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Art for Social Change in Iran. Waterflow and the Environment. The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare. The Revival of Bicycle Parts. Who Designed the Pack on Your Back? The Sustainable Future. Public Transit Ticketing Systems. The Light Clock.
Transcript of Acumen: Insight into the Design Process - Spring 2012
Acumenvol. 3, no. 1 Spring 2012 > Insight into the Design Process
Acumen
Acumen
4 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 5student name and title goes here
Acumen >Insight into the Design Process
Edited by Steve Jones
a publication of the maia Graduate Program
Design and Industry Department || College of Liberal and Creative Arts
San Francisco State University
Spring 2012
4 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 5student name and title goes here
Acumen >Insight into the Design Process
Edited by Steve Jones
a publication of the maia Graduate Program
Design and Industry Department || College of Liberal and Creative Arts
San Francisco State University
Spring 2012
Contents
Welcome || Mission Statement
Advisory Board
Art for Social Change in Iranby John K. Smith
Waterflow and the Environmentby Eric Rosen
The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcareby Stephanie Tang
The Revival of Bicycle Partsby Kenji Wada
Who Designed the Pack on Your Back?by Kimberly Hylton
The Sustainable Futureby Nicholas E. Steele
Public Transit Ticketing Systemsby Zixiang Wei
The Light Clockby Trevor Myers
Special to AcumenThe Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Projectby Ricardo Gomes
About the Authors
Acknowledgements
Copyright ©2012 Department of Design and Industry
San Francisco State University / 1600 Holloway Avenue / San Francisco, CA 94132
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without the prior written permission of the Department of Design and Industry, San Francisco State
University, excepting brief quotes used in connection with reviews, written specifically for inclusion in a
journal, magazine or newspaper.
Inquiries can made to:
Steve Jones, Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Design and Industry
College of Liberal and Creative Arts
San Francisco State University
http://design.sfsu.edu
Designed and Edited by Steve Jones, Department of Design and Industry
Acumen: Insight into the Design Process was typeset in PMN Caecilia 8.5/12
Printing: www.Lulu.com
Printed and bound in the United States of America
8
10
12
22
32
44
54
62
76
86
96
116
118
Contents
Welcome || Mission Statement
Advisory Board
Art for Social Change in Iranby John K. Smith
Waterflow and the Environmentby Eric Rosen
The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcareby Stephanie Tang
The Revival of Bicycle Partsby Kenji Wada
Who Designed the Pack on Your Back?by Kimberly Hylton
The Sustainable Futureby Nicholas E. Steele
Public Transit Ticketing Systemsby Zixiang Wei
The Light Clockby Trevor Myers
Special to AcumenThe Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Projectby Ricardo Gomes
About the Authors
Acknowledgements
Copyright ©2012 Department of Design and Industry
San Francisco State University / 1600 Holloway Avenue / San Francisco, CA 94132
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without the prior written permission of the Department of Design and Industry, San Francisco State
University, excepting brief quotes used in connection with reviews, written specifically for inclusion in a
journal, magazine or newspaper.
Inquiries can made to:
Steve Jones, Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Design and Industry
College of Liberal and Creative Arts
San Francisco State University
http://design.sfsu.edu
Designed and Edited by Steve Jones, Department of Design and Industry
Acumen: Insight into the Design Process was typeset in PMN Caecilia 8.5/12
Printing: www.Lulu.com
Printed and bound in the United States of America
8
10
12
22
32
44
54
62
76
86
96
116
118
8
Welcome to Acumen: Insight into the Design Process. Acumen is a student publication created by the Depart-ment of Design and Industry at San Francisco State University. Through the critical examination of design related topics, these selected works, written by graduate students concentrating in Product Design and Visual Communications, aim to promote the exchange of com-munication and knowledge between students, educators, practicing professionals and experts in all creative disciplines. By establishing an open forum for analysis and discussion, it challenges the design community to examine their relationships with people, objects and environments to better understand the role of design in society.
— Kimberly Hylton, Steve Jones, Trevor Myers, Eric Rosen, John K. Smith,
Nicholas E. Steele, Stephanie Tang, Kenji Wada, Zixiang Wei
Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
8
Welcome to Acumen: Insight into the Design Process. Acumen is a student publication created by the Depart-ment of Design and Industry at San Francisco State University. Through the critical examination of design related topics, these selected works, written by graduate students concentrating in Product Design and Visual Communications, aim to promote the exchange of com-munication and knowledge between students, educators, practicing professionals and experts in all creative disciplines. By establishing an open forum for analysis and discussion, it challenges the design community to examine their relationships with people, objects and environments to better understand the role of design in society.
— Kimberly Hylton, Steve Jones, Trevor Myers, Eric Rosen, John K. Smith,
Nicholas E. Steele, Stephanie Tang, Kenji Wada, Zixiang Wei
Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
10 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 11Acumen Advisory Board
Acumen Advisory Board
David Hisaya AsariPrincipal, Asari Design, San Francisco, CAPresident, aiga, San Francisco ChapterAdjunct Professor, California College of the Arts
Valerie FletcherExecutive Director, Institute for Human Centered DesignBoston, MA
Eric HeimanPrincipal, Volume, Inc., San Francisco, CAAssistant Professor, California College of the Arts
CeCe Iandoli, EdDUniversity of California, DavisProfessor Emerita, Department of Design and IndustrySan Francisco State University
Garland KirkpatrickAssociate Professor, Graphic DesignDepartment of ArtCollege of Communication and Fine ArtsLoyola Marymount University
Sonia BasSheva Mañon, PhDVice President Institutional PartnershipsChief Diversity OfficerVisiting Associate Professor, TheatreWesleyan University
Victor Margolin, PhDProfessor Emeritus of Design HistoryUniversity of Illinois, ChicagoDepartment of Art History
Noel Mayo, dfaPresident and Owner of Noel Mayo and Associates, Philadelphia, PAProfessor + Ohio Eminent Scholar, Department of DesignThe Ohio State University
Michele WashingtonAdjunct Lecturer, FIT Graduate Exhibit DesignStrategist, Designer and WriterEditor, www.CulturalBoundaries.com
Mabel Wilson, PhDArchitect, Designer, Scholar, and Visual Cultural AnalystDirector, Advanced Architectural Research and the hbcu Leadership Project Associate Professor, ArchitectureColumbia University GSAPP
10 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 11Acumen Advisory Board
Acumen Advisory Board
David Hisaya AsariPrincipal, Asari Design, San Francisco, CAPresident, aiga, San Francisco ChapterAdjunct Professor, California College of the Arts
Valerie FletcherExecutive Director, Institute for Human Centered DesignBoston, MA
Eric HeimanPrincipal, Volume, Inc., San Francisco, CAAssistant Professor, California College of the Arts
CeCe Iandoli, EdDUniversity of California, DavisProfessor Emerita, Department of Design and IndustrySan Francisco State University
Garland KirkpatrickAssociate Professor, Graphic DesignDepartment of ArtCollege of Communication and Fine ArtsLoyola Marymount University
Sonia BasSheva Mañon, PhDVice President Institutional PartnershipsChief Diversity OfficerVisiting Associate Professor, TheatreWesleyan University
Victor Margolin, PhDProfessor Emeritus of Design HistoryUniversity of Illinois, ChicagoDepartment of Art History
Noel Mayo, dfaPresident and Owner of Noel Mayo and Associates, Philadelphia, PAProfessor + Ohio Eminent Scholar, Department of DesignThe Ohio State University
Michele WashingtonAdjunct Lecturer, FIT Graduate Exhibit DesignStrategist, Designer and WriterEditor, www.CulturalBoundaries.com
Mabel Wilson, PhDArchitect, Designer, Scholar, and Visual Cultural AnalystDirector, Advanced Architectural Research and the hbcu Leadership Project Associate Professor, ArchitectureColumbia University GSAPP
12 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 13Art for Social Change in Iran
ART FOR SOCIAL CHANGE IN IRANAn interview with Arash Sobhaniby John K. Smith
12 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 13Art for Social Change in Iran
ART FOR SOCIAL CHANGE IN IRANAn interview with Arash Sobhaniby John K. Smith
14 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 15Art for Social Change in Iran
For 33 years, despite the nation’s discontent, the Iranian Islamic regime has ruled the country. People are stripped off their basic social rights and forced to comply with the strict suppression forced upon them. Disappointed and hopeless of changing the equation, people mostly ignore presidential elections and turn their backs to the candidates. However, in June 2009 something different happened. Disgusted and feared by President Mahmoud Ahma-dinejad’s policies people chose to go out and vote for his rival candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi1, who they believed would be their best option to stop Ahma-dinejad from being re-elected.
The election took place on June 12, 2009 and featured high participation. While most people were celebrating their anticipated victory against Ahma-dinejad’s government, Iranian media shocked the people by announcing that Ahmadinejad was re-elected as the president. The official results were rejected by the people, and for the first time since the revolution in 1979, people in the hundreds of thousands, protested by walking silently in the streets.
The protests that occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world were given several titles by their proponents including Green Revolution,2
Green Wave, or Green Movement. Although the protests were shut down by the regime in brutal ways, the movement continues to live today in the form of resistance art and social awareness. Fueled by the constant human rights abuses happening in Iran, the movement seeks to give rise to justice and freedom of speech in the country.
In support of this civil movement, I have chosen to structure my creative work around the subject of art and social change. I am currently researching the role of art in bringing about hope, uniting people, and paving the way towards liberty and democracy. In this critical situation I believe that protest art can play a prominent role in bringing people closer to their dreams and aspirations.
Protest/resistance art can be utilized in various forms depending on the situation. Street art as a means of public expression is one, I’m convinced and believe, can overwhelm the urban environment. Many Iranian artists the world over support this movement through their diverse artwork—and Arash Sobhani is one of them.
Arash SobhaniAn architect by training, Arash Sobhani is best known as the lead singer of Kiosk—an underground Iranian music band formed in 2003 by Arash Sobhani in Tehran. Kiosk first made a name for itself by recording material considered “inappropriate” by the Islamic cultural authorities. Prevented from performing in public or publishing in studios in Tehran, Sobhani moved to the U.S. in 2005 which led to release of the album Ordinary Man.
As a pioneer of the underground movement of Iran’s rock music, Kiosk has been praised for their sharp, smart and satirical lyrics that highlight the paradoxes of Iranian society and the incompetent political system. Sobhani often finds his inspirations in current social and political happenings—each Kiosk album gives an account of the atmosphere of the time. Overviewing lyrical content; a gradual move toward more open and harsher criticism and referencing well-known political figures can be seen in Kiosk’s albums. Kiosk’s 2011 album, Natijeh e Mozakerat (Outcome of Negotiations) demonstrates the band’s versatility—with songs influenced by gypsy jazz to Iranian folk to blues to rock. Kiosk’s unique sound is accented by flavors of gypsy-style violin, accordion, and mandolin, and the songs are complemented by meaningful lyrics, which can only be fully understood with knowledge of Iran’s political history.
The InterviewJOHN K. SMITH: You are an architect, a musician and an activist. Which of these titles can best describe your vision and mindset when working with Kiosk? Are you primarily aiming to elicit social/political change or do you work for the sake of art? And how does being an architect play a part in your work?
ARASH SOBHANI: I don’t see myself as aiming towards a specific subject. Sadly I have to say that it has been more of a reaction to my environment. Like many artists I tend to react to the happenings in my social surrounding—and because of its nature, a great part of it happens inattentively. You collect data from various sources, mix them in your head and spit it out in a new form. Sometimes you are in a better mood; critique yourself more clearly and sometimes not.
Being an architect helps me to structure my designs, to have a framework from the start, stick to it and to tell my story minimally and efficiently through my music.
Your statement (reacting to your surroundings), demonstrates that you are sensitive to what happens in your society and feel obliged to answer it. This, I believe, could be regarded as an activist mindset. Do you feel a certain responsibility towards the Iranian community?
Yes, it is true. This is my response to the existing problems, and if they weren’t any, I would not have an answer. But speaking about Iran and its political scene, either as a politician or an architect, events happen at such a rapid speed that you often fail to formulate a plan in advance.
14 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 15Art for Social Change in Iran
For 33 years, despite the nation’s discontent, the Iranian Islamic regime has ruled the country. People are stripped off their basic social rights and forced to comply with the strict suppression forced upon them. Disappointed and hopeless of changing the equation, people mostly ignore presidential elections and turn their backs to the candidates. However, in June 2009 something different happened. Disgusted and feared by President Mahmoud Ahma-dinejad’s policies people chose to go out and vote for his rival candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi1, who they believed would be their best option to stop Ahma-dinejad from being re-elected.
The election took place on June 12, 2009 and featured high participation. While most people were celebrating their anticipated victory against Ahma-dinejad’s government, Iranian media shocked the people by announcing that Ahmadinejad was re-elected as the president. The official results were rejected by the people, and for the first time since the revolution in 1979, people in the hundreds of thousands, protested by walking silently in the streets.
The protests that occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world were given several titles by their proponents including Green Revolution,2
Green Wave, or Green Movement. Although the protests were shut down by the regime in brutal ways, the movement continues to live today in the form of resistance art and social awareness. Fueled by the constant human rights abuses happening in Iran, the movement seeks to give rise to justice and freedom of speech in the country.
In support of this civil movement, I have chosen to structure my creative work around the subject of art and social change. I am currently researching the role of art in bringing about hope, uniting people, and paving the way towards liberty and democracy. In this critical situation I believe that protest art can play a prominent role in bringing people closer to their dreams and aspirations.
Protest/resistance art can be utilized in various forms depending on the situation. Street art as a means of public expression is one, I’m convinced and believe, can overwhelm the urban environment. Many Iranian artists the world over support this movement through their diverse artwork—and Arash Sobhani is one of them.
Arash SobhaniAn architect by training, Arash Sobhani is best known as the lead singer of Kiosk—an underground Iranian music band formed in 2003 by Arash Sobhani in Tehran. Kiosk first made a name for itself by recording material considered “inappropriate” by the Islamic cultural authorities. Prevented from performing in public or publishing in studios in Tehran, Sobhani moved to the U.S. in 2005 which led to release of the album Ordinary Man.
As a pioneer of the underground movement of Iran’s rock music, Kiosk has been praised for their sharp, smart and satirical lyrics that highlight the paradoxes of Iranian society and the incompetent political system. Sobhani often finds his inspirations in current social and political happenings—each Kiosk album gives an account of the atmosphere of the time. Overviewing lyrical content; a gradual move toward more open and harsher criticism and referencing well-known political figures can be seen in Kiosk’s albums. Kiosk’s 2011 album, Natijeh e Mozakerat (Outcome of Negotiations) demonstrates the band’s versatility—with songs influenced by gypsy jazz to Iranian folk to blues to rock. Kiosk’s unique sound is accented by flavors of gypsy-style violin, accordion, and mandolin, and the songs are complemented by meaningful lyrics, which can only be fully understood with knowledge of Iran’s political history.
The InterviewJOHN K. SMITH: You are an architect, a musician and an activist. Which of these titles can best describe your vision and mindset when working with Kiosk? Are you primarily aiming to elicit social/political change or do you work for the sake of art? And how does being an architect play a part in your work?
ARASH SOBHANI: I don’t see myself as aiming towards a specific subject. Sadly I have to say that it has been more of a reaction to my environment. Like many artists I tend to react to the happenings in my social surrounding—and because of its nature, a great part of it happens inattentively. You collect data from various sources, mix them in your head and spit it out in a new form. Sometimes you are in a better mood; critique yourself more clearly and sometimes not.
Being an architect helps me to structure my designs, to have a framework from the start, stick to it and to tell my story minimally and efficiently through my music.
Your statement (reacting to your surroundings), demonstrates that you are sensitive to what happens in your society and feel obliged to answer it. This, I believe, could be regarded as an activist mindset. Do you feel a certain responsibility towards the Iranian community?
Yes, it is true. This is my response to the existing problems, and if they weren’t any, I would not have an answer. But speaking about Iran and its political scene, either as a politician or an architect, events happen at such a rapid speed that you often fail to formulate a plan in advance.
16 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 Art for Social Change in Iran
A majority of your songs bear a subtle social statement that depicts your deep understanding of Iranian society. Do you see any change or transition in the society after the disputed presidential elections of 2009 and the following events?
It has certainly changed. Our last album (Natijeh e Mo-zakerat) is a response to this specific change in the atmos-phere of the society. On the album cover you see a gun pointed towards you and shooting, that is the outcome of the negotiations.
Is that why the tone of your criticism is harsher on this album? The violence and brutality of the regime was somehow secluded to my generation before these incidents. But the events that have taken place in the past two years have not left anyone laughing; the atmosphere does not invite you to make a joke or a humorous statement.
What is your understanding of the events that the Iranian society has gone through in the past two years?
Well, first of all I feel that Iranian society, compared to neighboring countries, is more open to a contemporary lifestyle. It is prepared to accept various ideologies and modern philosophies. This can be traced back to the books that are being published, the movies being made, the way people dress, women’s role in society, and many other indicators. This has been achieved through many years of structural planning—thanks to wealth that has been poured into the country with oil money.
All this has resulted in a socially aware middle-class, and these are the people fighting for their rights on the political scene. This middle-class has gone through eight years of negotiation with the regime during Khatami’s3 presidency that led to failure. In contrast to many other revolutions, the Iranian people that came to the streets in 2009 belong to this middle-class and apparently do have a lot to lose.
This is not like the Soviet revolution. They are not poor people fighting against the pain of starvation; they are the mainstream trying to get a share of freedom and liberty. This is the main difference between Iran and Libya. For example, the Iranian people were not ready for violence, and when the government used force against them they backed off. I see this phenomenon as being tightly related to the demographic and underlying social structure of Iran.
History has proven that a revolution does not necessarily lead to freedom and democracy. The 1979 revolution was advanced through by various political parties fighting for democracy, but what resulted was Islamic extremists gaining power, and ruling the country ever since. Having seen this, many people believe that reforms are a safer way to get closer to a true democracy. What is your opinion?
I think we should look at the Iranian regime as a system and accept that it is a corrupt one based on lies, betrayal and cheating, where fraud and hypocrisy is praised and rewarded with higher posts. I see this as a vicious cycle that gets worse over time. There is no hope in repairing it. I see revolution and total change of power as the only answer. Unfortunately, and rightfully, some people are afraid of this change, but I don’t see any other option.
I am worried about our culture deteriorating through time. I don’t believe in Marxist or nationalism ideologies, I feel that as human beings we should honor freedom. Freedom is the most important thing in our lives, far more important than religion and nationality. In the current situation we don’t have this freedom. They (those in power) have taken away the most precious part of our lives. Some Iranian youth born after the Islamic Revolution and within the oppressed society, don’t have a true knowledge what freedom means. They are incapable of understanding the difference between freedom and liberty. They imagine their ultimate freedom as being able to drink a bottle of beer at a bar. This is a dead end intellectually and philosophically—it needs to change and it will change. The system will collapse and break apart; either people will topple it down or through an inside war for power, or it will be shattered through Western inter-ference and that is a bigger price to pay, but smarter people will work towards bringing the costs to a minimum. Whatever the scenario, people will be killed before this regime leaves.
From your point of view, if a political artist is trying to bring people closer to their aspirations (which is freedom and democracy) he/she will compel them to stand up and fight for their rights. Do you see any particular approach as being more efficient for a political artist?
Bringing up critical questions is a powerful tactic. You should try to spur some key points in people’s minds, such as: What true liberty stands for? A wise question bears with it a rightful answer. We should learn from the French Rev-olution, which was intertwined with philosophy and literature. In contrast, our own revolution of 1979 was advanced through people influenced by the ’60s and ’70s counterculture movements. Back then, our intellectual’s read Sartre and blindly looked to icon’s such as Che Guevara and Fidel Castro without scratching the surface. Our philosophy was not deep enough, and this is what we should learn from past history and hopefully avoid it.
Kiosk’s 2011 release, Natijeh e Mozakerat.
17
16 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 Art for Social Change in Iran
A majority of your songs bear a subtle social statement that depicts your deep understanding of Iranian society. Do you see any change or transition in the society after the disputed presidential elections of 2009 and the following events?
It has certainly changed. Our last album (Natijeh e Mo-zakerat) is a response to this specific change in the atmos-phere of the society. On the album cover you see a gun pointed towards you and shooting, that is the outcome of the negotiations.
Is that why the tone of your criticism is harsher on this album? The violence and brutality of the regime was somehow secluded to my generation before these incidents. But the events that have taken place in the past two years have not left anyone laughing; the atmosphere does not invite you to make a joke or a humorous statement.
What is your understanding of the events that the Iranian society has gone through in the past two years?
