Terra Carta Design Lab Finalists

See below to learn about the 10 RISD student-led projects selected for the Terra Carta Design Lab (TCDL) finalist shortlist—projects that showcase a wide breadth of innovations and solutions to help address the climate and biodiversity crisis. 

RISD’s Terra Carta Design Lab finalists were selected by a diverse and dynamic panel of jurists from RISD and beyond, including designers, architects, scientists, material researchers and public art curators.

Before their selection, these teams took workshops ranging from AI as a Business Collaborator to Design for Collective Liberation with partners including Dada Goldberg, Holly Howard and Slow Factory. In addition, teams had one-on-one access to mentorship from project advisors and participated in sessions led by RISD’s own Center for Complexity and Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab. These sessions featured guest critics from around the country who specialize in messaging, venture-funded design processes, scientific feasibility and sustainability.

The top 10 finalists’ work featured below showcases a breadth of innovations and interventions, including supply chain traceability, regenerative yard practices, biomaterial innovation, sustainable food practices, construction industry material sourcing solutions and interdisciplinary environmental education.

Read more in our June 26, 2024 press release.

2024–25 top 10 finalists

A closer look at the base of a floating biopod
BIOPOD

Cofounders: Manini Banerjee 24 ID, Avantika Velho 22 ID, Dr. Katia Zolotovsky, Academic Affiliate
Team members: Malvika Agarwal 22 GD, Skylar Perez MArch 23, Joel Yong 25 ID

Biopods are human-scale ecosystem modules that remediate water quality, reintroduce vital fringe marshes into urban environments and engage the public in citizen science.

two smartphone screens with the product brand FutureYard at the top of the screen
FutureYard

Founder: Isabelle Saxton 20 AP

Reorienting our connection to earth, the community-focused FutureYard app simplifies regeneration and empowers people with access to green spaces to increase native biodiversity, soil health and carbon storage.

a rendering of toy pieces resembling an orange fish, in different states of assembly
Hoppi

Leads: Luca Cuccia and Natalie Rizk MArch 22

By transforming brewery waste into 100% biodegradable, nontoxic toys, Hoppi reduces the amount of plastic entering the environment and minimizes the toy industry’s carbon footprint.

a rendering of a map capturing most of Asia and portions of Africa and Europe, with arcing green arrows emanating from a point labeled Mumbai, alongside an inset box with various data, labeled Metrics Tracker
Map Collective

Founder: Tara Gupta 19 FAV
Team members: Piyush Gambhir, Issac Hicks, Jugal Shah

Map Collective provides corporate and government sustainability and supply chain teams with a software solution that automates supply chain transparency, sustainability metrics tracking and decarbonization planning, and procurement decision making using AI and data mining.

a digital rendering of a large braided sculpture standing in the middle of a city walkway
Shapeshft

Lead: Dway Lunkad 24 SC/FAV 
Team members: Shagun Jain 23 ID, Felix Arwen 23 ID

Aiming to reframe the conversation about plastics manufacturing and new materials development in the 21st century, SHAPESHFT uses discarded mixed plastics to create a usable artistic medium for producing public art, sculptures, and research materials to help localized arts production.

a grayish white chair, built with rough, pole-like parts in a grid, sits by the corner of an in-ground pool
Shellf Life

Founder: Felicia Neuhof MArch 24
Team members: Jason Connell MFA 24 FD, Aleza Epstein MArch 24

Shellf Life transforms discarded mollusk shells into a groundbreaking biomaterial, offering a versatile, sustainable and aesthetically captivating alternative to conventional materials across diverse applications, thus fostering collaboration and redefining the relationship between the built environment and nature.

a closeup of vibrantly green leaves
Soilless

Cofounders: Westen Johnson 19 ID, Julie Joo 19 iD

Soilless is an affordable and sustainable indoor garden system that empowers everyone to grow their own fresh, healthy and sustainable food.

a blue-on-white rendering of a construction site
SURPLUS

Cofounders: Aanya Arora BArch 24, Michael J. Farris BArch 23

By providing a peer-to-peer marketplace that connects buyers and sellers in real time, this consolidated logistics platform addresses the critical issue of waste influx in the construction industry. SURPLUS streamlines the surplus material and procurement cycle, allowing contractors to offload surplus materials efficiently.

a pair of 3D-printed, modular vessels create a larger, symmetrical object
Wastes Harmonize Worlds

Founder: Yechen Zhu MID 24

This project explores biocements for binding construction and demolition wastes produced in urban spaces, creating recyclable materials that enhance comfort while preserving traditional characteristics and extending the life of clay.

nine boxes that include a streak of yellow color and the words "Wild Lives" printed on one of their sides
Wild Lives

Leads: Reilly Blum 21 FD, Jasmine Gutbrod 20 FD / MA 21 AE

Wild Lives is an interdisciplinary environmental education movement using trail cameras to encourage youth to actively observe, explore and connect to local ecosystems. As they gather footage of wildlife, students analyze their findings through creative mapmaking, scientific illustration and storytelling.