Hi! I am Will van Twuijver, a Rotterdam-based designer and part-time farmer working on regenerative design processes. This means that my work is informed by an overarching goal to design and develop systems that integrate environmental restoration and human wellbeing. In practice, my work is focused on the intersection of sustainable food production and grassroots-initiatives.
Focusing on this intersection allows me to explore alternative forms of food production and distribution that are based on solidarity principles, return to a human scale and increase awareness on the natural processes that form the basis of our food system. I have several years of involvement in grassroots initiatives that explore such alternatives, including projects that involve Community Supported Agriculture initiatives, waste food processing collectives and home-brewing.
In 2012 I graduated with a bachelor in interior architecture at Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, followed by a master in Collaborative & Industrial Design at the Aalto University, Finland in 2019. To further deepen my understanding on regenerative design, I completed multiple courses on the topic. Such as a minor studies on Sustainability, a certified permaculture design course and attended several summer schools. Currently, I am enrolled in a two year course in biodynamic agriculture at the Warmonderhof in the Netherlands.
The Test-Site is an experimental space for students to gain more practical experience with sustainable practices and is located on the campus of the Aalto University in Finland. This project is a student-led initiative that arose out of the desire to shift the Creative Sustainability programs curriculum towards a more hands-on direction.
How does the relationship between farmers and citizens affect the design of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model? My master thesis explores the development of a CSA farm in Espoo, Finland.
Can people be excited to consume products made from human waste? The Pee-Osk is a mobile bloody mary bar that serves cocktails of which the ingredients are fertilised with human urine.
Cananis Fermento is a food waste preservation club that aims to reduce food waste by (re)learning, sharing and teaching different food preservation techniques.
In the Summer of 2018 I participated in the ‘Back to the Land 2.0’ Summer School in the village of Hjulsjö, Sweden. The aim of the course was to explore the relationship between rural and urban food system through the Theory-U framework.