VegaPlac - BioComposites from Brazil
Handmade sheets from fast growing natural fibers and biopolymers. 100% biobased. 100% handmade. 100% distinctive.
VegaPlac is the epitome of a family of composites made from plant fibers - residues from food industry and vegetable-based polyurethanes. The materials are produced as flexible plates of approx. 1 mm thickness in pure manual work. They can serve as vestibules as furniture fronts and are suitable for wall coverings. They are also used for lighting screens and office furniture like book inserts. A joint development of the Escolha Superior da Desenho Industrial College for Industrial Design at the University of Rio de Janeiro and Materia Brasil (formerly Fibradesign) with the aim of manufacturing materials in hand-work in low-impact regions to make them available to industry as a semi-finished product. In this way, state-of-the-art bio-polymers are used in a quite unexpected, decentralized and low-capital-intensive low-tech process in such regions where - if at all - only jobs in the poorly paid agricultural sector are offered. Furthermore, new applications are found for an enormous amount of biomass, which has hitherto been burnt useless: e.g. Fibers of the banana trees or of palms for palm-heart production.
The BananaPlac variant received an iF Material Design Award 2008 in Gold and was nominated for the Volvo Sports Design Award 2008. A visually interesting variant is PalmPlac. VegaPlac is a patented cutting edge material produced in even less quantities and has relatively high unit costs. You can order samples in the shop. BARK CLOTH_europe is in German speaking areas the representative of this semi-finished product manufactured in Brazil. Its production methodology corresponds exactly to our company philosophy.
Animation Production process and backgrounds BananaPlac (English, University of Rio de Janeiro)
BananaPlac at the material and technology agency HAUTE INNOVATION, Berlin
