EFS Profiles
demi: Design for a Living Future
University of London - Goldsmiths College
London, England, United Kingdom
Purpose: Curriculum Change
Please note that the copyright for this profile is retained by the institution.
Introduction to demi
demi is a unique and innovative research project which links design to sustainability debates. Its output is a web-based learning resource aimed at the Higher Education design sector in the UK. demi is a three year project funded by the Teaching and Learning Technology Programme (TLTP) which aims to promote the use of technology within education (website linked below).
The UK Government has placed high priority on the need to integrate sustainability thinking and education (website linked below). Research has shown that very few sustainable education initiatives are in place. To counter this three main areas of focus were identified: sustainability concepts; sustainability solutions and effective teaching. These are the starting points for demi.
Sustainability is concerned with achieving a good environmental and social result. It encompasses a wide range of debates including biological diversity and equity between and within societies. While environmental and social issues are not new to the design professions (see for example the work of Victor Papanek <www.co-design.co.uk/victor.htm> and Buckminster Fuller <www.bfi.org>), these issues are still not linked to design in a comprehensive way.
demi addresses this through the construction of a framework which enables users to explore the complex world of design for sustainability.
What is demi?
demi is one view on the broad and complex world of design for sustainability. It not only brings together a large amount of information but it also suggests new ideas and new ways of thinking. It uses sustainability as a driver for change in design education.
demi does this by coupling two bodies of information via a series of connections. Both information bodies are about sustainability. One of these focuses on generic concepts, debates and data which give the broader context to sustainability. The other body of information is specifically related to design and includes "sustainability information" on a wide range of materials and product applications.
The connections or design principles are a crucial part of demi. It is these which are the interface between both bodies of information. They act as a type of "translator," on the one hand providing designers investigating sustainability issues with contextual information. So they can see the bigger picture and begin to investigate relationships between impacts on the micro and macro levels. And on the other, the design principles provide us with starting points from which we can begin to make sustainability real.
So, for example, the demi design principles will enable users to engage with the reasons why choosing one material over another for environmental reasons, is desirable. They will link issues associated with materials to debates like "limits to growth" via concepts such as "efficiency."
demi People
The Audience
demi is currently aimed at the UK Higher Education design community -- both staff and students. This design community includes a wide range of design disciplines from product design engineering and architecture to craft based subjects like silversmithing and jewelry.
The demi Team
- Project Director: Prof. Martin Woolley
- Project Manager: Dominic Clare
- Research Associate: Dr. Emma Dewberry
- Research Associate: Dr. Kate Fletcher
- Research Associate: Andrew Neal
- Research Associate: Michael Herrmann
- Project Administrator: Ann Schlachter
The demi Consortium
- The Design Council
- Falmouth College of Arts
- Forum for the Future
- Goldsmiths College, University of London (Lead Institution)
- Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN) for Art, Design and Communication
- The Open University
- Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce
- Surrey Institute of Art and Design, University College
- University of Brighton
The demi web resource will be launched officially in summer 2001.
demi is still under development. While its structure is finished, the visual representation of the web resource is work-in-progress as is the collation and creation of the information contained within it. An interactive version will be launched in Summer 2001.
However there are opportunities to engage with the demi web resource before this date. A pilot test period is being undertaken during the Autumn term 2000 and the Spring term 2001. This involves students and staff interacting with components of the resource and allows those who participate early access to the demi material. Please email demi at the address below for further information about how to participate in the piloting of the demi web resource.
Join the demi Mailbase
The demi team has set up a mailbase for those interested in discussing design for sustainability. Please email demi at <demi@mailbase.ac.uk> if you would like to be added to the list.
demi welcomes participation from all those interested in design for sustainability and encourages debate on the many complex and varied issues surrounding it. For example, demi would welcome input from those with "single issue" environmental questions through to those interested in more global and holistic approaches to design. demi offers great potential to explore new and exciting content and also invites dialogue on new aspects of teaching and learning, particularly within the multimedia context. demi's aim is also to promote new opportunities for research and networking.
Elements of the demi Web Resource
A redefinition of the sophisticated arguments and complex ideas embedded within sustainability.
- sustainable development concepts
- contextual debates -- information providing background for the entire web resource
- information on materials -- ranging from metals to chemicals to textiles
- information of product applications -- ranging from transport to craft to packaging
- the gallery -- examples of good practice from both companies and students
- FAQs -- frequently asked questions on design for sustainability
- sufficiency -- how much is enough
- scale -- the right size, from the right place for the right people
- appropriateness -- choosing the right thing
- systems -- connections within and between society and nature
- efficiency -- doing more with less
- equity -- fairness within and between all systems, not just human
Navigating demi
demi will be accessible via the World Wide Web. It capitalizes on the web an ideal platform from which to view multimedia information.
demi uses innovative browsing technology to move through the information contained within. demi aims to be both stimulating -- for a visually-aware audience -- and functional, enabling users to make connections between the various bodies of information across the resource.
Navigation through demi is not prescriptive. It allows users to enter and exit at any point having determined the direction of their journey themselves.
demi Blackholes
There is great variety in the quantity and quality of information available on design for sustainability. This means that while there will be extensive information in some parts of demi (particularly with regards to materials, for example), in other parts information gaps exist.
These gaps are crucial to demi as they highlight new areas for research and development in the field. Just as the existence of information is an indicator of the origins of design for sustainability, the blackholes suggest possible new directions in which the field may travel.
And demi wants you to help navigate the blackholes. demi needs the design community to get involved with the project and share information on this subject area. demi wants to promote use through ownership and for the gaps to be filled as the subject area evolves.
For additional information:
demi: Design for a Living Future
Teaching and Learning Technology Programme
Email: info@demi.org.uk
This document was last modified on 02/20/2002 10:43:02 AM
© 2005 Second Nature, Inc.
