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Eco Research Lab

@ecoresearchlab

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Biomimicry and Sustainable futures. Design explorations in biologically rich environments. Led by Grad Assoc. Chair Prof. J Meraz at @artcenteredu

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Huge congratulations to Veronica Rangel @veraurnica on receiving the Prize of Excellence in the 47th International Takifuji Art Award from Tokyo, Japan! 🇯🇵✨This award recognizes arts in the public realm
And even more exciting, Veronica was recognized for two projects created during her studies at @artcenteredu
ORIGIN — created in Prof James Meraz @ecoresearchlab Spatial Experience Design studio
A clay pavilion in Griffith Park exploring how architecture can work with the landscape rather than against it. Using earth as the primary material, Veronica considered erosion, ecology, and our relationship with displaced wildlife and the land.
COMMUNION — created in Assoc. Prof Penny Herscovitch’s @padlab studio
A “fourth space” inspired by catenary structures and living membranes. Using amate paper, Veronica explored the relationship between structure and skin to create an immersive space centered on ritual, touch, and connection.
Two projects. Two studios. One incredible recognition.
Congratulations, Veronica! We’re super proud to see your work recognized on an international stage. Competitiors for the award were from Germany, England, France, Singapore, China, Korea and Japan
#TakifujiArtsAward #ArtCenterCollegeOfDesign #spatialexperiencedesign taken in ArtCenter College of Design by @ecoresearchlab

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4 days ago

BIG WINS at IWF: Atlanta
Huge congratulations to our incredible ArtCenter students Nikki Tom Nicole Lee, and @joeli.design on an amazing showing at the @iwfatlanta IWF Woodworking Showcase the largest woodworking exhibition and competition in North America!
Nikki Tom — Best in Show
Joe Li — 1st Place, Design Creativity
Nicole Lee — Honorable Mention
Three students. Three major recognitions.
We couldn’t be more proud of you! Your work represents the kind of thoughtful, inventive and highly crafted design that makes our @artcenteredu students, and our programs so special.

A huge shout-out to our ArtCenter faculty for supporting and inspiring these amazing designers.
Proud of our students!
#ArtCenterCollegeofDesign #Woodworking #IWF2026 #IWFWoodworking DesignCreativity BestInShow FurnitureDesign IndustrialDesign StudentDesign DesignExcellence WoodDesign MadeByStudents taken in ArtCenter College of Design by @ecoresearchlab

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a month ago

Congrats to our awesome faculty: John Ford and all the students from @artcenteredu @artcentersxd @artcenterproduct on an incredible summer studio!

Take A Seat: explored the art, craft, and experience of sitting, pushing students to rethink what a chair can be and how we engage with it.

So much thoughtful, inventive, and beautifully crafted work. Congrats to all the students on a fantastic final! 👏
Super excited to be teaching with you in the fall term, Let’s goo! taken in ArtCenter College of Design by @ecoresearchlab

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a month ago

It’s going to be a wild fall semester...one more studio I’m pumped to lead at @artcenteredu

COEXISTENCE: Designing Shared Habitats

The future of design can not just be human-centered. It needs to be life-centered.
This is an idea I’ve been exploring for more than 10 years, ever since I was introduced to Dr. Pim Martens’ concept of “Sustanimalism” a way of thinking that challenges us to consider the balance between people, other living creatures, and the ecosystems we all depend on. this is also a theme for everything I’ve done around “Eco Research Lab”

This Fall studio asks a simple question:
How might design help people and nature thrive together?
Together we’ll explore how products, furniture, public spaces, and immersive experiences can strengthen biodiversity, restore ecological connections, and transform everyday urban environments into shared habitats.
Southern California will become our living laboratory as we research, prototype, and imagine regenerative futures where design creates value for both people and the natural world.
Open to all ArtCenter majors (5th term and above).
If you’re interested in pushing design beyond human needs and imagining what truly life-centered design could look like, join us this fall. taken in ArtCenter College of Design by @ecoresearchlab

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2 months ago

For the first time, I’m excited to open my Spatial Experience Design Core studio to students from all majors at ArtCenter.
Some of the most exciting ideas emerge when designers from different disciplines come together. This studio is an invitation to think beyond traditional boundaries, where product designers, architects, graphic designers, filmmakers, transportation designers, interaction designers, and artists can learn from one another while exploring the power of space.
Together, we’ll explore how environments shape human experience through research, storytelling, experimentation, and making. We’ll ask how design can influence the way people move, connect, gather, and imagine new possibilities for the spaces of tomorrow.
I’m looking forward to welcoming a diverse group of curious, creative thinkers this fall and seeing where their ideas take us.
#SpatialExperienceDesign #InterdisciplinaryDesign #immersiondesign #DesignEducation #FutureOfDesign ExperienceDesign taken in ArtCenter College of Design by @ecoresearchlab

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2 months ago

What if the future of furniture began in the ocean?
This fall, I’m super excited to be leading our Materials innovation: Seaweed To Seating Studio at @artcenteredu with my colleague John Ford.
Building on discoveries from the previous interdisciplinary studio, we’ll challenge students to design and prototype a chair that’s good for the planet and made from seaweed.
We’ll investigate how marine ecologies and emerging biomaterials can inspire new approaches to furniture design through research, experimentation, material innovation, and hands-on making. It’s an opportunity to rethink not only what we make, but what we make it from, and ultimately our relationship with our precious natural resources.
For me, this studio is part of a much larger conversation about regenerative design, moving beyond sustainability toward materials and systems that actively contribute to healthier ecosystems.
Let’s go!
#EcoResearchLab #SeaweedStudio #OceanEcologies #RegenerativeDesign #Biomaterials taken in ArtCenter College of Design by @ecoresearchlab

