This project reflects my idea and hands-on experience in woodworking—selecting offcuts, refining joineries, and weaving by hand—to craft a minimalist stool from waste Indian laurel wood. By merging traditional craft with modern sustainability, I turned industrial waste into functional, zero-waste design.
Challenge
Furniture is often one of the largest contributors to material waste. This project began with a simple yet deep thoughts, What happens when we no longer need our furniture? Investigating the origins, lifecycles, and end-of-life of materials revealed the overlooked potential in discarded wood.
Product : Woven stool (Handmade)
Material : Upcycled wood (Indian Laurel Tree)
Approach
By observing large-scale furniture production facilities, I identified that tons of usable wood were wasted—offcuts too small for mass production yet too valuable to be discarded. My solution was to transform this “industrial chaos” into minimal, functional, and timeless design pieces that honor both craft and sustainability.
Making Process
Material : Upcycled wood (Indian Laurel Tree)
Material : Upcycled wood (Transformation Tree)
Material : Upcycled wood (Eucalyptus Tree)
Material : Upcycled wood (Rain Tree)
For this project, I worked with materials that carried their own histories. The wood I used was gathered from discarded pieces—residue left behind, overlooked and waiting to be given a second life.
The clay came from large industrial units where bulk production of plates and mugs often leaves behind significant amounts of unused material. Instead of letting it go to waste, I reclaimed this clay and transformed it into something meaningful.
Material : Mixed medium (Upcycled wood + Clay)
By consciously choosing to work with leftover resources, I not only reduce waste but also reframe these fragments into new stories. Each piece embodies the idea that sustainable design can emerge from what is often overlooked, inviting us to rethink how we value materials in our everyday lives.
Client : Kindergarden Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India
This work reflects my design ethos: embracing sustainability, material storytelling, and aesthetic versatility, while highlighting the endless creative possibilities of natural materials in contemporary design practice.
Breathing Walls
Project : Clay Wall Plaster - Surface Design ( Relief Art work )
Material : Croche Lace Piece, Soil, Cement and Msand ( 1 : 4: 8 )
In this project, I experimented with creating two distinct surface patterns using recycled crochet lace pieces as stencils. The process merges ecological responsibility with handmade craft, resulting in surfaces that are simple, timeless, and tactilely rich.
Explored patterns making by repurposing my old croche lace piecesto imprint texture nto clay plaster. Using a mix of soil, cement, and sand, i created two unique surface patterns that merge ecology with craftmanship resulting in my own design language that feels both simple and timeless.
"Memory Traps: Illusions of the Past" (Group of 3)
(Exchange Course, OCAD - Analouge + Digital Materail + sensorial, Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia )
A study in Inclusive, sensorial story telling-bridging design, craft, and digital technology to spark reflection on human experience.
An immersive installation exploring how memories are never fixed snapshots, but fluid reconstructions shaped by time, perception, and emotion. By merging analog tactility with digital interaction, the exhibition revealed how personal and collective histories blur between reality and illusion.
Tactile memory (Ceramic Interaction)
Visitors engaged by touching ceramics, weaving patterns, and scanning postcards through augmented reality, uncovering how memory traps can alter emotional well-being.Also they created their own postcards as memeory reflections-a personal artifact they could take away.
Innovation
with a passion of Experimentation and Story telling through experiences.
neemabijujose.in@gmail.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/Neema97
My designs have stories and experiences which are reflections of how I choose to see the world I live in and a world that could be. I believe in a design that is simple and sensible, with lesser impact on our environment, with a taste of experimentation. Being an artist at heart with a keen sense of design, aided me in seeing things from a new perspective. I really love doing hands on works especially working with different mediums like wood, mud, ceramics, fabrics. Also my artistic work include photography, creative writing , and engaging with people as I find my artistic expression deeply connected to people who cross my path in life.
Exchange Program, Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), Tallinn, Estonia — Analogue + Digital Materials = Sensorial.
B.Arch (5 years) — Nehru College of Architecture, Kerala, India | 2020
Licensed Architect — Council of Architecture (COA), India | Since 2020
Member — INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) Palakkad, Kerala | Since 2019
- Led Major Research Project on sustainable production and consumption in South Asian immigrant communities in the GTA; developed inclusive design principles and cultural toolkits.
- Facilitated co-design workshops on AI + human interviewing ethics, creating seven inclusion guidelines adopted in coursework.
Architectural Designer / Research Assistant — Auroville Earth Institute, Auroville, India | 2020–2023
- Designed and prototyped sustainable structures using compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEB) walls, stabilised‑earth/PEC foundations, and AVD or ferrocement roofing reducing cement content by roughly 50–75% compared to a conventional brick‑and‑RCC frame + slab or conventional methods.
- Integrated reclaimed materials into 3+ projects, reducing reliance on virgin resources and lowering embodied carbon.
- Coordinated on-site construction,detail resolution, and material testing in collaboration with engineers, craftsmen, and local communities.
Sustainable Product Designer / Part time — Prakrit Sustainable Furnitures, Auroville, India | 2022–2023
- Designed and built circular products from the studio’s offcuts and waste streams (wood, metal, textiles), turning by-products from corporate furniture projects into usable accessories and components.
- Sourced and catalogued reclaimed materials, helped the team on waste-to-value opportunities and material substitutions.
Architectural Intern — Wallmakers, Kerala, India | 2019–2020
- Assisted in the design and detailing of climate-responsive, resource-efficient buildings for residential and community projects.