Well, first of all I feel that Iranian society, compared to neighboring countries, is more open to a contemporary lifestyle. It is prepared to accept various ideologies and modern philosophies. This can be traced back to the books that are being published, the movies being made, the way people dress, women’s role in society, and many other indicators. This has been achieved through many years of structural planning—thanks to wealth that has been poured into the country with oil money.
All this has resulted in a socially aware middle-class, and these are the people fighting for their rights on the political scene. This middle-class has gone through eight years of negotiation with the regime during Khatami’s3 presidency that led to failure. In contrast to many other revolutions, the Iranian people that came to the streets in 2009 belong to this middle-class and apparently do have a lot to lose.
This is not like the Soviet revolution. They are not poor people fighting against the pain of starvation; they are the mainstream trying to get a share of freedom and liberty. This is the main difference between Iran and Libya. For example, the Iranian people were not ready for violence, and when the government used force against them they backed off. I see this phenomenon as being tightly related to the demographic and underlying social structure of Iran.
History has proven that a revolution does not necessarily lead to freedom and democracy. The 1979 revolution was advanced through by various political parties fighting for democracy, but what resulted was Islamic extremists gaining power, and ruling the country ever since. Having seen this, many people believe that reforms are a safer way to get closer to a true democracy. What is your opinion?
I think we should look at the Iranian regime as a system and accept that it is a corrupt one based on lies, betrayal and cheating, where fraud and hypocrisy is praised and rewarded with higher posts. I see this as a vicious cycle that gets worse over time. There is no hope in repairing it. I see revolution and total change of power as the only answer. Unfortunately, and rightfully, some people are afraid of this change, but I don’t see any other option.
I am worried about our culture deteriorating through time. I don’t believe in Marxist or nationalism ideologies, I feel that as human beings we should honor freedom. Freedom is the most important thing in our lives, far more important than religion and nationality. In the current situation we don’t have this freedom. They (those in power) have taken away the most precious part of our lives. Some Iranian youth born after the Islamic Revolution and within the oppressed society, don’t have a true knowledge what freedom means. They are incapable of understanding the difference between freedom and liberty. They imagine their ultimate freedom as being able to drink a bottle of beer at a bar. This is a dead end intellectually and philosophically—it needs to change and it will change. The system will collapse and break apart; either people will topple it down or through an inside war for power, or it will be shattered through Western inter-ference and that is a bigger price to pay, but smarter people will work towards bringing the costs to a minimum. Whatever the scenario, people will be killed before this regime leaves.
From your point of view, if a political artist is trying to bring people closer to their aspirations (which is freedom and democracy) he/she will compel them to stand up and fight for their rights. Do you see any particular approach as being more efficient for a political artist?
Bringing up critical questions is a powerful tactic. You should try to spur some key points in people’s minds, such as: What true liberty stands for? A wise question bears with it a rightful answer. We should learn from the French Rev-olution, which was intertwined with philosophy and literature. In contrast, our own revolution of 1979 was advanced through people influenced by the ’60s and ’70s counterculture movements. Back then, our intellectual’s read Sartre and blindly looked to icon’s such as Che Guevara and Fidel Castro without scratching the surface. Our philosophy was not deep enough, and this is what we should learn from past history and hopefully avoid it.
Kiosk’s 2011 release, Natijeh e Mozakerat.
17
18 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 19Art for Social Change in Iran
One of the most deadly weapons that this regime has used against people is the Basij4, taking advantage of, in my opinion, brainwashed youngsters to confront people in the most violent and brutal ways. The Basij have come to be the most powerful proponent of the regime, guaranteeing its survival. Nevertheless I see them as human beings, just like you and me. They are not machines programmed to harm us—although they act like it. If we look at them through a different lens and see them as weak people with little infor-mation about the outside world, turning into either sociopaths, objects to be used by the regime or both, we might develop empathy for them. Maybe going to war with this crowd is not the answer after all. Maybe there are better ways to influence them, enlighten them and persuade them to join the mainstream. Have you ever considered making art with this goal in mind? Have you ever considered these people as your audience?
I agree to some extent, and acknowledge that there might be a way to do so, even though I have never been interested in going down that path. Brainwashed people in the hands of the ruling power have always existed throughout different regimes; weak, powerless individuals that gain power through the system and turn into deadly armed militias. The Basij are usually rejected by society. Experiencing the joy of belonging to an affiliation that puts them in a powerful position, official governmental seats or armed with weapons, they turn into a loyal/violent force attacking ordinary people in large numbers. When you live in a country that does not allow you to belong to any sort of club, affiliation or party other than that of supported by the regime itself and within the strict guidelines of their ideology, you will naturally be choosing from your available options. This is not a superfluous substance coming to live on chance, this is a social phenomenon purposely fabricated by the regime. The Basij is a product of the system.
Instead of confronting the Basij with hateful messages that might reinforce the gap between them and the mainstream, do you know any efficient ways to inform them and enable them to make the right decisions? If they had a broader view of the situation they might actually turn away from the regime.
I see this as an almost impossible task. The philosophy of having law and order is to prevent these sociopaths from becoming. Now what can you do with a system that’s deliberately reinforcing this through the law itself? I believe that a change has to occur on a broad level and from the top of the authoritarian hierarchy. It is something in the hands of the government. When Thomas Jefferson said (paraphrasing), “there needs to be a revolution every 20 years,” he was referring to a need for the livelihood and vibrancy of the society. The ruling powers must not forbid people’s actions toward change; they should embrace it as a sign of a healthy society. Unfortunately, such an approach is far from our politics in Iran.
18 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 19Art for Social Change in Iran
One of the most deadly weapons that this regime has used against people is the Basij4, taking advantage of, in my opinion, brainwashed youngsters to confront people in the most violent and brutal ways. The Basij have come to be the most powerful proponent of the regime, guaranteeing its survival. Nevertheless I see them as human beings, just like you and me. They are not machines programmed to harm us—although they act like it. If we look at them through a different lens and see them as weak people with little infor-mation about the outside world, turning into either sociopaths, objects to be used by the regime or both, we might develop empathy for them. Maybe going to war with this crowd is not the answer after all. Maybe there are better ways to influence them, enlighten them and persuade them to join the mainstream. Have you ever considered making art with this goal in mind? Have you ever considered these people as your audience?
I agree to some extent, and acknowledge that there might be a way to do so, even though I have never been interested in going down that path. Brainwashed people in the hands of the ruling power have always existed throughout different regimes; weak, powerless individuals that gain power through the system and turn into deadly armed militias. The Basij are usually rejected by society. Experiencing the joy of belonging to an affiliation that puts them in a powerful position, official governmental seats or armed with weapons, they turn into a loyal/violent force attacking ordinary people in large numbers. When you live in a country that does not allow you to belong to any sort of club, affiliation or party other than that of supported by the regime itself and within the strict guidelines of their ideology, you will naturally be choosing from your available options. This is not a superfluous substance coming to live on chance, this is a social phenomenon purposely fabricated by the regime. The Basij is a product of the system.
Instead of confronting the Basij with hateful messages that might reinforce the gap between them and the mainstream, do you know any efficient ways to inform them and enable them to make the right decisions? If they had a broader view of the situation they might actually turn away from the regime.
I see this as an almost impossible task. The philosophy of having law and order is to prevent these sociopaths from becoming. Now what can you do with a system that’s deliberately reinforcing this through the law itself? I believe that a change has to occur on a broad level and from the top of the authoritarian hierarchy. It is something in the hands of the government. When Thomas Jefferson said (paraphrasing), “there needs to be a revolution every 20 years,” he was referring to a need for the livelihood and vibrancy of the society. The ruling powers must not forbid people’s actions toward change; they should embrace it as a sign of a healthy society. Unfortunately, such an approach is far from our politics in Iran.
20 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 21Art for Social Change in Iran
Street art as a form of expression can be a means to keep the Iranian civil rights movement alive. On the other hand, advocating street art can lead to further vandalism and chaos in the urban environment. Do you see advo-cating street art as an effective method to tackle the oppression?
I think it depends on how it is advocated and the message it is putting through. Seems to me what you have in mind is far from random sketching and writing offensive slogans on the wall.
For the past 33 years Iranian society has experienced an urban battlefield. Since the Islamic Revolution, the regime has always tried to undermine the middle-class and the bourgeois concentrated in the main cities, especially northern Tehran. Historically, this middle-class has always been responsible for the artistic and cultural production in the society. Though the geographical boundaries of Iran have changed through time, the Iranian culture has preserved itself thanks to this middle-class.
This class of people is wealthy enough to worry beyond economic problems. Their main aspirations are of having a share of the power and being able to decide their country’s destiny. In return, the system confronts them and tries to diminish their presence. The regime is systematically taking away Iranian culture and heritage by weakening the middle class. Already, many Iranian artists and intellects have fled the country leaving a cultural vacuum and a poverty of wisdom and intelligence. It might not be evident for now, yet this catastrophe will surely have its effects in the future to come.
The more accessible artforms, such as weblog writing, street art and under-ground music can be of crucial importance at this time. If they cannot enrich our art scene, they can at least keep it alive. At the moment we are a bruised nation. Anything that helps to sustain the Iranian language and identity is welcomed at this point.
Similar to last year’s events you recently organized another music video competition for your fans to submit their video’s based on your new songs. Regarding the social/political content of your songs, I see this as a means to bring more people to the art scene, help express themselves and have their voices heard on a broader level. How do you see people participating and do you have any plans for similar projects in the future?
We have seen a great increase in the number of videos submitted this year, which is a good sign. Iranian underground music has always been disseminated through the web and now it has finally come to be a social occurrence. I see the Internet as empowering people to step up from the confinements of their houses and become international players. The web is a truly powerful tool that we can take advantage of towards freedom of speech. The music video competition pro-vides an opportunity to create a collective art. What I have sung on the album becomes an inspiration and a platform for others to add to, based on their own interpretation and thoughts.
Thank-you for the interview and please share with me any additional com-ments you may have.
I think it is a part what of we should be doing as activists to bring the Iran situation into perspective and let the world know about what’s happening in our country. It is our responsibility to keep this moving forward and to put a spotlight on Iran so that no politician dares to defend the Islamic regime and its interests anywhere in the world.
Footnotes:
1. Mr. Moussavi is a former prime minister who had promised to reverse Mr. Ahmadinejad’s
hard-line policies.
2. Green was initially used as the symbol of Mir Hossein Mousavi’s campaign, but after the
election it became the symbol of unity and hope for those asking for annulment of what
they regarded as a fraudulent election.
3. Mohammad Khatami was in office 1997-2005. Being a reformist that was elected through
peoples votes, many people had hoped he would bring change.
4. The Basij is militia group first founded on the dawn of Iran-Iraq war to defend the country.
These days they are used as an informal police force to further oppress people.
Photos: Courtesy of www.MasoudHarati.com
If they cannotenrich our art scene,
they can at least keep it alive.
20 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 21Art for Social Change in Iran
Street art as a form of expression can be a means to keep the Iranian civil rights movement alive. On the other hand, advocating street art can lead to further vandalism and chaos in the urban environment. Do you see advo-cating street art as an effective method to tackle the oppression?
I think it depends on how it is advocated and the message it is putting through. Seems to me what you have in mind is far from random sketching and writing offensive slogans on the wall.
For the past 33 years Iranian society has experienced an urban battlefield. Since the Islamic Revolution, the regime has always tried to undermine the middle-class and the bourgeois concentrated in the main cities, especially northern Tehran. Historically, this middle-class has always been responsible for the artistic and cultural production in the society. Though the geographical boundaries of Iran have changed through time, the Iranian culture has preserved itself thanks to this middle-class.
This class of people is wealthy enough to worry beyond economic problems. Their main aspirations are of having a share of the power and being able to decide their country’s destiny. In return, the system confronts them and tries to diminish their presence. The regime is systematically taking away Iranian culture and heritage by weakening the middle class. Already, many Iranian artists and intellects have fled the country leaving a cultural vacuum and a poverty of wisdom and intelligence. It might not be evident for now, yet this catastrophe will surely have its effects in the future to come.
The more accessible artforms, such as weblog writing, street art and under-ground music can be of crucial importance at this time. If they cannot enrich our art scene, they can at least keep it alive. At the moment we are a bruised nation. Anything that helps to sustain the Iranian language and identity is welcomed at this point.
Similar to last year’s events you recently organized another music video competition for your fans to submit their video’s based on your new songs. Regarding the social/political content of your songs, I see this as a means to bring more people to the art scene, help express themselves and have their voices heard on a broader level. How do you see people participating and do you have any plans for similar projects in the future?
We have seen a great increase in the number of videos submitted this year, which is a good sign. Iranian underground music has always been disseminated through the web and now it has finally come to be a social occurrence. I see the Internet as empowering people to step up from the confinements of their houses and become international players. The web is a truly powerful tool that we can take advantage of towards freedom of speech. The music video competition pro-vides an opportunity to create a collective art. What I have sung on the album becomes an inspiration and a platform for others to add to, based on their own interpretation and thoughts.
Thank-you for the interview and please share with me any additional com-ments you may have.
I think it is a part what of we should be doing as activists to bring the Iran situation into perspective and let the world know about what’s happening in our country. It is our responsibility to keep this moving forward and to put a spotlight on Iran so that no politician dares to defend the Islamic regime and its interests anywhere in the world.
Footnotes:
1. Mr. Moussavi is a former prime minister who had promised to reverse Mr. Ahmadinejad’s
hard-line policies.
2. Green was initially used as the symbol of Mir Hossein Mousavi’s campaign, but after the
election it became the symbol of unity and hope for those asking for annulment of what
they regarded as a fraudulent election.
3. Mohammad Khatami was in office 1997-2005. Being a reformist that was elected through
peoples votes, many people had hoped he would bring change.
4. The Basij is militia group first founded on the dawn of Iran-Iraq war to defend the country.
These days they are used as an informal police force to further oppress people.
Photos: Courtesy of www.MasoudHarati.com
If they cannotenrich our art scene,
they can at least keep it alive.
22 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 23Waterflow and the Environment
Waterflow andthe Environment
by Eric Rosen
22 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 23Waterflow and the Environment
Waterflow andthe Environment
by Eric Rosen
25Waterflow and the Environment
When I was a young man we never talked about global warming or the environment.
It was just bigger, better,faster! Nowadays the
environment is allpeople seem to
talk about.
24 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
Pictured, Soren Lefokowits.
25Waterflow and the Environment
When I was a young man we never talked about global warming or the environment.
It was just bigger, better,faster! Nowadays the
environment is allpeople seem to
talk about.
24 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
Pictured, Soren Lefokowits.
26 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 27Waterflow and the Environment
Before I became a design major at San Francisco State University, I was an artist. One of the reasons that I am drawn to Industrial Design is the challenge of marrying the beautiful to the utilitarian and creating what I like to think of as “real-life art.” I define “real-life art” as a product that is accessible to most consumers and can be applied to their needs on a frequent basis. Simplicity of construction and high-quality materials allow for ease of use and durability—beautifully conceived design gives the product its aesthetic strength. In other words, I want to design products that are aesthetically pleasing and work well.
In addition to the desire to create what is simultaneously beautiful and useful, my design ideas share a strong common theme: I am very aware of man’s effect on our planet. I hesitate to stamp myself with “environmentalist” because the word does carry a sense of the radical or extreme. While I certainly agree with some arguments from even the most radical environmentalists, it’s my perception that we live in a culture that isn’t yet ready to accept the reality that global warming is a problem; the extinction of entire species of animals is a problem; or that the great, snarled mass of plastic garbage floating somewhere between California and Japan just might be a problem.
As an aspirant to a career in industrial design, I feel like it is my respon-sibility to create products that are, at the very least, environmentally benign and preferably, beneficial. However, rather than broadcast that intent, I prefer to pursue my goals in a subtler fashion. My current focus is on water con-servation—as a native of Southern California, concerns over water supply have always hit, quite literally, close to home. It’s my goal to bring to market a water flow meter that will become ubiquitous in the American home, bene-fitting both the consumer and the environment. Reducing water consumption in the average household is my ultimate goal. In my research, I have used many resources to shape and direct my project and one is Soren Lefkowits.
Soren Lefkowits is an expert in fluid mechanics and has devoted the majority of his career to flow measurement. While this work touches on metering products for several markets, the bulk of his experience has been in metering for water, irrigation and petroleum-based fuel. While employed as an engineer with an industry leader in flow measurement, he has designed and put into production many types of liquid meters.
Mr. Lefkowits has designed and patented five different types of residential water meters for both the North American and international markets. His plastic meter connection patent was named the Industrial Product of the Year in 1984 by the Society of Plastic Engineers (spe). He has also designed and put into production larger meters designed for the commercial markets. He has lectured internationally and has published a dozen papers on meter testing, sizing, selecting and installing flowmeters.
I had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Lefkowits as he described his life and becoming a designer in the most unlikely of areas.
ERIC ROSEN: How did you get started in this field and would you recommend it to others?
SOREN LEFKOWITS: I’ve been in this field for thirty years. It’s as much a part of me as the air I breathe. If you are looking to get into this industry I think it is a great opportunity, with lots of money to be made. The industry is certainly changing, though. It’s nothing like when I was a younger man.
How do you mean?When I was a young man we never talked about global warming or the environ-ment. It was just bigger, better, faster! Nowadays the environment is all people seem to talk about. It’s a politician’s buzzword and battle cry for all those people who call themselves PC. The truth is most people care about the environment to some degree, but, if history has taught us anything, unless the issue affects us directly we will not change our lives drastically because, hey, if I’m the only one doing it, what’s the point right?
There are a lot of factors that affect social change. The primary being money and governmental regulation. If petrol cost $20 a gallon no one would drive. People would take public transportation instead. People would have a financial incentive to leave their cars at home. This financial change affects people directly. It would also directly affect commerce in the U.S. and most industries would shut down. We would come to an economic standstill. Now, the government would never allow that to happen, so regulations are put into place—and there is your governmental factor.
Another example is recycling in America. Many local municipalities mandate that garbage must be recycled. The reason for these regulations are not as straightforward as you may think. Recycling is important, of course—it cuts down on natural resources being used and the amount of energy used to produce those materials. If you have a plastic container that can be macerated and remelted, that takes a lot less energy than creating it from scratch, not to mention the chemicals involved to manufacture petroleum based plastics. But more importantly, collecting and towing garbage is expensive. Depositing it in places far away from populations is difficult. Recycling is a great way to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. It is also a lucrative business these days. If it wasn’t for the financial incentive of recycling, we would still have the classic multiple trashcans on the street corner that I remember.
Even though recycling is good for the environment, it is financial gain that brought it to the forefront of the political eye. This is where reliance on oil is going as well. It behooves the U.S. to find alternate fuel opportunities for our vehicles
26 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 27Waterflow and the Environment
Before I became a design major at San Francisco State University, I was an artist. One of the reasons that I am drawn to Industrial Design is the challenge of marrying the beautiful to the utilitarian and creating what I like to think of as “real-life art.” I define “real-life art” as a product that is accessible to most consumers and can be applied to their needs on a frequent basis. Simplicity of construction and high-quality materials allow for ease of use and durability—beautifully conceived design gives the product its aesthetic strength. In other words, I want to design products that are aesthetically pleasing and work well.
In addition to the desire to create what is simultaneously beautiful and useful, my design ideas share a strong common theme: I am very aware of man’s effect on our planet. I hesitate to stamp myself with “environmentalist” because the word does carry a sense of the radical or extreme. While I certainly agree with some arguments from even the most radical environmentalists, it’s my perception that we live in a culture that isn’t yet ready to accept the reality that global warming is a problem; the extinction of entire species of animals is a problem; or that the great, snarled mass of plastic garbage floating somewhere between California and Japan just might be a problem.
As an aspirant to a career in industrial design, I feel like it is my respon-sibility to create products that are, at the very least, environmentally benign and preferably, beneficial. However, rather than broadcast that intent, I prefer to pursue my goals in a subtler fashion. My current focus is on water con-servation—as a native of Southern California, concerns over water supply have always hit, quite literally, close to home. It’s my goal to bring to market a water flow meter that will become ubiquitous in the American home, bene-fitting both the consumer and the environment. Reducing water consumption in the average household is my ultimate goal. In my research, I have used many resources to shape and direct my project and one is Soren Lefkowits.
Soren Lefkowits is an expert in fluid mechanics and has devoted the majority of his career to flow measurement. While this work touches on metering products for several markets, the bulk of his experience has been in metering for water, irrigation and petroleum-based fuel. While employed as an engineer with an industry leader in flow measurement, he has designed and put into production many types of liquid meters.
Mr. Lefkowits has designed and patented five different types of residential water meters for both the North American and international markets. His plastic meter connection patent was named the Industrial Product of the Year in 1984 by the Society of Plastic Engineers (spe). He has also designed and put into production larger meters designed for the commercial markets. He has lectured internationally and has published a dozen papers on meter testing, sizing, selecting and installing flowmeters.
