Nominator: Michala Lipková

Nominator's statement

Hana Rehorčíková is a Slovak designer and a master's student in the Contemporary Design program at Aalto University, Finland. Her work focuses on developing circular and bio-based materials that have regenerative effects on nature and contribute to sustainable design practices.

Through hands-on experimental research, she explores the intersections of material, art, craft, science, and design. Her recently defended masters project Reedboards promotes a circular bioeconomy and reduce the carbon footprint, turning an environmental challenge into an opportunity.

REEDBOARDS

Reedboards is an interdisciplinary material design project that transforms common reed, a plant once primarily used for roof thatching, into high-performance, CO₂-storing, biodegradable panels made without any binders, using only reed fibers and water.

The material is produced through a newly developed binderless process in which reed fibers are mechanically refined into a natural gel that, when combined with ground particles, self-binds under heat and pressure.

This innovation responds to the ecological challenge of eutrophication in the Baltic Sea, where nutrient overload fuels reed overgrowth and disrupts ecosystems. Responsible harvesting removes excess phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbon while supporting biodiversity and cleaner waters. Reedboards demonstrates how regenerative design can transform an environmental burden into a valuable circular material with diverse applications.

EUTRO TABLE LAMP

Eutro Table Lamp is crafted from Reedboards, an innovative material developed through binderless technology that creates a true monomaterial using only reed and water. Harvesting reed in the Baltic region not only provides a sustainable resource but also contributes to coastal restoration by removing excess nutrients and carbon from the sea. Although reed currently holds little economic value in Finland, this project demonstrates its potential for high-value product design.

Large panels are pressed, cut, sanded, and assembled into lamp forms that emphasize both material innovation and ecological impact. Each lamp contains 900 grams of reed, removing up to 14.7 grams of nitrogen, 1.3 grams of phosphorus, and 412.2 grams of carbon. Laser-engraved nutrient values highlight its regenerative contribution.

GLASS & WIRECRAFT

This collection of hand-blown glass vases features intricate hand-crocheted wirework inspired by 18th-century Slovak wirecraft, recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage alongside glassblowing. The project explores integrating wirecraft into contemporary glass design, rethinking the historical hierarchy between materials.

Traditionally, wire complemented glass and ceramics, but this work questions whether the relationship can be reversed. Originating as a response to economic hardship, wirecraft evolved from repairing kitchenware into a global tradition.

Though its practice declined with industrialization and war, this collection reconnects with its roots, bridging past and present while introducing modern aesthetics.