Special
Contributions
A short list of over fifty entries received in the call was showcased during the panel discussion. The videos were displayed at the beginning of each panel to trigger the discussion in three main categories: – 1.materials and processes, 2.cities and communities, 3.nutrition and energy -
MATERIALS AND PROCESSES
The 17 SDGS (Sustainable Development Goals) that were set within the framework of the 2030 agenda called nations, institutions, communities, industries, professionals and financial players for unprecedented actions at all levels. Innovation in materials, production processes and systems, seen as a path towards circular economy, can be highly influential for their achievement: they can contribute to create new businesses and job opportunities, to empower communities, to improve the quality of interior and outdoor spaces, give access to healthier and more affordable nutrition, and to the overall target of de-carbonization. The panel was introduced by the following short videos
Mixtape
Scott Bodenner
Mixtape is a fabric handwoven in Brookling USA. It is designed and produced by Scott Bodenner by weaving yarns made out of cassets tapes and cotton
Geomerce
Gionata Gatto
The project aims at turning crops into mines. Crops grown in land contaminated by former industrial use aren’t suitable for nutrition purposes, however they contain metals that can be extracted thanks to innovative phyto-mining process
MaterialBalance
Politecnico di Milano
Material Balance researches within the limits of static materials, to transform them into dynamic elements by combining, laminating, casting and weaving (Mori 2002).
Internalization, invisibility and speed of transformation demand from designers a nuanced understanding of materials and fabrication techniques, because production of materials and fabrication of components happen more and more simultaneously, more and more customized.
Sustrato
Andrea Delapena
Sustrato is an experimental design project that analyzes the local wastes in order to generate different alternatives of use that can be applied to the creation of biomaterials for the product design industry. The material properties are compared with ancient materials and techniques that were used by different cultures from the past¨ to decide the best way to apply it nowadays and take advantage of the organic properties of different wastes from Mexico to develop local biomaterials with the support of interdisciplinary experts as designers engineers chemists and biologists
Transitory Yarn
Alexandra Fruhstorfer
Transitory Yarn is a production process and a material development research making it possible to transform a garment several times over its lifecycle through a process of unraveling and reknitting over and over again.
CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
The global growth of population - estimated to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 - in search of better living conditions will rise the already existing unbalance between urban and rural settlements: by 2050 7/10 of the world population will live in urban areas, a ratio that will reach the 9/10 by the end of the century. This unprecedented condition, an effect of emerging global issues such as rising of temperatures and sea levels, inequality, famine and political instability, will put cities under new threats and challenges that, if unattended or not planned in advance, could bring them and their communities to collapse.
The panel was introduced by the following short videos:
Aerial City
Desitecture
The construct offers the existing inhabitants contact with a new and vibrant future without any sacrifice of their own cultures or traditions and offers them a vehicle to share their cultural treasures with the influx of the newcomers. The project is located in the terrains of the Xinijan province in China, where the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative), connecting China to the historic trading routes of the rest of the world by land, is located. The construct reinvents these outputs as vibrant vertical and self sustained engines of new commerce and enterprise.
MO(O)D
SOS School of Sustainability
A project revolving on the challenges related to the future of workspace seen in the broader context of fast emerging countries. In China, where working environments are still an expression of societal hierarchy and reflect an outdated, operational driven, design approach, the next generation of office buildings should be able to take advantage of a full integration of the environmental, cultural and technological drivers of their design process.
Made by wooden prefabricated components and designed for disassembly, the building explores on the possibilities for next generation of working spaces of becoming hubs of innovation throughout teamwork
Retrofit
Climate Change
SOS School of Sustainability
The project addresses the unprecedented spread of unfinished projects that punctuate the cities of many emerging countries, due to financial instability, rigidity of the business models and lack of proper planning. Seen in the context of UAE where, due to rapid obsolescence, building and districts life span is drastically shorter compared to that of western countries, the project carries on a widespread reflection over the possibilities of promoting hyper-cycling process that boost communities resilience. Mina Plaza, an unfinished podium+towers building located in the Mina Zayed, estimated to embed some 78,000 Tons of CO2, is the object of a innovative retrofit set of interventions
ENERGY AND NUTRITION
The emerging possibilities that new technologies offer for the production of bio-fuel from PPOs emphasizes on the interconnection between two domains that have been always intertwined, and on the impact that any massive, unplanned use of nutrients from natural resources for other purposes can undermine its primary mission of fighting poverty and inequality by making access to food broader and widespread. Fresh water is a quintessential example of the problem due to its endemic lack in some regions, obsolete or missing distribution network, and global withdrawal lead by agriculture (67%), followed by power production (16%), industrial purposes (7%) leaving only 10% for municipal uses – of which less than 1% is used for drinking purposes. A better and more efficient use and distribution of energy from renewable sources and its mutual relationships with nutrition policies will be pivotal in the future challenges for sustainable development.
The panel was introduced by the following short videos:
Anemokinetics
Alexander Altenkov
The study explores the potential of generating electricity using repetitive oscillatory movements of tree branches. The project involves the use of generated electricity for the purpose of off-grid navigation in urban spaces, where nature in the form of a green infrastructure creates shaded and wild areas. The application of this technology is not limited to navigation; the range of possible applications depends on the number of "Anemokinetics" mechanisms. For example, several mechanisms can power sensors creating an Internet of forest (IoF).
The Coral
Hyunseok An
The Coral is an indoor micro-algae farm designed to rebuild a relationship with algae, critical for sustainability yet less appreciated, in our everyday lives. This edible, air-purifying micro-algae wall proposes a more, better sustainable way of living. The modular system allows you to eat algae everyday as simple as to grow and eat basil at home. Also, this bioreactor pulls 10 times as much CO2 in the air as regular plants, which contributes to reducing your environmental footprints.
The Water Project
Dulaj Perera
The project is a low cost and natural water purifying solution for the school system, a design Solution for Water Crisis in North Central Provinces of Sri Lanka. A device combining water filtration, production of crops and the extraction of minerals
Hippo Roller
Grant Gibbs
A solution that has radically transformed the way to transport clean water from aqueducts and springs to villages lacking connection to the distribution grid, with a positive impact on health, both of those who deliver water, and to the communities that have a facilitated access to sanitized water
Biodegrapack
George Bosnas
Biodegrapack is a package designed to be ecological on every level. Consisted of cleared paper pulp, flour and starch and biological seeds. After using the eggs, instead of recycling or throwing it away, the user waters it or plants it so the seeds grow into green plants. The main idea and goal is to create a truly environmental friendly product.