Speaker

Interview: 

1. Your work beautifully blends storytelling, sustainability, and design. How did algae become part of your creative and hospitality-focused journey?

My path to algae was both unexpected and inevitable. After years in traditional hospitality design—creating experiences for luxury hotels, restaurants, and food halls—I found myself in Tulum where I witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of rapid tourism development on fragile ecosystems. That experience forced me to confront the contradiction between beautiful hospitality experiences and environmental degradation.

When I later moved to Australia, I committed to focusing my design practice on the ocean. Later, from Panama to Portugal, I was researching materials suitable for projects on and in water—specifically looking for solutions that wouldn't harm marine environments if they degraded or sank. That's when I discovered Ruth Kassinger's book 'SLIME' through a recommendation from the Natural History Museum in London.

It took about two years for the potential to fully sink in—that seaweed could be incorporated into virtually every aspect of an interior environment, particularly hospitality spaces. What captivated me was that these solutions existed but weren't being integrated holistically. The more I explored algae's applications, the more I realized we could transform the guest experience while dramatically reducing environmental impact. As I like to say, once you become a 'seaweirdo,' you connect with others doing extraordinary things with algae, and that community has been instrumental in pushing our work forward.

2. From floating suites to subaquatic living concepts — how do you see algae contributing to climate-adaptive design in the travel and hospitality sectors?

Algae is fundamentally transforming how we approach climate adaptation in hospitality. Rather than simply reducing harm, we're focused on creating systems that actively regenerate.

I see algae upgrading the entire travel experience in practical ways. Imagine airlines partnering with local gardens to compost their algae-based amenities directly at airport terminals, creating a closed-loop system where 'waste' becomes resource. Hotels in places like the Caribbean could transform the problem of invasive sargassum blooms into an opportunity—using this abundant material for paper, packaging, and 3D-printed objects throughout their properties. These same materials inform the design language, with color

palettes derived from regional seaweed varieties and printed collateral using local algae ink.

The most exciting frontier is in extreme hospitality experiences—floating hotels, subaquatic structures, and even space trips. These environments demand materials that perform under pressure but don't create lasting damage. We're designing with a new mindset: if a structure eventually fails or sinks, how can it have a positive rather than negative impact?

There's also an urgent humanitarian application. For Small Island Developing States facing existential threats from rising sea levels, seaweed could help create ways of living that work with, rather than against, the ocean.

What makes algae particularly powerful is its localization potential. Every coastal region has native species that can be cultivated and processed locally, reducing transportation emissions while creating resilient local economies. The hospitality industry has an opportunity to be the catalyst for these regional material economies, demonstrating how travel can actually heal rather than harm environments.

3. What’s one dream project you’d love to bring to life using algae?

My north star has always been creating a fully algae-based bed & breakfast—a complete immersion into what zero-waste hospitality could truly be. I envision a space where every element incorporates algae thoughtfully: from building materials to bedding, personal care to food.

Imagine arriving to find your room key with a kelp leather keychain. The bedding made from seaweed silk and dyed with local algae. The walls are finished with algae-based paints and plasters that actively purify air. Bathroom amenities come in containers made from algae bioplastic and shells that can composted.

But beyond materials, this dream project would connect guests directly with the cultivation and processing of seaweed. Perhaps you could harvest your own seaweed one day and watch it transformed into paper for your departure note the next. The restaurant would showcase the culinary versatility of different algae species, paired with how it can also treat wastewater.

What makes this dream so compelling is that all the technologies exist today—they just haven't been brought together under one roof. This comprehensive demonstration would show the hospitality industry that sustainability doesn't require compromise on quality or comfort. It's about designing differently from the ground up, with circularity and regeneration as foundational principles rather than afterthoughts.

After our successful debut of the H2Ø Lounge at Milan Design Week, I believe we're getting closer to making this dream a reality. The hospitality industry needs this kind of bold, immersive demonstration to catalyze broader change.