The roads and bridges of tomorrow are being built at Nieuw Zwanenburg. Designers, farmers, scientists, and government agencies are working together to create a sustainable Netherlands.
What does a future look like in which viaducts, roads, and locks are built from crops that grow on Dutch fields? During Oogsten2025, designer Tjeerd Veenhoven focuses on the question of how fungi can be used to extract lignin from our fiber crops for use in bio asphalt. Under the title ‘Harvest of dreams: fibers of innovation’, he presents design research in which materials are assessed not only on their aesthetics and functionality, but also on their role within broader production chains.
Studio Tjeerd Veenhoven – building sustainable chains
For 25 years, Tjeerd Veenhoven has been working at the intersection of design, material development, and system change. He is known for his pioneering work with natural fibers such as hemp, miscanthus, and cattail, and develops applications for biobased building materials. Fungi play a key role in this, for example in the extraction of lignin – a natural polymer that can serve as a sustainable alternative to petrochemical resins. In February 2025, Nieuw Zwanenburg commissioned Veenhoven to conduct research into the use of white and brown rot fungi as a replacement for petrochemical resins.
With the latest harvest from Nieuw Zwanenburg—miscanthus, sunflower, and fiber hemp—his studio is working with the North Brabant Fiber Cooperative to investigate how both fibers and lignin can be used optimally. Rather than end products, scenarios, test setups, and material experiments show how design can be a driver for circular, local value chains.
New generations of designers
In addition to the studio itself, work by eight former interns who are now pursuing their own paths in the world of biobased design is on display: Rik Maarsen, Sophia van Sloun, Kim van der Belt (4F.Studio), Emy Bensdorp, Simone Larabi, Maruschka Poolman, Eva Jagerman, and Lionne van Deursen.
Third-year Product Design students from the Willem de Kooning Academy (Rotterdam) will also present their research. They explored the potential of miscanthus, directly from the field in Nieuw Zwanenburg. Their prototypes and material experiments will be on display during Dutch Design Week at Sectie C in Eindhoven, showcasing new circular applications that demonstrate how design can contribute to ecological health, local anchoring, and regenerative thinking.
Oogsten2025 | Harvest of dreams: fibers of innovation
Three-day public festival
Nieuw Zwanenburg, Oirschot
12—14 September, 2025
nieuwzwanenburg.nl
Photography: Jeffrey Cats