I had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Lefkowits as he described his life and becoming a designer in the most unlikely of areas.
ERIC ROSEN: How did you get started in this field and would you recommend it to others?
SOREN LEFKOWITS: I’ve been in this field for thirty years. It’s as much a part of me as the air I breathe. If you are looking to get into this industry I think it is a great opportunity, with lots of money to be made. The industry is certainly changing, though. It’s nothing like when I was a younger man.
How do you mean?When I was a young man we never talked about global warming or the environ-ment. It was just bigger, better, faster! Nowadays the environment is all people seem to talk about. It’s a politician’s buzzword and battle cry for all those people who call themselves PC. The truth is most people care about the environment to some degree, but, if history has taught us anything, unless the issue affects us directly we will not change our lives drastically because, hey, if I’m the only one doing it, what’s the point right?
There are a lot of factors that affect social change. The primary being money and governmental regulation. If petrol cost $20 a gallon no one would drive. People would take public transportation instead. People would have a financial incentive to leave their cars at home. This financial change affects people directly. It would also directly affect commerce in the U.S. and most industries would shut down. We would come to an economic standstill. Now, the government would never allow that to happen, so regulations are put into place—and there is your governmental factor.
Another example is recycling in America. Many local municipalities mandate that garbage must be recycled. The reason for these regulations are not as straightforward as you may think. Recycling is important, of course—it cuts down on natural resources being used and the amount of energy used to produce those materials. If you have a plastic container that can be macerated and remelted, that takes a lot less energy than creating it from scratch, not to mention the chemicals involved to manufacture petroleum based plastics. But more importantly, collecting and towing garbage is expensive. Depositing it in places far away from populations is difficult. Recycling is a great way to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. It is also a lucrative business these days. If it wasn’t for the financial incentive of recycling, we would still have the classic multiple trashcans on the street corner that I remember.
Even though recycling is good for the environment, it is financial gain that brought it to the forefront of the political eye. This is where reliance on oil is going as well. It behooves the U.S. to find alternate fuel opportunities for our vehicles
because our current reliance on foreign fuel undermines the security here in the U.S. Even though [hybrid/fuel efficient cars are] good for the environment, it took countless wars and the price of crude going up for a difference to be made. Our world functions on a very reactionary system. We see the problems—all experts state what will happen if nothing is done, but until a cataclysmic event happens, we remain apathetic to change. Unless, of course, there is money involved.
That’s a pretty pessimistic view. I grew up in drought-riddled Southern Cali-fornia so I know about government regulations. But what you’re saying reminds me of the old adage “Man is inherently evil.” Do you feel any of the designs you’ve patented helped to curtail waste or been eco-friendly.
Pessimistic, no. Realistic, yes. I don’t think man is inherently evil but rather inherently selfish.
As far as my patents are concerned, most products in my field are not created solely to be eco-friendly. With most business models, profits take precedence over conscience. This is an unfortunate but very real product of a free market. It’s always nice when the two coincide, but that is not often the case. I am pleased that one of the flowmeter systems I helped to create did in fact have a very large environmental impact. I completed a business plan for a large oil refinery based in Croatia. I assisted the company in market development projects, from the market launch of new products through the process of establishing promotional strategies, advertising and communication programs. Upon completion of this I discovered they had a pretty frequent occurrence of environmentally “minor” oil spills during their transfer of custody. With a little probing, I discovered they were using a very outdated coupling link that did not sit flush with the modern shipping cowlings. It was a relatively inexpensive fix that had huge ramifications on the surrounding environment.
I see you carry many patents, do you have an inherent need to create or did you find a void that needed to be filled?
Oh, I’ve always been a designer. I used to tinker in my dad’s workshop. You know, one of those kids that pulls things apart to figure out how they work. It wasn’t till I was attending Carnegie Mellon University that I got my first taste of engi-neering. Until then it had just been tinkering. With that as my base I got my mba in Fluid Dynamics at the University of Pittsburgh. My first job after that was at a water and gas
28 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 29Waterflow and the Environment
I discovered they had a pretty frequentoccurrence of environmentally “minor”oil spills during their transfer of custody.…It was a relatively inexpensive fix thathad huge ramifications on thesurrounding environment.
because our current reliance on foreign fuel undermines the security here in the U.S. Even though [hybrid/fuel efficient cars are] good for the environment, it took countless wars and the price of crude going up for a difference to be made. Our world functions on a very reactionary system. We see the problems—all experts state what will happen if nothing is done, but until a cataclysmic event happens, we remain apathetic to change. Unless, of course, there is money involved.
That’s a pretty pessimistic view. I grew up in drought-riddled Southern Cali-fornia so I know about government regulations. But what you’re saying reminds me of the old adage “Man is inherently evil.” Do you feel any of the designs you’ve patented helped to curtail waste or been eco-friendly.
Pessimistic, no. Realistic, yes. I don’t think man is inherently evil but rather inherently selfish.
As far as my patents are concerned, most products in my field are not created solely to be eco-friendly. With most business models, profits take precedence over conscience. This is an unfortunate but very real product of a free market. It’s always nice when the two coincide, but that is not often the case. I am pleased that one of the flowmeter systems I helped to create did in fact have a very large environmental impact. I completed a business plan for a large oil refinery based in Croatia. I assisted the company in market development projects, from the market launch of new products through the process of establishing promotional strategies, advertising and communication programs. Upon completion of this I discovered they had a pretty frequent occurrence of environmentally “minor” oil spills during their transfer of custody. With a little probing, I discovered they were using a very outdated coupling link that did not sit flush with the modern shipping cowlings. It was a relatively inexpensive fix that had huge ramifications on the surrounding environment.
I see you carry many patents, do you have an inherent need to create or did you find a void that needed to be filled?
Oh, I’ve always been a designer. I used to tinker in my dad’s workshop. You know, one of those kids that pulls things apart to figure out how they work. It wasn’t till I was attending Carnegie Mellon University that I got my first taste of engi-neering. Until then it had just been tinkering. With that as my base I got my mba in Fluid Dynamics at the University of Pittsburgh. My first job after that was at a water and gas
28 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 29Waterflow and the Environment
I discovered they had a pretty frequentoccurrence of environmentally “minor”oil spills during their transfer of custody.…It was a relatively inexpensive fix thathad huge ramifications on thesurrounding environment.
30 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 31Waterflow and the Environment
metering facility. It was there that I was able to put my engineering to work. Many of the systems were outdated and in serious need of improvements. I was able to improve water balances in a water distribution system and identify past measurement errors that resulted in additional revenues of approximately $1,000,000.
Sometimes I would find issues and my team and I would collectively discuss the possible solutions. Sometimes the solutions were quite apparent, but getting there took extensive trial and error. Often we would reverse engineer the device, starting with what we hoped to accomplish and working backwards until we arrived at the origin of the problem. Sometimes it only took small adjustments but frequently things need to be revamped entirely. Those were my favorite projects—creating something that had never been seen before and making it the standard in the industry.
What does your present work consist of?Currently I work as an expert witness providing testimony, litigation consulting and support, forensic services, or any applicable services. [The kinds of litigation include] product liability, personal injury, economic loss, intellectual property and insurance matters. It’s not quite the same as working in the field, but it gives me more time to spend with my grandkids.
Any parting words you care to share, suggestions, recommendations?My main advice would be, to be open to anything that comes your way, especially if you know nothing about it. Always be willing to learn. Learn from your work, learn from your peers, and especially learn from your mistakes. Always attempt to improve yourself and the things you work on. If you find a solution to a problem, that’s great, but keep looking for an even better solution. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Always be aware of your environment and surroundings. Take ideas from other places and try to incorporate it into your design. There is no one formula to how things should work, or should appear, there is only the accepted norm. This is what you should attempt to break.
My interview with Mr. Soren was quite beneficial. In my research I am finding that every avenue explored adds another layer of depth. My graduate school thesis project revolves around water—a crucial yet scarce resource here on earth. Man must consume (on average) 2.6 liters of water every day to survive. We also need clean water to sustain crops. Mr. Soren has spent the last 30 years expediting the flow of this precious resource. He has a wealth of knowledge that spans a shift in global consciousness.
Water is not a luxury, but a necessity. Currently we have enough to go around, but just barely. With many states and countries perpetually experiencing droughts, the present scenario is not a farfetched sci-fi novel or Hollywood catastrophe movie, but a clear and present danger. Water cutbacks prohibiting the watering of lawns and other superficial conservation techniques occur regularly here in the U.S., but in some countries water shortages are the norm. A feast or famine mentality is the root of the problem—when the rain falls all is forgotten. Crops grow, wells are filled and life prospers. This causes an increase in population which can lead to devastating effects when the next drought comes. Conservation and governmental regulation should be at the apex of every political forum. Like Mr. Soren said, “People care about the environment [but won’t take action] unless the issue affects us directly.”
Photos: Courtesy of Soren Lefkowits; and
http://wayfinderinklings.blogspot.com/2012/03/blue-gold-on-world-water-day.html
Always be willing tolearn. Learn from your work, learn from your
peers, and especiallylearn from your
mistakes.
30 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 31Waterflow and the Environment
metering facility. It was there that I was able to put my engineering to work. Many of the systems were outdated and in serious need of improvements. I was able to improve water balances in a water distribution system and identify past measurement errors that resulted in additional revenues of approximately $1,000,000.
Sometimes I would find issues and my team and I would collectively discuss the possible solutions. Sometimes the solutions were quite apparent, but getting there took extensive trial and error. Often we would reverse engineer the device, starting with what we hoped to accomplish and working backwards until we arrived at the origin of the problem. Sometimes it only took small adjustments but frequently things need to be revamped entirely. Those were my favorite projects—creating something that had never been seen before and making it the standard in the industry.
What does your present work consist of?Currently I work as an expert witness providing testimony, litigation consulting and support, forensic services, or any applicable services. [The kinds of litigation include] product liability, personal injury, economic loss, intellectual property and insurance matters. It’s not quite the same as working in the field, but it gives me more time to spend with my grandkids.
Any parting words you care to share, suggestions, recommendations?My main advice would be, to be open to anything that comes your way, especially if you know nothing about it. Always be willing to learn. Learn from your work, learn from your peers, and especially learn from your mistakes. Always attempt to improve yourself and the things you work on. If you find a solution to a problem, that’s great, but keep looking for an even better solution. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Always be aware of your environment and surroundings. Take ideas from other places and try to incorporate it into your design. There is no one formula to how things should work, or should appear, there is only the accepted norm. This is what you should attempt to break.
My interview with Mr. Soren was quite beneficial. In my research I am finding that every avenue explored adds another layer of depth. My graduate school thesis project revolves around water—a crucial yet scarce resource here on earth. Man must consume (on average) 2.6 liters of water every day to survive. We also need clean water to sustain crops. Mr. Soren has spent the last 30 years expediting the flow of this precious resource. He has a wealth of knowledge that spans a shift in global consciousness.
Water is not a luxury, but a necessity. Currently we have enough to go around, but just barely. With many states and countries perpetually experiencing droughts, the present scenario is not a farfetched sci-fi novel or Hollywood catastrophe movie, but a clear and present danger. Water cutbacks prohibiting the watering of lawns and other superficial conservation techniques occur regularly here in the U.S., but in some countries water shortages are the norm. A feast or famine mentality is the root of the problem—when the rain falls all is forgotten. Crops grow, wells are filled and life prospers. This causes an increase in population which can lead to devastating effects when the next drought comes. Conservation and governmental regulation should be at the apex of every political forum. Like Mr. Soren said, “People care about the environment [but won’t take action] unless the issue affects us directly.”
Photos: Courtesy of Soren Lefkowits; and
http://wayfinderinklings.blogspot.com/2012/03/blue-gold-on-world-water-day.html
Always be willing tolearn. Learn from your work, learn from your
peers, and especiallylearn from your
mistakes.
32 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 33The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
The Fight forEquality in Health
and Healthcare:an Interview with Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt md, mph
by Stephanie Tang
32 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 33The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
The Fight forEquality in Health
and Healthcare:an Interview with Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt md, mph
by Stephanie Tang
34 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 35
As a second generation Chinese-American, my family instilled the value of health to me at a very young age. Some of my earliest childhood memories include my grandmother kneeling in front of the small Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin) shrine in the mahjong room, praying for good health for the family. My grandfather, grandmother, and mother all followed career paths in health-care to improve the health and well-being of the communities they served—with special attention to the communities that were underserved. My path veered greatly from my family. I followed the road of visual communication, but like my mother and grandparents, I have always felt a sense of duty to serve my community. Using my skills as a designer, I hope to create a voice for disadvantaged populations to improve their quality of life in the area of health.
In my research of health disparities in Asian communities, I came across Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt, md, mph, a leader in racial/ethnic disparities research. Dr. Betancourt received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Following his residency, Dr. Betancourt completed The Commonwealth Fund-Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy, and then went on to receive his Masters in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Betancourt’s long line of work in the health field includes serving as Associate Director of the Center for Multicultural and Minority Health at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and, he is currently a Senior Scientist at the Institute for Health Policy, Program Director for Multicultural Education at the Multicultural Affairs Office at Massachusetts General Hospital (mgh), and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and teaching cross-cultural medicine, health disparities, and health policy to medical students and residents at MGH-Harvard Medical School and to students at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Betancourt has also served on several Institute of Medicine Committees, including those that produced Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, Guidance for a National Health Care Disparities Report, and In the Nation’s Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health Care Workforce.
With all the major contributions Dr. Betancourt has made to healthcare, which include written peer-reviewed articles on topics including racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care; hypertension, diabetes, and cerebro-vascular disease in minority communities, I thought that an interview with a designer of healthcare programs and initiatives would be a great addition towards my research, and perhaps offer a different perspective on solving problems. In talking with Dr. Betancourt, I wanted insight on the issues sur-rounding racial/ethnic disparities in health and healthcare, and to further
query him on his previous and current projects in trying to remove the health gap between minorities and their white counterparts.
STEPHANIE TANG: Following your residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, what led you to seek a Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy? What sparked your interest in minority health issues? Any specific event or experience?
DR. BETANCOURT: I’m originally from Puerto Rico, I grew up in a bilingual and bicultural home in New York City. I actually had to serve as an interpreter for my grandmother when I was about 7-years-old, and I think for me, just growing up I witnessed the impact of language and cultural barriers on health and healthcare, and so I was always interested in that, and that I also come from a family where both my parents are very committed to issues related to those who don’t have voice, who are underserved. Also, my parents were very active and did advocacy work. So my interest in healthcare and research in vulnerable populations emerged, and the theme of activism and advocacy emerged just from my growing up. I think all of this was capped by, when I was in medical school, the realization that only 3% of all physicians were Hispanic, and so I really felt a greater responsibility to give my community voice, and to serve my community well as a Hispanic physician. So all those things, both personal and professional, really led me to care about these issues. Certainly as I began to study them more, and see the incredible impact that these issues had, for example, becoming more familiar with research that demonstrated that minorities were more likely to receive lower quality care than their white counterparts, even if they had insurance, even if they have the same level of education, all that led me to believe that there is a real gap that we needed to fill.
What are racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care, and what do you think the main elements are in creating these disparities?
I would begin by saying that it is important to distinguish disparities in health, and disparities in healthcare. Disparities in health is an area that show the theory that demonstrates, for example, that minorities tend to die at greater rates from some of our nations largest killers, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Those disparities in health or health outcomes are due to a variety of factors, they’re certainly due to the fact that minorities in the United States are dispro-portionately impacted by what we call social determinants, they tend to be poor at greater rates, tend to have lower access to education, maybe tend to live in environments with less access to physical space to do exercise, or fresh fruits and healthy foods, limited to transportation, environments with environmental hazards. All those social factors play a very significant role because minorities are disproportionately affected by those social factors. It leads to poorer health.
The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
Opening image: Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt with a patient
34 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 35
As a second generation Chinese-American, my family instilled the value of health to me at a very young age. Some of my earliest childhood memories include my grandmother kneeling in front of the small Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin) shrine in the mahjong room, praying for good health for the family. My grandfather, grandmother, and mother all followed career paths in health-care to improve the health and well-being of the communities they served—with special attention to the communities that were underserved. My path veered greatly from my family. I followed the road of visual communication, but like my mother and grandparents, I have always felt a sense of duty to serve my community. Using my skills as a designer, I hope to create a voice for disadvantaged populations to improve their quality of life in the area of health.
In my research of health disparities in Asian communities, I came across Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt, md, mph, a leader in racial/ethnic disparities research. Dr. Betancourt received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Following his residency, Dr. Betancourt completed The Commonwealth Fund-Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy, and then went on to receive his Masters in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Betancourt’s long line of work in the health field includes serving as Associate Director of the Center for Multicultural and Minority Health at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and, he is currently a Senior Scientist at the Institute for Health Policy, Program Director for Multicultural Education at the Multicultural Affairs Office at Massachusetts General Hospital (mgh), and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and teaching cross-cultural medicine, health disparities, and health policy to medical students and residents at MGH-Harvard Medical School and to students at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Betancourt has also served on several Institute of Medicine Committees, including those that produced Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, Guidance for a National Health Care Disparities Report, and In the Nation’s Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health Care Workforce.
With all the major contributions Dr. Betancourt has made to healthcare, which include written peer-reviewed articles on topics including racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care; hypertension, diabetes, and cerebro-vascular disease in minority communities, I thought that an interview with a designer of healthcare programs and initiatives would be a great addition towards my research, and perhaps offer a different perspective on solving problems. In talking with Dr. Betancourt, I wanted insight on the issues sur-rounding racial/ethnic disparities in health and healthcare, and to further
query him on his previous and current projects in trying to remove the health gap between minorities and their white counterparts.
STEPHANIE TANG: Following your residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, what led you to seek a Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy? What sparked your interest in minority health issues? Any specific event or experience?
DR. BETANCOURT: I’m originally from Puerto Rico, I grew up in a bilingual and bicultural home in New York City. I actually had to serve as an interpreter for my grandmother when I was about 7-years-old, and I think for me, just growing up I witnessed the impact of language and cultural barriers on health and healthcare, and so I was always interested in that, and that I also come from a family where both my parents are very committed to issues related to those who don’t have voice, who are underserved. Also, my parents were very active and did advocacy work. So my interest in healthcare and research in vulnerable populations emerged, and the theme of activism and advocacy emerged just from my growing up. I think all of this was capped by, when I was in medical school, the realization that only 3% of all physicians were Hispanic, and so I really felt a greater responsibility to give my community voice, and to serve my community well as a Hispanic physician. So all those things, both personal and professional, really led me to care about these issues. Certainly as I began to study them more, and see the incredible impact that these issues had, for example, becoming more familiar with research that demonstrated that minorities were more likely to receive lower quality care than their white counterparts, even if they had insurance, even if they have the same level of education, all that led me to believe that there is a real gap that we needed to fill.
What are racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care, and what do you think the main elements are in creating these disparities?
I would begin by saying that it is important to distinguish disparities in health, and disparities in healthcare. Disparities in health is an area that show the theory that demonstrates, for example, that minorities tend to die at greater rates from some of our nations largest killers, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Those disparities in health or health outcomes are due to a variety of factors, they’re certainly due to the fact that minorities in the United States are dispro-portionately impacted by what we call social determinants, they tend to be poor at greater rates, tend to have lower access to education, maybe tend to live in environments with less access to physical space to do exercise, or fresh fruits and healthy foods, limited to transportation, environments with environmental hazards. All those social factors play a very significant role because minorities are disproportionately affected by those social factors. It leads to poorer health.
The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
Opening image: Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt with a patient
36 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 37The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
Differences to the qualityof care patients receive, even when everything about them
is the same except for thecolor of their skin are
disparities inhealthcare.
36 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 37The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
Differences to the qualityof care patients receive, even when everything about them
is the same except for thecolor of their skin are
disparities inhealthcare.
38 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 39The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
We also know that minorities are overrepresented among those who are uninsured, (and 2010 US Census data reports) there are 50 million uninsured Americans. We know that minorities are more likely to be uninsured than their white counterparts. So if you don’t have insurance, certainly if you have diabetes or heart disease, you’re more likely to have a poor health outcome, probably because you’re just seen in an emergency room or community health center. Those are key reasons for disparities to health. Another key area we see, and where I do much of my work, is disparities in healthcare. That is research that tells us that when you have two people presented to the hospital with chest pain, the minority patient, solely based on the color of their skin, even if their insurance is the same, and level of education is the same, the minority patient is more likely to get a different path of care. That path of care is more likely to be of lower quality, and so that is what we call disparities in healthcare.
