How can rapid product development support sustainable product design research?

The consequences of the continually increasing impact of human development are confronting many people on a daily basis. Now more than ever there is a need to confront and challenge the way we live, one that is currently based around unsustainable production and consumption. Consequently, the design community has responded by recognising the potential opportunities associated with supporting sustainability, and well-informed designers are in a powerful position to help address some of the issues facing us. For many designers, reframing their practices and processes presents a great challenge. For new product designers to enter and engage in this new design era requires that sustainable design is deeply embedded into the curriculum of product design programmes. While many design programmes have embraced principle of sustainability, many have developed projects around the need for social responsibility, and have orientated teaching and studio projects around designing products to help those communities in greater need. Alongside is a rise in the number of sustainable design frameworks, all of which propose potential solutions to the world ecological crisis. However these frameworks may not always be founded on a good, or realistic understanding of the underlying ecological principles, or are over simplified by designers who do not have sufficient understanding of the ecological processes that underpin them. This paper describes some recent activities of the newly formed Sustainable Product Design Research Group at AUT, and presents a recently initiated staff research project to illustrate the role of Universities can play in engaging in the debate around developing a more sustainable future. In this project rapid prototyping product development processes are used as the primary methods with which to explore a recently developed sustainable design approach

Design for Biodiversity: a new approach for ecologically sustainable product design?

McDonough and Braungart proposed the “Cradle to Cradle” design framework to provide solutions to the world’s current ecological crisis. This approach, based on examples from nature, ensures that human activities can have a positive ecological footprint, capable of replenishing and regenerating natural systems, as well guaranteeing that we are able to develop a world that is culturally and ecologically diverse. In their framework they describe the notion of biological nutrients, where industrial waste (non toxic & biodegradable) may be used as a beneficial nutrient for ecological systems, eliminating the need for efficiency, as “waste is good”. Consequently, Cradle to Cradle industrial systems will benefit the environment. A group of New Zealand scientists were asked to evaluate ‘Cradle to Cradle’ in an attempt to determine the potential of this approach for the sustainable design of products. Analysis of interview data indicated that sustainability is a complex and multifaceted concept, especially with regard to practical applications. In particular, understanding the input of biological nutrients into the environment was identified as being critically important. Furthermore, science can play an important in understanding the impacts of products, as well as how biological nutrient’s may be best used in environmental systems. The insights gathered from these interviews were used to explore the potential for an alternative sustainable design approach, which builds upon McDonough and Braungart’s concept of a biological nutrient, and aims to support the design of products that have a strong ecological foundation. Consequently, Design for Biodiversity is outlined as a potential approach for designing environmentally sustainable products. During the development of this approach, the relationship between science and design was explored to support the notion that ecosystems are the basis of human consumption and should be incorporated as an integral part of society to ensure the development of strong sustainability. The intent of this approach is to help to design ecologically beneficial products. It is relatively untested, and should be evaluated and revised during future design projects

Barcoding T Cell Calcium Response Diversity with Methods for Automated and Accurate Analysis of Cell Signals (MAAACS)

International audienceWe introduce a series of experimental procedures enabling sensitive calcium monitoring in T cell populations by confocal video-microscopy. Tracking and post-acquisition analysis was performed using Methods for Automated and Accurate Analysis of Cell Signals (MAAACS), a fully customized program that associates a high throughput tracking algorithm, an intuitive reconnection routine and a statistical platform to provide, at a glance, the calcium barcode of a population of individual T-cells. Combined with a sensitive calcium probe, this method allowed us to unravel the heterogeneity in shape and intensity of the calcium response in T cell populations and especially in naive T cells, which display intracellular calcium oscillations upon stimulation by antigen presenting cells

How can rapid product development support sustainable product design research?

The consequences of the continually increasing impact of human development are confronting many people on a daily basis. Now more than ever there is a need to confront and challenge the way we live, one that is currently based around unsustainable production and consumption. Consequently, the design community has responded by recognising the potential opportunities associated with supporting sustainability, and well-informed designers are in a powerful position to help address some of the issues facing us. For many designers, reframing their practices and processes presents a great challenge. For new product designers to enter and engage in this new design era requires that sustainable design is deeply embedded into the curriculum of product design programmes. While many design programmes have embraced principle of sustainability, many have developed projects around the need for social responsibility, and have orientated teaching and studio projects around designing products to help those communities in greater need. Alongside is a rise in the number of sustainable design frameworks, all of which propose potential solutions to the world ecological crisis. However these frameworks may not always be founded on a good, or realistic understanding of the underlying ecological principles, or are over simplified by designers who do not have sufficient understanding of the ecological processes that underpin them. This paper describes some recent activities of the newly formed Sustainable Product Design Research Group at AUT, and presents a recently initiated staff research project to illustrate the role of Universities can play in engaging in the debate around developing a more sustainable future. In this project rapid prototyping product development processes are used as the primary methods with which to explore a recently developed sustainable design approach

Exploring the feasibility of cradle to cradle (product) design: perspectives from New Zealand scientists

This research project explores the feasibility of a Cradle to Cradle approach to sustainable product design in New Zealand. A framework for sustainable design was proposed by environmental chemist Michael Braungart and architect William McDonough who suggest that the current paradigm of “cradle to grave” product development is unable to provide a solution to the world’s current ecological crisis, and a “cradle to cradle” framework is more appropriate. They suggest that their approach, based on examples from nature, ensures that all human activities have a positive ecological footprint, capable of replenishing and regenerating natural systems, as well as guaranteeing that we are able to develop a world that is culturally and ecologically diverse. A sample of New Zealand scientists were asked to explore the underlining science and feasibility of the Cradle to Cradle framework in an attempt to determine the potential of this approach for the design of sustainable products. Analysis of interview data indicated that sustainability is a complex and multi-faceted concept, especially with regard to the practical application of ecological considerations, and product design. There is considerable environmental and economic potential in the successful application of interdisciplinary collaboration between science and design when addressing the need for products that contribute to sustainable development

Exploring the feasibility of cradle to cradle (product) design: perspectives from New Zealand scientists

This research project explores the feasibility of a Cradle to Cradle approach to sustainable product design in New Zealand. A framework for sustainable design was proposed by environmental chemist Michael Braungart and architect William McDonough who suggest that the current paradigm of “cradle to grave” product development is unable to provide a solution to the world’s current ecological crisis, and a “cradle to cradle” framework is more appropriate. They suggest that their approach, based on examples from nature, ensures that all human activities have a positive ecological footprint, capable of replenishing and regenerating natural systems, as well as guaranteeing that we are able to develop a world that is culturally and ecologically diverse. A sample of New Zealand scientists were asked to explore the underlining science and feasibility of the Cradle to Cradle framework in an attempt to determine the potential of this approach for the design of sustainable products. Analysis of interview data indicated that sustainability is a complex and multi-faceted concept, especially with regard to the practical application of ecological considerations, and product design. There is considerable environmental and economic potential in the successful application of interdisciplinary collaboration between science and design when addressing the need for products that contribute to sustainable development