Mumbai Lab
Coconut Coir

The coconut palm, a tree that is readily identified with the Tropics, is also one of the oldest and in many ways most useful members of the plant kingdom. It is known for its diverse applications, ranging from being a source of food, to the multiple benefits of coconut oil, to its bark and leaves, which are used for making ropes and other products.

But the coconut palm has had a volatile relationship with the Konkan coast, off which Bombay/ Mumbai is situated. Bombay/ Mumbai was once abundant with coconut plantations, but the plant has lost and regained its presence in the city with each changing economic cycle, its fate linked to infrastructure projects, reclamation and redevelopment proposals, and a runaway urbanisation that foregrounds the raw expansion of accommodation over the civic value of habitation.

The Bio Design Lab in Mumbai will specifically investigate coconut coir: the fibrous tissue extracted from the husk of the coconut. Long considered an agricultural waste product, it is now used extensively in the making of different applications. The Lab will focus on the use and impact of the coir from the point of view of biogeography and bio-history. The Lab will also address the multifaceted relevance of coir through the lenses of the varied communities it directly impacts and consider the various design opportunities it presents.