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New European Bauhaus
Project

Breathe IN Breathe OUT

How do you tell the difference between natural and manufactured materials? Could their sense of smell help tell them apart?

Breathe IN Breathe OUT © European Union
Breathe IN Breathe OUT
© European Union, 2021

How do you tell the difference between natural and manufactured materials? Could their sense of smell help tell them apart? ???

Breathe IN Breathe OUT is a project that explores how smell might structure new interactions with unfamiliar materials and play a key role in their future social acceptance, such as bioplastics.

The concept is one of the submissions in the "Techniques, materials and processes for construction and design" category for the 2021 New European Bauhaus award prizes.

The Bratislava-based interdisciplinary design team, formed by crafting plastics! & Office MMK, employs scent as a design tool to create novel aroma-active biomaterials for a future world of circular consumption.

A distinct odour is used to assist consumers in identifying the raw material of bioplastics and conveying its lifetime. ????‍?

Breathe IN Breathe OUT is created with entirely biobased polymer blends that are recyclable, circular, and biodegradable. The products are manufactured using 3D printing technology and only natural ingredients for the essences.

The revolutionary methodology introduces a new strategy for developing sustainable products based on aroma-active biomaterials.

Scents are developed in collaboration with citizens involved in the design process. Their feedback is used to improve the aesthetics and fragrances of the project. Since its inception, the initiative has garnered excellent feedback, which has helped enhance the smells. ?️♻️

Another purpose of the design study project is to build a one-of-a-kind smells library for bioplastic materials. Because it is difficult for the consumer to distinguish if a product is composed of petroleum-based plastics or a biocomposite, the sense of smell can provide an additional material property and assist in identifying natural and synthetic materials.

When the materials are heated, they emit a starchy, sweet aroma reminiscent of bread, distinctive for starch or sugar-based biopolymer blends. The designers' impression of material degradation is another smell developed. ??

The produced fragrances are used in interior design and architecture to identify the material's origin.

? © European Union