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Knowledge Base Repository

In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.

Sustainability by design: the impact of product architecture decisions on the sustainability of products – a practitioner qualitative assessment

Grothe, Robin; Mpidi Bita, Isaac; Hovemann, Aschot; Dumitrescu, Roman

Type:
Papers
DS 145: Proceedings of the DESIGN2026 19th International Design Conference
Year:
2026
Editor:
Štorga, M.; Škec, S.; Martinec, T.; Marjanović, D.; Pavković, N.
Author:
Grothe, Robin; Mpidi Bita, Isaac; Hovemann, Aschot; Dumitrescu, Roman
Series:
DESIGN
Institution:
Fraunhofer IEM, Germany
Page(s):
1291-1300
DOI number:
10.1017/pds.2026.10487
ISSN:
2732-527X (Online)
Abstract:
Sustainability is a central challenge in engineering. Early architectural design decisions strongly influence a product’s ecological footprint and long-term sustainability potential. Addressing these aspects in the concept phase is therefore essential. This paper analyses how architecture decisions - such as modularity, standardisation, redundancy, and updateability - affect ecological sustainability. The qualitative assessment helps practitioners to anticipate environmental impacts and foster sustainability awareness in product architecture development.
Keywords:
sustainability, product architecture, systems engineering (SE), sustainable design, decision-making
DESIGN2026 - The 19th International Design Conference
Conferences

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