Designing for Change: Maïder Hastoy on Sustainability, Social Justice, and Working with Biobased Material
As part of our collaboration with the Architectural Design department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, Weidmann Fiber Technology had the opportunity to connect with graduating students who explored the creative and technical possibilities of Maplex Board, a sustainable biobased material, in their final projects.
In this interview, we speak with Maïder Hastoy, a designer and researcher whose work associates urban studies, social justice, and sustainability. Her graduation project, “Imagine it’s a City,” examines the complex relationship between architecture, politics, and responsibility and reflects on the role of materials in shaping a more conscious design practice.
Here, Maïder shares her thoughts on sustainability in design, her experience working with Maplex as a sustainable biobased material, and her vision for the future of material innovation.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your graduation project, and what motivates you to prioritize sustainability in your design projects?
I am Maïder Hastoy, a French Basque designer/researcher and a graduate of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, based in Eindhoven, Netherlands. My work focuses on interdisciplinary explorations of urban issues and social justice, questioning the ethics and responsibilities of designers and planners. Although architecture strongly influences my approach, visual experimentation and the use of diverse mixed media remain central to my practice.
In this graduation project, the spectator is invited to walk through a speculative city materializing in a 32 m2 wood structure composed of 30 panels, each representing the intersection between urban infrastructure and landscape, and political realities and ideologies.
The issue of sustainability, especially in the architecture industry, has become prominent priority and challenge. Not to tackle the challenge would be ignorant and irresponsible. More specifically, in my work, the sustainable question is something that I plan on developing further. As I have been focusing on political systems and social justice and structures, it is primordial to address that structures and, political and social systems cannot encounter radical change without a radical ecological and sustainability change; and vice versa, a radical ecological and sustainability change cannot happen without a radical political and societal change.
What inspired you to choose sustainable biobased materials and Maplex specifically for your graduation project?
When we talk of sustainable challenges, one of the biggest remains the economic side. Biobased materials moste often remain more expensive than standard construction materials, so we always tend to (especially as students with our tiny budgets) go for the cheaper options. To push the reflection a bit, in my opinion, most designers would wish to work with sustainable biobased material but hit a financial wall. It is not so much about whether we are drawn to those materials, but more about whether we encounter an opportunity to work and experiment with them, and that is what happened with Maplex. I was offered the opportunity to work with (biobased) materials, which I couldn’t have afforded in a regular setting.
How did the performance and functionality of Maplex meet your expectations during the project’s development? Were there any surprising advantages to or limitations of using this material?
I used white Maplex 2mm and natural Maplex 3mm for my project. They were used for laser cutting, marking, and engraving purposes. It went through an initial testing phase to figure out the right settings to use with the material. Surprisingly, the settings ended up being quite similar to those you would use for 6 mm MDF. Some things that one should be cautious of, however, are the burn marks that can become easily prominent depending on the intensity of the marking/cutting, and the fact that the white Maplex can get dirty quite quickly. It does not change its material properties; it’s only on the visual aspect.
How was your project received by your peers, professors, or industry professionals, especially in terms of material use and sustainability?
The emphasis was put on the project and concept because of the socio-political prominent dimension that my project took, and because of the structure of the curriculum. Discussing the materials on their own wasn’t high on the agenda, which, thinking back, was a shame. Perhaps it should take a bigger part in the conversation.
How do you envision the role of sustainable materials evolving in the design industry?
As I said before, sustainability in the materials and in the means of production is one of the most important challenges of the industry, and it’s going to continue to take space because it should.
What advice would you give to other designers for the overall material choices in their projects?
Of course, everyone should have the sustainability issue in mind and favor biobased materials. However, there’s a financial wall. A designer individually cannot shoulder the responsibility of using exclusively sustainable biobased materials, which will then result in more expensive projects, and only be affordable to very few people. We need a sustainable materials production model, making biobased materials accessible to all. The responsibility of material choices needs to be facilitated by the contractors, factories, and material production companies to find the right economic model so that sustainability won’t be perceived as a luxury but a normality. Our responsibility as designers is to reclaim and force this transition from the material industry.
What are your aspirations and plans for the next year in design?
I just started my master’s in Geo-Design at the Design Academy Eindhoven, which will keep me busy for the next two years. Alongside this post-grad program, I will actively be developing my solo practice-based studio, called Studio Haustura.
What impact would you like to make on the environment and society in general as you continue your design career?
I want to contribute to a design movement that brings people together and fosters a sense of community. As a designer, I hope to see sustainable, biobased materials and products become accessible to everyone. I wish to witness a profound transformation in environmental policies, one that goes beyond surface-level greenwashing and leads to real, meaningful change in how we design, produce, and live.
