Slow water: designing for sustainability September 21, 2007

"Would you use less water if your sink eroded as you washed? One of the young designers in the group led by Daniel Charny and Roberto Feo at the Royal College of Art thinks you might. The eroding ‘soap sink’ is just one of the ideas their group, Platform 10, came up with when put to the task of designing ways for everyday people to fit water conservation into their lives. Students also designed a shower curtain that tells you when you’ve used too much water, and a garden table that collects rain to use on your plants. Daniel will reveal some of Platform 10’s other innovations, and talk about the challenges involved in creating strategic designs around topical subjects like conservation.

Daniel’s students aren’t the only ones designing user-friendly ways for people to help the planet. In fact ‘design for sustainability’ is a growing field, and Karen Blincoe is one of its top practitioners. She’ll set the scene by exploring the foundations of design for sustainability, how it’s done, and how concern for the planet not only adds complexity to a design project, but also lots of value. In fact, she believes that a rebirth in concern for the environment could lead to a design renaissance too. Join us for an inside look at the designs that will help us be greener, followed by the opening of a special exhibition of Platform 10’s work for their ‘Slow water’ project."

In association with the Royal College of Art and London Design Festival.

Tickets cost £8/5 Ri Members and concessions.

Official Website: http://www.rigb.org/rimain/calendar/detail.jsp?&id=347