July 2026
An Ocean of Possibilities for Sustainability
This exhibition brings together four designers who turn to the natural world for new ways of making. The ocean, with its constant adaptation, growth and renewal, runs through the exhibition as both inspiration and method: a model for how form, function and material can move in continuous cycles.
At the heart of the exhibition is the material itself, and where it comes from. Some of the works are printed from recycled plastics, including waste reclaimed from the sea such as discarded fishing nets, given a second life as objects of design. Others are made from biomaterials: renewable, plant-based or organic matter that can return to the earth at the end of its use. In both cases, the question is the same: how can what we make remain part of a cycle, rather than ending as waste?
Nori Chair
Mikkel Huse
Nori emerges from the intelligence of adaptation, inspired by seaweed that moves with shifting currents. The form of the chair arises from its relationship with the forces around it: it bends, yields and responds, finding strength in its capacity to adapt. Although the chair is produced from a rigid material, it retains a sense of softness and movement.
Nori was modelled in virtual reality, allowing a direct and tactile dialogue with the organic form. Produced using Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM), the chair embodies the same adaptability that inspired its shape.
About Mikkel Huse
Mikkel Huse is a Danish designer working at the intersection of natural inspiration, computational design and emerging production technologies.
Heliodiscus
Lilian van Daal
Heliodiscus is a prototype for a modular light sculpture, inspired by the glass-like skeletons of radiolaria: microscopic sea organisms whose geometric structures have fascinated scientists and artists for centuries. The formal language of these organisms, familiar from the work of the nineteenth-century biologist Ernst Haeckel, serves as the starting point for this design.
Using biophilic design and 3D printing, Lilian van Daal translates organic forms into a functional lighting piece. By printing the structures in a transparent, glass-like resin, the modules diffuse light in soft, scattered patterns that create a calming atmosphere.
About Lilian van Daal
Lilian van Daal is a Dutch product designer who uses biomimicry and nature-inspired design to bridge the gap between the natural and artificial worlds.
Hive
Stijn van Aardenne
The Hive Wall Lamp is the result of an in-depth exploration into the possibilities of layer orientation in 3D printing. Traditionally, objects are built up horizontally, layer by layer, but for this project Stijn van Aardenne developed a rotating printing system. This allows the printed layers to follow the geometry of the object, rather than being confined to horizontal deposition. The innovative process creates a distinctive surface in which light, material and the traces of fabrication come together in a visual language that does not conceal the production technology but instead celebrates it.
The lamp explores how production technology can become an integrated part of the design, rather than merely a means of making the object. By letting the layers move with the form, a dynamic pattern emerges that is both functional and aesthetic.
About Stijn van Aardenne
Stijn van Aardenne (1991) is a Rotterdam-based designer who specialises in developing his own machines, tools and production processes to push the boundaries of 3D printing. His work sits at the intersection of design, material research and digital fabrication.
3D Printe Ceramic Tiles
IOUS Studio
IOUS Studio presents a series of 3D-printed ceramic tiles, developed in collaboration with the Barcelona-based company LAMÁQUINA. This project represents an advanced application of computational design and digital fabrication in ceramics, bringing together technological precision and craftsmanship in a fully developed architectural product.
Conceived as a ceramic cladding system, the collection translates computational design strategies into scalable, buildable solutions. The system is designed to function at multiple scales, from interior applications to full façade integrations.
About IOUS Studio
IOUS Studio is an architecture and design studio specialising in emerging technologies, computational design and digital fabrication. Founded in Rotterdam in 2023, the studio explores new architectural possibilities through 3D printing and innovative materials.