Carleton students showcase sustainable projects at the 31st annual Industrial Design exhibition

Ottawa – This year, Carleton’s Industrial Design students are taking a trip towards an imaginary city called Ecoville as the focus for their fourth-year major design projects.

“We asked our students to design projects that would fit with a city that is sustainable and healthy,” says Brian Burns, associate professor at the School of Industrial Design. “This concept required them to understand many inter-related issues and practices such as energy and resource use, lifestyle, change and permanence, processing and reprocessing of materials, health and well-being, local and global capabilities, just to name a few.”

The students’ projects will be on display in the Galleria, Fourth Floor, University Centre from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, April 18 to Tuesday, April 21.

Some of the projects on display are:
• A new look for bus interiors that aims to enhance travel comfort and style and increase bus ridership.
• A small car that runs on compressed air.
• A countertop cooling system for fruits and vegetables that uses water evaporation.
• A system that uses plants to cleanse domestic grey-water for use in the garden.
• An office chair that promotes mobility and prevents long-term physical health problems.
• A home clothing storage system that facilitates seasonal rotation.

The 31st Annual Graduation Exhibition features work from all four years of the Industrial Design program and will display the process by which students learn to tackle a wide range of design needs. The basic skills of sketching, model-making, computer-aided design and form-giving are developed through innovative design projects such as electronic communication products, lighting, outdoor equipment, storage devices, furniture, exhibition design, even bird houses.

Media are also invited to attend the following events all being held in the Galleria of the University Centre:
• 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17. The preview opening night for students and faculty. Keynote speaker is Leonard Lee, founder of Lee Valley Tools and president of Canica Design.

• 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 18. A debate entitled Industrial Design is well positioned to deal with the pressures of the 21st Century. Tim Poupore, president of Ove Industrial Design Ltd. and Rod Muir, waste diversion campaigner with the Sierra Club of Canada, will oppose Scott Deugo, senior vice- president of design marketing and sustainable development, Teknion Furniture Systems and John Buschek, chair of the Technology, Society and the Environment Program at Carleton University.

• 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 20. A forum on Urban Sustainability and Design with presentations from David Chernushenko, Living Lightly founder, speaker and filmmaker; Geoffrey Noxon, sustainable transportation strategist with Noxon Associates Ltd. and John Wright, principal with Corush Sunderland Wright, urban and landscape architect. David Chernushenko’s award-winning film Be The Change will also be shown.

Carleton University’s School of Industrial Design is an innovative trendsetter in the field of industrial design in Canada and the oldest undergraduate program of its kind in Ontario.