- Sourced reclaimed materials (wood, metal, earth) and custom fixtures from local markets, aligning with sustainable sourcing goals and project budgets.
- Supported on-site construction coordination, prototyping, technical detailing, and material testing for adaptive reuse in low-resource contexts.
Adobe Photoshop (PS)
Adobe InDesign (ID)
Autodesk Revit
Rhinoceros 3D
Lumion
Autodesk AutoCAD
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Excel
Woodworking
Photography
Sketching
Painting (mixed media)
Fashion styling
Stitching
Auroville Earth Institute, UNESO Chair
Earthen Architecture, Auroville , India
earthinstitute@earth-auroville.com
+919443790174
Vinu Daniel
Wallmakers, kochi, India
vinudaniel@gmail.com
+919846560708
Jutta Treviranus
Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC)
OCAD University, Torornto, ON, Canada
jtreviranus@ocadu.ca
+1(416) 977-6000
Jali House - Sustainable Earth Residence |
Auroville Earth Institue, India \ 2021 - 2022
Location : Auroville, India
View from the exterior (Lumion).
The Jali House reimagines residential architecture through locally rooted, climate - responsive design, built with Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB) from locally sourced soil, the project minimizes cement use and embodied carbon while celebrating traditional forms like vaults, domes, and jali walls.
Walls built with CSEB reduced reliance on conventional brick-and-RCC construction. Roofing systems explored vaults, cloister domes, and ferrocement, blending efficiency with expressive
Interior after Construction
Reclaimed materials and locally sourced resources grounded the house in circular, low-carbon strategies. I was responsible for developing the detailed working drawings, creating the 3D model and render visualizations, and coordinating with the team on stability analysis of arches, vaults, and domes.
I also contributed to bill of quantities, block production calculations, and on-site execution, ensuring that design details translated seamlessly into construction.
Wallmakers | 2019 - 2020
Location : Kochi, Kerala , India
As part of the design , experimentation and construction team at Wallmakers, I contributed to the experimentation and implementation of a sculptural ferrocement staircase for the Jackfruit Garden Residence. The staircase was envisioned not just as a functional connector, but as a fluid architectural element that weaves into the raw materiality of the house.
My role included asisting in design detailing , experimentation and geometric articulation of the spiral. Working hands-on with the team in implementing the ferrocement technique on-site. Also coordinating between structural feasibility and design intent to ensure durability and safety while maintaining aesthetic fluidity.
The design was executed using ferrocement, a sustainable and resource-efficient building method where a cement-sand mortar (1:3 ratio) is reinforced with chicken mesh (22 gauge) and thin steel rods.
This allowed for a minimal thickness of 12–25 mm, making the structure both lightweight and highly versatile. The staircase was built directly on-site over a crisscrossed piping framework, which served as the formwork for pouring and shaping.
Location : Kochi, Kerala, India
This project explored the intersection of sustainable design, material research, and inclusive architectural practice. Through hands-on experimentation, I investigated how locally available and reclaimed resources can be transformed into low-carbon, high-impact construction systems that respond to both environmental and cultural contexts.
As the designer and strategist, I worked across research, prototyping, and construction — testing innovative applications of earthen and adaptive materials while ensuring that community needs, accessibility, and inclusivity remained central to the design process.
Roof Brick Panel Details
I was responsible for designing and experimenting structures blending digital precision with craft along with researching and prototyping earth-based and reclaimed materials to minimize embodied carbon. Applied inclusive strategies so the project reflected diverse user experiences.
Section through the waterbody
Partnered with engineers and craftsmen to move ideas from concept to built experimentation. Impact The project demonstrated how sustainability and inclusivity can co-exist in architectural innovation, offering scalable insights for adaptive construction and socially responsive design.
Working Drawings of the Panel
A new technique of construction is used where brick panels are placed vertically this is a thin 16.5 cm Composite Wall made with 11.5 cm CSCB and 5 cm RCC using Corrugated cement fibre sheets as shuttering.
Detailed Section, Prototype Development of the brick Panel
Arcade House - Sustainable Vaulted Residence
Client : Aga Khan Agency of Habitat Auroville Earth Institue, India \ 2021 - 20220
Location : Barri, Syria
This project explored vaulted earthen construction techniques as a sustainable alternative to conventional reinforced concrete systems. By working with Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB), reclaimed materials, and adaptive roofing systems, the design significantly reduced cement consumption while enhancing structural efficiency and cultural expression.
I was actively involved in developing detailed construction drawings in AutoCAD, producing 3D models and visualizations, and assisting with stability analysis of vaults, arches, and domes.
Exploded Axonometric View
My work also included material testing and on-site execution, ensuring that innovative design details could be practically implemented within the constraints of local resources and community needs.
Client : L’ establishment d’execution de travaux en materiaux locaux(ETR - ML)
Auroville Earth Institue, India \ 2021 - 2023 (Ongoing)
Location : Ndiago, Mauritania
God’s Abode is an international project that redefines township infrastructure through sustainable earthen construction. The design uses Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB) to create a mosque complex and supporting facilities, integrating vernacular influences while addressing environmental and community needs.
The project places emphasis on natural lighting, ventilation, and biodynamic integration — using skylights, stack ventilation, and spatial geometry to enhance thermal comfort. It reflects how cultural heritage and sustainable innovation can come together to create resilient architecture at scale.
Exploded Axonometric View
Interior Views of series of Arches
Interior View (3D visualisation render in Lumion)