Laasya Bosukonda       

 



Work  

Ground

Developed from spent coffee grounds, this series explores sustainable material innovation through hand shaping, 3D printing, and casting. 

It reflects a circular design approach rooted in local waste reuse and collaborative making, with a focus on material impact in design.

This work highlights the potential of food waste-derived biomaterials for scalable, design-driven applications.

Skills

Design, Material research, Prototyping, Experimentation 


Timeline

Fall 2024 - Present 


Materials

Agar agar, Potato starch, Gelatin, Xantham gun, Glycerin, Coffee grounds, Banana peels, Cellulose, Molds

Tools

Miro, Ziplocks, Foil, 3D Printer 




Material


Bioplastic recipe development using coffee grounds and banana peels through hand piping.

Printing


3D printing with coffee-based mixtures for scalable fabrication.

Coasters


Collaboration with Memo Furniture and Fulcrum Coffee Roasters to create coasters from roastery waste.

Furniture


Received a $3,000 grant from the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry to develop modular furniture.



Why does this matter?


Waste streams constitute the only responsible material source in our world.

As of 2020, humanity officially became the maker of the planet. According to research published in the Scientific American, all human-made synthetic objects now outweigh the combined biomass of all living organisms on Earth.

This raises questions about the future of architecture and design disciplines as the accumulation of new matter now leaves an irreversible footprint.





Material Characteristics


6–15 million tonnes of spent coffee grounds are generated every year.

Most spent coffee grounds end up in landfills, releasing methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO₂.

In Europe, coffee ground disposal emits about 650 million kg of CO₂-equivalent each year, equal to the energy use of 80,000 homes.




Coasters

Collaboration with Memo Furniture and Fulcrum Coffee Roasters to create coasters from roastery waste.

The work continues in Pittsburgh with Redhawk Coffee, grounding the project in place-based design.






Coffee Waste Coasters





Tea Waste Coasters





Process






Material


Bioplastic recipe development using coffee grounds and banana peels through hand piping.





Proposed Application


A sustainable composite material made from banana peels and coffee grounds to create a growth wall for plants.

The wall acts as both, a support structure and a nutrient source by:

  • Leveraging organic waste to enhance plant growth
  • Improving soil fertility, preventing erosion, and boosting water retention
  • Recycling agricultural by-products into valuable resources

Field trials will evaluate its effectiveness in improving crop yields and restoring soil health.



Material Process

An in-depth overview of the full design process, highlighting the various prototypes and refinements that informed and shaped the final outcome





Final Material Recipe and Characteristics

The final material features a naturally warped form, where coffee grounds and banana-based bioplastic are seamlessly integrated





Shaping Strategies


Investigated multiple approaches to shaping and forming in order to identify a solution that balanced durability with design intent



Individual Recipes

Refined recipes by experimenting with ingredients and proportions to reach the desired material consistency







Printing

In progress—more documentation coming soon.


3D printing with coffee-based mixtures for scalable fabrication.







Developing modular 3D-printed bricks to be used at an architectural scale.






Furniture

In progress—more documentation coming soon.


Received a $3,000 grant from the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry to develop modular furniture.

Back to Work

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