Michelle Heising

How reed harvesting can save the Baltic Sea.

Reeds absorb excess nutrients that cause harmful eutrophication in one of the world’s most polluted seas. When they are harvested correctly, you can relieve the sea of overnutrition, and the invasively growing plant can become a versatile material for building and designing.
“The Reed Cycle” is a degree project that explores a circular business model for the pilot location on Utö Island in the Stockholm Archipelago. The system tackles social, economic and environmental issues resulting in a design proposal for a community market stall made from reed. By developing a design that utilises raw reed stems as structural components and 100% natural reed boards pressed with biodegradable glue from the island’s waste streams, this project combines traditional and forgotten crafting techniques with modern innovation, increasing awareness for local resourcing and expanding the material collection of regenerative materials.