Differences to the quality of care patients receive, even when everything about them is the same except for the color of their skin are disparities in health-care. Those disparities in health care are due to a couple of reasons—number one, patients with limited English proficiency and different cultural perspectives about healthcare, tend to have greater difficulty navigating what is a complex health care system. I think just the navigation piece is important, the system’s piece. There are a couple other pieces certainly, there is a patient piece, this is where patients can be very distrustful based on previous health experiences due to our nation’s history of racism, segregation, discrimination. They might be less likely to engage, and or, trust the healthcare provider, and that might have an impact on their desire to follow up on recommendations. Also, understand that communication is a major role in healthcare disparities. Even if you have well-intentioned healthcare providers, and well-intentioned patients, if they’re not able to communicate effectively, and doctors aren’t able to break it down in ways patients can understand, and patients don’t feel comfortable sharing their concerns with their doctor and asking questions of their healthcare provider and asking clarification for things, all those communication problems lead to disparities of healthcare. Finally, although we know there is no evidence that doctors openly discriminate against patients, and treat them differently on purpose, we do know that there is a capacity for healthcare providers to stereotype or make assumptions about patients that might have an impact on their clinical decisions. The whole area of stereotyping is an important one, and is getting more attention. We all stereotype as human beings, and we are not exempt from that in the healthcare field. So we might make assumptions of people, and then we may offer things differently even though we don’t know where doing, and don’t want to be doing it.
At Massachusetts General Hospital, you’ve been collecting data on diabetes in patients and intersected that data with race and ethnicity data. It indicated that the Latino population was at particular high risk. To reach out to this community, you installed a health coach program, and it turned out to be extremely successful in reducing the gap. Did the health coach or coaches speak Spanish? Was there an interpreter if needed?
In fact the coach that we hired is multilingual. He spoke multiple languages—such as Spanish, Portuguese, and English, and that was extremely helpful. We didn’t need to use interpreters there. We also did some significant training with that coach in the area of cross-cultural communication. We tried to give that coach the skills to be able to communicate effectively across cultures. Those were real key capacities to making this intervention successful, it was making sure the coach could take care of everybody, the English speakers, Spanish speakers, Portuguese speakers, and that he had a cross-cultural training to do so. Ultimately the result of the intervention demonstrated that everybody whom the coach touched got better, so that’s a great sign. Quality improved for everybody, but the part that we’re particularly excited about is that the disparity, the difference between the two groups, actually got smaller, so that’s very exciting. The coach improved quality and reduced disparities, which is the gold standard for us.
Has this program been implemented in any other ethnic community?Yes, we developed a similar program for Cambodian patients in another health center in Revere, Massachusetts.
In your experience, what are the challenges to collecting racial, ethnic and cultural data on patients?
It wasn’t very difficult for us. Here in Massachusetts we have state law that now requires us to collect the information, we’ve had that since 2006, and so I think that’s been very helpful for us. We’ve also done a lot of research on how to ask the questions in a respectful way, how to really assure that patients are comfortable providing the information. We spent a lot of time on the process of asking the questions, I think that has allowed our capacity to collect it, to be more effective, for example, we used a couple different ways of asking the questions, and piloted it among 7,000 patients to see how well they understood it, whether it confused them, whether we could get the information we wanted, whether it took too long, so we measured all these different aspects of ways of asking these questions. Subsequently we found ways of asking these questions in which patients felt more comfortable answering them.
38 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 39The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
We also know that minorities are overrepresented among those who are uninsured, (and 2010 US Census data reports) there are 50 million uninsured Americans. We know that minorities are more likely to be uninsured than their white counterparts. So if you don’t have insurance, certainly if you have diabetes or heart disease, you’re more likely to have a poor health outcome, probably because you’re just seen in an emergency room or community health center. Those are key reasons for disparities to health. Another key area we see, and where I do much of my work, is disparities in healthcare. That is research that tells us that when you have two people presented to the hospital with chest pain, the minority patient, solely based on the color of their skin, even if their insurance is the same, and level of education is the same, the minority patient is more likely to get a different path of care. That path of care is more likely to be of lower quality, and so that is what we call disparities in healthcare.
Differences to the quality of care patients receive, even when everything about them is the same except for the color of their skin are disparities in health-care. Those disparities in health care are due to a couple of reasons—number one, patients with limited English proficiency and different cultural perspectives about healthcare, tend to have greater difficulty navigating what is a complex health care system. I think just the navigation piece is important, the system’s piece. There are a couple other pieces certainly, there is a patient piece, this is where patients can be very distrustful based on previous health experiences due to our nation’s history of racism, segregation, discrimination. They might be less likely to engage, and or, trust the healthcare provider, and that might have an impact on their desire to follow up on recommendations. Also, understand that communication is a major role in healthcare disparities. Even if you have well-intentioned healthcare providers, and well-intentioned patients, if they’re not able to communicate effectively, and doctors aren’t able to break it down in ways patients can understand, and patients don’t feel comfortable sharing their concerns with their doctor and asking questions of their healthcare provider and asking clarification for things, all those communication problems lead to disparities of healthcare. Finally, although we know there is no evidence that doctors openly discriminate against patients, and treat them differently on purpose, we do know that there is a capacity for healthcare providers to stereotype or make assumptions about patients that might have an impact on their clinical decisions. The whole area of stereotyping is an important one, and is getting more attention. We all stereotype as human beings, and we are not exempt from that in the healthcare field. So we might make assumptions of people, and then we may offer things differently even though we don’t know where doing, and don’t want to be doing it.
At Massachusetts General Hospital, you’ve been collecting data on diabetes in patients and intersected that data with race and ethnicity data. It indicated that the Latino population was at particular high risk. To reach out to this community, you installed a health coach program, and it turned out to be extremely successful in reducing the gap. Did the health coach or coaches speak Spanish? Was there an interpreter if needed?
In fact the coach that we hired is multilingual. He spoke multiple languages—such as Spanish, Portuguese, and English, and that was extremely helpful. We didn’t need to use interpreters there. We also did some significant training with that coach in the area of cross-cultural communication. We tried to give that coach the skills to be able to communicate effectively across cultures. Those were real key capacities to making this intervention successful, it was making sure the coach could take care of everybody, the English speakers, Spanish speakers, Portuguese speakers, and that he had a cross-cultural training to do so. Ultimately the result of the intervention demonstrated that everybody whom the coach touched got better, so that’s a great sign. Quality improved for everybody, but the part that we’re particularly excited about is that the disparity, the difference between the two groups, actually got smaller, so that’s very exciting. The coach improved quality and reduced disparities, which is the gold standard for us.
Has this program been implemented in any other ethnic community?Yes, we developed a similar program for Cambodian patients in another health center in Revere, Massachusetts.
In your experience, what are the challenges to collecting racial, ethnic and cultural data on patients?
It wasn’t very difficult for us. Here in Massachusetts we have state law that now requires us to collect the information, we’ve had that since 2006, and so I think that’s been very helpful for us. We’ve also done a lot of research on how to ask the questions in a respectful way, how to really assure that patients are comfortable providing the information. We spent a lot of time on the process of asking the questions, I think that has allowed our capacity to collect it, to be more effective, for example, we used a couple different ways of asking the questions, and piloted it among 7,000 patients to see how well they understood it, whether it confused them, whether we could get the information we wanted, whether it took too long, so we measured all these different aspects of ways of asking these questions. Subsequently we found ways of asking these questions in which patients felt more comfortable answering them.
40 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 41The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
The article goes on to say that ‘in terms of health care system factors, organizations should include input from racial/ethnic minorities and those with limited English proficiency in developing patient hit tools to address the digital divide.’ What form do the patient hit tools take? Is it a computer program? A portable device?
One aspect of Health Information Technology is what we providers can use to improve the care that we provide—so that’s electronic medical records, collecting information, developing lists of people who are doing well or doing poorly, and applying interventions to help patients.
Another key area, on the patient side, one thing we’re exploring now is the use of text messages to get a chance to encourage patients, for example, with diabetes, to eat healthy or to manage their condition. A recent study of a particular health center with many young Spanish-speaking women, revealed that there was a very high no-show rate for prenatal care visits, and so they began texting reminders and communicating with patients via text messages, and the no-show rates went way down. We also think that text messaging can be used for other things such as additional health information, and helping patient stay engaged
In the article Bridging the Digital Divide in health Care: The Role of Health Information Technology in Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities that you co-authored,it states that there are several root causes for disparities that are amenable to interventions using Health Information Technology (hit), particularly inno-vations in electronic health records. What were the prior or current weak-nesses in the system of electronic health records?
Our census will never know if these disparities exist, and what disparities exist if we are not routinely collecting race and ethnicity data. Part of what we’re trying to say in this article is that if we are really trying to move to electronic records, and use them for more than just data collection, and really try to use them to develop registries to figure out who needs more services, and so on and so forth, then we need to collect this key information, that gives us the capacity to monitor and measure what we’re doing. So that was really our push with what we wrote about electronic medical records, essentially saying that we need to collect key bits of information about patients to make sure that we’re able to deploy interventions appropriately. That hasn’t been done routinely, that’s why we’re making a call for it.
“As the nation is becoming
increasingly diverse, we need tothink creatively about developing new
technologies that are responsive to how different people learn, languages they speak,
and culture; that’s all very important.
40 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 41The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
The article goes on to say that ‘in terms of health care system factors, organizations should include input from racial/ethnic minorities and those with limited English proficiency in developing patient hit tools to address the digital divide.’ What form do the patient hit tools take? Is it a computer program? A portable device?
One aspect of Health Information Technology is what we providers can use to improve the care that we provide—so that’s electronic medical records, collecting information, developing lists of people who are doing well or doing poorly, and applying interventions to help patients.
Another key area, on the patient side, one thing we’re exploring now is the use of text messages to get a chance to encourage patients, for example, with diabetes, to eat healthy or to manage their condition. A recent study of a particular health center with many young Spanish-speaking women, revealed that there was a very high no-show rate for prenatal care visits, and so they began texting reminders and communicating with patients via text messages, and the no-show rates went way down. We also think that text messaging can be used for other things such as additional health information, and helping patient stay engaged
In the article Bridging the Digital Divide in health Care: The Role of Health Information Technology in Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities that you co-authored,it states that there are several root causes for disparities that are amenable to interventions using Health Information Technology (hit), particularly inno-vations in electronic health records. What were the prior or current weak-nesses in the system of electronic health records?
Our census will never know if these disparities exist, and what disparities exist if we are not routinely collecting race and ethnicity data. Part of what we’re trying to say in this article is that if we are really trying to move to electronic records, and use them for more than just data collection, and really try to use them to develop registries to figure out who needs more services, and so on and so forth, then we need to collect this key information, that gives us the capacity to monitor and measure what we’re doing. So that was really our push with what we wrote about electronic medical records, essentially saying that we need to collect key bits of information about patients to make sure that we’re able to deploy interventions appropriately. That hasn’t been done routinely, that’s why we’re making a call for it.
“As the nation is becoming
increasingly diverse, we need tothink creatively about developing new
technologies that are responsive to how different people learn, languages they speak,
and culture; that’s all very important.
42 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 43The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
in their work. Another area of Health Information Technology, that we think is very important, is the area of remote monitoring. If I have a patient with high blood pressure and give them a blood pressure cuff, and it sends me their blood pressure readings, I can help manage their condition over the phone or via e-mail. Then they don’t have to keep coming in to see me. Those are all forms of tech-nology in which we feel the patient can engage in and benefit from. The final one is personal health records, and that has been underutilized. It’s where patients keep their own records, and no matter where they show up, the healthcare provider will be able to look at all the things they’ve had done and their records and information would be included. We believe this will improve quality of care, but minority populations have been less engaged around this issue of personal health records.
I think that the people developing those personal health recording devices or technology have done very little to take into account diverse populations. I think there is a great opportunity to create and design personal health recording devices in different languages at a very low level of health literacy. So that people can make it very simple to get the information.
What works or what do you see lacking in previous or current marketing (be it print, radio, television, social media) in minority health campaigns? Do you believe any in particular have created a substantial positive outcome on improving awareness and action?
I don’t see a lot in that space at all, I think there is a sense that there is a digital divide in engaging campaigns for minorities. Maybe for younger people with asthma, or, as I had mentioned earlier, the issue of prenatal care, things like that for the younger generation, I think that there’s a lot less of a sense of a digital divide—but for older folks there is this worry that there is this digital divide, that they have computers but don’t use or know how to use them, that type of thing. But, I think it’s very much that there is limited innovation around social marketing, and webpage design, to engage patients in their health and healthcare. As the nation is becoming increasingly diverse, we need to think creatively about developing new technologies that are responsive to how different people learn, languages they speak, and culture; that’s all very important.
Why should anyone care that there are disparities in health and healthcare for minorities? How do you think it affects the rest of the country?
Two reports came out about a year and a half ago that demonstrate the incredible cost to the United States healthcare system of disparities. Disparities is something that ultimately affects us all, it puts a great burden on the healthcare system, there is the great cost, and loss of productivity; people who die prematurely or who are disabled prematurely, and then are unable to contribute to the workforce. From a societal standpoint, it is at a great cost to us as a nation. Combating
disparities isn’t just about social justice, it’s also about our nation’s productivity, and the cost of healthcare system. Furthermore, I think a lot more people are caring now because the health policy is designing strategies so that we can be more attentive to issues of quality of care. For example, there are new penalties, if you’re admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure and you’re dis-charged and come back two weeks later, the hospital isn’t going to get paid for that readmission. There is a sense that when you discharge people they really need to make sure they’re okay, and make sure they understand what medications they need to take, what to do if they get sick, what are the warning signs of getting sick, and who do they call so they don’t just bounce right back to the hospital. What is interesting is that we know that minorities are readmitted at greater rates than their white counterparts, so now there’s financial costs for readmissions. We know that it happens to minorities more, so hospitals need to focus on this issue of readmissions among minority patients. I think there was a time where you could say that this was just an issue of caring for vulnerable people, but now it’s really become a financial and regulatory issue as well. The bodies that accredit hospitals are also developing new regulations in this area, so I would say that there is a real sense now that these issues are significant and that they need to be addressed.
Do you ever see an end to racial/ethnic disparities in health and healthcare?I think we can do a lot to eliminate disparities in healthcare, I think we can do that in the next 10 years. I think that disparities in health will be more challenging because they require a lot bigger and more public health initiatives, large activities to address social determinants such as poverty, poor education, residential segre-gation, environmental hazards, and those issues are more than health policy, they are about general policy and politics, and resources. I think ending disparities in health is going to be a tall order, it’s going to be a long battle, I think we’ll make progress. I do think that we can really end it, and we’re starting to see signs of ending variations in the care that patients receive, and we are much more hopeful to end disparities in healthcare in the short term.
Through this interview, Dr. Betancourt’s passion for reducing disparities in health and healthcare has strengthened my own resolve to take action using my skills in design as a tool to combat health disparities for Asian Americans. Design is what I do, and I hope make an impact with my design work to better serve the Asian-American community.
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Joseph Betancourt
42 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 43The Fight for Equality in Health and Healthcare
in their work. Another area of Health Information Technology, that we think is very important, is the area of remote monitoring. If I have a patient with high blood pressure and give them a blood pressure cuff, and it sends me their blood pressure readings, I can help manage their condition over the phone or via e-mail. Then they don’t have to keep coming in to see me. Those are all forms of tech-nology in which we feel the patient can engage in and benefit from. The final one is personal health records, and that has been underutilized. It’s where patients keep their own records, and no matter where they show up, the healthcare provider will be able to look at all the things they’ve had done and their records and information would be included. We believe this will improve quality of care, but minority populations have been less engaged around this issue of personal health records.
I think that the people developing those personal health recording devices or technology have done very little to take into account diverse populations. I think there is a great opportunity to create and design personal health recording devices in different languages at a very low level of health literacy. So that people can make it very simple to get the information.
What works or what do you see lacking in previous or current marketing (be it print, radio, television, social media) in minority health campaigns? Do you believe any in particular have created a substantial positive outcome on improving awareness and action?
I don’t see a lot in that space at all, I think there is a sense that there is a digital divide in engaging campaigns for minorities. Maybe for younger people with asthma, or, as I had mentioned earlier, the issue of prenatal care, things like that for the younger generation, I think that there’s a lot less of a sense of a digital divide—but for older folks there is this worry that there is this digital divide, that they have computers but don’t use or know how to use them, that type of thing. But, I think it’s very much that there is limited innovation around social marketing, and webpage design, to engage patients in their health and healthcare. As the nation is becoming increasingly diverse, we need to think creatively about developing new technologies that are responsive to how different people learn, languages they speak, and culture; that’s all very important.
Why should anyone care that there are disparities in health and healthcare for minorities? How do you think it affects the rest of the country?
Two reports came out about a year and a half ago that demonstrate the incredible cost to the United States healthcare system of disparities. Disparities is something that ultimately affects us all, it puts a great burden on the healthcare system, there is the great cost, and loss of productivity; people who die prematurely or who are disabled prematurely, and then are unable to contribute to the workforce. From a societal standpoint, it is at a great cost to us as a nation. Combating
disparities isn’t just about social justice, it’s also about our nation’s productivity, and the cost of healthcare system. Furthermore, I think a lot more people are caring now because the health policy is designing strategies so that we can be more attentive to issues of quality of care. For example, there are new penalties, if you’re admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure and you’re dis-charged and come back two weeks later, the hospital isn’t going to get paid for that readmission. There is a sense that when you discharge people they really need to make sure they’re okay, and make sure they understand what medications they need to take, what to do if they get sick, what are the warning signs of getting sick, and who do they call so they don’t just bounce right back to the hospital. What is interesting is that we know that minorities are readmitted at greater rates than their white counterparts, so now there’s financial costs for readmissions. We know that it happens to minorities more, so hospitals need to focus on this issue of readmissions among minority patients. I think there was a time where you could say that this was just an issue of caring for vulnerable people, but now it’s really become a financial and regulatory issue as well. The bodies that accredit hospitals are also developing new regulations in this area, so I would say that there is a real sense now that these issues are significant and that they need to be addressed.
Do you ever see an end to racial/ethnic disparities in health and healthcare?I think we can do a lot to eliminate disparities in healthcare, I think we can do that in the next 10 years. I think that disparities in health will be more challenging because they require a lot bigger and more public health initiatives, large activities to address social determinants such as poverty, poor education, residential segre-gation, environmental hazards, and those issues are more than health policy, they are about general policy and politics, and resources. I think ending disparities in health is going to be a tall order, it’s going to be a long battle, I think we’ll make progress. I do think that we can really end it, and we’re starting to see signs of ending variations in the care that patients receive, and we are much more hopeful to end disparities in healthcare in the short term.
Through this interview, Dr. Betancourt’s passion for reducing disparities in health and healthcare has strengthened my own resolve to take action using my skills in design as a tool to combat health disparities for Asian Americans. Design is what I do, and I hope make an impact with my design work to better serve the Asian-American community.
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Joseph Betancourt
44 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 45The Revival of Bicycle Parts
TheRevivalof Bicycle
Partsby Kenji Wada
44 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 45The Revival of Bicycle Parts
TheRevivalof Bicycle
Partsby Kenji Wada
4746 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 The Revival of Bicycle Parts
I was walking down Valencia Street (in San Francisco’s Mission District) one day—a street where there are a lot of small clothing shops, second hand stores, restaurants and cafés. I walked into a stylish variety store, and I came across an item that I had never seen before. It was a bowl made from bicycle chains. I thought to myself, if the bicycle had not been recycled, I would never have known it came from a used bicycle part that was going to landfill as waste.
Resource Revival, located in Mosier, Oregon (outside Portland) is a company that produces items by recycling bicycle parts, such as the bike chain and bike sprocket. The company was founded in Oregon by Graham Bergh in 1994. The idea for Resource Revival came after Bergh got a flat tire on his bike on his way to go to his job at a recycling center. He ended playing with the flat tire and made it into a product. After that, Bergh sought a way to recycle more bike parts. Since 1994, Resource Revival has sold a dozen different products, including picture frames made out of inner tubes.
Graham Bergh has a background in recycling, bicycling, art and economics. Of Portland, a the city he is inspired by, he says, “Portland is really a pioneer in the sustainability movement. Many, many people who can afford to drive choose to bike to work instead. It is a great city. I was very attracted to it in 1990 when I graduated from the University of Michigan and moved west.” I visited to Portland in January 2012, and I felt same way.
There are more places to park one’s bicycle on the street, inside of apart-ments and even inside of restaurants. The city itself is designed to support bicyclists. For this reason, the bike commute rate is the highest in the U.S., which is supported by data from Bicycle Commuter Trends in the U.S.: Graphic Representation by Shane MacRhodes (Contributor), March 7, 2011.
I also experienced the popularity of bicycles in San Francisco—where there’s movement of environmentally-conscious people that prefer bikes over cars. But this is not happening only in San Francisco, but in other states, and other countries. To support the trend (rising bike commute rates in U.S.), Bikes Belong supports and investigates bike related issues. Bikes Belong reports, during the past two decades, cycling has increased in the United States. The number of bike commuters rose by 64% from 1990 to 20091.
