Month: March 2020
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Exploring the design in place of on-street wireless charging for EVs
We are taking part in an 18-month Innovate UK research project exploring the design of, and user interactions with, on-street wireless charging for electric vehicles (EVs). This £3m project, entitled “On-Street Residential Induction Charging”, or OSRIC for short, is about using induction charging plates in roadside parking bays that draw power from lampposts and are available […]
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Heritage buildings, carbon emissions… and gingerbread!
One day in early October, as I was quietly wandering along, minding my own business, I was accosted by a lady from the graduate school. ‘Ah, the very person I was looking for!’ She said. My heart sank, ever since I foolishly showed up for a number of training sessions during the first year of […]
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Empowering Design Practices Live: celebrating community-led design in historic places of worship
On 12 February 2020, the Empowering Design Practices research team gathered with partners and community collaborators, colleagues, funders and friends to celebrate five years of research exploring community leadership in design within the context of historic places of worship. EDP Live was an opportunity not only to share what we have learned and the resources […]
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Distance and online design education – a (not so) quick introduction
This is a quick post after a few online discussions and question around how to start with distance (and online) design education – thanks to @ZhenpingLiow, @_p_antonio and others). It’s a quick summary of a few key concepts and ideas for any design teachers or tutors needing to think about online and distance education and […]
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50 Things And More That Made Today’s World
Like Dr Seuss’ metaphorical ‘The Cat in the Hat’ BBC Radio 4 opens the box to release ” 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy“. The “Things” did not stop at 50 but kept coming throughout the first and second series. “These things will not bite you” said “The Cat in the Hat”, but are […]
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Makerversity: the changing face of independent design work
A few weeks ago some OU design academics plus regional and part-time staff signed up for a tour of the “Makerversity” located in the bowels of Somerset House in London. Makerversity is, undoubtedly, the biggest maker-space in the UK. With space for more than 350 members and spread over two basement floors, it offers a […]