How Carbon Craft Design upcycles carbon emissions into tiles

A square tile made from carbon emissions. Three containers with powder substances inside.

(Image credit: press)

last updated 9 October 2022

What to do with captured pollution? This is the question that Tejas Sidnal, founder of Carbon Craft Design had when he got thinking of the excess carbon emissions in the world. He was keen to create an architectural intervention to upcycle pollution, one that can be achieved through technology and craft – enter Carbon Tiles.

Following his masters from the AA School of Architecture in London, architect, biomimetic designer and researcher Sidnal was on a mission to explore sustainable innovative strategies – ‘anything you build should be able to be reused or upcycled in some way or another,’ he muses. With this mission, the start-up was born, with a drive towards a circular economy – and aim to solve 'the invisible problem’ of air pollution that he believes this ‘cannot be done just through technology.’

‘Our design thinking is to communicate climate change issues. For us, Tile was a great way to start. Inspired by the unique identities of the cities and the natural elements that define these cities, we created an exciting new range of flooring patterns.’

A carbon made tile with three piles of substance in front.

A restaurant with a bar in the backdrop and tables and chairs. The flooring has white carbon tiles and each tile has a black pattern.

A start-up with big ambitions, Carbon Craft Design essentially harvests carbon emissions – it does this with AIR-INK, a company pioneering recycling pollution. The method starts with crafting the tile, shaping and cutting, then carefully, the processed pollution is mixed with the cement or marble.

Sidnal and his team of architects and designers chose cement, to invest in craftsmen working with this material, and empower the artisan community, while ensuring it was a sustainable source. ‘The whole process consumes least amount of energy compared to the conventional ceramic tiles.’ After various prototypes, they arrived at tiles that are scalable.

Like any good start-up, Carbon Craft Design is offering the patterned products in a sample kit via Instagram that will send you the tile to test, plus more information on their mission of innovation and craft.

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carboncraftdesign.com

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Sujata Burman is a writer and editor based in London, specialising in design and culture. She was Digital Design Editor at Wallpaper* before moving to her current role of Head of Content at London Design Festival and London Design Biennale where she is expanding the content offering of the showcases. Over the past decade, Sujata has written for global design and culture publications, and has been a speaker, moderator and judge for institutions and brands including RIBA, D&AD, Design Museum and Design Miami/. In 2019, she co-authored her first book, An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture, published by Hoxton Mini Press, which was driven by her aim to make the fields of design and architecture accessible to wider audiences.

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