ATLAS Colloquium: Circular Futures - Prototyping through Eco Materials and Digital Fabrication

Abstract: Beth Ferguson will share recent research and design work from the Circular Futures Lab at University of California, Davis which investigates climate solutions through ecological design, digital fabrication, and sustainable materials. One of the lab’s key projects, the Eco Materials Library, provides practical guidance for Makerspaces to create their own collections of regenerative and waste-based materials including biomaterials, upcycled resources, and locally sourced natural materials like clay and bamboo. These materials offer new opportunities for low-carbon product design and architecture. Ferguson will also present her new Hybrid Basket project, which integrates craft with computational design through the fusion of handwoven reed and custom 3D-printed support rings. The forms explore structure and material relationships within fiber vessels, leveraging digital fabrication to expand the possibilities of woven forms. Together, these projects reflect the Circular Futures Lab’s commitment to rethinking material culture through systems thinking, craft, and climate resilience.

Bio: Beth Ferguson is an ecological designer whose work integrates solar engineering, active mobility, digital craft and sustainable materials to advance climate resilience and reduce carbon emissions. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Design at the University of California Davis, where she directs the Circular Futures Lab. Her projects have been exhibited internationally at Ars Electronica, Dutch Design Week, Otago Museum, and Centre d’Arts Santa Mònica, and nationally at SXSW, the ZERO1 Biennial, TEDxPresidio, and the Exploratorium. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, BBC News, The New York Times, Wired Italy, and Radio New Zealand. Ferguson has held residencies at the Autodesk Technology Center in San Francisco, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and the American Arts Incubator in New Zealand.

https://circularfutureslab.org/