Join us at Aalto University on 28th of May 2026 for a full day of the latest insights on material sustainability, research and development. Get to know more about biodesign, biomaterials, mycelium-based materials, composites and digital textiles.

Materials Day at Aalto University

Join us at Aalto University on 28 May 2026 for a full day exploring the latest developments in material research and design. Materials play a key role in shaping more responsible ways of living, from everyday choices to industrial applications. The day is filled with expert talks, hands-on workshops, and an exhibition of material innovations. The morning focuses on biodesign, biomaterials, mycelium-based materials, composites, and digital textiles. Workshops offer opportunities to explore materials through practice, while the exhibition showcases demonstrations and new material solutions.

The event is in English and hosted by Ornamo and Aalto University. Materials Day is aimed at designers, creative professionals, and anyone interested in sustainable material futures. Participants may attend the morning, afternoon, or the full day.

Schedule

Morning: Research insights and practical examples  

8.30 | Arrival, registration and coffee 
9.00 | Opening remarks 

Keynotes 
9.10 | Barbara Pollini: Biodesign’s cross-disciplinary approach in bio-driven material innovation 
9.40 | Priska Falin: Geopolymers as a novel and potentially greener material alternative for creative practitioners 
10.10 | Manuel Arias Barrantes: Mycelium-Based Materials 

10.30 | Short break (10 min) 

Flash talks  

10.40 | Ritesh Sharma: Biobased binder formulation for textile printing with natural dyes 
10.55 | Sofia Guridi Sotomayor: Digital Textiles – futuristic experimentation. Interdisciplinary material development in the context of interactive textiles for Human-Computer Interaction.
11.10 | Harvey Shaw: Mycelium-Based Composites 
11.25 | Anubhuti Bhatnagar: Social risks and how to measure them in the clothing sector 
11.40 | Annukka Erheikki: Circular biofoams for protective packaging (Woamy Oy) 
11.55 | Matti Kantoniemi: Experimental environments

12.15–13.15 | Lunch break (self paid)

Afternoon: Workshops and exhibition  

During the afternoon, the audience has an opportunity to go deeper into the world of materials through workshops and material demos in the exhibition in the Kide building lobby.  The two workshops will be run in parallel. Some of the workshops require additional registration. You will find registration links to the workshops in an email sent on May 20th, and thereafter in the verification email when you have sign up for the main event.

13.15-16.00| Exhibition: Explore material samples and take part in a non-stop workshop with XAMK

13.20| Walking together to CHEMARTS lab at Vuorimiehentie 1 with group 1

13.30–14.30 | CHEMARTS Lab Workshop 1 (16 participants)
13.30–14.15 | Discussion workshop 1 (30 participants) facilitated by Hilda Rantanen, held at Kide, Konemiehentie 1

14.45 | Walking together to CHEMARTS lab with group 2

15.00–16.00 | CHEMARTS Lab Workshop 2 (16 participants)
15.15–16.00 | Discussion workshop 2 (30 participants) facilitated by Hilda Rantanen

Exhibitors include:
FinnCERES Materials Cluster (Aalto University & VTT), CHEMARTS (Aalto University), BioTechDemoDesign project (XAMK South–Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences) and material samples from the speakers: Priska Falin, Manuel Arias Barrantes, Sofia Guridi Sotomayor, Harvey Shaw and Woamy Oy.

What to expect from the afternoon workshops

CHEMARTS Lab Workshop
13.30 & 15.00
At the hands-on workshops held at the CHEMARTS Laboratory, participants will have the opportunity to explore bio-based materials by working with selected recipes from the CHEMARTS and Marvelous Materials cookbook. Participants will be introduced to various raw materials, as well as commonly used binders such as methyl cellulose.

Discussion Workshop with Hilda Rantanen
13.30 & 15.15
The afternoon discussion workshops will allow the participants to dive deeper into the practical side of adopting novelty materials and new ways of working. The discussion will touch on topics such as; what are the best sources of information, how does upcoming regulatory development affect the ways of working, what kind of new data requirements there are regarding the production and use of materials, and what practical aspects are still hindering the wider scale introduction of novelty materials. These discussions are the perfect platform for learning the best practices from other industry professionals, and for developing cross-industry collaborations with the potential to speed up the transition towards more sustainable practices.

XAMK non-stop workshops at the exhibition 
13.15–16.00 
Discover bio-based material experiments at the Xamk’s table! Explore samples of banana skin, objects pressed from citrus peels, and 3D-printed samples from fungal mycelium. In the non-stop workshop, you can assemble a key chain from dried biomass pieces or shape a growing medium from biochar! 

Get to know the speakers and exhibitors

Barbara Pollini, Assistant Professor, Aalto University, Department of Design
Barbara Pollini is an Assistant Professor in Biodesign Integration at Aalto University. She holds master’s degrees in Ecodesign and Computational Design; in 2023, she concluded a PhD on Biodesign’s potential for conventional and regenerative sustainability. For over a decade, as an adjunct professor at NABA Design University, she focused on Sustainable Design, Material Experimentation, Biodesign, and Design Fiction for sustainable futures. Her current research and teaching explore Biodesign Integration for bio-driven material innovation, focusing on bio-based, living, and life-enabling materials. 

Priska Falin, Academy Research Fellow, Aalto University, Department of Design
Priska Falin is a researcher and practitioner working at the intersection of materials, creative practice, and sustainability. Her work explores how raw materials are understood, used, and valued within art and design, with a particular focus on developing environmentally sustainable alternatives through experimental material research. Working with geopolymers and locally sourced or recycled materials, Falin investigates how material choices shape both creative processes and broader relationships between humans and the environments that sustain them. Her research highlights the cultural, aesthetic, and ethical dimensions of materials, advocating for more reflective and responsible approaches to making. Falin’s research is funded by the Research Council of Finland (2026–2029) and is conducted at Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Department of Design. 

