Rice-Based Construction Materials

Rice as Matter is a material research project by designers Juwon Kim and Na Hyeon that reframes discarded rice as a valuable design resource rather than food waste. The study focuses on rice that can no longer be sold or consumed—such as expired stock, surplus inventory, or byproducts from milling—and explores how new value can be created once its role as a food product is removed.

The project reflects broader shifts in Korean society, in which rice remains culturally important but is consumed less frequently, resulting in increased storage and disposal. By blending this unused rice with different binding agents, the designers developed a formable composite material that can be molded and dried for practical applications.

Varying the size of rice particles proved critical to performance and appearance: larger grains produce textured, tactile surfaces, whereas finely ground rice yields smoother finishes. Mixing particle sizes produces stronger, denser structures that function much like aggregates and adhesives in construction.

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