From health and gender equality to affordable, clean energy and sustainable cities and communities. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, better known as Global Goals, included in the 2030 Agenda approved by the UN are the pillars on which the students of the Design School of IED Madrid have built their final projects 2020-2021, which we had the chance to get to know first hand at the headquarters of the prestigious school, which has been promoting a new way of thinking, creating and acting for decades. Projects presented by its promising students, graduates in Interior Design and Product Design, with which they promise to make the world a better place, building new spaces and solutions adapted to current needs through continuous experimentation.
IMPACT II Renaissance is based on the positive impact of design on the world, starting from the turning point that the health crisis as a result of the coronavirus has caused globally. A difficult situation that, though it has exploded certain theories accepted until now, has favoured reflection and critical analysis, showing the importance that design has in our lives. IED Madrid has been encouraging its students to seek shared and ambitious solutions through its revolutionary Design Thinking methodology and co-creation processes for years, defending the idea of the designer as an agent of change, committed to the social, economic, environmental and territorial and cultural context that defines the world in which we live in. Now they present more than thirty end-of-studies projects, which show once again that young designers are more aware than ever, transferring their interests, concerns and needs to proposals in which the conceptual meets the functional.
From solutions that aim to combat air pollution in transport, which causes millions of deaths every year, to games and initiatives created expressly to help improve children’s abilities, allowing them to become their best selves. There is room for projects that bring cultures together under common structures that favour collaboration and respect among all the agents involved, and pieces that recall the importance of physical contact after the pandemic. An interesting combination loaded with identity, from which we wanted to collect 6 of the most interesting projects:
Sway by Xueyu Ji (Product Design)
Specially created to respond to a problem that affects millions of people, this instrument is capable of transforming visual information into auditory information, serving as a support tool for blind people. Its efficient and minimalist mechanism becomes an ally, improving the living conditions of all of us. When the container is sufficiently filled with a liquid, the device makes a noise that warns as if it were a sound signal.
Econteram by Teresa García (Interior Design)
A complete renovation of service stations is what this interesting project proposes, offering infinite solutions and proposals adapted to tourists, where they can rest from long trips on the roads. A proposal adapted to the ecosystem where it is built, with great aesthetics and keeping functional, that favours the customer experience and contributes to their well-being.
Ni abierto ni cerrado (Neither open nor closed) by María Sánchez (Interior Design)
Being aware of the current migration crisis, with special incidence in the Spanish coasts next to Africa, this work proposes the creation of a refugee camp in Gran Canaria where socialization and interaction between foreign and local people favour the search for common solutions, mutual understanding and the end of internal conflicts. A proposal designed for the most vulnerable communities that seek to make the world a better place.
Elio by Carolina Vinueza (Product Design)
Distancing herself from the cold white lights used in certain places, this luminaire object opts instead for warm light as gathering place in public and private spaces. Inspired by the light of fire and sun, this lamp is powered by human contact, as it is a conductive material that responds by operating the central element. A response that advocates for safety and warmth facing the health crisis we still live in today.
Viure by Celia Alonso (Product Design)
The passage of time is the central element of this project, composed of three elements, being one of the most complex pieces of the entire sample. Making light the main agent and being common to all the pieces, and using a wide range of colours and shapes, the construction embarks on a journey through life, culminating in a candle that rises, accompanied by a multi-coloured luminaire and an original mirror that evokes the passing of the years.
Zocco Zívico by Sara Roldán (Interior Design)
Turning Lavapiés, one of the most multicultural and diverse neighbourhoods in Madrid, into a meeting place between different cultures, rice and cinema become the elements that unite all the people who come to the union space regardless of their origin, race or culture. A proposal that aims to join forces among all, putting an end to differences, building a project from a common factor everyone can feel identified with.
