IED students direct the social role of design improving living conditions

IED – Istituto Europeo di Design presents the best student projects

IED – Istituto Europeo di Design presents a selection of the best, explorative projects from the school’s undergraduate degrees in Product Design and Interior Design. Through their projects, the students seek to direct the social role of design as topics range from waste management and sustainable consumption to nature, and improving living conditions for those most in need.

Reddo by Francesco Lucini

all images courtesy of IED – Istituto Europeo di Design 

THE PROJECTS AIM TO PURSUE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Working on different areas, students followed the fil rouge of designing products usable by everyone regardless of their ability, age, or status in life. They analyzed with an innovative perspective how to manage different kinds of waste to realize their products and give these materials a second life even more beneficial and socially impactful than the original one. IED projects are fully aware of how design is part of a system made of people and their needs. All projects have as a common core the desire to pursue solutions to improve environmental, social and cultural conditions to create a positive impact, that’s what we aim for in IED: building a better future.

Reddo by Francesco Lucini turns oyster shells into concrete 3D printed structures

Reddo by Francesco Lucini is an investigative and speculative project on the use of oyster shells as a raw material. The aim is to design a nature centered product in order to generate a circular economy for this type of natural waste. The necessity of finding a second purpose for oyster shells came from the discovery of the massive quantity of waste produced every year; for this reason, Reddo opens a debate on different topics, such as waste management, coastal erosion and marine environmental health. Through the use of computer technologies and new manufacturing techniques, the project turns the shells into concrete 3D printed structures to propose a solution for those areas of the world that are more sensitive to climate change. For its creativity, the product was awarded with a special mention during the Supersalone 2022 Grad Show exhibition, and was displayed at Salone Satellite 2022.

Sway by Xueyu Ji is a measuring instrument for the blind

Sway is a measurement instrument that transforms visual information to auditory. Measuring is a challenge for blind people and the current products on the market are designed for sighted. Sway in return, gives a visual feedback with a simple and understandable mechanism: the lid which is placed on the container as a seesaw acts like a measuring spoon. When the weight of the liquid or solid it carries exceeds 50 grams, it swings down and empties and when it returns, it bumps against the edge of the container making a sound to notify the user.

Sbun-Design: Rethinking Plastic by Andrea List, Leonardo Santambrogio and Matteo Mulas, makes 3D printing sustainable

Sbun-Design: Rethinking Plastic by Andrea List, Leonardo Santambrogio and Matteo Mulas, is an extruder for 3D printers, an experiential website and a transparent 3D printer. With the help of the extruder, the printing process becomes sustainable as CO2 emissions are cut, while the website shapes the printing experience by creating high value products together with designers. The production chain of 3D printing generally comprises three steps: the plastic waste; shredding it into flakes and pressing it into pellets; and the processing for the final filament – which is essentially the base material for printing.

Sbun-Design: Rethinking Plastic in progress

The young IED designers behind the start-up aim precisely to shorten the plastic production chain, thus reducing material costs and the amount of CO2 released during the process. Through an unprecedented extrusion system developed by the authors themselves, a 3D printer designed ad hoc and adapted to this system, aims for maximum transparency in showing itself to the user. The interface with the end customer is an experiential site that proposes the sale of Sbun-Design products, while also showing the real time progress of the complements thanks to a special webcam positioned on the printer.

The starting point of Obscurity: Blind Tourism is to challenge individual perceptions of features, spaces and environments on the basis of two questions: is tourism only a visual exploration through the mind of the visitor? Is sight the only manner to live a travel experience? Anna De Faria Papachristopoulou’s project proposes a concept able to reveal a city’s essence, challenging the perception one may have through senses other than sight. It aims at diverting the visitors’ perspective of the city from the traditional touristic features, rather challenging senses and emotions, leading to an unexpected sensation and hidden aspects of a city’s culture, history, people and environment.

Lesbos Refugee Camp by Naroa Zabaleta highlights the danger that women face within those communities

Lesbos Refugee Camp is a project by Naroa Zabaleta, student from Interior Design in IED Bilbao, conceived in response to a reality that many of us are unaware of. It is based on refugee camps and the different problems found within these communities, especially in the vulnerable groups such as women. Many of them highlight that just going to the bathroom for daily activities can become a dangerous, even life-threatening act. Starting from this problem, Naroa proposes a safe space, where these women they can regain their privacy, dignify their bodies and feel safe. The project involves a construction made using modules designed according to the needs of each camp, requirements, dimensions and terrain. For this reason, the design has been opted for maritime containers thanks to their resistance and strength, stackable value and durability. There are five modules already designed: the leisure, changing room, washbasin and bathroom, showers and stairs.

‘Regarding interior design, a resource used that is available to all and completely free is natural light. Using it in a subtle and thoughtful way, we get the sensations we seek in the spaces. For example, in areas less intimate, such as the leisure module and the staircase, we are interested in getting the light well lighting up the whole space. But in the most intimate spaces, where I want the woman to feel safe, important, valued and intimate, light will play a very important role, creating chiaroscuro and contrasts, almost heavenly spaces. Giving light to her and her action, leaving the rest in a dim light to accompany it. The protagonist is the woman and this determines the light. A place that they can enjoy with their children without fearing anything and forgetting for a moment what they have suffered,’ says Naroa about the project.

Sway by Xueyu Ji

Obscurity: Blind Tourism by Anna De Faria Papachristopoulou

All the above mentioned projects were exposed at WantedDesign Online.

project info:

school: IED – Istituto Europeo di Design

projects: Reddo; Sway; Lesbos Regufee Camp; Obscurity: Blind Tourism; Sbun-Design: Rethinking Plastic

designers: Francesco Lucini; Xueyu Ji; Anna De Faria Papachristopoulou; Andrea List, Leonardo Santambrogio and Matteo Mulas