Bast

What was the first question you asked when designing Bast?

Maizy Steen: The first question I asked myself when starting this project was, how can I make a biodegradable composite that is strong enough to be a furniture item and also make use of a waste source?

What challenged you the most about this project?

MS: I was definitely unsure about the success of the outcome throughout the entire process, so there were many changes that I planned as backups if some part of my process didn’t work. Thankfully, I was able to execute my product in the way that I had hoped, but there was a lot of uncertainty along the way.

What challenged you the most about this project?

MS: The thing that challenged me the most was inventing a completely new material, and then having to make a product out of it that behaved the same as all other products in that category that are made out of conventional materials.

What was your greatest success while working on Bast?

MS: Finding a primary material that had a great backstory. Banana bast fiber is a renewable biowaste source that doesn’t have any other purpose after the bananas are harvested from it. Ultimately, developing this material into a usable product was a win.

How would you further this project, given the opportunity?

MS: I would like to improve my project by making the manufacturing process more exact and dependable. There were many times that I was just guessing at something and hoping that it turned out successfully, but with further development, I could streamline the whole process.