‘How can we find new materials and products that rely on interdependence between communities and ecological systems rather than extraction?’
Hugo F. Garcia is a design engineer and researcher working at the intersection of design, ecology, and material science. His practice combines traditional knowledge with scientific research and low-impact technologies to develop regenerative design systems.
Hugo’s work is rooted in bioregional design, rapid prototyping, and a more-than-human design philosophy. His current research, Resinero
, explores pine resin as a carbon-capturing material through forest-based manufacturing, linking rural practices and ecological knowledge with advanced prototyping and polymer science.
He holds a BSc/MSc in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and an MA/MSc in Innovation Design Engineering from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. Before his time in London, he co-founded Humboldt Studio and lectured in Product Design at UDIT (Madrid), where he led or collaborated on projects across product design, construction, and architectural scales. He has received several awards, including the La Caixa Fellowship, the Hawley Award for Engineering Innovation, the Sydney Asnell Award for Outstanding Performance in Design Engineering, the RCA Grand Challenge 1st Prize, and the Dyson School of Engineering Fellowship.
Research Group: Regenerative Art and Design
The Regenerative Art and Design (RAD) research group seeks to contribute to a new generation of regenerative designers and artists who address the pressing need for transitions that support planetary health. By taking whole systems responsibility through collaborative practices, the group aims to create transformative pathways for reimagining design futures grounded in care and ecological integrity.
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‘How can art and design cultivate critical expressions rooted in ethics of care and relationality to influence ecological, social, and economic structures?’
Delfina Fantini van Ditmar 
‘How can embracing the unexplored areas in creative disciplines help develop non-linear and non-binary modes of researching, doing and thinking for regenerative futures?’
Ariane Fourquier
‘It is through the “not-knowing” that a stimulating and caring environment can be created to confidently share vulnerability.’
Risk Hazekamp
‘A bio lab is a place of working with living organisms, brought out of their habitat so we can learn to think outside of the Petri dish. Let’s take care of these teachers!’
Michaela Davidová