Designing health.

Andrea Braun
Ines Karcakova
Alexandra Strelcova
Jolana Sykorova
Sarah Tanguy-Guillo
Vojtech Veskrna
Martina Vlkova
Haenke is an interdisciplinary studio based between Paris and Prague. Our mission is to raise awareness about the role of plant biodiversity for medicine and (more-than) human health.
We create public space installations, debate forums, practical workshops, educational content or community outreach activities by combining traditional plant knowledge with evidence-based research and innovations.
Using the transformative power of arts, culture, design, and other fields of creative expression as a vehicle for social change, we create impactful projects that result in better understanding of the natural world.
Modern western medicine has been reluctant to embrace natural materials and traditional practices, but innovative design and scientific research based on ethical collaboration with Indigenous communities is slowly changing that. Turmeric-infused textile dyes with added health benefits. Banana fibre menstrual pads that prevent girls from skipping school. 3D-printed medical equipment made of sustainable materials. Linen wound bandage inspired by Egyptian pharaohs. Interiors free of toxic VOCs thanks to coating made of essential oils. Hospitals made of rammed earth and its impact on mental wellbeing. Where do vernacular architecture and design practice overlap with human and more-than-human health?