Ten young European creatives, five teams and one challenge: turning food waste into design that sparks conversation and social impact.
From 19 to 22 October, ten young designers from across Europe came together at IAAC / Fab Lab Barcelona for the Next Gen Design Barcelona Residency 2026, held during Barcelona Design Week and organised by the Barcelona Creativity & Design Foundation.
Over four intensive days, the residents worked in five international pairs, combining different disciplines, backgrounds and perspectives to respond to a real challenge around food waste, circularity and social impact.
The challenge: bringing circularity to the table
This year’s challenge was proposed by the Institut de Gastronomia de Barcelona (IGB), a public vocational training centre where young people learn cooking, pastry and hospitality through hands-on experience.
At the heart of the challenge was BeGood, an initiative developed within IGB’s PFI programme that connects gastronomy, sustainability and the circular economy. Through BeGood, students work with companies, social organisations and local communities to transform food surplus and social needs into opportunities for learning and positive impact.
The residents were asked to explore a very tangible question:
How could the school’s own food waste be transformed into table elements for its restaurants — objects able to make BeGood visible and spark conversations with every guest?
The table became the starting point: a place where food, materials, people and stories meet.
After four days of experimentation, material exploration and prototyping, the five teams presented their proposals to the jury.
The 2026 Barcelona Residency Winners
1st Prize: N-uovo by Giulia Principe (The Netherlands) + Niki Riehs (Austria)
N-uovo gives a second life to one of the institute’s everyday food residues: eggshells.
The project proposes a multifunctional tableware object made from eggshell ceramic, designed to work both as a napkin holder and a cutlery rest. By transforming an overlooked kitchen residue into a functional object placed directly on the restaurant table, N-uovo makes circularity tangible and visible as part of the dining experience.
2nd Prize: CIRCULTIVATE by Jesica Balakumar (United Kingdom) + Eugenio Costa (Italy)
CIRCULTIVATE reimagines the traditional placemat as an object with two lives.
Made from repurposed organic materials -including restaurant food waste, coffee grounds and coffee husks- the biodegradable placemat is designed to return to the restaurant’s garden after use, where its organic components can contribute to the soil and support future plant and food production.
From the table back to the soil, CIRCULTIVATE creates a tangible connection between people, food and nature, turning an everyday dining object into an invitation to engage with circular practices.
3rd Prize: ZERO WASTE, FIVE SENSES by Ayse Asena Bacaksiz (Italy) + Moritz Schmid (Germany)
What if food waste became the starting point for curiosity and conversation?
ZERO WASTE, FIVE SENSES is a sensory game that encourages people to reconnect with food, discarded materials and one another.
At its centre is a dice created from food-waste biomaterials. Each roll invites diners to engage through a different sense: smelling an aroma, sharing a taste, touching a texture, listening to a story or imagining what a discarded ingredient could become.
The project shifts the conversation around zero waste from information to experience, using play and interaction to encourage new ways of looking at the resources surrounding us.
Warmest Thank You to All Residency Participants
We extend our warmest congratulations to all five resident teams for their exceptional research and creative output:
KAVICA – Jevtić Dušan (Serbia) and Leja Rebolj (Slovenia)
N-uovo – Giulia Principe (The Netherlands) and Niki Riehs (Austria)
Weighted – Juana John (Germany) and Rebeka Majnár (Hungary)
ZERO WASTE, FIVE SENSES – Ayse Asena Bacaksiz (Italy) and Moritz Schmid (Austria)
CIRCULTIVATE – Jesica Balakumar (United Kingdom) and Eugenio Costa (Italy)
The Barcelona Residency is part of the wider Next Gen Design Residency Programme, connecting young European creatives through collaborative experimentation, rapid prototyping and real-world challenges across the project’s five partner festivals.
Congratulations to all ten residents — and to the three winning teams for turning food waste into new materials, experiences and conversations around the table.