Japan, where I’m from, is another country where bicycles are becoming popular—and popular rapidly. While working for BE-S CO., Ltd. in Japan, a company that produces their own brand of bicycles in Japan, I discovered people rode bicycles both for transportation and for health reasons.
In 2011, after BE-S CO., Ltd, I worked for a company that saw the sales of its bicycles grow 120%–130%. The growth was in part because of the
company’s promotion and product design efforts, but not to be discounted is the steady growth of bicycle production
in China the past 10 years. This growth in production is not only in countries like the U.S., Japan and
some European countries, but also includes developing countries. Stories I’ve heard from a bicycle manufacture in China, reinforce the rise of bicycle orders from Southeast Asia and South America in recent years.
IWith the rise in popularity of the bicycle
on a global scale, there’s an assumption that the bicycle contributes beneficially to the
ecology. However, in my opinion, it’s difficult to
I would never have known it came from a used bicycle part that wasgoing to landfill as waste.
4746 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 The Revival of Bicycle Parts
I was walking down Valencia Street (in San Francisco’s Mission District) one day—a street where there are a lot of small clothing shops, second hand stores, restaurants and cafés. I walked into a stylish variety store, and I came across an item that I had never seen before. It was a bowl made from bicycle chains. I thought to myself, if the bicycle had not been recycled, I would never have known it came from a used bicycle part that was going to landfill as waste.
Resource Revival, located in Mosier, Oregon (outside Portland) is a company that produces items by recycling bicycle parts, such as the bike chain and bike sprocket. The company was founded in Oregon by Graham Bergh in 1994. The idea for Resource Revival came after Bergh got a flat tire on his bike on his way to go to his job at a recycling center. He ended playing with the flat tire and made it into a product. After that, Bergh sought a way to recycle more bike parts. Since 1994, Resource Revival has sold a dozen different products, including picture frames made out of inner tubes.
Graham Bergh has a background in recycling, bicycling, art and economics. Of Portland, a the city he is inspired by, he says, “Portland is really a pioneer in the sustainability movement. Many, many people who can afford to drive choose to bike to work instead. It is a great city. I was very attracted to it in 1990 when I graduated from the University of Michigan and moved west.” I visited to Portland in January 2012, and I felt same way.
There are more places to park one’s bicycle on the street, inside of apart-ments and even inside of restaurants. The city itself is designed to support bicyclists. For this reason, the bike commute rate is the highest in the U.S., which is supported by data from Bicycle Commuter Trends in the U.S.: Graphic Representation by Shane MacRhodes (Contributor), March 7, 2011.
I also experienced the popularity of bicycles in San Francisco—where there’s movement of environmentally-conscious people that prefer bikes over cars. But this is not happening only in San Francisco, but in other states, and other countries. To support the trend (rising bike commute rates in U.S.), Bikes Belong supports and investigates bike related issues. Bikes Belong reports, during the past two decades, cycling has increased in the United States. The number of bike commuters rose by 64% from 1990 to 20091.
Japan, where I’m from, is another country where bicycles are becoming popular—and popular rapidly. While working for BE-S CO., Ltd. in Japan, a company that produces their own brand of bicycles in Japan, I discovered people rode bicycles both for transportation and for health reasons.
In 2011, after BE-S CO., Ltd, I worked for a company that saw the sales of its bicycles grow 120%–130%. The growth was in part because of the
company’s promotion and product design efforts, but not to be discounted is the steady growth of bicycle production
in China the past 10 years. This growth in production is not only in countries like the U.S., Japan and
some European countries, but also includes developing countries. Stories I’ve heard from a bicycle manufacture in China, reinforce the rise of bicycle orders from Southeast Asia and South America in recent years.
IWith the rise in popularity of the bicycle
on a global scale, there’s an assumption that the bicycle contributes beneficially to the
ecology. However, in my opinion, it’s difficult to
I would never have known it came from a used bicycle part that wasgoing to landfill as waste.
48 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 49The Revival of Bicycle Parts
Our goal is toprovide a free recycling service for bike shops, and to transform their
waste into fun new products of original
design and highquality.
say the bicycle is perfectly eco-friendly. My research questions are directed around the sustainability of the bicycle as product. Since the bicycle is indeed a product, companies want to sell more for higher profit. However, simply selling more bicycle causes waste if they are not recycled. I asked Graham Bergh about the rise of the bicycle’s popularity outside of the U.S., and the anticipated problem of bicycle waste in the future. Graham was familiar with the problem of bicycle waste in the U.S. He says, “The good news is that most of the bicycle is easily recycled (steel, aluminum…). The rubber is harder to recycle, but there is much less rubber on a bike than on a car or truck. Bikes are very low impact. And no oil!” I was really surprised what he mentioned this, because I thought a bicycle would be difficult to recycle. However, Graham’s answer gave me hope of the possibility that other countries will start bicycle recycling. Ethical business practices like Resource Revival’s can be exported to other countries to reduce waste.
For a company grow, they need to replace the old, and continually innovate the quality of its products. In Japan, where I did product development, my company pushed me to produce a product with low cost, over choosing the best materials and parts—and still make it look good. This suited our target audience, who were primarily a younger demographic, that were more interested in the price and design, and but not so much quality.
My company the embraced the trendy over substance. They promoted the bicycle as something one changed, as one changes clothing. This encourage-ment for users to change their “outdated” bicycles, accelerated the waste of bicycles. Unfortunately, this production philosophy and outcome is a common marketing practice for many companies.
IIGraham Bergh’s concern around environmental issues is the primary reason why I admire Resource Revival and their focus on a bicycle’s “second life.” I shared with Graham my concerns surrounding the environmental impact of bicycles, and asked if he had any considerations about environmental issues, and his solutions producing recycled material products. “Absolutely,” Graham says. He continues, “This is our passion. Lowering the impact of the consumer economy on the environment. Most goods end up in landfill in a few years. At least ours was garbage to begin with. Our goal is to provide a free recycling service for bike shops, and to transform their waste into fun new products of original design and high quality.”
There are still questions about the benefit of recycling. At my former company, they changed the paper that they used to a paper that was 100% recycled. I thought it was a good choice ethically, until I discovered the 100% recycled paper was actually not good for the environment. This was because
48 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 49The Revival of Bicycle Parts
Our goal is toprovide a free recycling service for bike shops, and to transform their
waste into fun new products of original
design and highquality.
say the bicycle is perfectly eco-friendly. My research questions are directed around the sustainability of the bicycle as product. Since the bicycle is indeed a product, companies want to sell more for higher profit. However, simply selling more bicycle causes waste if they are not recycled. I asked Graham Bergh about the rise of the bicycle’s popularity outside of the U.S., and the anticipated problem of bicycle waste in the future. Graham was familiar with the problem of bicycle waste in the U.S. He says, “The good news is that most of the bicycle is easily recycled (steel, aluminum…). The rubber is harder to recycle, but there is much less rubber on a bike than on a car or truck. Bikes are very low impact. And no oil!” I was really surprised what he mentioned this, because I thought a bicycle would be difficult to recycle. However, Graham’s answer gave me hope of the possibility that other countries will start bicycle recycling. Ethical business practices like Resource Revival’s can be exported to other countries to reduce waste.
For a company grow, they need to replace the old, and continually innovate the quality of its products. In Japan, where I did product development, my company pushed me to produce a product with low cost, over choosing the best materials and parts—and still make it look good. This suited our target audience, who were primarily a younger demographic, that were more interested in the price and design, and but not so much quality.
My company the embraced the trendy over substance. They promoted the bicycle as something one changed, as one changes clothing. This encourage-ment for users to change their “outdated” bicycles, accelerated the waste of bicycles. Unfortunately, this production philosophy and outcome is a common marketing practice for many companies.
IIGraham Bergh’s concern around environmental issues is the primary reason why I admire Resource Revival and their focus on a bicycle’s “second life.” I shared with Graham my concerns surrounding the environmental impact of bicycles, and asked if he had any considerations about environmental issues, and his solutions producing recycled material products. “Absolutely,” Graham says. He continues, “This is our passion. Lowering the impact of the consumer economy on the environment. Most goods end up in landfill in a few years. At least ours was garbage to begin with. Our goal is to provide a free recycling service for bike shops, and to transform their waste into fun new products of original design and high quality.”
There are still questions about the benefit of recycling. At my former company, they changed the paper that they used to a paper that was 100% recycled. I thought it was a good choice ethically, until I discovered the 100% recycled paper was actually not good for the environment. This was because
50 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 51The Revival of Bicycle Parts
producing it required more oil and coal than producing the standard paper, resulting in higher rates of carbon dioxide emissions (reported as more than double). The company, Nippon Paper Group, stopped producing the paper in 2007. With this in mind, it made me wonder: did Resource Revival use solvents for removing grease from chains and other parts of the bicycle, and if they did, could this be healthy for the environment? I asked Graham if he had any special method(s) to clean bicycle parts without damaging the ecology? Graham replied (much to my relief), “We do not use solvents or harmful chemicals, just detergents and hot water.”
Looking through Resource Revival’s products, one series of items caught my attention. They were promotional items for companies. I had never seen environmentally-conscious products that were designed and directed for business-to-business. The message of sustainability in each of Resource Revival’s product is not only directed to individual customers, but also to other businesses—a move that could effectively enhance and encourage the sustain-ability movement. I was exited about these products, awards, medals and promotional items. I asked Graham if these items, that target companies, were something special in Resource Revival’s product range, and how he decided to start this line of items? Graham answered, “In order to satisfy that market, it seems many companies are interested in these items to reflect the company’s consideration for ecology and appeal to their customers.”
IIIA July 2010 report in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, by the National Bicycle Dealer Association (nbda), stated that at its peak in 2006, bicycle ridership had its highest participation (about 43 million people) in the U.S. However, since then the rate has been in decline; in 2009, it was about 38 million people. I mention this report to Graham, and how he anticipates bicycle participation in U.S., he states, “I really have no idea. In some parts of the U.S. biking is more popular, in other places it is considered something only for kids and racers. I think the attitudes will shift toward bikes as oil gets more expensive and as climate change makes people realize how much of an impact we are having on the planet.”
Graham’s response reinforces what I found when I moved to U.S. I noticed that people bought a bicycle primarily for style and sports. But, in contrast, in city like San Francisco, people additionally purchased a bicycle for commute. In many cities, there is still a difference of the bicycle being something one “wants” vs. “needs.” For comparison, in my hometown of Osaka, Japan, people use bicycles as necessity. In other (densely populated) cities in Japan, the bicycle is the primary mode of transportation; an exception is in rural areas, where a car is also used for transportation, but even so, people will have both a car and bicycle—and they often switch depending on the distance they need to go. The Japanese in their daily life, like going to supermarket, use bicycles. Many supermarkets and shopping centers have plenty of spaces for parking a bicycle; and some local supermarkets have only parking for bicycles, and no parking spaces for cars! I think the geography of Japan obliges people to ride a bicycle over driving a car. Also, another reason that encourage people ride a bike; there’s such a shortage of space, large parking spaces for cars is very expensive.
I’m aware that changing peoples’ attitudes about our environment is a key word for achieving a sustainable world. Resource Revival’s products have the potential to educate consumers about environmental issues. Consumers learn there is a difference between the product which was thrown away and becomes waste, and the product that is recycled into a new product. But I wondered what one thinks when they come across one of Resource Revival’s recycled material products. Do they think of it as just cool? Or will one think about and consider the products’ life-cycle? I asked Graham if he desires a particular reaction from the users of his products, he says, “The main thing we want to impart is that bikes and recycling and our products are fun. Creativity is fun. Who knew you could turn a bike chain into a bowl! A clock! A bottle opener! We want people to say ‘cool’ and for our products to make them smile.” He continues, “You never know where inspiration will come from—I was inspired by a flat tire.”
IVThroughout my exchange with Graham Bergh, I reconsidered the meaning of sustainability. Sustainability is not only in a finished product, but from the concept of product, a company’s brief, and activity—and in Resource Revival’s case, trying to establish a free recycling service in every bicycle shop. Product sustainability is the question for this, and future generations; and especially a huge problem for designers—knowing that most every thing they design will end up in landfill eventually. Still, many designed items have a short lifespan, and are disposed of at the final stage. Of course, there are well-designed items that can be used forever, and are even handed down to the next generation.
You never know whereinspiration will come from.
50 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 51The Revival of Bicycle Parts
producing it required more oil and coal than producing the standard paper, resulting in higher rates of carbon dioxide emissions (reported as more than double). The company, Nippon Paper Group, stopped producing the paper in 2007. With this in mind, it made me wonder: did Resource Revival use solvents for removing grease from chains and other parts of the bicycle, and if they did, could this be healthy for the environment? I asked Graham if he had any special method(s) to clean bicycle parts without damaging the ecology? Graham replied (much to my relief), “We do not use solvents or harmful chemicals, just detergents and hot water.”
Looking through Resource Revival’s products, one series of items caught my attention. They were promotional items for companies. I had never seen environmentally-conscious products that were designed and directed for business-to-business. The message of sustainability in each of Resource Revival’s product is not only directed to individual customers, but also to other businesses—a move that could effectively enhance and encourage the sustain-ability movement. I was exited about these products, awards, medals and promotional items. I asked Graham if these items, that target companies, were something special in Resource Revival’s product range, and how he decided to start this line of items? Graham answered, “In order to satisfy that market, it seems many companies are interested in these items to reflect the company’s consideration for ecology and appeal to their customers.”
IIIA July 2010 report in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, by the National Bicycle Dealer Association (nbda), stated that at its peak in 2006, bicycle ridership had its highest participation (about 43 million people) in the U.S. However, since then the rate has been in decline; in 2009, it was about 38 million people. I mention this report to Graham, and how he anticipates bicycle participation in U.S., he states, “I really have no idea. In some parts of the U.S. biking is more popular, in other places it is considered something only for kids and racers. I think the attitudes will shift toward bikes as oil gets more expensive and as climate change makes people realize how much of an impact we are having on the planet.”
Graham’s response reinforces what I found when I moved to U.S. I noticed that people bought a bicycle primarily for style and sports. But, in contrast, in city like San Francisco, people additionally purchased a bicycle for commute. In many cities, there is still a difference of the bicycle being something one “wants” vs. “needs.” For comparison, in my hometown of Osaka, Japan, people use bicycles as necessity. In other (densely populated) cities in Japan, the bicycle is the primary mode of transportation; an exception is in rural areas, where a car is also used for transportation, but even so, people will have both a car and bicycle—and they often switch depending on the distance they need to go. The Japanese in their daily life, like going to supermarket, use bicycles. Many supermarkets and shopping centers have plenty of spaces for parking a bicycle; and some local supermarkets have only parking for bicycles, and no parking spaces for cars! I think the geography of Japan obliges people to ride a bicycle over driving a car. Also, another reason that encourage people ride a bike; there’s such a shortage of space, large parking spaces for cars is very expensive.
I’m aware that changing peoples’ attitudes about our environment is a key word for achieving a sustainable world. Resource Revival’s products have the potential to educate consumers about environmental issues. Consumers learn there is a difference between the product which was thrown away and becomes waste, and the product that is recycled into a new product. But I wondered what one thinks when they come across one of Resource Revival’s recycled material products. Do they think of it as just cool? Or will one think about and consider the products’ life-cycle? I asked Graham if he desires a particular reaction from the users of his products, he says, “The main thing we want to impart is that bikes and recycling and our products are fun. Creativity is fun. Who knew you could turn a bike chain into a bowl! A clock! A bottle opener! We want people to say ‘cool’ and for our products to make them smile.” He continues, “You never know where inspiration will come from—I was inspired by a flat tire.”
IVThroughout my exchange with Graham Bergh, I reconsidered the meaning of sustainability. Sustainability is not only in a finished product, but from the concept of product, a company’s brief, and activity—and in Resource Revival’s case, trying to establish a free recycling service in every bicycle shop. Product sustainability is the question for this, and future generations; and especially a huge problem for designers—knowing that most every thing they design will end up in landfill eventually. Still, many designed items have a short lifespan, and are disposed of at the final stage. Of course, there are well-designed items that can be used forever, and are even handed down to the next generation.
You never know whereinspiration will come from.
52 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 53The Revival of Bicycle Parts
However, such products are the exception, and not effective for a business or economy built on a profit model that rewards consumption. Even with its flaws, sustainability and recycling is by far a better model environmentally.
Before I moved to San Francisco from Japan, I didn’t know the word sustain-ability. It didn’t mean that the Japanese did not care about environment—in fact, Japanese automobile companies have pioneered eco-friendly and hybrid cars. This attitude is carried through many Japanese products. I feel the impor-tance of the relationship between design and the ecology/environment comes naturally to the Japanese consumer. As a graduate student in design, the first thing I realized was the important duty the designer has in considering the environmental and ecological impact of his/her designs and products. Design has huge powers that we cannot even predict sometimes. One design can change the mind of many.
Some people say man’s life on the earth is finite, and we cannot truly affect the earth, because the earth will continually revive and renew on its own. However, who knows about the future and how long we will keep our life in the earth? As Buckminister Fuller (from his book Operating Manual of Spaceship Earth) stated:
Now we have comprehended and peeled off the layers of petals which disclosed not
only that physical energy is conserved but also that it is ever increasingly deposited
as a fossil-fuel savings account aboard our Spaceship Earth through photosynthesis
and progressive, complex, topsoil fossilization buried ever deeper within Earth’s crust
by frost, wind, flood, volcanoes, and earthquake upheavals. We have thus discovered
also that we can make all of humanity successful through science’s world-engulfing
industrial evolution provided that we are not so foolish as to continue to exhaust in
a split second of astronomical history the orderly energy savings of billions of years’
energy conservation aboard our Spaceship Earth. These energy savings have been
put into our Spaceship’s life-regeneration-guaranteeing bank account for use only in
self-starter functions.
Heeding those words, each one of us, especially the designer, needs to consider sustainability. This is a responsibility that cannot be taken for granted, because the designer has the power to influence society’s thinking.
Footnote:
1. Analysis of Bicycling Trends and Policies in Large North American Cities: Lessons for New York
by John Pucher, March 2011
Photo/images: Courtesy of www.resourcerevival.com
Sustainability has tobe the one of strong design
forms and concepts that we own now and keep
it in the future.
52 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 53The Revival of Bicycle Parts
However, such products are the exception, and not effective for a business or economy built on a profit model that rewards consumption. Even with its flaws, sustainability and recycling is by far a better model environmentally.
Before I moved to San Francisco from Japan, I didn’t know the word sustain-ability. It didn’t mean that the Japanese did not care about environment—in fact, Japanese automobile companies have pioneered eco-friendly and hybrid cars. This attitude is carried through many Japanese products. I feel the impor-tance of the relationship between design and the ecology/environment comes naturally to the Japanese consumer. As a graduate student in design, the first thing I realized was the important duty the designer has in considering the environmental and ecological impact of his/her designs and products. Design has huge powers that we cannot even predict sometimes. One design can change the mind of many.
Some people say man’s life on the earth is finite, and we cannot truly affect the earth, because the earth will continually revive and renew on its own. However, who knows about the future and how long we will keep our life in the earth? As Buckminister Fuller (from his book Operating Manual of Spaceship Earth) stated:
Now we have comprehended and peeled off the layers of petals which disclosed not
only that physical energy is conserved but also that it is ever increasingly deposited
as a fossil-fuel savings account aboard our Spaceship Earth through photosynthesis
and progressive, complex, topsoil fossilization buried ever deeper within Earth’s crust
by frost, wind, flood, volcanoes, and earthquake upheavals. We have thus discovered
also that we can make all of humanity successful through science’s world-engulfing
industrial evolution provided that we are not so foolish as to continue to exhaust in
a split second of astronomical history the orderly energy savings of billions of years’
energy conservation aboard our Spaceship Earth. These energy savings have been
put into our Spaceship’s life-regeneration-guaranteeing bank account for use only in
self-starter functions.
Heeding those words, each one of us, especially the designer, needs to consider sustainability. This is a responsibility that cannot be taken for granted, because the designer has the power to influence society’s thinking.
Footnote:
1. Analysis of Bicycling Trends and Policies in Large North American Cities: Lessons for New York
by John Pucher, March 2011
Photo/images: Courtesy of www.resourcerevival.com
Sustainability has tobe the one of strong design
forms and concepts that we own now and keep
it in the future.
54 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
whodesigned the packon your back?
…Meet Luke Boldman…
G
by Kimberly Hylton
55Who Designed the Pack on Your Back?
54 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
whodesigned the packon your back?
…Meet Luke Boldman…
G
by Kimberly Hylton
55Who Designed the Pack on Your Back?
56 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 57Who Designed the Pack on Your Back?
