The Cada Series looks at ways that parametrically driven design tools can go to emerging and potential markets to create opportunity without losing jobs, skills, and traditions. Thailand, as a case study, has shown growth as well as potential for more growth in exporting high quality goods. It has many factories that are shining examples of safe manufacturing with fair labor practices, but also one of the largest wealth gaps in the world with 40% of the population owning less than 2% of the wealth. The Thai government is actively contributing to creating design centers, thus promoting creative practice and the ability to grow economy through design. Although this promotion of new and modern design is invaluable, it is imperative to do so in a way that involves craft communities and brings them more work while also ensuring that their wages are fair so that their families, communities, and country can be supported.

Looking at knitting as a global craft with no known origin, an alphabet of shapes was created that can be die-stamped in large quantities out of sheet material; in this case, bamboo veneer which already has a manufacturing basis in Thailand. The pieces are then be assembled by hand, as it is too delicate to achieve with existing machines.

The Cada Light is created from a 45 x 60 cm piece of single-ply veneer and assembled in 20 minutes. The Cada bowl is created from the same size of double-ply veneer and assembled in 5 minutes, and the Cada Shades vary in material and time depending on the dimensions of windows being serviced. This relatively small amount of material makes the designs affordable to create, and the modern, algorithmic design create an aesthetic of value.

These three designs are just a few examples of what could be created with this new material. While the form of the object is dictated somewhat by the shape of the blank being kit together, it is also created by knitting the working blank from the front of the previous row to create a purl stitch or kitting the working blank from the back of the previous row to create a knit stitch. Depending on these pattern choices, the end form has the possibility to be flat, curved, folding, or have alternating curvatures. This results in an open system that can allow for the craft providers to have a say in the design that is of equal weight to the designer. While some craftspeople may simply carry out orders, others may co-create with designers, become designers themselves, or leverage their "happy mistakes" and ad-hoc solutions to create new objects. This also allows artisans to sell globally beyond souvenirs, giving opportunity to underrepresented populations.

The Cada Series looks at ways that new design tools can go to emerging and potential markets to create opportunity without losing jobs, skills, and traditions. Thailand, as a case study, has shown growth as well as potential for more growth in exporting high quality goods It has many factories that are shining examples of safe manufacturing with fair labor practices, and the Thai government is actively contributing to creating design centers, thus promoting creative practice and the ability to grow economy through design.

Thailand also is indicative of the large wealth gaps that exist in many countries across the world. In fact, Thailand has the sixth largest wealth gap in the world, with the top 10% of the population owning over 75% or the wealth and the bottom 40% owning less than 2% of the wealth. Although it's wonderful to promote new and modern design in developing countries, it is imperative to do so in a way that involves craft communities and brings them more work while also ensuring that their wages are fair so that their families, communities, and country can be supported.

The Cada series mixes modern, parametrically driven design with hand-craft techniques that support community. Looking at knitting as a global craft with no known origin, an alphabet of shapes was created that can be die-stamped in large quantities out of sheet material; in this case, bamboo veneer which already has a manufacturing basis in Thailand. These pieces can then be assembled into a variety of forms, but this assembly can only happen by hand, as it is too delicate to achieve with existing machines.

The Cada Light is created from a 45 x 60 cm piece of single-ply veneer and assembled in 20 minutes. The Cada bowl is created from the same size of double-ply veneer and assembled in 5 minutes, and the Cada Shades vary in material and time depending on the dimensions of windows being serviced. This relatively small amount of material makes the designs affordable to create, and the modern, algorithmic design create an aesthetic of value.

These three designs are just a few examples of what could be created with this new material. While the form of the object is dictated somewhat by the shape of the blank being kit together, it is also created by knitting the working blank from the front of the previous row to create a purl stitch or kitting the working blank from the back of the previous row to create a knit stitch. Depending on these pattern choices, the end form has the possibility to be flat, curved, folding, or have alternating curvatures. This results in an open system that can allow for the craft providers to have a say in the design that is of equal weight to the designer. While some craftspeople may simply carry out orders, others may co-create with designers, become designers themselves, or leverage their "happy mistakes" and ad-hoc solutions to create new objects.

While the methodology results in the shown objects, more importantly it opens up larger conversations about design, manufacturing, and ethics. As Industrial design continues to embrace digital manufacturing, must we be in constant danger of losing the culturally indicative crafts that express individual cultures? As global wealth inequality grows, can we create low tech, parametric tools to bring products to global market? Does the spread of generative design in products have to mean a drop in artisanal jobs that support entire towns and regions? Can we blur the line between designer and maker by working collaboratively?

This topic can connect design to production by looking upstream, encouraging socially sustainable practice. This can allow us to design for production near the material source, thus taking advantage of embodied skills instead of homogenizing design. This also allows artisans to sell globally beyond souvenirs, giving opportunity to underrepresented populations.