Manupriya Shrestha’s Post

How can we generate an interior wall that is completely based on biobased material flows, performs circularly at material and product level, and has a strong emphasis on involvement, comfort and health of the user? Many building materials and products that could qualify for a circular application face challenges in actually doing so. This is partly an organisational challenge and partly a technical one. With regard to the latter, there are concrete obstacles related to renewability and health of the material flows, manufacturing processes, joining techniques, and acoustic performance, amongst others. Within the Biobased, Inclusive & Circular (BIC) project, a modular wall component is developed that can cope with such challenges. In a co-creative Research-by-Design process with the project partners, a proof of concept emerged, based on existing innovations that obtain extra relevance in this new configuration. From 2020 to 2024, social work, activation and meeting center Pluspunt in Rotterdam redevelops a former municipal yard for people with limitations in their social functioning. Several sustainable work and meeting places are (re)built, forming a social and circular hotspot for the neighbourhood. Delft University of Technology is involved in this process, specifically aimed at circular and bio-based materialisation of non-load-bearing partition walls. Collaborators: ORGA architect, Pluspunt, ECOR®, EKOTEX Wandafwerking, Fairm, Quickpanell, CircuWall Image Credit: Delft University of Technology

First observed in 2008, World Industrial Design Day honors the Value of Industrial Design in enhancing Human Well-Being via the Creation of Novel Goods, Services, Systems, and Experiences. World Industrial Design Day (WIDD) is an Annual Celebration and Recognition of the Global Impact that Design has had on Social, Cultural, Economic, and Environmental Development. It is observed on June 29. It was started in 2008 and is the First Worldwide Day of Observance designed specifically to draw attention to the Benefits of Industrial Design as a Career and how it affects People's Quality of Life. As an Open-Source Initiative, WIDD promotes the Growth of Design-Led Events, Activities, Seminars, Competitions, and Displays by uniting the International Design Community around a Yearly Theme. Let's Get Emotional is the Subject of World Industrial Design Day 2024, which is organized by the World Design Organization (WDO). The Theme seeks to highlight the Various Ways in which Designers may demonstrate how they can use their Emotional Relationships to the People and Communities they work with to create Better Experiences, Goods, and Services. Neonex STEAM works Always on Such Theme!

The fragility of ideas One topic that continues to surprise me is just how fragile the process of design can be. Ideas - the roots of all design – are merely thoughts that one may value. Only when they are solidified do they mean something. When it's within your sphere of control, materialising them can be relatively straightforward - but for Industrial Facility and it's spin-off Future Facility, ideas are so fragile that they can easily be crushed along the development process, primarily because there are a multitude of stakeholders who each have an opinion. At each fork in the road, new questions arrive, doubts can creep-in, additional constraints pile on, and new people come on-board with new opinions. That is partly why we value the immaterial (the single resolute idea) so highly, until it can carry itself. We protect the idea with a suit of armour. With clever and committed people within the development process, the ideas gradual materialisation gets better and better and in so doing, the armour is eventually rendered unnecessary –replaced with a lightness of touch that makes people wonder why the design never existed before. The launch this month of our OE1 Sit-Stand table for Herman Miller is testament to just how important stakeholders are in materialising an idea. I thought it best to list some of the stand-out contributors (there are many others that these words apply to): The executive – Malisa Bryant – the first person we presented the idea of a new type of powered Sit-Stand desk – ultra compact, home-like, easier to control, self-assembly, simpler technology, and made from recycled materials. Malisa immediately saw the potential which is what a good executive needs to do (oh, and she wanted one herself - always a good indicator). The program manager – Bethany Beckman – relished the challenge. Who ever says that managers aren’t creative – Bethany continually asked provoking questions, asking ‘why not?’ The engineer – Ralph Farrer – who made our work even better. He applied ‘molded-in’ instructions within the aluminium die-casting tool, to make assembly easier - testament to his ability to put himself in the shoes of other people. And our lead designer – Leo Leitner – who made sure to remind everyone that the intent of a good idea should never be watered down. He continually whispered into peoples ears, the importance of how the whole is the sum of its parts. Also, as part of running Industrial Facility’s spin-off Future Facility (more on that in a following post), he created the first OE1 electronic layout that introduced both the foot pedal and integrated USBc power – all from one cable. So do people need another height-adjustable table? They certainly need a better one that is more in balance with them and their living and working spaces.

Why design is important!!

In our second post in the series, we would like to introduce you to various staircase concepts from our projects. Staircase concepts can be customised for each project and contribute significantly to the identity of the project. 1) Project: Biological Institute TU Dresden Green staircases in interior spaces create an inviting atmosphere and offer numerous benefits for the indoor climate and well-being. The plants improve the air quality, absorb pollutants and produce oxygen. They also help to reduce noise and create pleasant acoustics. The choice of plants should be adapted to the lighting conditions and the indoor climate to ensure optimum growth. With regular maintenance, green staircases become inspiring elements that promote well-being and productivity. 1-3 photos: © Gerber Architects 2) Project: Brewery Research and Training Centre (VLB) Free-standing staircases in the airspace of a building are architectural masterpieces that create an impressive visual effect. They appear to float in space without any visible supports, creating a fascinating illusion of lightness. These staircases not only serve as connecting elements between levels, but also as striking design elements that transform the space into a work of art. 4-6 photos: © Werner Huthmacher 3) Project: Dortmunder U In architecture, escalators are not only functional elements of passenger transport, but also important design components. They connect different levels of a building efficiently and at the same time contribute to the aesthetics and dynamics of the space. Thanks to their movement and design, they fit seamlessly into the architectural concept and can serve as both practical and aesthetic elements. 8-9 photos: © Christian Richters 7th photo: © Hans-Jürgen Landes

Detail is always what matters the most!

Since the 1970s, bio-architecture has explored "building in negatives" aka underground construction. This not only minimizes disruption to the surface landscape, ideal for sensitive areas, but also leverages the earth's natural insulation for stable temperatures, reducing energy needs. Pictured here is the Library in the Earth, a library built in Japan with this concept in mind. The library, located in an area previously occupied by building debris and redeveloped, is distributed around a crack carved into the ground, embraced by various reading rooms, with different heights according to the slope of the land: the lower ones are only accessible to children while the circular reading room, bordered by shelves that continue radially up to the top of the roof, encourages meditation and contemplation of the sky that filters through the central oculus. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news in green building, nature-based design and eco-architecture! ingreenliving.com

A thought-provoking project which explores the consequences of designs which are optimised for single factors. Lots of parallels with system design. I know which of these umbrellas I would rather own, but do aesthetics have any place in solution architecture?! "The first is not particularly durable but is completely recyclable, the second is designed entirely with repairability in mind, while the third is hugely over-engineered and designed for durability. In each case the reader is intended to think about the impact of the umbrella before them." (via hackaday) https://lnkd.in/egXAcqTZ

Design is the art of shaping utility; hence, there is no merit in a design that cannot be brought to life.