What is your project title?

Designing Healthy Places Through Regional Biomaterial Development in the South West of England.

Tell me about yourself:

I am an incoming PGR student at Falmouth University researching regenerative material systems, biomaterials, and circular approaches for the built environment. With a background in craft-led material practice, I founded a bespoke surface design studio and now lead Do Not Go Gentle, an education and consultancy platform exploring how design can enable more transparent and regenerative material futures.

Tell me about your project:

This research explores how regenerative material systems and biomaterials can support healthier, circular approaches to the built environment in the South West of England. Despite growing interest in bio-based materials, their adoption within construction remains limited due to technical, cultural, economic, and supply-chain barriers. Through a design-led research approach, the project will combine bio-regional mapping, stakeholder engagement, and material experimentation to investigate locally available biological resources and their potential applications. The research aims to identify pathways for biomaterial adoption, develop early-stage material propositions, and contribute practical frameworks for healthier, lower-carbon construction practices. By connecting regional resources, industry needs, and design innovation, this project seeks to support a more regenerative relationship between materials, buildings, and the environments they inhabit.