Creating evidence-based sustainable futures through design research at KPU

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This generation will arguably experience significantly more crises than past generations: climate, food insecurity, socio-economic, and geo-political. These are some of the complex problems that designers worldwide are tackling. They also affect the industries and communities in our region. They are worthy problems as defined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and they engage our faculty and students. At Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), "design" means building solutions that are purpose-driven with sustainability informing decisions from the beginning. The alternative is extensive resource extraction to manufacture products that do not meet the needs for which they were designed and become waste. KPU's ability to assist industry partners with their research and development needs is enhanced by our faculty's knowledge of raw materials, manufacturing limitations, markets and supply chains, and how to keep products in a cycle after use, rather than a landfill. Our research activities also focus on building resilient communities by reaching out to the users of the products to understand what they need and the environment in which they operate, and then integrating this knowledge into the ultimate functionality of the product, service, or system. This Mobilize Grant proposal seeks the support to meet the need for design research expertise in our region by establishing a center of excellence: The Applied Design Research Centre (ADRC). The total request of $3.44M will be used to support applied research by faculty, staff, and students to serve the needs of industry and community. By focusing on the human experience in the environment, the training our students receive will equip them with adaptable skills that enable them to innovate in ever-changing economic, social, and environmental contexts. The ADRC will be situated in the Wilson School of Design and will work across academic and industrial settings as designers translate ideas into action. Our goal is to establish our research capacity with infrastructure, highly qualified personnel, and their research processes within our purpose-built technical design school. The research will focus on three themes: Theme 1: Design through Systems (material sustainability cycles and local industry practices)Theme 2: Design for Extremes and Futures (climate crises and regional biosystems)Theme 3: Design with Inclusivity (user-centered fit, co-design methods, and performance analysis)