Building Ties
Co-Design Ocean Plastic with the Public : Using the "SAVE THE OCEAN" Workshop as a Case Study View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Xingyu Tao
One severe environmental problem facing this planet is ocean plastic pollution. Despite various policies and frameworks, the challenge has been growing as countless plastics enter the marine environment and remain there, endangering the health of the ecosystems. Preventing plastics from entering the ocean and reclaiming plastic from the marine environment are equally important to address the issue. Both solutions are highly dependent on whether the public’s negative plastic-related behaviours can be changed, and whether products recycled from ocean plastic are acceptable by consumers. Therefore, citizens need to be provided with a new vision to rethink their relationship with ocean plastic to meet this challenge. This study explored the relationship between ocean plastics and society by investigating the impact, potential and public perception of ocean plastics through a participatory workshop held at the first Edinburgh Climate Festival. Prior to the social investigation, the author experimented with plastic waste collected from Scottish beaches, including polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate, providing participants with interactive co-design options. Using a combination of theoretical and practical approaches, the author examined public views of ocean plastic as pollution and as potential material resources, where participants were able to acquire knowledge and information about ocean plastic and interact with the recycling and making process. Findings identify public interest in reusing ocean plastic and willingness to adopt environmentally friendly behaviours towards plastic use. The study raises new implications for ocean plastic research and agendas for further research investigating the relationship between waste material, co-design, and behaviour change.
Evaluation of Walkable Spaces Through Multi-sensory Urban Experience: Kadıköy Example View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Hilal Çepni
This study seeks to answer the question, "How do the walkability variable and sensory experience affect each other?" The study discusses movement and multi-sensory perception of space. Based on these discussions, the content of the thesis focuses on how the concepts of "Walkability" and "Quality of Space" affect each other, and how this interaction can be evaluated in the redesign of urban space. Within the scope of the Graduation Thesis, "Commented-walk" method (one of the "Mobile Methods") was used as a methodological approach. In the Söğütlü Çeşme and General Asım Gündüz streets of Kadıköy district in Istanbul, the aforementioned methodological approach was utilized and the multi-sensory perceptual experiences of the interviewees were accessed. Within the framework of the current literature, walkability parameters were put forth and the subject space of the study was analyzed in a multidimensional way. In line with the information obtained through two different analysis methods, it was determined that the outputs obtained by measuring the individual's unique experience in the urban space can be used effectively in defining the character of that space, supporting the rational analysis methods based on the physical components of the space. As a result of the analyses, it was observed that evaluating the space through walkability parameters alone is not sufficient to explain the way sensory stimuli are perceived by users, and that ensuring the continuity of movement and a comfortable walking route enable the perception of fragmented stimuli as a whole and the experience of spatial diversity.
Featured Sustainable Architecture and Dry Construction Systems: Metal Façades to Improve Circular Architecture
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Chiara Scanagatta
Today designing in architecture, understood in the broadest sense of the term, cannot ignore the end-of-life aspects of an object, material, or building: it is necessary to consider how to reuse or recycle what is used during construction in order to reduce the consumption of raw materials and make the construction chain more sustainable. In this context, several companies are starting to work on obtaining environmental declarations for their products and are beginning to develop products that can be assembled with dry construction systems, for an easier reuse, or that can be easily disassembled by type of material, to guarantee an easier recycling. This contribution wants to start from this desire for sustainable design to study how, in the field of metal cladding, these needs are linked to the market trends that can be seen in the projects realised today and which are presented in architectural magazines. These façade solutions, in fact, are well suited both for a subsequent reuse of the material at the end of their life and for their recycling. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how these coatings can be used, to encourage their application even in areas of use where they are not currently present.
Featured Non-material Sustainability Design: Another Way to Give Us a Better Future through Design View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jiahao Chen
Generally, when people talk about sustainability, they are referring to using sustainable materials, reducing the impact of the material on the environment, investing more money in recycling materials, and so forth. However, that is not always the case. This is in contrast to industries such as interaction design and graphic design, where there appears to be little work to be done around materials. By contrast, COVID has made it easier for online meeting platforms to be accepted. Research indicates that this shift in the hobby from in-person to online meetings has led to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, many managers reported that the pandemic made them realize that most of their tasks and goals could be accomplished without having to meet in person. In other words, if we are able to accomplish our goals in a simpler and more efficient manner, we can leave a positive impact on the environment. The purpose of this paper is to suggest, using the term created by Daniel Kahneman, that designers must reduce the speed at which they think and act in the era of Post-COVID. The role of designers includes both innovation and influencing audiences as part of their responsibilities. Designers who strive for sustainability should improve the effectiveness of information dissemination not only for users and audiences but also in the design process. As a result of reducing and optimizing low-meaning actions, and improving the effectiveness of information dissemination, a more sustainable future can be achieved.
