Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design

🌿 Exploring the Future of Fabrics ✨ This year’s Future Fabrics Expo by The Sustainable Angle brought together a collection of over 5,000+ certified responsibly produced materials - showcasing innovation at the intersection of design, health, and sustainability. At the expo, HML researcher Jessica Thies explored the latest advancements, collecting textile samples and engaging with manufacturers for the Donghia 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘳 Materials Library at Parsons School of Design - The New School. This hands-on research helps us continually expand our collection of safer, more sustainable material options.  Highlights that inspired us: ✨ Decomposition Library: A compelling exploration of how textiles and biomaterials break down into compost. It’s a visual reminder of the importance of designing for the full lifecycle of textiles in this case for decomposition and prioritizing soil health. ✨ Sparxell: A stunning plant-based pigment that mimics the structural colors of butterfly wings using cellulose from sustainably managed forests. This non-toxic, plastic-free material offers a more sustainable approach to finishes and coloration. ✨ ELEVATE by UNCAGED Innovations: A scalable leather alternative crafted from grain byproducts, plant polymers, and natural ingredients. Seeing this material evolve from prototype to production highlights the rapid advancements in biobased innovations. We’re eager to run these new materials through our rigorous evaluation process, which addresses energy use, chemical impacts, carbon emissions, and toxicity. The Future Fabrics Expo took place on November 19th and 20th at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC. We’re excited by these innovative textiles. Which material innovation excites you the most? Let us know! 🌱 * New innovations are often made of proprietary ingredients, we aim to support innovations which target 100% biobased content and eliminate petrochemical processes. Featured in images are newera.bio Sparxell, UNCAGED Innovations. NUVI, PACT, SEFF, rootfull by Zena Holloway, 29acacia (formerly Fiiba), Decomposition Library by Hana Hudson, and BioFluff (SAVIAN).

They may be in the carpet, between your walls (insulation), on your painted walls, and in some of the adhesives and sealants in your home. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are considered endocrine disrupting chemicals - synthetic chemicals that when absorbed into the body either mimic or block hormones and interfere with the body’s normal functions. PBDEs are flame retardant chemicals used in furniture, electronics, and textiles, added to slow the spread of fire. Exposure to some flame retardants are associated with lowered IQ and hyperactivity in children as well as cancer, hormone disruption, and decreased fertility in adults. There are safer ways to create flame-resistant products without sacrificing our health or our planet. At Healthy Materials Lab, we work every day to identify alternatives and drive the adoption of healthier, non-toxic materials. Please include HML in your charitable giving so that we can continue to provide you with cutting edge, healthy materials and strategies. Our ongoing work relies on your support. Together, we can make a difference. https://lnkd.in/eWWDyacK

Over 75,000 designers in one place? Count us in. At High Point Market Authority 2024, our Healthy Materials exhibition spotlighted products designed without antimicrobials, PFAS chemicals, vinyl, VOCs, or formaldehyde - ensuring healthier, toxic-free interiors environments. From mineral paints and plant-based upholstery to solid wood furniture and innovative mycelium panels, our exhibition at the 313 Space brought the future of healthy materials for design into focus. We engaged with designers, manufacturers, and industry leaders to show that healthy materials aren’t just sustainable - they’re regenerative, scalable, durable, beautiful, AND available now. 🔗 Explore exhibit details: https://lnkd.in/eTNfyxuJ Featured in order of appearance: Keim Mineral Coatings of America, Inc. ; Loose Parts ; nanimarquina ; Collected by Schwung ; Duracryl Global Flooring ; MushLume Lighting ; mafi - walk on art ; Hempitecture ; Libeco ; Stickbulb Photos by Chloe Trigano.

Fungi-tastic vibes at ‘From Field to Form: Mycelium’! 🌿🍄✨ Here’s a peek at the night that gathered mycelium experts - all exploring the magic of mycelium in design from the ground up. Thanks to everyone who joined the spore-tacular evening and to our fantastic partner The Architectural League of New York. We’ll have the panel recording soon! If you’d like it in your inbox as soon as it’s available, sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eMpUfz4c

Your carpet. Your couch. The window shades. The floor. Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) chemicals are in many products that surround us - and they increase our risk for cancer, elevated cholesterol, decreased fertility, thyroid problems and decreased immune response to vaccines. Toxic chemicals don’t have to be in our homes. Your support funds our research and resources to create healthy homes.  PFAS chemicals are found in the bodies of 98% of Americans. We are exposed from food packaging, drinking water, and dust in our living spaces  PFAS are “forever chemicals,” predicted to remain in our environments for milenia. We can make better choices 🟡 At Healthy Materials Lab, we’re dedicated to finding healthier ways to make homes safer for everyone. With your support, we can continue our critical research to vet safe materials, advocate for change, and transition toward designing places that eliminate exposure to toxic chemicals. Please consider donating and join us in creating a healthier future. Our ongoing work relies on your support. Together, we can make a difference. https://lnkd.in/eWWDyacK

