giant & reedy

My bachelor thesis deals with the reed grass „Miscanthus Giganteus“. Since this raw material has an impressive yield, a positive climate balance and diverse application possibilities, it is worthwhile to also examine it from a product design perspective. Especially in times of resource scarcity, it becomes clear that our society needs to rethink its current product culture. In this context, miscanthus can offer an interesting alternative to conventional materials in the future. In the practice-oriented process of my work, possibilities of the resource-saving and local use of the reed are worked out. The focus is on defining the material-specific aesthetics of miscanthus and taking them into account in product design. The results are various artifacts that are which are easy to produce and which combine the technical, aesthetic and the technical, aesthetic and ecological potential of the material. In order to make the use of plant-based raw materials and the associated changes in material aesthetics and production methods tangible, a website was designed on which experiments can be entered and ideas exchanged. Using a configurator, it is possible to search for different criteria in the categories of form, function and capability.

in cooperation with the research team of the agricultural faculty of the University of Bonn under the direction of Prof. Dr. Ralf Pude