Material Innovations with Ancient Roots honored with ASID NY Metro Best in Show and ICFF Editors Award in Sustainability
Parsons Healthy Materials Lab is honored to share that Material Innovations with Ancient Roots, our exhibition presented within the new Materials Section at ICFF 2026 during NYCxDESIGN, received both the ASID NY Metro Best in Show Award and an ICFF Editors Award for Sustainable Design.
Presented in The Oasis at Booth #1819, the exhibition explored regenerative, biogenic, and climate-positive material futures through material research, installations, workshops, conversations, and hands-on engagement. Bringing together designers, makers, researchers, manufacturers, and educators, the exhibition invited visitors to experience how design can regenerate, repair, reuse, and reduce through both ancient practices and emerging material innovations.
These awards reflect the collective energy, creativity, and commitment of an extraordinary community working toward healthier and more responsible material futures.
The exhibition featured works and contributions from Daniel Michalik, HeeChan Kim, Loose Parts, Kamilla Csegzi Studio, MushLume, RISD Nature Lab, MycoWorks, Other Matter, and Lola Ben-Alon and the GSAPP Natural Materials Lab, alongside material contributions and product samples from Alkemis, Columbia Forest Products, Cosentino, Duracryl, Durra Panel, Ege Carpets, Habitat Matter, Hempitecture, Humanscale, Hydro, Rarify, TimberHP, mafi, nanimarquina, and many others helping to push design toward regenerative and climate-positive futures.
A Collective Effort
These recognitions belong to everyone who contributed to the exhibition, from exhibitors and material innovators to fabricators, collaborators, educators, students, and industry partners.
The Materials Section was envisioned as a collaborative platform bringing together diverse voices and approaches that are reshaping how and what we build with.
We are deeply grateful to our financial sponsors: Durra Panel, Duracryl, Cosentino, Hydro, and mafi, whose support helped make the exhibition possible.
We also want to acknowledge the many members of the Parsons Healthy Materials Lab community, past and present, whose years of research, experimentation, teaching, advocacy, and material investigation laid the groundwork for this moment.
A special thank you goes to the ICFF project team from HML whose dedication brought the exhibition to life: August Rust, Ema Capilla, Jonsara Ruth, and Kamilla Czesgi.
Looking Forward
The response to the new Materials Section at ICFF affirmed the growing momentum around healthier, regenerative, and circular material practices within the design industry. We are excited to continue building conversations and collaborations that support healthier homes, communities, ecosystems, and futures.
Thank you to everyone who visited the exhibition, participated in workshops and conversations, contributed materials and ideas, and helped create such an inspiring and hopeful space for dialogue and discovery.
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