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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 t.bhamra@lboro.ac.uk www.lboro.ac.uk/lds