Pauline Mirjam Alt is a Transformation Designer exploring the intersection of Eco-Social Design, material research, and Speculative Design. With a Master’s in Eco-Social Design and a background in Industrial Design, she is passionate about developing environmentally friendly materials and rethinking design’s role in socio-ecological transformation.

Pauline applies open knowledge, circular economy principles, and co-creative design to envision sustainable futures. Her work has contributed to projects like Roadmap to a Circular Society by Hans Sauer Stiftung and BTU Cottbus. She has been awarded the VDID Newcomers Award and Oskar-von-Miller-Award.

Driven by a curiosity for the non-human world, she seeks to move beyond human-centered design, fostering a more balanced relationship between people, materials, and ecosystems. Through workshops, experimental design approaches, and digital fabrication, she inspires new ways of thinking about sustainability and Regenerative Design.

Projects

THE CYCLE OF VITALITY

The Cycle of Vitality explores the agency of materials, focusing on clay. The project redefines the human-nonhuman relationship in an experimental, interactive way. The material-centered design approach highlights how the “inanimate” world communicates, encouraging a more mindful interaction with resources. The goal is to restore balance between humans and their environment, fostering a deeper connection with the materials that shape our world.

BLOCK.BASTLER

The project team of Block.bastler collaborated with the citizens of Loitz (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany) to develop regenerative, cycle-oriented concepts for regional transformation. The project promotes resource-efficient use of local beech wood residuals from PagHolz GmbH, to build log cabins that the locals can manufacture through step-by-step instructions. These cabins serve as landmarks, fostering gentle tourism and regional identity. The project revitalizes community traditions like Subbotnik, strengthening networks and social cohesion while enhancing the region’s appeal.
Team: Nora Hoffmann, Lukas Unterholzner, Christoph Wentland, Pauline Alt

CIRCULAR GEOLOGY

This speculative design project explores humanity’s impact on Earth through imagined future rocks formed from human activity. Three material samples — plastics, aluminum, and concrete — mimic natural geological processes, representing metamorphic, magmatic, and sedimentary formations. These artificial rocks spark debate: Are they natural or synthetic? The project questions our environmental footprint, the planet’s resilience, and humanity’s fragility. While Earth can regenerate, we cannot. Our artificial legacies will remain geological witnesses of our time, challenging our perception of nature and urging reflection on a sustainable future.