The Intersection between MDD and DIY Aimed at Promoting Growing Materials within Established Markets

The sustainable use of resources is a pressing challenge for our planet, demanding attention from product designers to foster a biocentric and sustainable future. Regenerative materials, such as Growing Materials (GM), are increasingly valued for their circularity and performance benefits. To enhance collaboration between designers and innovative materials, the Material Driven Design (MDD) methodology has been developed to identify suitable markets. In addition to this, emerging regenerative materials, adaptable to the Do It Yourself (DIY) approach, are gaining popularity beyond industry, enabling work with common tools without specialized skills. This contribution proposes integrating MDD with DIY to combine theoretical research with practical verification, with the objective to validate these materials and ensure their effective application in viable markets. The process involves four MDD steps and three experimental design phases, defined by the authors, to assess Bacterial Cellulose (BC) performance in upholstered furniture. Conclusions will highlight integration opportunities and analyze associated constraints, defining a new role for designers in the GMs landscape, extending from product realization to the design of related product systems.