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2 months ago

I’ve been thinking about light and glass since first visiting Joshua Tree for @ecoresearchlab and taking the glass casting workshop @yuccavalleymaterialslab. Although I haven’t been actively thinking about this project, it’s hard not to see the parallels between my work now (first pic) and my original concept for a site specific glass panel installation in 2023. It’s pretty cool to see how Redux incorporates aspects from each of my creative lives (cooking, restaurant design, lighting, product design, etc). by @ecoresearchlab

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2 months ago

Design the spaces and experiences of the future.
This one-week @artcenteredu Teen Summer Intensive introduces students in grades 9–12 to the exciting world of Spatial Experience Design—where architecture, interiors, furniture, lighting, materials, and storytelling come together to create immersive environments.
Through hands-on projects, students will sketch, draft, build models, and develop concepts for restaurants, retail spaces, homes, and other experiential environments while learning how designers shape the way people experience the world.
We’re especially excited that this summer’s course will be taught by the incredible Kristie Poon, Exhibition Designer at the Natural History Museum, who brings her expertise in creating engaging, story-driven environments to the classroom.

Register now: artcenter.edu/acx
#ArtCenterCollegeOfDesign #SpatialExperienceDesign #TeenSummerPrograms #DesignEducation #ExperienceDesign ExhibitionDesign InteriorDesign FutureDesigners CreativeTeens SummerAtArtCenter taken in ArtCenter College of Design by @ecoresearchlab

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3 months ago

Looking forward to teaching a hands-on Spatial Experiential Immersion Design workshop this weekend with SXD Co-Chair Stella Hernandez at @artcenteredu
From interiors and lighting to furniture, environments, and immersive experiences, spatial designers shape how people move, interact, and feel in a space.
We’ll be introducing ArtCenter students to the field of Spatial Experience Design through a design challenge, studio walk-thru, portfolio guidance, and conversations about creative careers and student work.
Excited to share what makes this discipline so unique and to meet students who are curious about designing experiences through space. taken in ArtCenter College of Design by @ecoresearchlab

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3 months ago

What a dynamic dialogue for this edition of BLACKBOX THESIS TALKS with @chreeestal @livansidesign and @yl.yuz and @samjf2gram
This short vid captures a moment from a powerful hour-long conversation exploring design, storytelling, resilience, and creative response through projects shaped by the Altadena and Eaton Canyon fires.
The discussion took place during the incredible energy of the Printed Matter LA Art Book Fair, creating an electric environment throughout the Graduate Gallery at @artcenteredu . Apologies for some of the audio challenges , the space was very much alive but the dialogue itself was deeply engaging and meaningful.
View the full conversation on YouTube ..
https://youtu.be/ksE2nWgKG-0?si=g-veDJNgAzn5M_5o
Thank you to everyone who joined us in person and online.
#BLACKBOXThesisTalks #ArtCenterCollegeOfDesign #SpatialExperienceDesign #DesignResearch #PrintedMatter Altadena CreativeCommunity DesignForHealing
(Huge thx @prachiti_kamath @dorisyydesign production team) taken in ArtCenter College of Design by @ecoresearchlab

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5 months ago

We’re excited to announce the next edition of BLACKBOX THESIS TALKS this Friday.
At the Graduate Gallery at ArtCenter College of Design (South Campus).
This session features a powerful group of graduate voices:
Jisu Han @jisuhan.design and Crystal Chng @chreeestal introducing their project titled Nest: Designed for Healing and Creativity, a collaborative project (recently featured in the Los Angeles Times) responding to the Eaton Canyon fires with a proposal for a restorative creative commons space for communities impacted by loss.
Yuxin Luo @yl.yuz , introducing Cinderglow, an evocative lighting and graphic project inspired by the Altadena fires and their aftermath.
This conversation will take place during the Printed Matter LA Art Book Fair, creating a unique moment to engage design, storytelling, and community.
Friday
5:00–6:00 PM
Graduate Gallery, ArtCenter College of Design (South Campus)
Live on IG (@ecoresearchlab), with recordings available on YouTube (@artcentersxd @artcenteredu)
Discussion will be led by Prof. James Meraz @meraztaz and Graduate Graphics Associate Chair Samjan Fleming @samjf2gram
Join us in person or online for an evening of reflection, resilience, and design as response to disaster
#ArtCenter #DesignResearch #SpatialExperienceDesign #GraphicDesign #DesignForImpact taken in ArtCenter College of Design by @ecoresearchlab

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5 months ago

Congrats to the Spring ’26 DesignMatters studio Throwing Shade
Incredible work from multidisciplinary teams across Spatial Experience Design, Photography, Interaction, Illustration, Product, and Fine Art coming together to design shade and cooling strategies for underserved communities across Los Angeles.
Inspired by the LA Heat Action Plan, these projects reimagine cooling, care, and public space as a shared right.
Led by Prof Leigh Hoffman @sherry_leigh_hoffman and Prof James Meraz
Huge thanks to our guest experts from Climate Central, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, Cal-Adapt, and Accelerate Resilience LA (ARLA), and a special thank you to exhibit designer @kristiepoon from Natural History Museum @nhmla for joining our final.
Proud of this work and the futures it points toward. @artcenteredu #ThrowingShade #climatedesign #urbandesign taken in ArtCenter College of Design by @ecoresearchlab

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5 months ago