Full Article:

The paper moves the design debate from human-centered toward posthuman design, discussing how designers can use a strategy based on Multispecies Ethnography and Participatory Design, considering nonhuman agents to create efficient designs. To illustrate this, it describes a project of 3D-printed biomimetic structures for plants that enhances humidity levels in internal environments. The project methodology started by analyzing the ideal humidity for indoor plants and humans, which is between 40% to 50%. Subsequently, a biomimicry study was done to understand how to generate a cooler indoor microclimate using passive strategies and how to create an effective interlocking system to connect structures. 3D-printed structures as supports for water droplets were designed according to their performance and placed in different arrangements around the plant itself. The structures were tested, and humidity levels increased by approximately 13%. The paper discusses the resultant evidence-based design and a new approach to mass customization.