Manuel Arias Barrantes . Doctoral Researcher, Aalto University, Department of Design & VTT 
Manuel is a designer working between the disciplines of design, biology, technology, and craft. Inspired by the notions of sustainability and new digital and biological tools, he has been actively researching mycelium-based materials for the last 6 years, together with scientists at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. He is currently conducting doctoral studies at Aalto University in collaboration with VTT. His research focuses on exploring biofabrication processes that integrate design and bioengineering principles to create materials capable of self-healing in the near future. He is also interested in methodologies for guiding designers and their material-driven processes in techno-scientific environments. 

Ritesh Sharma, Doctoral Researcher, Aalto University, Department of Bioproducts & Biosystems 
Ritesh holds a master’s degree in Fiber and Polymer Engineering with honors from Aalto University, where he is currently working as a doctoral researcher in the Textile Chemistry unit. His research focuses on developing sustainable approaches to textile coloration and printing, with an emphasis on biobased dyes and binder systems derived from renewable and waste resources. Ritesh’s work aims to advance environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional textile processing by integrating green chemistry principles, material innovation, and circular economy concepts. He is particularly interested in valorizing agricultural and food waste into functional materials for textile applications, contributing to more sustainable and responsible textile manufacturing. 

Sofia Guridi Sotomayor, Doctoral Researcher, Aalto University, Department of Design 
Sofía Guridi is a designer pursuing a PhD in Sustainable Computational Fabrics at Aalto University, as part of the Fashion/Textiles Futures research group and the Bioinnovation Center. She conducts interdisciplinary work at the intersection of textiles, electronics, and biomaterials to create interactive textiles. Combining traditional textile knowledge with material experimentation, her experience spans from applied research to artistic installations. You can find her work at https://sofiaguridi.xyz/start 

Harvey Shaw, Doctoral Researcher, Aalto University, Department of Bioproducts & Biosystems 
Harvey is a Doctoral Researcher in the Wood Material Science Department, investigating the use of Mycelium-Based Composites for low carbon materials to build our future with. His passion for fungi spawned from a grow kit in his teenage years, for which he nurtured through a Design Masters studies into a Material Science PhD. This unique journey from the arts into science, highlights the interdisciplinary nature of fungi as a material and opens new perspectives on how we should create with living organisms.  

Anubhuti Bhatnagar, Postdoctoral Researcher, Aalto University, Department of Design 
Anubhuti is a researcher in the Department of Design at Aalto University, where she studies how clothing redesign, reuse, and recycling affect workers, communities, and consumers. Her work uses social life cycle assessment to better understand risks that are often overlooked in sustainability discussions. She also looks at questions of fairness, responsibility, and the unintended effects of building more circular systems. 

Annukka Erheikki, Business Development Manager of Woamy 
Inspired by nature and based on a decade of scientific research at Aalto University, Woamy is bringing to the market a novel, cellulose-based biofoam to replaces harmful fossil-based foams in packaging. Our patented biofoam is recyclable with cardboard, biodegradable, and empowers leading luxury and eco-conscious brands to meet both regulatory and technical packaging requirements with a circular solution. Read more about Woamy: https://www.woamy.com  

Matti Kantoniemi, Project Manager
Kantoniemi is working as a project manager at Xamk – Creative Industries Research Unit, leading RDI projects focused on the development and application of biomaterials in climate-responsible outdoor structures and experimental environments. These projects aim to create innovative construction solutions that not only reduce emissions but actively sequester carbon. By advancing bio-based materials and sustainable design approaches, we support regional carbon neutrality goals while fostering new business opportunities within the green construction sector. 

Hilda Rantanen, UI & Graphic Designer, Interior Architect (SIO)
Hilda Rantanen is the founder of the Materialisting Platform Service, an Interior Architect (SIO), and a UI and Graphic Designer. Through her work she wants to contribute to the green transition of the built environment, and to develop innovative approaches that will ensure the continued meaningfulness of design work in the midst of the significant transformation happening in the industry. Her background in Design and Architecture, coupled with her experience across a diverse spectrum of projects, particularly in the realm of real estate development, has endowed her with a comprehensive understanding of the industry’s evolution from both the perspectives of real estate owners, as well as that of the designers, construction professionals and manufacturers. Through her work with Materialisting this capacity has been further strengthened into solid strategic systems thinking and versatile communication skills.

FinnCERES
FinnCERES is a competence centre, jointly formed by Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in the area of materials bioeconomy.

Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems and CHEMARTS
The Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems (Bio2) is at the forefront of forest products technologies and cutting-edge biotechnology. CHEMARTS is a long-term strategic collaboration between two schools at Aalto University, the School of Chemical Engineering (CHEM) and the School of Arts, Design and Architecture (ARTS).

BioTechDemoDesign, Sustainable Technology and Bio-based Innovations
Biodesign is a new learning environment and development lab, located at Kouvola campus of South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk), developed with co-funding from the EU. Biodesign facilitates the development of nature-based materials, combining design, robotics, technology and hands-on modelling. We welcome students and entrepreneurs to carry out experiments with our team

Get to know our KESY-project

The Sustainable Design Entrepreneurship Network (KESY) connects small and medium-sized design businesses with researchers to share knowledge on sustainability regulation and responsible design practices. Through a multidisciplinary R&D collaboration model, the project helps design professionals build future-ready sustainability skills. Participants can join freely & take part in workshops, peer exchange, and expert sparring throughout 2026.