TUCMA - Modular Seating Made from Textile Waste and Filled with Rice Husks

Universidad de San Andrés
The Diaguita are the predominant Indigenous people of Tucumán, Argentina, and their presence in the territory predates the province’s colonial foundation. While researching Tucumán’s contemporary identity, the project team observed that its architecture and urban design are largely shaped by a colonial aesthetic, with little visible representation of these communities. Addressing this absence became the project’s central challenge. As the project involved cotton waste from Santista, a textile company with a manufacturing plant in Tucumán, the team engaged in dialogue with artisans from the Ruta del Tejido cooperative in the Calchaquí Valleys to understand how they experienced this invisibility.  
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Bioeconomy
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Ecodesign
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Low-impact Textiles
Artificial Intelligence
Digital Product Passport
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Traceability
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Circular Business Models
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Life-Cycle Thinking
TUCMA is a modular seating system made from a biomaterial combining discarded cotton yarn from Santista and wool remnants recovered by artisans from the Ruta del Tejido cooperative. Each module functions as an individual seat; together, the modules form the chacana, an Andean symbol of balance and connection. The project ranks high within the waste hierarchy. Rather than recycling materials after disposal, it prevents waste generation from the outset by using both waste streams as primary raw materials through upcycling. The system is fully biodegradable and can be composted at the end of its life cycle, returning its materials to the biological cycle. The design process was developed collaboratively with the artisans, who actively participated in biomaterial experimentation, the definition of symbolic elements, and product decision-making. Their knowledge, techniques, and cultural perspectives are embedded in the final outcome, making them co-authors of the design process. Unlike many projects involving Indigenous communities through a top-down approach, TUCMA involves artisans from the outset in defining the product’s symbolism and design. The exchange is reciprocal: the team shared knowledge about biomaterials and alternative production techniques, which the artisans were able to explore.  
The design choice is supported by measurement through simplified or partial indicators. TUCMA demonstrates how industrial textile waste and recovered fibers can be transformed into large-scale furniture through collaborative design processes. Its main impacts include the valorization of materials that would otherwise be discarded, the creation of economic opportunities for participating artisans, and increased visibility of Diaguita culture in public spaces. Conceived for museums, cultural institutions, and tourist sites, TUCMA proposes a replicable model for collaboration between industry, academia, and artisan communities.

TEAM
Martina Méttola La Giglia and Sofía Mashad