Duration: (3h pre-recorded online lectures + 21 online live sessions / 24 hours total)
Course Introduction
The current economy, constantly polluting and extracting materials from the Earth, is the result of a system based on the linear “take-make-waste” model.
The extraction and the processing of natural resources are responsible for over 90% of the loss of biodiversity and the water-shortages in the world. Furthermore, over 45% of global greenhouse gas emissions derive from the ways in which we produce and use goods, grow our food and manage the Earth’s resources.
Within this situation, the circular economy becomes a necessary tool for renewal.
The aims that lie at the very foundation of the circular economy – eliminate waste, allow all materials to flow in a circular fashion, regenerate nature – mean that it can offer a new code of practice on the route to a model of resilience, which benefits companies, people and the environment.
However we must intervene urgently and transform ambitious ideas into concrete actions if we are to bring about a positive and swift impact. With this in mind, today more than ever, designers can and must play a key role in the creation of the new consumables and services. It is estimated that as much as 80% of the circular value of a product is determined during the design process.
Indeed, the world of design can lead production systems towards a true ecological transition.
Course Objectives
The main goal of the module is to understand the principles, strategies and practicalities of ”circular design” to be able to apply them to concrete examples of various scales.
Students will study how to move away from a product-focused design approach to a process-focused one, by examining the wider context and considering how partners or suppliers might be brought into the project and enhanced, whilst bearing in mind the principles of the circular economy and therefore eliminating all processes which may be potentially damaging for the environment, treating waste as a resource which must be kept in circulation for as long as possible and aiming to regenerate nature.
Not only can the design process for the circular economy become a force for environmental regeneration, it can also drive social revitalization. Students will analyze the impact that strategies for eliminating pollution and increasing the value of waste can have within smaller and larger communities and in various economic contexts.
The module comprises theoretical training and practical activities: by studying processes for transformation, recycling and regeneration and the most important national and international eco-design case-studies, students will apply theoretical concepts to practical exercises. They will be introduced to circular economy and its applications in the world of design and will then design domestic and urban furniture. They will develop the skills necessary to transform their own creations into a force for positive action and acquire the knowledge fundamental to becoming a Circular Design Consultant.
After two weeks of full integration, study groups will present a project that seeks to resolve a specific problem or satisfy a particular need without using virgin resources whilst also maximizing the aesthetics and the value and prolonging or improving its life-cycle.The Structure
The course spans a total amount of 24 hours, distributed between 3 hours of pre-recorded lectures and 21 hours conducted interactively through live sessions online on the Uninettuno e-learning platform.The Design for Circular Economy schedule includes approximately 3 hours of face-to-face lectures each week, divided in modules as below. In addition to these lectures, students are required to engage in a group project work to be developed form class to class. The working groups generally consist of 3/4 students.
- 1. Circular Economy today: an introduction
- 2. Green Procurement and Circular Supply Chain
- 3. Additive Manufacturing for the Circular Economy
- 4. Service Flip - Transforming a product into a service
- 5. Regenerative Thinking and NID
- 6. Business Models, Circular Economy and Social Economy
What is circular economy and on what principles is it based? An introduction to circular economy and on how many professionals are already integrating it in their creative design projects.
Workshop: Presentation of the Project Design: “Circular Economy for Public Furniture and Social Application”
For an eco-sustainable design project to be succcessful the right supply chains and distribution channels are necessary.
By studying the flow-chains of raw materials and resources, students will be able to come up with design projects that create less waste, more value and benefits for their own eco-systems, understanding how to become part of a “virtuous cycle” or being able to find or design new cycles.
These are skills which any professional must acquire to work successfully within circular economy and have a real environmental and economic impact.
Workshop: Sourcing raw materials from the circular economy.
Additive manufacturing and 3D printing are ideal for testing materials and shapes in the world of design, but they have now also spread as production tools for both furniture and architecture.
This lecture will be an introduction to how 3D printing and computational design are revolutionizing project design.
Workshop: Tools and strategies for computational modelling and slicing.
More and more companies are moving away from simply selling a product, going towards the provision of a service based on the product itself.
Why? How can this effectively make an organization more efficient and circular?
Such change can begin once we understand the real needs of customers and come up with creative ways to meet them, whilst simultaneously generating value.
Workshop: Case study on public utility services that also enhance urban furniture.
Can we regenerate nature through design or even through certain products? Can we benefit from emulating or using a natural process?
How can nature provide inspiration for professionals involved in the design process? How products are made and discarded?
These will be the questions that students will address.
Workshop: In-depth study of surfaces and textures that can improve and enhance the value of products.
Conclusion of group projects.
How circular economy can have a positive impact on society?
Inviting associations and local communities to play an active role takes any project to a higher level and can attract potential investors to circular economy initiatives.
Students will look at how to incorporate into design projects various strategies to promote joint-project development to generate social value for the community.
Final Group presentations