Regen Cumarsáid Bhithdheartha by Sofia Porto Iannuzzi

Regen Cumarsáid Bhithdheartha by Sofia Porto Iannuzzi is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Duais Cré-umha A' Design Award in Dearadh Táirge Inbhuanaithe Competition Category.

Cré-umhaTáirge Inbhuanaithe· 2026

Regen Cumarsáid Bhithdheartha

by Sofia Porto Iannuzzi

Client: Universidad de Monterrey

Duais Cré-umha A' Design Award Winner in Táirge Inbhuanaithe Category

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The Design

About Regen Cumarsáid Bhithdheartha

Tugann Regen córas grafach isteach ina bhfeidhmíonn struchtúir fhréamhacha bheo mar theanga amhairc agus mar shubstráit ábhartha araon. In áit priontáil ar dhromchlaí táimhe, eascraíonn an chumarsáid trí fhás bitheolaíoch rialaithe. Feidhmíonn gach déantán ag an am céanna mar theachtaireacht amhairc, mar orgánach beo, agus mar thoradh in-bhithmhillte. Trí inléiteacht a ailíniú le timthriallta éiceolaíocha, athchruthaíonn an tionscadal an táirgeadh grafach mar phróiseas athghiniúna, agus é ag moladh samhail mhalartach ina bhforbraíonn, ina n-athraíonn, agus ina ndéanann an chumarsáid athimeascadh isteach i gcórais nádúrtha in ionad dramhaíl a ghiniúint.

The Recognition

About the Duais Cré-umha A' Design Award

Bhuaigh an dearadh Regen Cumarsáid Bhithdheartha Duais Cré-umha A' Design Award, aitheantas an-ghradamach a bhronntar ar dhearaí sármhaithe a mbíonn cruthaitheacht, aireagacht agus géarchúis mar shaintréithe acu. Is déantúsáin ghlic agus chruthaitheacha go suntasach iad buaiteoirí Cré-umha a dhearbhaíonn taithí fhairsing, samhlaíocht agus acmhainneacht a ndearthóirí. Táthar ag súil go mbeidh an dearadh Regen Cumarsáid Bhithdheartha ina rud a bhfuil an-mheas air, a n-ardaítear agus a ghráitear, atá thar a bheith gairmiúil agus nuálach. Ionchorpraíonn an dearadh seo a bhuaigh Duais Cré-umha A' Design Award na cleachtais is fearr san ealaín, san eolaíocht, sa dearadh agus sa teicneolaíocht, agus tá sé sármhaith as a aird ar mhionsonraí. Sásaíonn an dearadh Regen Cumarsáid Bhithdheartha riachtanais go hálainn, bainíonn sé le mianta, cuireann sé draíocht ar mhothúcháin agus tarraingíonn sé fiosracht.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Regen uses cultivated root structures as both visual language and material substrate for communication. Instead of printing on inert surfaces, the message emerges through controlled biological growth. The project replaces linear production logic with a regenerative cycle: cultivation, communication, transformation, and natural reintegration. Each artifact operates simultaneously as a graphic piece, living organism, and biodegradable outcome. Regen positions biological growth as a design medium, proposing a scalable approach to regenerative visual communication.
Dimensions & Packaging: Artifact dimensions vary according to biological growth. Poster-scale applications range from approximately 300 × 420 mm to 500 × 700 mm. Thickness depends on root density accumulation. All materials are plant-based, compostable, and designed for full biological reintegration.
Tags: Regenerative Design, Biodesign, Visual Communication, Living Materials, Circular Systems, Material Innovation
Production Technology: The project utilizes root domestication techniques, biodegradable substrates, controlled humidity environments, and mold-guided growth systems to direct biological formation into legible graphic structures. Analog prototyping, material testing, and circularity assessment were integrated to align organic growth with visual clarity and structural stability.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was reconciling graphic precision with biological unpredictability. Root growth is inherently variable, requiring a design approach that balances control and emergence. Constraints included growth variability, time dependency, structural fragility, and environmental sensitivity. The solution required designing adaptive systems rather than fixed compositions.
Research: Regen investigates root domestication as a reproducible substrate for graphic communication. Through iterative cultivation and material testing, the project evaluates structural integrity, visual legibility, and ecological performance. Circularity was assessed using the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI), demonstrating measurable improvements across prototype iterations and identifying pathways to eliminate remaining linear support materials.

Circularity was assessed using the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI), demonstrating quantifiable improvement across prototype iterations and identifying pathways to eliminate remaining linear support materials.
Inspiration: Regen transforms biological growth into a functional medium for communication, replacing inert graphic surfaces with living systems. Instead of relying on extractive, synthetic, and disposable substrates, the project proposes a regenerative alternative rooted in living processes. Informed by biodesign research and circular thinking, Regen studies root growth behavior and material life cycles to develop living graphic substrates. The result is a shift from static surfaces toward evolving visual systems that actively participate in ecological regeneration.
Project Duration: Developed between January and November 2024 in Monterrey, Mexico, Regen was produced through experimental research and prototyping at Universidad de Monterrey as part of an academic design research initiative focused on regenerative graphic systems.
Operation Flow: Regen artifacts are cultivated through guided root domestication rather than mechanically assembled. Growth patterns are influenced through mold-guided pathways and environmental calibration, including humidity, light, and substrate density. Interaction occurs over time, as viewers experience gradual transformation, texture emergence, and organic variability. After fulfilling its communicative function, the artifact decomposes naturally, completing a regenerative material cycle.
Patents: All visual, material and graphic components of the Regen project are protected under academic and creative authorship. No patents or trademarks have been registered for this project.
Team Members: Sofia Porto Iannuzzi
Image Credits: Main: Photographer Sofia Porto, Living Poster Series, 2025.
Image #1: Photographer Sofia Porto, Root-Based Artifact, 2025.
Image #2: Photographer Sofia Porto, Root Structure Close-Up, 2025.
Image #3: Photographer Sofia Porto, Biodegradable Artifact Detail, 2025.
Image #4: Photographer Sofia Porto, Biodesign Poster Outdoor, 2025.
Image #5Photographer Sofia Porto, Root Textile Surface, 2025.