Material innovation as a cultural material practice: coconut based product design for regenerative futures

Abstract

The growing recognition that sustainability alone may be insufficient to address contemporary ecological and social crises has led to increased attention toward regeneration as an expanded design paradigm. While sustainable design has focused largely on efficiency and harm reduction, regenerative approaches seek to restore, renew, and strengthen the living systems upon which the built environment depends. However, translating regenerative principles to the level of materials and products remains underdeveloped, particularly within design education. This paper examines how regeneration can be cultivated through a practice based and participatory material exploration process. Using Culture Code 2025, a design led educational initiative centred on coconut-based product innovation in Sri Lanka, the study investigates how regeneration can emerge through observation, experimentation, prototyping, and collaboration with craftspeople. Based on the ecological and cultural context of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), the project engages students in hands on exploration that emphasises material intelligence, circularity, and cultural continuity. The findings suggest that practice led material innovation offers a viable pathway for approaching regeneration in the built environment, demonstrating how educational settings can nurture regenerative thinking and action at the scale of everyday products. The findings further suggest that this approach offers a replicable educational model for embedding regenerative thinking within design curricula. By demonstrating how locally rooted, practice-based engagement with natural materials can generate regenerative outcomes, the study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on sustainable built environment practice at the intersection of material culture, design education and ecological stewardship