Max Pratt

Critic
Image
Max Pratt
BFA, RISD
MID, RISD

Max Pratt is a researcher and designer who focuses on the relationships between waste streams and human impact. In an effort to reduce our impact on the ecology we so often forget we are a part of, they aim to reframe the way we approach the environment around us. Max works to develop and inform sustainable practices in ecology, social equity, human health, mobility, rapid prototyping and manufacturing.

Max holds a BFA from RISD in Furniture Design, as well as an MID in Industrial Design, and teaches in both the department of Industrial Design and in the Hyundai Regeneration Studio. As a product designer, they worked in the field of mobility design, specifically in the engineering and manufacturing of performance racing bicycles. Max was a founding partner and technical director of Nice Bikes, a racing bicycle manufacturing company and nonprofit professional women’s cycling team with a mission of promoting equity and inclusion in the outdoor industry. The bicycles they designed and fabricated have won numerous UCI races and placed in the top 10 at UCI World Cups and US National Championships. Their work in bikes has been featured in Outside Magazine, VELO, VeloNews, Bicycling Magazine, Bike Quarterly, The Radavist, Cyclingtips and more.

Max’s current practice focuses on small-scale architectural studies and in-depth scientific research of the marine ecology and how our behaviors impact it, in search of better materials and better ways to use them. With the support of the RISD Nature Lab, they are conducting several studies of commercial marine practices including finfish harvesting, New England lobster fishing, and seafood catering to identify, archive and design solutions around existing waste streams. The goal of this work is both immediate, applicable recommendations for reducing environmental impact, as well as materials and methods for reuse and reclamation of otherwise wasted resources and materials.

Courses

Fall 2024 Courses

ID 2464-03 - DESIGN PRINCIPLES I
Level Undergraduate
Unit Industrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
Period Fall 2024
Credits 6
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ID 2464-03

DESIGN PRINCIPLES I

Level Undergraduate
Unit Industrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
Period Fall 2024
Credits 6
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: TTH | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Max Pratt Location(s): Industrial Design Building, Room 400 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

This course is an introduction to conceptual and manual skills that represent necessary steps in design evolution. Students strengthen skills by completion of several processes and exercises. Critical thinking and concept generation is a primary focus, drawing and model making activities help to establish this process. Throughout the course each student will focus on improving communication skills and the ability to project or sell ideas.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $15.00

Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

SCI 1116-01 - THE LANGUAGE OF DESIGN IN NATURE: FROM FORM TO REGENERATION
Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject Science
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

SCI 1116-01

THE LANGUAGE OF DESIGN IN NATURE: FROM FORM TO REGENERATION

Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject Science
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: W | 1:10 PM - 4:10 PM Instructor(s): Eliza Squibb, Max Pratt, Nicole Weber Location(s): Waterman Building, Nature Lab Enrolled / Capacity: 20 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

Good design is key for life on this planet, moving away from destructive, colonial and extractive practices, to center natural healthy systems within our design process is again required. Through an interdisciplinary design lens of art, culture, and nature, students will observe natural phenomena and investigate potential design solutions for current environmental issues and potential future impact, considering the breadth of the natural world - from form to regeneration.

This course introduces various aspects of design in natural systems, including materiality of form, biomimicry, environmental and social systems, biophilia, life cycle analysis, regeneration, and indigenous science. Specific case studies will be considered as well as the view of how different cultures design toward their physical surroundings. As we develop a regenerative design practice, this will require us to embrace the complexity of a system’s interaction, and in taking a systems approach of the life cycle of the product in mind, we will begin to unpack the relationships of form, design, and potential impact. This course will provide a foundational understanding of nature as model, mentor, and measure of design success, with an emphasis on practical skills to inform projects designed for regenerative impact.

This course is a required prerequisite for the Future Structures Spring Studio courses and is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Group. Prior scientific knowledge is not required, but a willingness to engage in the tools, technologies and literature of scientific disciplines is. Students' research may be shared with the sponsor during the duration of the course.

SCI 1116-02 - THE LANGUAGE OF DESIGN IN NATURE: FROM FORM TO REGENERATION
Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject Science
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

SCI 1116-02

THE LANGUAGE OF DESIGN IN NATURE: FROM FORM TO REGENERATION

Level Undergraduate
Unit History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
Subject Science
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
Format Lecture
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: TH | 9:40 AM - 12:40 PM Instructor(s): Eliza Squibb, Max Pratt, Nicole Weber Location(s): Waterman Building, Nature Lab Enrolled / Capacity: 20 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

Good design is key for life on this planet, moving away from destructive, colonial and extractive practices, to center natural healthy systems within our design process is again required. Through an interdisciplinary design lens of art, culture, and nature, students will observe natural phenomena and investigate potential design solutions for current environmental issues and potential future impact, considering the breadth of the natural world - from form to regeneration.

This course introduces various aspects of design in natural systems, including materiality of form, biomimicry, environmental and social systems, biophilia, life cycle analysis, regeneration, and indigenous science. Specific case studies will be considered as well as the view of how different cultures design toward their physical surroundings. As we develop a regenerative design practice, this will require us to embrace the complexity of a system’s interaction, and in taking a systems approach of the life cycle of the product in mind, we will begin to unpack the relationships of form, design, and potential impact. This course will provide a foundational understanding of nature as model, mentor, and measure of design success, with an emphasis on practical skills to inform projects designed for regenerative impact.

This course is a required prerequisite for the Future Structures Spring Studio courses and is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Group. Prior scientific knowledge is not required, but a willingness to engage in the tools, technologies and literature of scientific disciplines is. Students' research may be shared with the sponsor during the duration of the course.

Spring 2025 Courses

ID 2116-01 - FUTURE STRUCTURES: BIODESIGN RESEARCH AND REGENERATIVE DESIGN
Level Undergraduate
Unit Industrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
Period Spring 2025
Credits 6
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ID 2116-01

FUTURE STRUCTURES: BIODESIGN RESEARCH AND REGENERATIVE DESIGN

Level Undergraduate
Unit Industrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
Period Spring 2025
Credits 6
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2025-02-13 to 2025-05-23
Instructor(s): Max Pratt Enrolled / Capacity: 12 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

During this course we will examine natural environments, systems, processes, and organisms with an intent to design a more circular, and less harmful human-planet experience. Students will embark on a creative and rigorous exploration and application of the deep biomimicry and biodesign methodology as a pathway towards innovative materials, products, manufacturing methods, services, and experiences.These materials and methods will be placed in context to support the Hyundai Motor Group’s theme of future structures, creating solutions that demonstrate our discoveries’ real world applications in the fields of mobility and manufacturing.A close partnership with the RISD Nature Lab and the ID Department will provide access to the expertise and equipment necessary to complete our research.This course features a series of guest lectures and demonstrations throughout the semester to provide insight into the different arms of the quickly expanding field of biodesign and regenerative design, as well as expert guest critics.

Note: The activities in this course are a continuation of Fall research conducted in the HMG sponsored course. SCI 1116 - The Language of Design in Nature is a prerequisite.

Elective

Image
Max Pratt
BFA, RISD
MID, RISD