Critical Reflections
Featured Designed BY not Designed for: (dis)Ability Design Studio
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Deana McDonagh, Eunmi Moon
Focusing on the members within our communities who are often overlooked and underserved (e.g., aging and disability), can lead to a higher level of innovation for the designer. This paper discusses the newly established (dis)Ability Studio based in a traditional scientific and engineering institute, which provides a unique environment that supports individuals as contributors to knowledge rather than only research subjects. This studio supports diverse abilities and is underpinned by the goal that products, environments, services, and policies, need to be designed by rather than designed for if we acknowledge that the more typical abled-bodied designers can often miss the opportunity to integrate the 'voice' of the user. This discussion highlights an emerging design and disability community that enriches design education and design research projects. Two research projects are discussed (1) an omnidirectional hands-free self-balancing ballot chair and (2) an 'aging in place' housing system for life-long living. As a community let us go beyond the convenient sample to ensure we enable user-inspired innovation.
Integrating Biomimicry and Sustainable Materials in Interior Design View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Iman Ibrahim
This study examines the connection between sustainability and technology in the field of interior design education. It focuses on the need to incorporate biomimicry and sustainable materials into the curriculum for "sustainable interior environments" to bridge the existing gap. The aim is to assess the extent to which drawing inspiration from nature, in conjunction with artificial intelligence (AI) tools, can amplify students' creative thinking and ability to solve problems, hence promoting the development of new and sustainable solutions. Using a qualitative case study method, the study looks at how interior design students use biomimicry ideas and AI visualization tools to come up with sustainable interior design ideas. The study investigates how they conceptualize, develop, and create 3D-printed models by utilizing recycled filaments derived from plastic bottles and wood fibers. Information was gathered using student portfolios, interviews, surveys, and an evaluation of the final models to evaluate the implementation of sustainable design concepts. The results suggest that students effectively utilized biomimicry to create inventive and ecologically conscious interior solutions. AI tools enabled the investigation of natural shapes, while the utilization of recycled materials in 3D printing showcased the practicality of integrating sustainability into design education. The installations exhibited a wide range of sustainable strategies, including energy-efficient designs and materials that reduce indoor pollution. This research adds to the discussion on the significance of technology and sustainability in design education, emphasizing the possibility of using interdisciplinary methods to address environmental issues.
With Nature in Mind: Raising Awareness Through Design Education
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ipek Kastas-Uzun
Due to the intertwined nature of design-related fields such as architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design, it isn't easy to draw firm boundaries between them. Based on this idea, the educational structure of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design (FFAD) at Izmir University of Economics is designed in such a way that students from all five departments of the faculty start their design education together and take core courses such as Art and Design Studio, Drawing and Representation, and History of Art and Design together in the first year. As the departments continue their curricula separately after the first year, this multidisciplinary approach continues with certain common compulsory and elective courses. The common courses in the curricula and the collaborative projects enable students to study, work, and learn together in this faculty. This paper discusses the role of multidisciplinary education in design-related fields with some examples of courses and projects where students from different departments work together. Through the multidisciplinary structure of the faculty, the paper highlights two important discussions. Firstly, including students from different disciplines in the same course and the opportunity to work on group projects with peers from different disciplines help broaden students' perspectives on problem-solving skills and increase students' success rate through cross-learning experiences. Secondly, while projects that require group work increase students' peer learning experiences, factors such as different knowledge backgrounds and different course schedules can create obstacles that need to be overcome for a successful outcome.
