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PARTNER ORGANISATIONS
LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY The Department of Design and Technology at Loughborough University has a multidisciplinary staff and about 400 undergraduate and postgraduate students. Since the 1930s, the Department has been involved in design education and has extensive prototyping resources. Every student is involved with major designing and making projects and many of these are linked to companies and outside organisations. One of the Department’s particular areas of expertise is sustainable design, led by Dr Tracy Bhamra and Dr Eddie Norman. All the undergraduates study sustainable design in core modules. About 50 Year 2 students take specialist options in this area each year and undertake sustainable design projects linked to companies. There are also on-going research projects concerning sustainable design. The Department’s expertise relates to product design in a northern hemisphere context, and consequently this is also the area in which the Department has offered briefs for the Sustainable Design Awards. The open-ended context has been recommended as the ‘3Rs’ for sustainable design for many years – reduce, reuse, recycle. Generic design context Reduce, Reuse, Recycle It has been recommended for many years that reducing, reusing and recycling provide many opportunities for environmental improvements in our own and other countries and in product manufacture. Design and make a product that uses at least one of the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ criteria. Specific design briefs See specific briefs relating to each of these areas that have been provided for 2003-4. Reduce • Reducing weight: cardboard structures • Reducing parts: CD cases Reuse • Reusing materials: avoiding landfill • Reusing products: shopping bags Recycle • Recycling: collecting more • Designerly recycling: high added value Loughborough University students have undertaken projects in these and similar areas in the past and we would be pleased to support students taking the Sustainable Design Awards. Some general areas where you might wish to seek advice are: • problem specification • concept designs • selecting materials and appropriate technology • prototyping strategies • product evaluation. By negotiation, Loughborough University would also be prepared to support other specific briefs that fall within the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ context. Please email your ideas, as well, of course as ensuring that they would acceptable to the Awarding Body for your AS or A2 examination. The Department has no particular expertise in relation to products designed for southern hemisphere contexts, but could offer general project advice in relation to ITDG and other briefs. Your first contact at Loughborough is: Eddie Norman Department of Design and Technology Loughborough University Loughborough Leics LE11 3TU Tel: 01509 222659 email: [email protected] |
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About SDA
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