THE POTENTIAL FOR A CRITICAL DESIGNAPPROACH TO CREATE INNOVATION WITHIN THECONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY THROUGHPARTICIPATORY DESIGN WORKSHOPS
Year: 2016
Editor: Erik Bohemia, Ahmed Kovacevic, Lyndon Buck, Christian Tollestrup, Kaare Eriksen, Nis Ovesen
Author: Münster, Sunniva
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences
Section: Preparing Students for Cross-dsciplinarity
Page(s): 522-526
ISBN: 978-1-904670-62-9
Abstract
This paper explores the potential and possibilities for applying a critical design approach and critical
design thinking to industrial company Mapei AS, mainly focusing on improving product development
and creating innovative concrete surfaces for the construction industry and urban spaces. The paper
also discusses the methodological challenges and possibilities of working in a cross-disciplinary team
consisting of product designers, tertiary-level product design students, chemical engineers, and
relevant stakeholders. The study presents an overview of a critical design approach, which is a
continuation of previous work on how methods such as design fiction and poetic estrangement can add
value and explore the possibilities of critical design as interventions in industrial, material, and
educational systems. The research consists of a series of case studies and participatory design
workshops that involved testing the critical design approach with tertiary-level product design
students. The participatory design workshops focused on creating design fiction and a collection of
conceptual design proposals that shift the focus from design and object to ideas and concepts,
challenging the stakeholders and the established ideas and materials. The results of the conducted
research and the participatory design workshops represent an expansion of the critical design approach
into industrial and educational contexts, as well as the public realm.
Keywords: Critical design, participatory design, cross-disciplinary, materials engineering.