Design usually predicts the distant future, but how can we use design today to bring about immediate change? The semester project focused on the “now.” What options do we have today, and how can we use design to respond to changes that are already happening, such as rising temperatures?
The project explored these questions by looking at how we deal with increasing land sealing. Land sealing has far-reaching effects on life and the climate. It particularly affects the loss of habitats, the heating of cities (albedo effect), and the water cycle. The aim was to consider solutions that, in line with integrative design, relate to the materials used, the design of the “paving stones,” surfaces, colors, but also the large-scale design, distribution, and use of the areas in order to limit the loss of natural areas and reduce the impact on the environment.
Land sealing in Offenbach was used as an example, and proposals and visualizations were developed. Employees of the Office for Environment and Climate were invited to discuss and present their ideas. Classic design methods, such as the development of grids, played just as important a role as designing with digital tools. The aim was to raise future designers’ awareness of their responsibility for sustainability with the help of design methods and by addressing the complexity of the “big picture” in order to be able to paint a positive picture of the future.
Antonia Hinderegger and Jonathan Kuhlmann were awarded the Frankfurt Art Association’s Circular Design Award for their design “Vision OffGrid,” and Lea Bernhard was nominated for the Federal Ecodesign Award for “Wasserwald” (Water Forest)!
Type of Project • Student Project
Supervisors • Prof. Peter Eckart, Dipl.-Des. Daniel Rese
Participants • Lea Bernhard, Huang Chongge, Antonia Hinderegger, Jonathan Kuhlmann, Seoeun Lee, Weiying Li, Yixuan Li, Leon Voß, Greta Wagner-Görmar, Daniel Wolff-Franke
Status • completed (draft)
Duration • 10/2023 – 03/2024
Cooperation • Stadt Offenbach, Amt für Umwelt und Klima