I had the opportunity to speak with Luke Boldman, the lead Product Designer and Product Line Manager at Mountainsmith. Mountainsmith is an outdoor gear company catering to those who love to spend time outdoors in an organized fashion. Mountainsmith specializes in lumbar packs; but also carry other outdoor related gear including full size packs, organizational units, and basic shelter needs. They even have organizers specialized for camera equipment, bicycles, and uniquely designed packs to fit man’s best friend, so your dog can help carry some of their own supplies.
Luke’s journey to MountainsmithLuke Boldman arrived at Mountainsmith with a variety of skills in his design toolbelt: a degree in Anthropology, experience creating custom-made orthothics/prosthetics, private aircraft remodeling, custom knife-making, and a design degree from Arizona State University (asu) all contribute to Luke’s unique ability to create user-centric products for Mountainsmith. These experiences give Luke incredible insight and access to understanding a user-centered design process while utilizing custom machining equipment, and building one-off solutions, one-of-a kind designs, to meet the customer’s needs. Although Luke was highly interested in creating custom-made equipment suited for each client, he was decidedly against working with electronic goods and gadgetry. As he spent more and more time in Arizona’s wildlands, such as the breathtaking environment of the Grand Canyon, Luke began to focus on designing outdoor gear.
The inside scoopLuke Boldman’s past experiences have prepared him for the multiple hats he wears as a Product Design Lead and Product Line Manager at Mountainsmith. As Luke explains it, “I work with a team of six that direct the brand collectively.” Even though Luke happens to be the only industrial designer on the team, he also works on product graphics and public interface applications, such as YouTube, for Mountainsmith customers. With such a small team, Luke and the rest of the designers not only design, they also get their hands dirty by performing their own product testing. The Mountainsmith employees take small trips into the backcountry, tossing packs and other products down small cliffs and rocky descents taking notes on the feature application, durability, and comfort. With a closed loop testing process, the team is able to make necessary design changes quickly and efficiently before sending products off to manufacturing.
We pride ourselves on offering pack gear you can grow into… The products designed at Mountainsmith are created for newbies and enthusiasts alike.
Luke and the Mountainsmith team’s design focusOn top of the Of the many features offered with Mountainsmith gear, per-sonalized fit is something Luke and his team strives for. “We pride ourselves on offering pack gear you can grow into,” says Boldman. “The products designed at Mountainsmith are created for newbies and enthusiasts alike.” Mountain-smith products are geared toward offering the most features for as many people as possible. When asked, how does Mountainsmith apply Universal Design Principals? Luke responds, “It’s all about Universal Design really; we try and get as many people in our products (during prototyping) as possible. This way we can meet a broad base of customer needs.” For example, the brand sports bright-colored beefy YKK zipper pulls for easy to grasp handling, as well as wide-band webbing, the and large adjustable nylon straps used to create an adjustable personalized fit.
Personalized adjustable fitThe Mountainsmith design team utilizes a user-centered design method focused on the contour of the spinal profile, pull angles, and weight bearing on lower spine in conjunction with the iliac crest, otherwise known as the hip bones. This attention to body composition and pack application allowed Moun-tainsmith to create a waist-belt with adjustable-load lever straps called the Delta Compression System (dcs) and patent it in the late ’80s. Boldman ex-plains that, “The dcs can easily be tightened or let out to draw the pack load closer to the body, fully lock the pack load against the user back, and ulti-mately add personalized comfort.” Recently Mountainsmith updated their dcs with a newly designed Lumbar Control Point (lcp) pad, which added more contoured padding and breathable mesh, to allow the back to breathe while creating a more stable center of gravity. These features are offered on the larger Mountainlight (40L+) packs as well as the DayTLS, TourTLS, and DaylightTLS Technical Lumbar Systems (tls).
56 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 57Who Designed the Pack on Your Back?
I had the opportunity to speak with Luke Boldman, the lead Product Designer and Product Line Manager at Mountainsmith. Mountainsmith is an outdoor gear company catering to those who love to spend time outdoors in an organized fashion. Mountainsmith specializes in lumbar packs; but also carry other outdoor related gear including full size packs, organizational units, and basic shelter needs. They even have organizers specialized for camera equipment, bicycles, and uniquely designed packs to fit man’s best friend, so your dog can help carry some of their own supplies.
Luke’s journey to MountainsmithLuke Boldman arrived at Mountainsmith with a variety of skills in his design toolbelt: a degree in Anthropology, experience creating custom-made orthothics/prosthetics, private aircraft remodeling, custom knife-making, and a design degree from Arizona State University (asu) all contribute to Luke’s unique ability to create user-centric products for Mountainsmith. These experiences give Luke incredible insight and access to understanding a user-centered design process while utilizing custom machining equipment, and building one-off solutions, one-of-a kind designs, to meet the customer’s needs. Although Luke was highly interested in creating custom-made equipment suited for each client, he was decidedly against working with electronic goods and gadgetry. As he spent more and more time in Arizona’s wildlands, such as the breathtaking environment of the Grand Canyon, Luke began to focus on designing outdoor gear.
The inside scoopLuke Boldman’s past experiences have prepared him for the multiple hats he wears as a Product Design Lead and Product Line Manager at Mountainsmith. As Luke explains it, “I work with a team of six that direct the brand collectively.” Even though Luke happens to be the only industrial designer on the team, he also works on product graphics and public interface applications, such as YouTube, for Mountainsmith customers. With such a small team, Luke and the rest of the designers not only design, they also get their hands dirty by performing their own product testing. The Mountainsmith employees take small trips into the backcountry, tossing packs and other products down small cliffs and rocky descents taking notes on the feature application, durability, and comfort. With a closed loop testing process, the team is able to make necessary design changes quickly and efficiently before sending products off to manufacturing.
We pride ourselves on offering pack gear you can grow into… The products designed at Mountainsmith are created for newbies and enthusiasts alike.
Luke and the Mountainsmith team’s design focusOn top of the Of the many features offered with Mountainsmith gear, per-sonalized fit is something Luke and his team strives for. “We pride ourselves on offering pack gear you can grow into,” says Boldman. “The products designed at Mountainsmith are created for newbies and enthusiasts alike.” Mountain-smith products are geared toward offering the most features for as many people as possible. When asked, how does Mountainsmith apply Universal Design Principals? Luke responds, “It’s all about Universal Design really; we try and get as many people in our products (during prototyping) as possible. This way we can meet a broad base of customer needs.” For example, the brand sports bright-colored beefy YKK zipper pulls for easy to grasp handling, as well as wide-band webbing, the and large adjustable nylon straps used to create an adjustable personalized fit.
Personalized adjustable fitThe Mountainsmith design team utilizes a user-centered design method focused on the contour of the spinal profile, pull angles, and weight bearing on lower spine in conjunction with the iliac crest, otherwise known as the hip bones. This attention to body composition and pack application allowed Moun-tainsmith to create a waist-belt with adjustable-load lever straps called the Delta Compression System (dcs) and patent it in the late ’80s. Boldman ex-plains that, “The dcs can easily be tightened or let out to draw the pack load closer to the body, fully lock the pack load against the user back, and ulti-mately add personalized comfort.” Recently Mountainsmith updated their dcs with a newly designed Lumbar Control Point (lcp) pad, which added more contoured padding and breathable mesh, to allow the back to breathe while creating a more stable center of gravity. These features are offered on the larger Mountainlight (40L+) packs as well as the DayTLS, TourTLS, and DaylightTLS Technical Lumbar Systems (tls).
58 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 59Who Designed the Pack on Your Back?
Mountainsmith’s Lumbar packsAccording to Boldman, the TourTLS is their number one selling pack, while their remaining lumbar packs alone account for 28% of Mountainsmith’s total sales. It’s also worth mentioning that Mountainsmith garners 45% of the entire, outdoor rugged-gear, lumbar pack market. The Mountainsmith team has been able to create a light and durable pack that will carry most of what the user needs on a single day trip or light travels. The TourTLS is made of 100% recycled plastic bottle material (PET), sports a highly visible yellow interior and comes with a removable shoulder strap to make this pack a favorite for hikers and travelers alike.
If the TourTLS is a bit small, the DaylightTLS is a slightly larger option that also comes with the Delta Compression System and Lumbar Point pad. When loaded down with heavier gear Luke suggests using their adjustable Strapettes, which can be purchases separately, to help distribute weight more evenly across the lower back, shoulders, and chest. The Strapettes work with both the Daylight and Tour Packs when the shoulder strap that comes with them isn’t quite enough support.
What is Luke Boldman’s next move?“I have the best job ever” Luke says. “We have a lot of autonomy at Mountain-smith. I’m constantly challenged at Mountainsmith by a myriad of design problems and management decisions.” Ultimately he explains that he is more concerned with the day-to-day than an overall career goal. Boldman’s plan of living in the moment has served him well by using his past experiences, hands on skills, love for the outdoors, and creative problem solving to design outdoor organizational gear that serves a variety of enthusiasts.
Any last words for design students looking to break into the outdoor gear market?Boldman says, “If I could go back, I would take a professional pattern making and sewing class.” He mostly learned the hands-on process of pattern making when he was an airplane technician and designer, but explained that if he could have taken a class it would have been very beneficial. Understanding pattern-making when working with soft-goods can help cut down on waste, time and material. It can also increase the durability of your products as well as presentation and style. The ability to go from concept sketches, product model, and finally to presentation seamlessly is key to pushing the product into the market quickly.
Photos: Courtesy of Luke Boldman/Mountainsmith
Tour TLS Specifications (top and bottom)Dimensions 10 x 11.5 x 5Weight 1.5ozVolume 488cu inFit Range 28in-52in
DaylightTLS Specifications (not shown)Dimensions 11.5 x 11.5 x 6Weight 14ozVolume 700cu inFit Range 30in-52in
58 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 59Who Designed the Pack on Your Back?
Mountainsmith’s Lumbar packsAccording to Boldman, the TourTLS is their number one selling pack, while their remaining lumbar packs alone account for 28% of Mountainsmith’s total sales. It’s also worth mentioning that Mountainsmith garners 45% of the entire, outdoor rugged-gear, lumbar pack market. The Mountainsmith team has been able to create a light and durable pack that will carry most of what the user needs on a single day trip or light travels. The TourTLS is made of 100% recycled plastic bottle material (PET), sports a highly visible yellow interior and comes with a removable shoulder strap to make this pack a favorite for hikers and travelers alike.
If the TourTLS is a bit small, the DaylightTLS is a slightly larger option that also comes with the Delta Compression System and Lumbar Point pad. When loaded down with heavier gear Luke suggests using their adjustable Strapettes, which can be purchases separately, to help distribute weight more evenly across the lower back, shoulders, and chest. The Strapettes work with both the Daylight and Tour Packs when the shoulder strap that comes with them isn’t quite enough support.
What is Luke Boldman’s next move?“I have the best job ever” Luke says. “We have a lot of autonomy at Mountain-smith. I’m constantly challenged at Mountainsmith by a myriad of design problems and management decisions.” Ultimately he explains that he is more concerned with the day-to-day than an overall career goal. Boldman’s plan of living in the moment has served him well by using his past experiences, hands on skills, love for the outdoors, and creative problem solving to design outdoor organizational gear that serves a variety of enthusiasts.
Any last words for design students looking to break into the outdoor gear market?Boldman says, “If I could go back, I would take a professional pattern making and sewing class.” He mostly learned the hands-on process of pattern making when he was an airplane technician and designer, but explained that if he could have taken a class it would have been very beneficial. Understanding pattern-making when working with soft-goods can help cut down on waste, time and material. It can also increase the durability of your products as well as presentation and style. The ability to go from concept sketches, product model, and finally to presentation seamlessly is key to pushing the product into the market quickly.
Photos: Courtesy of Luke Boldman/Mountainsmith
Tour TLS Specifications (top and bottom)Dimensions 10 x 11.5 x 5Weight 1.5ozVolume 488cu inFit Range 28in-52in
DaylightTLS Specifications (not shown)Dimensions 11.5 x 11.5 x 6Weight 14ozVolume 700cu inFit Range 30in-52in
61Who Designed the Pack on Your Back?
I have the best job ever…I’m constantly challengedat Mountainsmith by amyriad of designproblems andmanagementdecisions.— Luke Boldman ”
61Who Designed the Pack on Your Back?
I have the best job ever…I’m constantly challengedat Mountainsmith by amyriad of designproblems andmanagementdecisions.— Luke Boldman ”
63The Sustainable Future
The
Sustainable Futurea Discussion with Mogens Smed
by Nicholas E. Steele
63The Sustainable Future
The
Sustainable Futurea Discussion with Mogens Smed
by Nicholas E. Steele
64 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 65The Sustainable Future
The focus of my Creative Work Project at San Francisco State University is the development an interior wall system that provides superior ecology, function, aesthetics and economics, over traditional gypsum wallboard and wood stud framing used in residential construction. Mogens Smed, the founder and CEO, of DIRTT Environmental Solutions Ltd., in Calgary, Canada, is the driving force behind DIRTT’s industry-leading alternative to traditional con-struction in the commercial office environment. Born in 1948 near Aarhus, Denmark, Smed attended the University of Alberta in Canada, earning a ba in History and Political Science. Some of his career highlights include:
• Mid-1970s: Starts modular office furniture business with his brother.• Mid-1990s: Guides SMED International, a publicly traded company, to leading position in modular interiors.• 2000: Sale of SMED to Haworth Inc., Grand Rapids, MI• 2000-03: Retained on contract by Haworth.• 2003: Becomes CEO at Evans Consoles Inc., Calgary• 2005: New firm, DIRTT, enters modular interior market.
Sustainable SolutionSmed begins by making it clear that DIRTT is not a movable wall company and they does not compete with conventional construction. “We are a total alternative for sustainable solutions.” He continues by explaining, “The idea being, lots of companies make so-called movable walls. Clients don’t buy partitions because they can move, they buy them because it responds to all the elements. As a designer, you want to respond to the design environment, to design what they want, and have the technology respond with function. Most importantly the solution is sustainable over time, with a low cost of ownership while responding to the ongoing needs of the client.”
“We (DIRTT) are fundamentally the Antichrist when it comes LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.” Smed points out, “LEED is all about recycling.” LEED is intended to provide building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing prac-tical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. Smed continues, “We are all about sustainability.” At DIRTT they feel that recycling is a fundamental failure in the design process. DIRTT’s mantra is to reuse or sustain.
Sustainability is BusinessIn the San Francisco Bay Area, companies like Google®, Apple and LinkedIn use DIRTT Environmental Solutions almost exclusively. In six years, Smed has guided DIRTT to successfully implement a whole new way of approaching interior solutions.
leed is allabout recycling… We are all about sustainability.
64 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 65The Sustainable Future
The focus of my Creative Work Project at San Francisco State University is the development an interior wall system that provides superior ecology, function, aesthetics and economics, over traditional gypsum wallboard and wood stud framing used in residential construction. Mogens Smed, the founder and CEO, of DIRTT Environmental Solutions Ltd., in Calgary, Canada, is the driving force behind DIRTT’s industry-leading alternative to traditional con-struction in the commercial office environment. Born in 1948 near Aarhus, Denmark, Smed attended the University of Alberta in Canada, earning a ba in History and Political Science. Some of his career highlights include:
• Mid-1970s: Starts modular office furniture business with his brother.• Mid-1990s: Guides SMED International, a publicly traded company, to leading position in modular interiors.• 2000: Sale of SMED to Haworth Inc., Grand Rapids, MI• 2000-03: Retained on contract by Haworth.• 2003: Becomes CEO at Evans Consoles Inc., Calgary• 2005: New firm, DIRTT, enters modular interior market.
Sustainable SolutionSmed begins by making it clear that DIRTT is not a movable wall company and they does not compete with conventional construction. “We are a total alternative for sustainable solutions.” He continues by explaining, “The idea being, lots of companies make so-called movable walls. Clients don’t buy partitions because they can move, they buy them because it responds to all the elements. As a designer, you want to respond to the design environment, to design what they want, and have the technology respond with function. Most importantly the solution is sustainable over time, with a low cost of ownership while responding to the ongoing needs of the client.”
“We (DIRTT) are fundamentally the Antichrist when it comes LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.” Smed points out, “LEED is all about recycling.” LEED is intended to provide building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing prac-tical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. Smed continues, “We are all about sustainability.” At DIRTT they feel that recycling is a fundamental failure in the design process. DIRTT’s mantra is to reuse or sustain.
Sustainability is BusinessIn the San Francisco Bay Area, companies like Google®, Apple and LinkedIn use DIRTT Environmental Solutions almost exclusively. In six years, Smed has guided DIRTT to successfully implement a whole new way of approaching interior solutions.
leed is allabout recycling… We are all about sustainability.
66 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 67The Sustainable Future
Companies need to focus on sustainability as a way of doing business and not just a way to pat themselves on the back. LEED is a product of the building industry. LEED promotes new construction as the key to a sustainable future. New construction is great for the economy, but not the environment. LEED is a step in the right direction. To give a specific example: Google® is not using LEED as their design standard—they go beyond LEED with their environmental design standards. Smed adds, “Gensler (the world’s largest architecture firm), they recommend to clients not to go for LEED. All it does is consume money. Money they could be using for more value driven design solutions as pertain to spending money to keep score.”
With Google® standardized on DIRTT solutions for all projects globally, Smed see’s Google® getting rid of all the PVCs (polyvinyl chloride). Unfortu-nately Google® still has to figure out how to use their footprint more efficiently—the very first fundamental of an environmental solution is to use less. Google® uses sliding doors instead of swinging doors to save space, but as Smed points out, all it did was create more space in each office, instead of taking advantage of the solution by reducing the office’s footprint.
Regulations get in the wayCodes and regulations mean well but they can be an inhibitor of good sus-tainable design. For example all DIRTT’s wood veneers are from sustainably managed forests and are not old-growth. This is the very reason why the fsc (Forest Stewardship Council) was created. Yet to keep clients from having to pay double for their veneer DIRTT does not standardize on fsc certified wood products. It is easy to lose sight of the goal: to use resources wisely, and use those resources in a sustainable manner over time, not to just throw them away—to use resources without creating much waste and leaving as little trauma on the environment in the process.
Mogens Smed stand over construction debris.
…recycling is a fundamentalfailure in the design process.
66 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 67The Sustainable Future
Companies need to focus on sustainability as a way of doing business and not just a way to pat themselves on the back. LEED is a product of the building industry. LEED promotes new construction as the key to a sustainable future. New construction is great for the economy, but not the environment. LEED is a step in the right direction. To give a specific example: Google® is not using LEED as their design standard—they go beyond LEED with their environmental design standards. Smed adds, “Gensler (the world’s largest architecture firm), they recommend to clients not to go for LEED. All it does is consume money. Money they could be using for more value driven design solutions as pertain to spending money to keep score.”
With Google® standardized on DIRTT solutions for all projects globally, Smed see’s Google® getting rid of all the PVCs (polyvinyl chloride). Unfortu-nately Google® still has to figure out how to use their footprint more efficiently—the very first fundamental of an environmental solution is to use less. Google® uses sliding doors instead of swinging doors to save space, but as Smed points out, all it did was create more space in each office, instead of taking advantage of the solution by reducing the office’s footprint.
Regulations get in the wayCodes and regulations mean well but they can be an inhibitor of good sus-tainable design. For example all DIRTT’s wood veneers are from sustainably managed forests and are not old-growth. This is the very reason why the fsc (Forest Stewardship Council) was created. Yet to keep clients from having to pay double for their veneer DIRTT does not standardize on fsc certified wood products. It is easy to lose sight of the goal: to use resources wisely, and use those resources in a sustainable manner over time, not to just throw them away—to use resources without creating much waste and leaving as little trauma on the environment in the process.
Mogens Smed stand over construction debris.
…recycling is a fundamentalfailure in the design process.
68 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 69The Sustainable Future
DIRTT Floor, showing integrated electrical and data exposed. DIRTT Breathe, living wall in background.
Why DIRTT is a LeaderDIRTT utilizes regional manufacturing because it makes smart financial sense. But for a global company think of the hydrocarbon expenditure that is saved every time a manufacturing facility is located much closer to the products destination then keeping all operations in one location. On DIRTT’s website one can see a calculation by the minute of how much they are saving not only in CO2 emissions, but the hydrocarbon expenditure in all the different things they do.
DIRTT manufactures most of its products in-house. Smed feels lucky that DIRTT’s suppliers are people that know the greener their story is, and the more it holds water, the more DIRTT is going to be amenable to using their material and supplies. DIRTT’s solutions still have to be priced com-petitively. The only green business like Google® really care about is how much things cost.
When companies consider DIRTT as a possible solution, but are concerned more about the initial price instead of the lifecycle cost of their space—they are surprised to learn that DIRTT’s initial cost is cheaper than conventional construction. The time to design, manufacture and install is far less than conventional construction.
