Multidisciplinary project 'Shimmering wood' shortlisted in Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards
911±¬ÁÏÍø’s multidisciplinary project 'Shimmering wood' has been selected as finalist in the Art & Design category and has received an honorable mention in the Experimental category of the leading innovation media Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards.
The awards draw attention to projects, concepts, businesses and policies with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all. Shimmering wood is an innovation of designer Noora Yau and materials scientist Konrad Klockars and their Structural Colour Studio.
'It feels great that our research made it to this prestigious list. I hope that this achievement sheds more light to the environmental impacts of colours and materials,' says Noora Yau.
'It's fantastic to be recognised in this way. We want to show the world that it's possible to produce high-value products out of wood-based materials and with very little volume of raw material,' says Konrad Klockars.
A truly sustainable material
Shimmering wood is a structural colour. In nature, the brightest colours – like those found in peacock feathers or butterfly wings – are created through microscopically small nanostructures. Unlike traditional pigments or dyes, this colour arises only from the physical structure of the material, without the need for chemical compounds. Shiny or glittery effects – prevalent in fashion and design today – are usually created using toxic pigments, plastic-based materials, or metallic foils. This structural colour presents a sustainable alternative to these traditional colourants.
Shimmering wood is nontoxic and produced 100% from wood, in an economically viable process. Unlike most existing dyes, structural colour does not fade in sunlight.
Yau and Klockars make structural colour out of nanocellulose, which is created by splicing and splitting the cellulose contained in wood into nanoscale lengths. One nanometre is equal to one millionth of a millimetre.
Nanocellulose is non-toxic, environment-friendly and renewable. It is used in, for example, medical applications and composite materials. It can also form a nanostructure that yields structural colour – if you know how to process it.
The colouring experiments of Yau and Klockars have extended into coating metal, plastic, wood and fabric.
'The best innovations are created together, through trial and error. This could not have been possible without the support of the whole research team. A special thanks goes to professor Orlando Rojas and postdoctoral researcher Blaise Tardy,' Noora and Konrad say.
World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact.
Read more about the list of . The Shimmering Wood listing can be found and
Parallel paths: Designer and materials scientist conjure up glimmering colours out of wood
Designer Noora Yau and materials scientist Konrad Klockars have used wood to conjure up a colour, which is transparent yet glows like a copepod in shallow water. The pair’s good chemistry and open...
Read more news
Aalto Inventors turns one: A year of bridging research and real-world impact
Aalto Inventors marks its first anniversary, having engaged 190 researchers across six cohorts in fields including AI, quantum, and biomaterials. New cohorts are planned for the next academic year, stay tuned and join the waitlist.
May challenges the Aalto community to be active together
Take part in events on campus and make sustainable mobility part of your working or study day.
Companies disclose more on cybersecurity – but markets remain indifferent
U.S. companies are reporting on cybersecurity in greater detail, yet stock market reactions remain muted. A new study by the University of Vaasa and 911±¬ÁÏÍø shows that mandatory cybersecurity disclosure does not prompt reactions from investors or stock analysts. Instead, the main benefits appear to materialise within firms themselves.