Learning by Doing: Exploring Sustainable Materials in Exhibition Design
Eva Mai
What does it really mean to design a sustainable exhibition? The Maison & Objet Hong Kong – Design Factory project, part of the Asian edition of the internationally renowned Maison & Objet design fair for interiors, lifestyle, and cultural trends, provided a valuable testing ground for Expomobilia to explore this question in practice. Driven by ambitious sustainability requirements defined in the organizer’s tender, the project sought to rethink materials, construction, and end-of-life solutions across an entire exhibition area. Not as isolated showcases, but as a holistic system.
A Full-Area Experiment with Alternative Materials
Implemented entirely by Expomobilia, the project served as a testing ground[RM1] for biodegradable, reusable, and repurposable materials, applied consistently across multiple zones and explored through a variety of alternative material solutions, for example:
Biodegradable and natural materials, including beeswax installations, seaweed sheets used on ceiling elements, and bamboo for spatial structures.
Reuse of construction elements, such as wall systems that were deployed for at least a second time, demonstrating where organizers and contractors can actively influence material lifecycles – provided the client is open to it.
Design for second life, with materials intentionally kept for repurposing or donation after the show.
Social reuse initiatives, including the donation of approximately 2,000 plastic stools to schools and churches
The project went beyond material substitution. It tested how far sustainability can be embedded into design, sourcing, installation, dismantling, and post-event handling within real-world constraints.
Key Learnings: Sustainability Is Complex
One of the strongest outcomes of the project was learning – and with it, a deeper understanding of complexity.
Alternative materials are not automatically sustainable
Materials must be assessed end-to-end: sourcing, processing, transportation, use, and end-of-life. In some cases, globally sourced “eco” materials resulted in higher impacts than simpler local alternatives.End-of-life planning is critical and often underestimated
Donating, reselling, or reusing materials requires time, clear processes, storage, and committed partners. Good intentions alone are not enough; systems must be in place well before dismantling begins.Sustainability Requires Navigating Complexity
Effective reuse and donation solutions benefit from early planning, dedicated resources, and close coordination. When sufficient time and budget are allocated from the outset, sustainable approaches can be integrated more effectively and deliver lasting environmental and social value.Local context matters
Recycling and reuse options are highly location-dependent. What works in Europe cannot simply be transferred to Hong Kong, where recycling infrastructure and regulations are more limited.
Design ambition and reuse can conflict
Highly bespoke, design-driven elements are difficult to standardize or reuse over multiple years. Long-term commitments to reusable systems can limit design freedom and require alignment across designers, clients, and contractors.
The Core Message: Willingness Meets Reality
The Maison & Objet Hong Kong project shows that the Expo industry is willing to move forward, experiment, and learn. At the same time, it makes clear that sustainability is not a checklist or a single material choice. It is a systemic challenge that requires all elements to come together:
client commitment, design thinking, partners, time, budget, and local infrastructure.
The true value of this project lies in its learnings. By openly testing what works, and what does not, it contributes to a more realistic, informed, and impactful approach to sustainable exhibition design in the future.
