Abstract
Eco material libraries are emerging in design education as more than repositories of samples. We define them as pedagogical material infrastructures that combine samples, recipes, documentation, and situated curation to support hands-on experimentation and reflection. Drawing on two case studies at the University of California Davis and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, we examine how these libraries are built, maintained, and engaged in practice through interviews with faculty curators and a preliminary student survey. Across both sites, the findings suggest that eco material libraries extend conventional material-library models by linking material selection to making, comparison, documentation, and student contribution. They function as dynamic infrastructures connecting material experimentation, teaching, and sustainability discourse, while making material temporality and ecological implications tangible in design education. Eco material libraries support material literacy and biodesign pedagogy through reflective, relational, and process-based engagement with transitional materials.
Keywords
biodesign pedagogy; eco material library; sustainable design; DIY making
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1485
Citation
Ferguson, B., Edens, S., and Lazaro Vasquez, E.S. (2026) Reflecting with Eco Material Libraries: Bridging Material Experimentation, Teaching, and Sustainability Discourse, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1485
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Reflecting with Eco Material Libraries: Bridging Material Experimentation, Teaching, and Sustainability Discourse
Eco material libraries are emerging in design education as more than repositories of samples. We define them as pedagogical material infrastructures that combine samples, recipes, documentation, and situated curation to support hands-on experimentation and reflection. Drawing on two case studies at the University of California Davis and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, we examine how these libraries are built, maintained, and engaged in practice through interviews with faculty curators and a preliminary student survey. Across both sites, the findings suggest that eco material libraries extend conventional material-library models by linking material selection to making, comparison, documentation, and student contribution. They function as dynamic infrastructures connecting material experimentation, teaching, and sustainability discourse, while making material temporality and ecological implications tangible in design education. Eco material libraries support material literacy and biodesign pedagogy through reflective, relational, and process-based engagement with transitional materials.