CERAMICS FOR WELLNESS
How might we design a system to utilize the properties of Ceramics in India for better health?
(Miroslava, 2016)
PRIMARY ROLE
Inference Mapping
Insight Generation
Ideation
Prototyping
TEAM
Ajit Gopal
Gauri Bhatt
Khushali Gada
DURATION
September 2018 - December 2018
Primary Research
• As the world moves towards a sustainable and green lifestyle, development in design has led to brands going back to traditional materials like ceramics for utensils and kitchenware.
• People are growing aware of the dangers of modern cookware like plastic. They are also aware of the ayurvedic and therapeutic advantages of cooking in ceramic vessels.
​
• Designed a Sunburst Map to study the various categories and usage of Ceramics in India.
• Starting at the center of the map with the category of Ceramics, an Inside Out classification was mapped to understand secondary categories, regions of availability, material compositions, along with influences for usage and the properties.
• Associated five lenses by identifying overlaps within the categories, to come up with inferences.
Inference Mapping
Insight Generation
Created an opportunity to utilize the traditional preservative, medicinal and nutritive properties of ceramics for well - being of future generations.
Ideation
The human body needs Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, Magnesium, Sulphur and several other compounds as a daily requirement. Terracotta has components of all of these and more which provides the necessary benefits for the body.
Chemical Composition of Clay
Composition of Daily Nutrient Requirement
Concept Validation
Cooking in utensils made of terracotta has been a part of the Indian culture for many generations. Some of the various benefits are since clay is porous, it helps the circulation of moisture and heat evenly throughout the utensil while cooking.
Clay pots take longer to heat in comparison to metal pots and thus the process of cooking is slowed down, and essential nutrients are retained. Clay has natural non-stick properties which eliminate the need to cook in excess oil.
Explored the famous pottery village called ‘Kumbharwada’ in Dharavi, Mumbai and purchased some clay utensils for testing purposes.
​
Clay is alkaline in nature. It interacts with the acidity in the food and neutralizes the pH balance, thus preventing various diseases as well. The alkaline property of clay was tested by cooking Tuvar dal in a clay pot and in a pressure cooker simultaneously.
The time taken for cooking the dal was longer in the clay pot as compared to the one cooked in the pressure cooker. The slow cooking process retains all the nutrients of the food that we cook and hence the food is much tastier. However, the pH of the dal cooked in the clay pot was almost neutral, thus proving that nutrients in the clay neutralize the pH and hence behaves as a natural detox.
Kumbharwada Pottery Village
Tuvar Dal cooked in a Clay Pot
pH Testing of Dal cooked in a Clay Pot and Cooker
Mock Prototype
Designed Ceramic Pellets, using locally available clay, which can be used like additives similar to spices, to supplement various nutrients, multivitamins and minerals present in clay in the food during the process of cooking. Easy to use, easy to clean and maintain are some of the benefits of designing pellets instead of using traditional clay utensils.
A chemically tested and purified combination of red and grey clay would be the ideal composition of nutrients required to obtain all the health benefits from the pellets.
Cooking with the ceramic pellets also reduces the amount of oil used in cooking, thereby reducing the risk of heart-related diseases and aiding in weight loss.
