From construction waste to an international conference: KTU designers installation reflected scenarios of sustainable future

On September 24 in Vilnius, at the conference “GovTech Leaders 2024” organized by the Innovation Agency’s GovTech Lab, representatives from the public sector, experts, and scientists from Lithuania and abroad analyzed the development, challenges, and opportunities in the public sector and technology. Artificial intelligence (AI) was also discussed in this context, with a focus on how AI’s development will impact the public sector in the near future, and vice versa. A dedicated “Idea Lab” space at the conference was created to host this discussion, with a presentation of co-created potential future models. These models were illustrated by a series of circular design experiments created by design researchers from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and videos produced by students from Vilnius Academy of Arts.

One man’s trash is another man’s conference installation

To address ecological issues driven by technological development, the installation was made entirely from recycled and renewed materials. The wooden framework was constructed from oak sticks that had been used as wall paneling for over five decades in an apartment in Kaunas. The black rubber supporting the structure was donated by a Lithuanian handbag designer, as it did not meet her quality standards and could no longer be used in leather goods production. All installation details were made from industrial waste: recycled plastic melting tests, laser-cut cardboard, plant-based ceramic prototypes, 3D printing and textile experiments.

The recycled wood installation was created and produced at the industrial design workshop “Olabas”, coordinated by KTU Design Centre. This laboratory follows the “zero kilometers” philosophy, which promotes the use of local resources and production as close as possible to the point of consumption, thus reducing transport-related pollution and energy consumption.

Intersections of construction waste, AI and modernist painters

The design objects were created by KTU Design Centre lecturer Lukas Avėnas and experts from the Technological and Physical Sciences Excellence Center (TiFEC): Giuseppe Donvito, Hari Prasanna Manimaran, and Lorenzo Piazzi. According to the authors, the installation’s visual aesthetic was inspired by modernist painter Piet Mondrian and his abstract geometric compositions. “Mondrian’s journey to complete abstraction began with simplifying tree branch compositions,” says Lorenzo Piazzi, head of the “Olabas” circular design lab. The motif of a tree connects the lab’s philosophy with the chosen materials: the cyclical nature of a growing tree, the repurposing of old interior decorations, and material experiments combining industrial and household waste.

Material science and design research for a cleaner future

TiFEC, based at Kaunas University of Technology, aims to improve functional materials for sustainable technologies. According to KTU Design Center creatives, the science of new materials is essential to implementing the EU Green Deal, as it replaces popular polluting material by creating environmentally friendly, renewable, and low-energy alternatives.

The installation created for the international conference directly aligns with TiFEC’s goals—to integrate innovative material science in solving societal problems, create sustainable materials, and develop more efficient solutions for ecological challenges. To link scientific innovations with practical environmental solutions, designers used eco-friendly materials such as recycled plastic, plant-based ceramics, and mycelium.

Should we always use technologies just because we can?

In the context of the EU Green Deal, rapid innovation development causes massive changes in engineering, product design, and production chains. “The principles of circular design allow us to combine latest technologies with time-tested mechanical solutions, to use familiar materials in new ways or, on the opposite, return to analog techniques,” says the KTU Design Centre team.

Sustainable materials in the “GovTech Leaders” installation addressed the social and economic dynamics under discussion. Recycled polypropylene reflected the principle of a circular economy—using recyclable materials reduces resource waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Bio-ceramics with eggshells symbolized the use of local materials and waste, promoting community self-sufficiency. Clay with buckwheat husks illustrated the bioeconomy principle, where agricultural residues are reused to help reduce waste, preserve soil fertility, and create sustainable agricultural processes. Biodegradable wax symbolized bodily comfort and the balance between work and leisure in the context of future governance. Concrete with dead mycelium was chosen to explore themes of uncertainty and unplanned stress, and also reflected the construction industry’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, as it is one of the largest sources of emissions in Europe.

The sustainable materials installation was created as part of the project “Technological and Physical Sciences Excellence Center (TiFEC)” No. S-A-UEI-23-1, funded by the Lithuanian Science Council and the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania under the “Universities’ Excellence Initiative” program.