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Teaching Sustainability in a Design Context
Professor Tracy Bhamra
Loughborough Design School
Introduction
Why teach Sustainability in Design?
Sustainable Design at Loughborough
Key Lessons
Summary
Loughborough Design School
Formed in August 2010 by the merger of the Department of Design &
Technology, Department of Ergonomics and the Ergonomics and Safety
Research institute. Department of Design & Technology was established in
1930 for the training of teachers. Since 1977 taught undergraduate
programmes in Design and has being integrating issues of sustainability into
these since 2000.
Undergraduate courses
BA Industrial Design and Technology
BSc Product Design and Technology
BSc Design Ergonomics
BSc Ergonomics
Postgraduate taught programmes
MA/MSc Industrial Design, User-Centred Product Design, Sustainable Product
Design, Virtual Product Design, Product Design in Business
MSc Ergonomics
PGCE and MSc in Education with Qualified Teacher Status
Now widely recognised that sustainability must be considered in the way we
design, produce and use products.
But implementation of sustainability is difficult and requires.
Companies currently lack expertise to implement and/or sustainable thinking,
so we need to educate future Designers to think differently.
Support Tools Guidance
Why Teach Sustainability in Design?
Designers have a responsibility to think about the impact of
the products they design
Why Teach Sustainability in Design?
…this is where the most critical decisions about cost, appearance, materials
selection, innovation, performance, environmental impact, quality, longevity, durability,
and reparability are „locked in‟
Why focus on Design?
[Source: http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/industry/corporate/eecp/publications/shop.html, October 2007]
…everything designers do affects the environment
Every product created:
• Creates waste & pollution at
the end of their life
• May use energy when we use
it
• Uses energy when transported
• Uses resources & energy
when manufactured
[Source: http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/industry/corporate/eecp/publications/shop.html, October 2007]
Household appliances = use;
energy consumption
Different products have different impacts at different stages…
Furniture = raw materials
Develop the ability to tackle sustainability before designers enter professional
practice.
Clear that sustainability was a key issue for design education.
Look for ways to integrate it into the BA Industrial Design & Technology and
BSc Product Design & Technology
A Solution to the Problem
In 2000 Sustainable Design was introduced only an optional module.
Since 2003 sustainability thinking has been increasingly integrated throughout
degree level teaching on the BA Industrial Design & Technology, BSc Product
Design & Technology and BSc Design Ergonomics .
Introduced to first year students through both the Design Contexts and
Design Practice Modules – approx 160 students per year.
Second Year builds upon first year through further integration into the
Design Practice module and offers an optional module on Sustainable
Design.
Final year students encouraged to select sustainable design focus for
design projects and dissertations.
Postgraduate teaching
Masters course in sustainable design.
Education for sustainable development included in the PGCE course.
Sustainable Design at Loughborough
All of the educational initiatives described above begin by
introducing the concepts of sustainability
building sustainable design knowledge,
they then move to supporting learners who are expected to be working on
live design projects.
The success of the initiatives can be attributed to the methodologies by which
they were developed. Whilst developing these initiatives we also developed the
tool box for sustainable design education funded by the Higher Education
Academy
Sustainable Design at Loughborough
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/susdesign/LTSN/introduction/Introduction.htm
Semester One Content Focus
Introductory lectures Scoping sustainability Breadth and diversity of the
concept of sustainability
Core concept lectures: Resources
People
Systems
Understanding and analysis of
core sustainable development
themes
Guest Speakers from industry
Self Directed Seminars Eco-Efficiency
Service Systems
Understanding, Integrating and
Articulating links between
sustainable development and
design
Developing presentation skills
Semester Two
Supporting Lectures for
Sustainable Design
Activity
Creativity
Emotional Durability
User interface
Tools and Methods
Information Resources
Applying different approaches
within designing
Sustainability Design
Briefs
Examples include:
Packaging Redesign, Educating
consumers about energy use,
developing refill systems, public
lighting.
Analysing, re-framing and
delivering on the brief set;
presenting to a range of
stakeholders; demonstrating
sustainable design thinking and
practice in real-life problem
solving context.
Module Outline
Linking Design & Sustainability
Need to open designers‟ minds to scope of connection between
sustainability & design.
Translate abstract concepts into language and actions that has
resonance.
Linking Sustainability & Design
sustainability
Need to create a shift
design
sustainability
Designers may wander into the
realms of sustainability
design
Sustainability being the thing we are
all thinking about, when you are
designing you are part of this
movement
Dewberry, E.L & K. Fletcher (2001)
= a wider context for design Linking Design & Sustainability Linking Sustainability & Design
Key concepts addressed one at a time via 1 hour lecture followed
by 90 minute small group design activity and 30 minute large
group presentation and feedback session.
Design activity allows students to explore and develop their own
understanding of the issues by responding to them through a
practical design task.
Outputs not final solutions but flexible framework for discussion
and reflection.
Linking Sustainability & Design
Live Design Projects
These run for 12 weeks in Second Semester
All projects set by external clients, examples include:
E-on
Boots
Unilever
Philips
Oakdene Hollins Environmental Consultants
Lectures and practical sessions around
Creativity
Emotional Durability
User interface
Tools and Methods
Information Resources
All learning applied directly to live design project
Results presented back to clients for feedback at the end of 12 weeks
Live Design Projects
Key Lessons
This is one route to foster a sense of exploration and creative investigation
into asking different questions around complex problems.
Problems around sustainability usually have a number of different solutions
and which very much depend on an individual‟s perspective.
Team approach has meant each student has gained a greater awareness of
the possible solutions and therefore increased the learning that can be taken
forward to the next project.
Industry Speakers & Case Studies used to add element of “real-life”
Design briefs set require students to use their skills and knowledge quite
differently.
Has shown students that sustainability isn‟t just an addition to their designing
but rather it is an opportunity to re-vision design solutions.
Key Lessons
Thank you
Professor Tracy Bhamra
Loughborough Design School
Loughborough University
www.lboro.ac.uk/lds