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Material Driven Design



Project Description


This exercise began from a research methodology - Material Driven Design (MDD) - developed by Karna Elvin and Barati Bahareh from Delft University of Technology. Drawing on the first stage of this method - Understanding the material: technical and experiential characterization - we tried to explore our materials through the frame of experience, specifically, looking to the children’s exploration of materials in the co-design process. Alongside the technical development of the materials, design students proposed applications for the material, drawing on these two different perspectives. The process starts with a material proposal and ends with a product and/or further developed material.  

This exercise requires students to compile a list of verbs that describe the physical act of manipulating the material. Beneath each material sample are two nouns that describe the physical and emotional characteristics of the material. This process was undertaken by design students and elementary school students.

--> Download Details of the Material Tests <--





COLLABORATIVE DESIGN FOR UNSTRUCTURED PLAY


SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant



DESCRIPTION

This SSHRC-funded project brings together the following collaborators: Undergraduate and Graduate Design students at NSCAD University; Undergraduate and Graduate students in Chemical Engineering at Dalhousie University along with Early Childhood Educators, Pre-Primary and Grade Two students from Halifax Grammar School; Lake City Woodworkers, a Halifax-based social enterprise that support individuals with mental health challenges.

Recognizing the environmental harm of plastic, the potential opportunities in bioplastics and the creativity of children, the goal of this project is to use a collaborative design methodology to marry materials research, novel fabrication technologies, and design innovation to produce a toy prototype. The goal of this project is to design and fabricate children’s toys through a collaborative design process between NSCAD University Design Students and Early Childhood Educators at Halifax Grammar School.
RESEARCH TEAM

Angela Henderson, designer
(NSCAD University)

Aaron Outhwaite, engineer
(Dalhousie University)

Marie-Soleil Provençal, artist
(NSCAD University)


COLLABORATORS

Grade 2 Students from Halifax Grammar School Lake City Wood Workers