Rebuilding Tomorrow- Ecobricks

Inspiration

The objective of my design fiction is to address sustainability and affordability when it comes to rebuilding homes and communities. I was inspired by the idea of using recycled materials that are normally pretty hard to recycle, including electronics, batteries, and plastic, and then turning them into something called "EcoBricks".

EcoBricks are an actual thing, to my surprise, but traditionally made with plastic and plastic bottles. They are really helpful to rural communities and help with sustainability efforts. Seeing this real-world concept inspired me to take the idea further, leaving me to imagine what would happen if EcoBricks could withstand the natural disaster itself.

Sustainability is a huge push in this day and age, with 292.4 million tons of waste generated in the United States yearly. At the same time, states like California are still recovering from the devastating wildfires of last year, looking for more sustainable ways to protect homes and rebuild structures that are less vulnerable to burning down. After disasters like this, low-income residents are often pushed out because they cannot rebuild. We saw this in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as well.

All of these factors inspired the foundation of my story. My design fiction exemplifies what could be possible if innovation met care, as said by the main character, Dr. Elias Mora.

What it does

My video highlights the future of rebuilding, as well as a What If Scenario when it comes to sustainability efforts.

How we built it

I utilized LTX Studio, Midjourney, Eleven Labs, and Capcut to make my video. I had only previously used Capcut before, so there was a bit of a learning curve at first.

Challenges we ran into

Generating some of the scenes was really frustrating, because despite my prompts being really specific, it wouldn't generate what I wanted. I had to learn to be very patient!

Accomplishments that we're proud of

This was my first time creating an AI film project, so I learned how to utilize multiple tools and combine AI elements into a project I am really happy with!

What we learned

Through participating in the Chroma Awards, I learned how AI tools can be integrated to build a full creative workflow for storytelling, narration, and worldbuilding. I had absolutely no experience with this, so I am glad I got the opportunity to work on this project!

Built With

• capcut
• elevenlabs
• ltxstudios
• midjourney