on the earth now and in the future. Through prototypes and lots of physical presence in schools, children are encouraged and motivated to take ownership of their environment.

What If Lab - MariBuat - 9959 (2015-01-01) by EramushuisErasmus Huis

MariBuat

The final concept, MariBuat, is Indonesian for news wall for research and implementation through making (Mading Riset Implementasi Buat). Mading is an existing presentation form that is an accepted phenomenon in many Indonesian schools.

What If Lab - MariBuat (2015-01-01) by ErasmushuisErasmus Huis

MariBuat

Indonesian schools have especially employed theme-based education. Design-based learning is therefore seen as added value that teaches from the perspective of problem-solving abilities based on the steps that designers employ in the design process.

What If Lab - MariBuat - 0021 (2015-01-01) by EramushuisErasmus Huis

MariBuat

By giving the children visual ownership of their research and design process this will make them aware that the future is in their hands and that they have the power to contribute to positive change.

Designers: sustainable society (2021-07-21) by Robert LalenohErasmus Huis

Designers: MariBuat

Darina Salsabila Maulana conducts ongoing research into sustainable design in the public space and educational institutes. With her projects, she focuses on educating children in primary schools about the environment.

What if Lab MariBuat Photo 1-2 (2019-05-01) by EramushuisErasmus Huis

Bio-based materials: Mycelium Future

Mycelium is the vegetative part of fungus consisting of a network of fine white filaments. Mycelium has the ability to form a composite material that can be made into tiles. This means that it has great potential as a sustainable future bio-material.

What If Lab - Mycelium - Photo 2 (2019-05-01) by ErasmushuisErasmus Huis

Mycelium Future

Our experimentation at the Mycotech factory lead us to focus on enhancing the appearance of the natural looking material giving it a more modern and decorative aesthetic through combining various colours of mycelium leather creating minimalist patterns.

What If Lab - Mycelium - Photo 3 (2019-05-01) by EramushuisErasmus Huis

Mycelium Future

They employed natural materials such as tea and timber for the tanning and coloring process. When compared to animal leather production this natural process can be seen as ‘cradle to cradle’. It is not only biodegradable; it has lower cost waste treatment impact and maintenance.

What If Lab - Mycelium - Photo 4 (2019-05-01) by ErasmushuisErasmus Huis

Mycelium Future

The designers wanted to dive into the production of mycelium and analyse all the steps of the product’s manufacturing process to find new ways of transforming this eco-friendly material into consumer products.

Designers: Ronaldiaz Hartantyo (Mycotech) & Iwan Pol (Olasol) (2019-05-01) by ErasmushuisErasmus Huis

Designers: Mycelium Future

Ronaldiaz Hartantyo has a background in architecture with a focus on conservation. He has built vernacular houses together with local communities. Ronaldiaz and his partners created Mycotech, a company focusing on making sustainable material from mushroom mycelium.

Designers What If Lab (2021-07-22) by ErasmushuisErasmus Huis

Designers: Mycelium Future

Nidiya Kusmaya is a textile artist and researcher who works on textile materials and natural dyeing methods that could be applied as various crafts and products.

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

Erasmus Huis

Stories from Erasmus Huis

Online Exhibit