General contractors such as Devcon, DPR and Noble Construction are constantly endorsing DIRTT. They often function as a sub trade to these general contractors.
Future of Healthcare FacilitiesIn January 2012, a conference was held in San Francisco where the future of healthcare facilities was the focus. Looking to reduce the time of construction, it was announced that healthcare providers Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health are looking for ways to construct their exam rooms off-site, and have them shipped complete to the construction site.
This is something DIRTT is doing now. One can find on DIRTT’s website, that there environmental solutions that were just implemented at the Detroit Medical Center, and a 53-unit clinic in Saudi Arabia.
According to Smed, “What healthcare needs is: 1) they don’t like what they got, and 2) they don’t know what they want, so whatever they get better be darn flexible.” When DIRTT ships out a head wall, it has all the gas lines plumbed; it has all the backing and power supply installed. Recently, San Francisco granted a waiver to allow modular electrical systems in the city—which until six months ago, regulations required an electrician to hard wire it to the building. DIRTT also owns an electrical company, so they can sell (modular) sustainable electrical in all of our their walls—it doesn’t matter if it’s a North America or European system, it is just plug and play.
68 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 69The Sustainable Future
DIRTT Floor, showing integrated electrical and data exposed. DIRTT Breathe, living wall in background.
Why DIRTT is a LeaderDIRTT utilizes regional manufacturing because it makes smart financial sense. But for a global company think of the hydrocarbon expenditure that is saved every time a manufacturing facility is located much closer to the products destination then keeping all operations in one location. On DIRTT’s website one can see a calculation by the minute of how much they are saving not only in CO2 emissions, but the hydrocarbon expenditure in all the different things they do.
DIRTT manufactures most of its products in-house. Smed feels lucky that DIRTT’s suppliers are people that know the greener their story is, and the more it holds water, the more DIRTT is going to be amenable to using their material and supplies. DIRTT’s solutions still have to be priced com-petitively. The only green business like Google® really care about is how much things cost.
When companies consider DIRTT as a possible solution, but are concerned more about the initial price instead of the lifecycle cost of their space—they are surprised to learn that DIRTT’s initial cost is cheaper than conventional construction. The time to design, manufacture and install is far less than conventional construction.
General contractors such as Devcon, DPR and Noble Construction are constantly endorsing DIRTT. They often function as a sub trade to these general contractors.
Future of Healthcare FacilitiesIn January 2012, a conference was held in San Francisco where the future of healthcare facilities was the focus. Looking to reduce the time of construction, it was announced that healthcare providers Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health are looking for ways to construct their exam rooms off-site, and have them shipped complete to the construction site.
This is something DIRTT is doing now. One can find on DIRTT’s website, that there environmental solutions that were just implemented at the Detroit Medical Center, and a 53-unit clinic in Saudi Arabia.
According to Smed, “What healthcare needs is: 1) they don’t like what they got, and 2) they don’t know what they want, so whatever they get better be darn flexible.” When DIRTT ships out a head wall, it has all the gas lines plumbed; it has all the backing and power supply installed. Recently, San Francisco granted a waiver to allow modular electrical systems in the city—which until six months ago, regulations required an electrician to hard wire it to the building. DIRTT also owns an electrical company, so they can sell (modular) sustainable electrical in all of our their walls—it doesn’t matter if it’s a North America or European system, it is just plug and play.
70 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 71
Smed laments, “In California, what is really killing healthcare are the regulations by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (oshpd). DIRTT is OSHPD approved, but OSHPD is a for profit organization, it stifles the building process. OSHPD is not delivering any real benefit.”
In a 2009 interview that Mogens Smed gave to the Globe and Mail, he stated: I already have the name registered for my next company, Doing It Perfect This
Time (DIPTT). When asked about DIPTT, Smed added, “When clients ask what
are we paying for? Part of what they are paying DIRTT for is that we are not
going to make the same mistakes for them that we have made for previous
clients over the last 40 years. For them we are going to make brand-new mis-
takes. Learning is part of the process. It will never be perfect. One thing I know,
this is a very entrepreneurial culture that is how we get things done until we
get too big. If we get too big, the process will be replaced by bureaucracy and
the company won’t function in the way I like doing business. That is when
we move on to the next great thing, which I think, will be homes.
At the 2011 IIDEX/NeoCon CANADA (Canada’s national design exposition and conference) event DIRTT’s display focused on new solutions for the residential interior space. Smed’s long-term vision for DIRTT is not just to continue designing and producing industry-leading sustainable interior solutions, but to build the entire building. Smed wants tomorrow’s homes manufactured in a regionally specific DIRTT facility. Smed’s vision is to create a platform that allows the average home buyer to have their new home pro-fessionally designed by a designer of their choosing. The designer will have the choice to incorporate any existing and future technology. The DIRTT home will be of the highest quality, best design, will pose a tenth of the environmental impact a traditionally built home does and operate at one quarter the cost. The DIRTT home will be totally sustainable. If a young couple living alone in a house decides to have kids they can add rooms as needed. Or if an older couple has kids leaving the house they can remove rooms and open up the space. Smed believes that the average home size needs to return to that of the 1950s, less than 1,500 sq. ft. In San Francisco one pays over $1 million (sometimes over $2 million) for an 800 sq. ft. apartment. No one needs a 2,500 sq. ft. home.
For those people that expect an interior space to be solid surfaces and white walls—a canvas for paint—Smed says, “DIRTT looks better.” The problem with modular solutions in the past is that they were ugly. Modular solutions did not take design into consideration like DIRTT is doing. Also when manu-facturing on-site there is no way it can produce to the same quality as in a factory. A good example is W’s Aloft Hotels. In the room everything is modular, right down to the divider between the shower and the main room, the cabinetry
that divides the sink and the bathroom from the bedroom it incorporates storage along with the enclosure over the flat screen TV. It is 100% modular, and it’s all done off-site. It all fits in a 400 square-foot footprint—it’s amazing.
With integrating ICE software and other technologies into both the design and manufacturing processes, DIRTT is able to solve problems today but that in the past were not possible. Smed elaborated that they never solved many problems in the past at previous companies because they had the availability of very skilled people. The skilled labor would run interference for the poor quality of information and lack of engineering in the manufac-turing process. It was not a substantial product development process that they were dealing with. That skilled work force does not exist in those trades anymore. They are either retiring or have moved on to other opportunities. At DIRTT, they have to be able to do everything with people in a completely different mindset, they have to make the process sound. Look at a union carpenter in San Francisco; they get $65 an hour, which wouldn’t be bad if they were a real carpenter. In a humorous tone Smed exclaims “I can tell you right now I don’t even know if they know what end of a tape measure to use.” They’re the kind of guys that in some cases assemble DIRTT environ-mental solutions once it arrives to the job site, but there are some good ones as well. Smed gives a great example. He had a construction company for 38 years. He sold it four years ago because, as he says, “I could only promise my clients three things:
1. The project is going to cost the client more money than I said.2. We are going to take longer to complete construction then I said.3. We are going to do a shabby job. But we will deliver very strongly on
all three of those. DIRTT’s greatest sales force is conventional construction. The conventional
construction process doesn’t get any better, it gets worse and worse. The client always has an inferior experience. DIRTT has changed that whole experience.
ICE software’s integration into DIRTT’s sustainable systems is the key. The whole process is driven with technology. DIRTT’s success could only be reached with ICE software, not with conventional AutoCAD or Revit. When Smed spoke to the environmental design school at the University of Calgary, he asked students if they had been taught AutoCAD, Revit and LEED. Smed informed them he feels they wasted the last two years of their lives, because 90% of the people at DIRTT have never had any type of tutorial on AutoCAD or Revit. As Smed puts it, AutoCAD and Revit are not software tools they are drawing and design tools—they are not intelligent tools (depending how Revit is used it can be intelligent in the right hands, but takes a lot of effort). ICE software is based on a Java platform. A Revit or AutoCAD file can be taken from any designer and brought in to ICE CAD, where Smed says, “It can be made intelligent.”
The Sustainable Future
70 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 71
Smed laments, “In California, what is really killing healthcare are the regulations by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (oshpd). DIRTT is OSHPD approved, but OSHPD is a for profit organization, it stifles the building process. OSHPD is not delivering any real benefit.”
In a 2009 interview that Mogens Smed gave to the Globe and Mail, he stated: I already have the name registered for my next company, Doing It Perfect This
Time (DIPTT). When asked about DIPTT, Smed added, “When clients ask what
are we paying for? Part of what they are paying DIRTT for is that we are not
going to make the same mistakes for them that we have made for previous
clients over the last 40 years. For them we are going to make brand-new mis-
takes. Learning is part of the process. It will never be perfect. One thing I know,
this is a very entrepreneurial culture that is how we get things done until we
get too big. If we get too big, the process will be replaced by bureaucracy and
the company won’t function in the way I like doing business. That is when
we move on to the next great thing, which I think, will be homes.
At the 2011 IIDEX/NeoCon CANADA (Canada’s national design exposition and conference) event DIRTT’s display focused on new solutions for the residential interior space. Smed’s long-term vision for DIRTT is not just to continue designing and producing industry-leading sustainable interior solutions, but to build the entire building. Smed wants tomorrow’s homes manufactured in a regionally specific DIRTT facility. Smed’s vision is to create a platform that allows the average home buyer to have their new home pro-fessionally designed by a designer of their choosing. The designer will have the choice to incorporate any existing and future technology. The DIRTT home will be of the highest quality, best design, will pose a tenth of the environmental impact a traditionally built home does and operate at one quarter the cost. The DIRTT home will be totally sustainable. If a young couple living alone in a house decides to have kids they can add rooms as needed. Or if an older couple has kids leaving the house they can remove rooms and open up the space. Smed believes that the average home size needs to return to that of the 1950s, less than 1,500 sq. ft. In San Francisco one pays over $1 million (sometimes over $2 million) for an 800 sq. ft. apartment. No one needs a 2,500 sq. ft. home.
For those people that expect an interior space to be solid surfaces and white walls—a canvas for paint—Smed says, “DIRTT looks better.” The problem with modular solutions in the past is that they were ugly. Modular solutions did not take design into consideration like DIRTT is doing. Also when manu-facturing on-site there is no way it can produce to the same quality as in a factory. A good example is W’s Aloft Hotels. In the room everything is modular, right down to the divider between the shower and the main room, the cabinetry
that divides the sink and the bathroom from the bedroom it incorporates storage along with the enclosure over the flat screen TV. It is 100% modular, and it’s all done off-site. It all fits in a 400 square-foot footprint—it’s amazing.
With integrating ICE software and other technologies into both the design and manufacturing processes, DIRTT is able to solve problems today but that in the past were not possible. Smed elaborated that they never solved many problems in the past at previous companies because they had the availability of very skilled people. The skilled labor would run interference for the poor quality of information and lack of engineering in the manufac-turing process. It was not a substantial product development process that they were dealing with. That skilled work force does not exist in those trades anymore. They are either retiring or have moved on to other opportunities. At DIRTT, they have to be able to do everything with people in a completely different mindset, they have to make the process sound. Look at a union carpenter in San Francisco; they get $65 an hour, which wouldn’t be bad if they were a real carpenter. In a humorous tone Smed exclaims “I can tell you right now I don’t even know if they know what end of a tape measure to use.” They’re the kind of guys that in some cases assemble DIRTT environ-mental solutions once it arrives to the job site, but there are some good ones as well. Smed gives a great example. He had a construction company for 38 years. He sold it four years ago because, as he says, “I could only promise my clients three things:
1. The project is going to cost the client more money than I said.2. We are going to take longer to complete construction then I said.3. We are going to do a shabby job. But we will deliver very strongly on
all three of those. DIRTT’s greatest sales force is conventional construction. The conventional
construction process doesn’t get any better, it gets worse and worse. The client always has an inferior experience. DIRTT has changed that whole experience.
ICE software’s integration into DIRTT’s sustainable systems is the key. The whole process is driven with technology. DIRTT’s success could only be reached with ICE software, not with conventional AutoCAD or Revit. When Smed spoke to the environmental design school at the University of Calgary, he asked students if they had been taught AutoCAD, Revit and LEED. Smed informed them he feels they wasted the last two years of their lives, because 90% of the people at DIRTT have never had any type of tutorial on AutoCAD or Revit. As Smed puts it, AutoCAD and Revit are not software tools they are drawing and design tools—they are not intelligent tools (depending how Revit is used it can be intelligent in the right hands, but takes a lot of effort). ICE software is based on a Java platform. A Revit or AutoCAD file can be taken from any designer and brought in to ICE CAD, where Smed says, “It can be made intelligent.”
The Sustainable Future
72 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 73The Sustainable Future
Even though Smed has been working in the field since the late 1970s, economy and sustainability did not pose a problem until the early ’90s. Smed points out that the need for sustainable solutions has always been there but he never recognized it, “Growing up in Denmark and having worked in Denmark after finishing school, all the sustainable behaviors were right there in front of me but I was preoccupied. It took until my construction and manufacturing company became painful, that I realized it (conventional construction and manufacturing) was a flawed process.” DIRTT never invented any of this, they just did what Europe has been doing for 40 to 50 years, and the Japanese have been doing for centuries. DIRTT never invented anything, they just started preaching the gospel about sustainability and off-site manu-facturing. That was the platform for the business—it’s what made it DIRTT grow. At Mogens’s old company, SMED, they went from $52 million in sales in 1995 to $300 million four years later.
Mogens states, “I’m always critical of the California market. I find it hypo-critical of people preaching about the environment there while it’s architects and designers continue to put aluminum panels over drywall. That is not a sustainable solution, that is a destructive solution. When you compare DIRTT, something that is beautiful and goes to work for you, versus some gypsum between two pieces of paper, something you’re afraid to touch—it’s hardly a fair comparison. Plus it costs more money and generates more waste.” Smed continues by recounting a story of a time a few years past, “I was at Google®, we were watching six guys hauling drywall waste out of a building and into a dumpster. Sitting right next to the dumpster is a high boy loaded to the knots with new stacks of drywall. We took pictures of this, then I asked the Google executives, I was there to meet, do you know where this is? They replied no. This is right out back of your office. That really hit home with them.”
What is next for DIRTTA lot of things have to happen in the residential market. Just like fighting with conventional thinking of designers and clients every day—imagine entering into the world of the developer, where the developer owns the land, and if you want to buy a lot, it has to be with a home built by the builder? That is why most develop-ment happening in the residential market are on infill or individual pieces of property. Until an entire neighborhood is built holistically, this trend will con-tinue. Smed tells me, “My plan is, when we go public, to raise $100 million to buy up property and hire a developer, because they know what the hell they are doing. We will build a whole neighborhood that demonstrates all the things that we are talking about.” Smed is not remotely interested whether he makes money or not on the first DIRTT neighborhood. Someone has to do it to show the value.
DIRTT Wall, healthcare head wall with integrated utilities.
72 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 73The Sustainable Future
Even though Smed has been working in the field since the late 1970s, economy and sustainability did not pose a problem until the early ’90s. Smed points out that the need for sustainable solutions has always been there but he never recognized it, “Growing up in Denmark and having worked in Denmark after finishing school, all the sustainable behaviors were right there in front of me but I was preoccupied. It took until my construction and manufacturing company became painful, that I realized it (conventional construction and manufacturing) was a flawed process.” DIRTT never invented any of this, they just did what Europe has been doing for 40 to 50 years, and the Japanese have been doing for centuries. DIRTT never invented anything, they just started preaching the gospel about sustainability and off-site manu-facturing. That was the platform for the business—it’s what made it DIRTT grow. At Mogens’s old company, SMED, they went from $52 million in sales in 1995 to $300 million four years later.
Mogens states, “I’m always critical of the California market. I find it hypo-critical of people preaching about the environment there while it’s architects and designers continue to put aluminum panels over drywall. That is not a sustainable solution, that is a destructive solution. When you compare DIRTT, something that is beautiful and goes to work for you, versus some gypsum between two pieces of paper, something you’re afraid to touch—it’s hardly a fair comparison. Plus it costs more money and generates more waste.” Smed continues by recounting a story of a time a few years past, “I was at Google®, we were watching six guys hauling drywall waste out of a building and into a dumpster. Sitting right next to the dumpster is a high boy loaded to the knots with new stacks of drywall. We took pictures of this, then I asked the Google executives, I was there to meet, do you know where this is? They replied no. This is right out back of your office. That really hit home with them.”
What is next for DIRTTA lot of things have to happen in the residential market. Just like fighting with conventional thinking of designers and clients every day—imagine entering into the world of the developer, where the developer owns the land, and if you want to buy a lot, it has to be with a home built by the builder? That is why most develop-ment happening in the residential market are on infill or individual pieces of property. Until an entire neighborhood is built holistically, this trend will con-tinue. Smed tells me, “My plan is, when we go public, to raise $100 million to buy up property and hire a developer, because they know what the hell they are doing. We will build a whole neighborhood that demonstrates all the things that we are talking about.” Smed is not remotely interested whether he makes money or not on the first DIRTT neighborhood. Someone has to do it to show the value.
DIRTT Wall, healthcare head wall with integrated utilities.
74 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 75The Sustainable Future
Smed is concerned for is his young employees, “How can they possibly afford a home today? How can they afford the operating costs and why do they have to live in a piece of shit? Can’t it be something of quality? In the future that is what technology will add. DIRTT and ICE will bring value into the residential construction process. It is a whole new world out there. It is not about assembling a home from parts and pieces. It isn’t about being able to assemble things fast. It is about building something beautiful, economical and thoroughly sustainable with an operating cost 25% what it is today.
Advice to a Design Oriented Entrepreneur“Don’t do it! I was speaking at a school, it was an entrepreneurial class, I asked them to put up their hands (to see) how many of their parents or siblings were entrepreneurs. Then I asked ‘why the hell are you taking this course?’ My children watched me do this their entire life and they sure in hell are not in line to get out there in the entrepreneurial world.” Smed adds, “I’m 64 years old and I absolutely love my job, but if I had to do it all over again, knowing where I’d end up, I probably wouldn’t have done it. There is a tremendous amount of responsibility that goes along with it this job, not the least of which, I don’t just have my family, I have 720 families that I am responsible for. If I didn’t see it that way I should not be the CEO.”
Smed ends with some advice, “The only money I really made was from what I could do myself, my own labor in the first 10 years of my career.” If mistakes are made there is a lot of pain in doing and building your own business, but those challenges are even more staggering in the 21st century. Manu-facturing is dead in North America, yet DIRTT is doing it in North America. Everyone says green construction cost more than conventional—yet DIRTT has been around for six years, it has survived the Great Recession, and will do more than $150 million this year. The challenges are far greater, you have to move much, much faster. There is no such thing as a five-year plan, just what is going to be done tomorrow. Smed’s motto is, “If you’re going to be an entrepreneur don’t try to reinvent what’s already out there, come up with something completely different, if everyone tells me I can’t do it then I’m pretty sure I need to do it. If a lot of people think that we can do it then I’m sure it’s already been done before. My advice to a young entrepreneur: Get ready for a lot of love and get ready for a lot of pain.”
Images: Courtesy of DIRTT, Inc.
DIRTT Wall, with variety of finishes including DIRTT Breathe.
74 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 75The Sustainable Future
Smed is concerned for is his young employees, “How can they possibly afford a home today? How can they afford the operating costs and why do they have to live in a piece of shit? Can’t it be something of quality? In the future that is what technology will add. DIRTT and ICE will bring value into the residential construction process. It is a whole new world out there. It is not about assembling a home from parts and pieces. It isn’t about being able to assemble things fast. It is about building something beautiful, economical and thoroughly sustainable with an operating cost 25% what it is today.
Advice to a Design Oriented Entrepreneur“Don’t do it! I was speaking at a school, it was an entrepreneurial class, I asked them to put up their hands (to see) how many of their parents or siblings were entrepreneurs. Then I asked ‘why the hell are you taking this course?’ My children watched me do this their entire life and they sure in hell are not in line to get out there in the entrepreneurial world.” Smed adds, “I’m 64 years old and I absolutely love my job, but if I had to do it all over again, knowing where I’d end up, I probably wouldn’t have done it. There is a tremendous amount of responsibility that goes along with it this job, not the least of which, I don’t just have my family, I have 720 families that I am responsible for. If I didn’t see it that way I should not be the CEO.”