If you’ve been to the Donghia healthier Materials Library or any of HML’s recent events, you may have met Stanislas Walden! Stan is a postgraduate researcher (a recent graduate of Parsons’ M.Arch program) and an integral part of our team. This fall he has been training our new material researchers and helping coordinate HML’s exhibition at the 2024 High Point Furniture Market. He is also dedicated to researching and vetting materials for our expanding materials collection, working diligently with the team to ensure we include the healthiest options for your design work. Stan’s favorite part about HML? “The small, highly collaborative team dynamic. It’s a pleasure to work with experts who push manufacturers and designers to do better every day. I went to architecture school because I felt it was a field where we could address the climate crisis meaningfully. Continuing with HML is a dream come true!” Outside of HML, Stan’s passion for sustainable design soars. Last January, a The New School travel grant took him to Derek Jarman’s iconic Prospect Cottage and Garden in Dungeness, UK. Stan describes the experience as “austere, snowy, and stunning—a meditation on site, memory, and storytelling” that inspired his thesis. This exploration now forms part of his upcoming show, AIDS at The New School: What is Remembered? at Parsons’ Aronson Galleries, 66 Fifth Avenue. The exhibit opens on November 23, 2024, and runs until January 12, 2025—come see it! Catch Stan in the gallery this winter or studying materials at the Donghia healthier Materials Library!

This mesmerizing growth of fungi is beautifully captured by Wim van Egmond with audio crafted by Urban Utan. Mycelium grows by expanding its thread-like structures called hyphae, which branch out, intertwine, and create an intricate underground network. The growth process not only sustains ecosystems by breaking down organic material but also has exciting applications for sustainable building materials. This Wednesday, we’re co-hosting “From Field to Form: Mycelium” in partnership with The Architectural League of New York! Since mycelium has so much promise, we’re not surprised that tickets quickly sold out and the waitlist has reached its maximum - the good news is that the event will be recorded and the video will be released in a couple of weeks! 🔗 Request the recording here: https://lnkd.in/eMpUfz4c

Mycelium is reshaping our built environment. Yes, it's happening now. Fungi are powerful allies - used for food, medicine, and environmental cleanup. Mycelium, the vast network of fungal threads, is now also taking root as a sustainable, climate-positive material for constructing healthier spaces. Grown to insulate, mold into bricks, and even create textiles, mycelium has the potential to replace plastic products in our built environment and inspire a more regenerative future. On November 20th, join us for an in-depth conversation with pioneers in mycelium-based design. Together with researchers, cultivators, designers, and architects, we’ll explore how mycelium can revolutionize materials, fostering new possibilities for a healthy, carbon-conscious architecture. Moderated by Yale University’s Mae-ling Lokko and HML’s Jonsara Ruth, this program is part of the From Field to Form series with The Architectural League of New York. 🔗 This event is officially sold out, but you can join the waitlist here: https://lnkd.in/e8ZhxCxJ Released tickets will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

If the goal is to create healthier environments for everyone, we need to choose healthier materials for everything we design. This choice sets the tone for the entire project, beginning with a model or prototype. By choosing better materials, students and professionals can test these practices in models and align them with the principles of sustainable design and architecture, embracing healthier and less wasteful methods throughout the design process This Healthier Material Collection includes bio-based, mineral-based, and non-toxic options - from adhesives and dimensional surfaces to paints and packaging - offering safer alternatives to the petrochemical-based foams, glues, and paints traditionally used in model-making. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gz62PRKq

What role can mycelium play in shaping the future of healthy materials? Mycelium is the network of fungal threads, technically called hyphae, that are harnessed to do everything from cleaning up toxic waste sites to providing elegant wood stains to medicinal and culinary uses. The kingdom fungi can also mold bricks and be grown to insulate healthier, climate positive buildings. On November 20th, growers, manufacturers, designers, architects and innovators, at the forefront of mycelium’s use in material design and architecture, will be in conversation about the opportunities of using mycelium in the built environment. From Field to Form: Mycelium is an in-person event that explores the potential of mycelium to shape the future of healthy buildings. Healthy Materials Lab is organizing this event in collaboration with The Architectural League of New York, with a joint interest in exploring a future for architecture made of healthy, regenerative materials. RSVP Here: https://lnkd.in/eUVuGvuN