Vienna Design Week 2026 x LAUFEN
Industrial by-products as a resource for new materiality. LAUFEN presents its joint research project with bioregional.agency and mischer'traxler studio.
How can industrial by-products be put to meaningful new use? And what potential lies in materials that have so far received little attention? These are the questions of the research project UNUSED MATTERS developed by LAUFEN together with bioregional.agency and mischer'traxler studio.
The project focuses on the use of materials such as filter cake, ceramic shards and glaze dust generated during the production of sanitary ceramics at LAUFEN’s production site in Gmunden. Together with the production team, the project explores how these industrial by-products can be transformed into new materials and products, creating innovative opportunities for value creation. It investigates how different residual materials can be meaningfully combined and used for new applications. The aim is to develop a transferable methodology for circular material practices within industrial systems.
EVENT
LAUFEN KEYNOTES & TALK on circular material practices
A key highlight of the programme will be the LAUFEN KEYNOTES & TALK on Monday, 28 September 2026, at the LAUFEN Vienna Gallery.
Following an introduction to the research project by Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler of mischer'traxler studio and Gordon Selbach and Jakob Travnik of bioregional.agency, Karin Huber-Heim of the Circular Economy Forum Austria, Denis Milosevic of Wiener Linien, and Sigrid Stagl of Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna) will discuss the integration of circular material practices into existing production systems, their role within regional value chains, and potential fields of application.
The discussion will be moderated by transformation psychologist Irina Nalis.
EXHIBITION
UNUSED MATTERS makes research visible
For the first time, the results of the research project will be presented to the public as part of Vienna Design Week.
The exhibition UNUSED MATTERS will be opened from 26 September to 4 October 2026 at the Vienna Design Week Festival Headquarters, Hietzinger Kai 101, 1130 Vienna, located in the former headquarters of Allianz Insurance.
The exhibition visualises the research project by bioregional.agency and mischer'traxler studio, developed in collaboration with the LAUFEN production team, and presents the development of a transferable methodology for circular material practices within industrial systems.
The installation also provides the context for the MATTERS UNUSED event.
Impulses for design and the circular economy
“Vienna Design Week brings together people from design, architecture, research and industry, creating space for new ideas and different perspectives. This kind of exchange is essential if we want to advance the circular economy and develop solutions together. With UNUSED MATTERS, we want to demonstrate the potential of materials that have so far received little attention,” explains Christian Schäfer, Managing Director of LAUFEN Austria.