Healthy Materials and Sustainable Products | SOS

Duration: 4 weeks, 2 units/week

Cost: 1000 euro

Module Introduction

Finding healthier materials to specify and safe manufacturing processes for your projects isn’t easy. It can be time-consuming and resource intensive. Although much research is carried on and knowledge on materials is broad, sometimes it’s not easy to start for lack of easy access to information, or for it’s too technical. SOS has created the module in Healthier Materials and Sustainable Products to equip you with the right tools to make informed decisions and supply the necessary background information on basic manufacturing materials, their chemical makeups and their relationship to human health.

Module Focus

The module aims at providing designers with material health information, addressed in an educational structure that will enforce their capacity to question their current practices and to link them to human health as a priority of their decisions. It is composed of four units which lead to a SOS certificate in Healthier Materials and Sustainable Products. The first and second units provide an introduction to key topics in the field of materials and health for those with general or more specialized interests.

The third and fourth units are geared towards professionals in the manufacturing processes, and those concerned with making a positive impact in product specification, manufacturing, and operation. The goal of the Module is to empower practitioners to make change with the knowledge that healthier products lead to healthier lives.

HM 01 - Introduction to Healthy Materials (2 Units- 06 Hours Lecture + Seminar) This introductory Unit is designed to provide an understanding of the impact materials can have on human health. The unit will challenge to ask questions about the materials they select and specify for their projects and will offer suggestions for how they can address these issues in their workplace. This introduction is situated in the context of product design practice, with additional information presented as the course progresses.

HM 02- Chemistry of Products and Materials (2 Units- 06 Hours Lecture + Seminar) This Unit focuses on the chemistry of products and materials. It introduces professionals to the fundamentals of chemistry, enabling them to understand why particular outcomes and health impacts are produced. It introduces students to chemicals of concern and alternatives that are being formulated by green chemists. We ask how project health goals can be outlined and how informed decisions can be made on the basis of these findings.

HM 03 – Design and Specifications (2 Units- 06 Hours Lecture + Seminar) This Unit helps designers navigate industry resources and certifications, find and evaluate product options, and apply resources for maximum impact. It guides you at establishing methods for targeting specific issues in a project and generalized strategies that can apply more universally, highlighting potential benefits and consequences of employing different approaches

HM 04 – Healthier projects (2 Units - 06 Hours Lecture + Seminar) This Unit deals with the full process of creating healthier products, covering challenges encountered throughout design, construction, maintenance, operation, end of life. The course is framed as lessons and tutorials learned through professional experience to help professionals become better informed so that they can make decisions with an overall awareness of the protocols for healthier design.