Did you know that a bunch of major cities around the world all have super-cool material libraries? That's right – from New York to Paris, Shanghai to Sweden, there are physical spaces where designers and creators can get up close with a range of cutting-edge materials.
And now, thanks to the global sustainability consultancy Hyloh, that concept has finally arrived in Melbourne.
Situated in Richmond’s historically rich Sanders Place, the pop-up Melbourne Material Library invites designers, architects, sustainability professionals and innovators to get hands-on with the thrilling future of materials. Imagine living moss, coffee-ground golf tees, 3D-printed eggshell ceramic tiles, bio-based paper coatings, mycelium packaging, oyster shell renders and hemp hurd blocks, amongst a maze of even more fascinating stuff. The experience is designed to be tactile, thought-provoking and lots of creative fun!
The idea behind the library is that through being able to touch, test and experiment with these materials, visitors can avoid wasting time on guesswork in their projects – and costly design mistakes.
The library hosts an impressive line-up of suppliers, including Saveboard, Zeoform, Circular Sea, Defy Design, ISOHemp and Eggxpert.
As the first material library of its kind in Australia, the pop-up aligns with Melbourne’s Economic Development Strategy 2025–2029, which positions the city as the Asia-Pacific’s hub for innovation and opportunity. With hopes to secure a permanent home, the Melbourne Material Library aims to become a long-term resource to support the state’s start-up ecosystem and accelerate our transition toward a circular economy. (Fun fact: A circular economy is designed to keep resources and materials in use for as long as possible, as opposed to the traditional "take-make-dispose" waste elimination method.)
The initiative is led by Sarah D’Sylva, co-founder of Hyloh and an award-winning, globally recognised expert in circular design. Under her guidance, the library has already welcomed students from major universities and teams from the NGV, Tennis Australia and more.
But you don't need to be a major organisation or designer to check it out! Tours are available by appointment until the end of January, for anyone curious about material innovation and circular design. You can find out more here. The future awaits...
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