Vo & Airro has produced a project to create biomaterials using discarded oyster shells and make them into artificial shells for hermit crabs.

The project brings together two problems in one neat solution: in South Korea, 300,000 tons of oyster waste pile up every year, while in Thailand hermit crabs lack shells due to an increase in population, living instead within cans or small plastic bottles that mean they get stuck and die.

Shellter focuses on the chemical and physical properties of oyster shells to solve these two problems. A process of research and development saw the 100% biodegradable material kaolin combined with the calcium contained within the oyster shells, producing a material that becomes dense and solid, ideal for creating artificial shells as a new home for hermit crabs.

This project has been longlisted in the sustainable design category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

Designer: Minwook Paeng

Project: Shellter