Smed ends with some advice, “The only money I really made was from what I could do myself, my own labor in the first 10 years of my career.” If mistakes are made there is a lot of pain in doing and building your own business, but those challenges are even more staggering in the 21st century. Manu-facturing is dead in North America, yet DIRTT is doing it in North America. Everyone says green construction cost more than conventional—yet DIRTT has been around for six years, it has survived the Great Recession, and will do more than $150 million this year. The challenges are far greater, you have to move much, much faster. There is no such thing as a five-year plan, just what is going to be done tomorrow. Smed’s motto is, “If you’re going to be an entrepreneur don’t try to reinvent what’s already out there, come up with something completely different, if everyone tells me I can’t do it then I’m pretty sure I need to do it. If a lot of people think that we can do it then I’m sure it’s already been done before. My advice to a young entrepreneur: Get ready for a lot of love and get ready for a lot of pain.”
Images: Courtesy of DIRTT, Inc.
DIRTT Wall, with variety of finishes including DIRTT Breathe.
77
{Public
TransitTicketingSystems:an Interview with Liu Guanzhong
by Zixiang Wei
Public Transit Ticketing Systems76 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
77
{Public
TransitTicketingSystems:an Interview with Liu Guanzhong
by Zixiang Wei
Public Transit Ticketing Systems76 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
78 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 79Public Transit Ticketing Systems
Public transport is an important part of many people’s daily life. Public transport systems are formed with roads, rail, site facilities and other physical elements. As part of my creative work research, I’ve focused on the San Francisco muni bus and Bay Area Rapid Transit (bart) ticketing systems. I’ve also looked at systems in other U.S. cities and other countries, and how they’ve attempted to improve the public transport rider experience. Professor Liu Guanzhong, is a leading figure in the design of transportation systems in many Chinese cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Tianjin, Harbin, and Chengdu. He was one of the lead designers of China’s high-speed rail ticketing system. His profound knowledge and rich experience, made him a clear choice for me to contact.
Liu Guanzhong, born in 1943, is a Tsinghua University Chair Professor and Doctoral Supervisor. He is also Vice Chairman of the China Industrial Design Association, Director of the Academic and Exchange Commission, Honorary Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and part-time professor and doctoral tutor at Central South University, College of the Arts.
Tsinghua University, a key university of the Ministry of Education, is a comprehensive university with science, engineering, cultural, law, medicine, economy, management and artistic disciplines—and is currently working toward “comprehensive, research-oriented and open” world-class university goals.
Professor Guanzhong was quoted as saying, “Design to create the lifestyle.” This classic phrase was (and still is)regarded highly in the design community when it was said 20 years ago. Liu Guanzhong is a typical scholar—seriously, striving for perfection, refusing to compromise. However, Professor Guanzhong is open-minded, with an intellectual reflection—I found speaking with him easy, because I could listen to him talk for hours about a lot of things, even when he was diametrically opposed to a question.
It should be noted that Professor Liu Guanzhong was my father’s advisor when my father was a graduate student at Tsinghua University. Liu Guanzhong founded China’s, first industrial design department at Tsinghua University.
Liu Guanzhong studied in Germany for many years, and observed the design and culture of Germany in-depth. After telling him of my research project, he mentions, “Many years ago I had been to San Francisco, but only stayed there for two days. So I don’t know the public transportation in San Francisco clearly, but have a good understanding of the German public transport.” Prof. Guanzhong studied in Germany for six years, for most of the time he lived in Freiburg. He continues, “I have a better understanding about the Freiburg public transport.” He tells me, “[In] Freiburg, the bus system (known as the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT) has a particular privilege:
when approaching an intersection, the intersection lights automatically adjust to give priority to the bus. Since the 1980s, through new routes and schedules, as well as a series of vehicle modernization measures, the Freiburg tram and bus ride is more comfortable and convenient. In Freiburg, 65% of its residents live in close vicinity of the tram.” In Freiburg, and many German cities, public transport arrival and departure times are very punctual. Public transport is run in strict accordance to a timetable. If a bus is late because of bad weather or other force of nature, the bus ride is free of charge. In Germany it is said one can set their watches on a bus’ arrival or departure time. The transport service is also very people-oriented. This is particularly reflected at night. As a small city, there are not many riders at night, but even at midnight, the frequency of the buses is high. However, this service is only for the city proper, and not to the outer suburbs. But if someone from the suburbs needs to call a cab to get home, the cost will be reimbursed by the government. Freiburg bus industry has been losing money, but the Freiburg municipal government think this is normal—that public transportation has always been for the public, rather than for commercial purposes. In a series of measures to promote public transportation, more and more Freiburg citizens are more willing to use public transportation over driving.
MUNI / BART station.
78 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 79Public Transit Ticketing Systems
Public transport is an important part of many people’s daily life. Public transport systems are formed with roads, rail, site facilities and other physical elements. As part of my creative work research, I’ve focused on the San Francisco muni bus and Bay Area Rapid Transit (bart) ticketing systems. I’ve also looked at systems in other U.S. cities and other countries, and how they’ve attempted to improve the public transport rider experience. Professor Liu Guanzhong, is a leading figure in the design of transportation systems in many Chinese cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Tianjin, Harbin, and Chengdu. He was one of the lead designers of China’s high-speed rail ticketing system. His profound knowledge and rich experience, made him a clear choice for me to contact.
Liu Guanzhong, born in 1943, is a Tsinghua University Chair Professor and Doctoral Supervisor. He is also Vice Chairman of the China Industrial Design Association, Director of the Academic and Exchange Commission, Honorary Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and part-time professor and doctoral tutor at Central South University, College of the Arts.
Tsinghua University, a key university of the Ministry of Education, is a comprehensive university with science, engineering, cultural, law, medicine, economy, management and artistic disciplines—and is currently working toward “comprehensive, research-oriented and open” world-class university goals.
Professor Guanzhong was quoted as saying, “Design to create the lifestyle.” This classic phrase was (and still is)regarded highly in the design community when it was said 20 years ago. Liu Guanzhong is a typical scholar—seriously, striving for perfection, refusing to compromise. However, Professor Guanzhong is open-minded, with an intellectual reflection—I found speaking with him easy, because I could listen to him talk for hours about a lot of things, even when he was diametrically opposed to a question.
It should be noted that Professor Liu Guanzhong was my father’s advisor when my father was a graduate student at Tsinghua University. Liu Guanzhong founded China’s, first industrial design department at Tsinghua University.
Liu Guanzhong studied in Germany for many years, and observed the design and culture of Germany in-depth. After telling him of my research project, he mentions, “Many years ago I had been to San Francisco, but only stayed there for two days. So I don’t know the public transportation in San Francisco clearly, but have a good understanding of the German public transport.” Prof. Guanzhong studied in Germany for six years, for most of the time he lived in Freiburg. He continues, “I have a better understanding about the Freiburg public transport.” He tells me, “[In] Freiburg, the bus system (known as the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT) has a particular privilege:
when approaching an intersection, the intersection lights automatically adjust to give priority to the bus. Since the 1980s, through new routes and schedules, as well as a series of vehicle modernization measures, the Freiburg tram and bus ride is more comfortable and convenient. In Freiburg, 65% of its residents live in close vicinity of the tram.” In Freiburg, and many German cities, public transport arrival and departure times are very punctual. Public transport is run in strict accordance to a timetable. If a bus is late because of bad weather or other force of nature, the bus ride is free of charge. In Germany it is said one can set their watches on a bus’ arrival or departure time. The transport service is also very people-oriented. This is particularly reflected at night. As a small city, there are not many riders at night, but even at midnight, the frequency of the buses is high. However, this service is only for the city proper, and not to the outer suburbs. But if someone from the suburbs needs to call a cab to get home, the cost will be reimbursed by the government. Freiburg bus industry has been losing money, but the Freiburg municipal government think this is normal—that public transportation has always been for the public, rather than for commercial purposes. In a series of measures to promote public transportation, more and more Freiburg citizens are more willing to use public transportation over driving.
MUNI / BART station.
80 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
Professor Liu Guanzhong participated in the design of China’s national high-speed rail ticket vending system. After sharing my research emphasis, he offers to help in my exploration. He asks me to tell him something about San Francisco muni and bart—the following is our exchange:
ZIXIANG WEI: The San Francisco Municipal Railway, or muni for short, began in 1912. muni is one of oldest public transit system in America. muni operates streetcars, light rail vehicles, diesel buses, alternative fuel vehicles, and the world famous cable cars. About 80 lines cover over 90% of San Francisco.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit, better known as bart, began passenger service in 1972. bart routes total 104 miles, with 44 stations—connecting San Francisco and the Bay peninsula with Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Walnut Creek and other cities in the East Bay. bart is one of the busiest heavy rail rapid transit system in America, providing service for over 300,000 passengers every day.
With my ticket vending machines (Figs. 1 & 2), I’m focusing on incorporating multiple languages. San Francisco is a city of immigrants, but also a tourist city, so having the display and prompts in multiple languages is very important. muni ticket machines are very good in this regard, but less so with bart ticket machines—for non-English speakers, it’s difficult to understand how to buy tickets.
PROFESSOR LIU: I very much agree with your point of view, after all, the self-ticketing system for all passengers, is one of the most important features—and it needs work so that people understand how to operate it in the shortest possible time. In China, our high-speed rail ticket vending machines, offer a choice of English, French, Japanese and Korean.
I’m interested in a ticket machine design with a Google® Maps feature—an electronic map, where passengers just enter the destination/stop that they want to go, and the machine will show the way.
This is a good idea, many tourists do need such a service. But you need to pay attention, because using an electronic map takes a certain amount of time, may cause problems with passengers waiting in line. I think there were a bank of ticket machines, one with such a feature would be sufficient.
There is a design concept that I have and really like; a tourist can pay two dollars to rent a vibration hand ring. Once on the bus, trolley, or bart train. The transmitters in the public transport will remind the passengers off.
Although I’m not familiar with this feature, or whether it will be technically difficult, it sounds like a very good idea. Not only tourists, the residents that use public transportation also miss getting off at their station or stop. Especially the elderly and children, as well as visual and hearing impaired people with dis-
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Public Transit Ticketing Systems 81
80 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
Professor Liu Guanzhong participated in the design of China’s national high-speed rail ticket vending system. After sharing my research emphasis, he offers to help in my exploration. He asks me to tell him something about San Francisco muni and bart—the following is our exchange:
ZIXIANG WEI: The San Francisco Municipal Railway, or muni for short, began in 1912. muni is one of oldest public transit system in America. muni operates streetcars, light rail vehicles, diesel buses, alternative fuel vehicles, and the world famous cable cars. About 80 lines cover over 90% of San Francisco.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit, better known as bart, began passenger service in 1972. bart routes total 104 miles, with 44 stations—connecting San Francisco and the Bay peninsula with Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Walnut Creek and other cities in the East Bay. bart is one of the busiest heavy rail rapid transit system in America, providing service for over 300,000 passengers every day.
With my ticket vending machines (Figs. 1 & 2), I’m focusing on incorporating multiple languages. San Francisco is a city of immigrants, but also a tourist city, so having the display and prompts in multiple languages is very important. muni ticket machines are very good in this regard, but less so with bart ticket machines—for non-English speakers, it’s difficult to understand how to buy tickets.
PROFESSOR LIU: I very much agree with your point of view, after all, the self-ticketing system for all passengers, is one of the most important features—and it needs work so that people understand how to operate it in the shortest possible time. In China, our high-speed rail ticket vending machines, offer a choice of English, French, Japanese and Korean.
I’m interested in a ticket machine design with a Google® Maps feature—an electronic map, where passengers just enter the destination/stop that they want to go, and the machine will show the way.
This is a good idea, many tourists do need such a service. But you need to pay attention, because using an electronic map takes a certain amount of time, may cause problems with passengers waiting in line. I think there were a bank of ticket machines, one with such a feature would be sufficient.
There is a design concept that I have and really like; a tourist can pay two dollars to rent a vibration hand ring. Once on the bus, trolley, or bart train. The transmitters in the public transport will remind the passengers off.
Although I’m not familiar with this feature, or whether it will be technically difficult, it sounds like a very good idea. Not only tourists, the residents that use public transportation also miss getting off at their station or stop. Especially the elderly and children, as well as visual and hearing impaired people with dis-
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Public Transit Ticketing Systems 81
83Public Transit Ticketing Systems
Fig. 3
82 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
83Public Transit Ticketing Systems
Fig. 3
82 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
84 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 85Public Transit Ticketing Systems
abilities, will want this “bracelet.” This is a very innovative concept, but because I do not know the technical aspects, I can’t give you very specific advice, you can always send me an e-mail to discuss when you begin work on it.
In the San Francisco, there is the issue of fare evasion on muni trains (and buses). I’d like to design a mechanism to check tickets and store fine and payment data (Fig. 3). Passengers with outstanding fines will be unable to use the system until they pay their fine(s).
I do not have any views on this issue, since there are regulations, they should consciously abide by. But in every country there are dishonest people, this approach can basically eliminate the occurrence of fare evasion situation. But I think it would be difficult to achieve or put into place the system you envision.
The all-in-one ticket vending machine is too big, I can design a small one which could be put in the muni station. Placed in the outdoor high traffic stations.
This is a good idea.
Paper tickets, like those used for bart, contribute to environmental pollution.I have an idea of imprinting a bar code to hand with mulizhi. The ink comes from a wild plant called muli; it automatically disappear after a period of time. People do not need to wash it off by themselves.
The idea is very interesting. If implemented is a very exciting design. Have you tested this?
Not yet.Well, if you need I can put you in contact with the Department of Chemistry at Tsinghua University to do an experiment.
Thank-you very much!You should pay attention to whether Mulizhi implemented can be used at high volume, with low-cost get; whether it can be read by the scanning system; whether it will cause allergic reactions for some. This is a good idea, but doing new things often means a lot of work has to be done.
I would like to ask your views on design. Do you think the best work should have what kind of elements?
Good design is timeless. The designer’s ideas and businesses are different; from sustainable development to extending the design life of the product.
I like Scandinavian and German design. They’re very calm, subtle— the design is “invisible,” reflecting human care. I advocate the silent service, a silent command, designed to guide people’s health and lifestyle.
Can you share the source of your inspiration? Are there some tips on how to find inspiration?
The inspiration is the accumulation of one’s life. Look at the periphery and relationships. Research the users needs. Then select, integrate, and even propose the research, development and design. This process creates an innovative process, rather than imitation.
I like Ettore Sottsass. His development is constantly changing, he can be post-modern, but can also do “classic” design. Design is not exhibitions, not just for show, not to see—but to use.
I do not like Philippe Starck, he is an actor, a star, not a designer. But we adore him, like groupies. He cater to the tastes of consumers, to culture, to fashion, but he does not solve practical problems, or solve the people’s needs.
Thank-you very much. Your father was one of my favorite students, I am very pleased to give his son some help. Some of your ideas are inspiring. I hope you can do this project down, which is a significant work.
From the discussions with Professor Liu Guanzhong, I received a lot of sug-gestions, comments, and encouragement. I’m excited that he can help me contact the College of Chemistry at Tsinghua University to do experiments with Mulizhi. At the same time He made me feel a designer should be rigorous, serious and wise. His broad range of knowledge and wealth of experience is amazing. As I continue with my creative work, I will pay more attention on the technology, materials and the internal structure of my research emphsis.
Renderings by: Zixiang Wei
Images: http://www.51design.com/ymca/images/001.jpg - retrieval date: 1/22/12,
http://sf.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08_27/Balboa_J.02.jpg - retrieval date: 1/22/12
84 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 85Public Transit Ticketing Systems
abilities, will want this “bracelet.” This is a very innovative concept, but because I do not know the technical aspects, I can’t give you very specific advice, you can always send me an e-mail to discuss when you begin work on it.
In the San Francisco, there is the issue of fare evasion on muni trains (and buses). I’d like to design a mechanism to check tickets and store fine and payment data (Fig. 3). Passengers with outstanding fines will be unable to use the system until they pay their fine(s).
I do not have any views on this issue, since there are regulations, they should consciously abide by. But in every country there are dishonest people, this approach can basically eliminate the occurrence of fare evasion situation. But I think it would be difficult to achieve or put into place the system you envision.
The all-in-one ticket vending machine is too big, I can design a small one which could be put in the muni station. Placed in the outdoor high traffic stations.
This is a good idea.
Paper tickets, like those used for bart, contribute to environmental pollution.I have an idea of imprinting a bar code to hand with mulizhi. The ink comes from a wild plant called muli; it automatically disappear after a period of time. People do not need to wash it off by themselves.
The idea is very interesting. If implemented is a very exciting design. Have you tested this?
Not yet.Well, if you need I can put you in contact with the Department of Chemistry at Tsinghua University to do an experiment.
Thank-you very much!You should pay attention to whether Mulizhi implemented can be used at high volume, with low-cost get; whether it can be read by the scanning system; whether it will cause allergic reactions for some. This is a good idea, but doing new things often means a lot of work has to be done.
I would like to ask your views on design. Do you think the best work should have what kind of elements?
Good design is timeless. The designer’s ideas and businesses are different; from sustainable development to extending the design life of the product.
I like Scandinavian and German design. They’re very calm, subtle— the design is “invisible,” reflecting human care. I advocate the silent service, a silent command, designed to guide people’s health and lifestyle.
Can you share the source of your inspiration? Are there some tips on how to find inspiration?
The inspiration is the accumulation of one’s life. Look at the periphery and relationships. Research the users needs. Then select, integrate, and even propose the research, development and design. This process creates an innovative process, rather than imitation.
I like Ettore Sottsass. His development is constantly changing, he can be post-modern, but can also do “classic” design. Design is not exhibitions, not just for show, not to see—but to use.
I do not like Philippe Starck, he is an actor, a star, not a designer. But we adore him, like groupies. He cater to the tastes of consumers, to culture, to fashion, but he does not solve practical problems, or solve the people’s needs.
Thank-you very much. Your father was one of my favorite students, I am very pleased to give his son some help. Some of your ideas are inspiring. I hope you can do this project down, which is a significant work.
From the discussions with Professor Liu Guanzhong, I received a lot of sug-gestions, comments, and encouragement. I’m excited that he can help me contact the College of Chemistry at Tsinghua University to do experiments with Mulizhi. At the same time He made me feel a designer should be rigorous, serious and wise. His broad range of knowledge and wealth of experience is amazing. As I continue with my creative work, I will pay more attention on the technology, materials and the internal structure of my research emphsis.
Renderings by: Zixiang Wei
Images: http://www.51design.com/ymca/images/001.jpg - retrieval date: 1/22/12,
http://sf.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08_27/Balboa_J.02.jpg - retrieval date: 1/22/12
86 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 87The Light Clock
The Light Clockan interview with Circadian Psychiatrist
Alfred Lewy, md, phd
by Trevor Myers
86 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 87The Light Clock
The Light Clockan interview with Circadian Psychiatrist
Alfred Lewy, md, phd
by Trevor Myers
88 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 89The Light Clock
I’ve always been interested in light. More importantly I’ve always felt my moods were affected by the strength and kind of light I was around during certain times of day. The 60hz buzz of florescence bothers me and I’ve always purchased or made lamps with dimmer switches to turn the lights down in the evening. Thanks to Dr. Alfred Lewy and his research into circadian rhythm disorders, I now have clinical research that backs up what I always believed—light affects our moods.
Dr. Lewy was the first doctor to prove that human physiology is affected by light. He has over thirty years experience in treating patients with circadian rhythm disorders using light therapy and low-dose melatonin. His work has helped the blind, manic-depressives, shift workers, and people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (sad).
During his time at the National Institute for Mental Health (nimh), he had worked on a psychiatric unit that specialized in manic depressive illness in patients. Their moods seemed to switch without regard to events in their lives as if some clock was ticking off a number of days or weeks—that they would be in one mood verses another. To further this work Dr. Lewy developed a technique to accurately measure melatonin in humans, which was published in Science in 1978. Using this technique Dr. Lewy discovered sunlight and bright light suppressed the production of melatonin.
Before his findings there were other experiments proving the contrary, but it turns out the lights used were not bright enough. Now thanks to Dr. Lewy’s findings we have a whole new approach to biological rhythms, circadian rhythms and the use of bright light as a way to treat depression. I was lucky enough to have Dr. Lewy answer some questions that had eluded me in my research.
TREVOR MYERS: Did that first insight at the nimh lead you to the 1980 study using the bright artificial light to show that it does affect human melatonin levels?
DR. LEWY: Yes, and that was published in Science in 1980. And around the same time I was contacted by a patient who claimed that he became depressed every winter. He was the first patient ever treated with bright light, and that opened up the whole field of bright light therapy. And that’s winter depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Was Herbert Kern that first patient you were talking about?Yes, and I made him second author of the case record.
So you in all likelihood have the most experience in using light boxes for therapy. I was wondering if you had seen light boxes improve over the years, or if there was something that continually bothered you about them?
Well not dramatically so. Light boxes have gotten a little smaller and lighter and more convenient but essentially they’re what I proposed thirty years ago, which is cool, white, florescence light in a portable fixture protected by a Plexiglas™ diffuser. With the cool, white light there is very little ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Any stray UV rays would be absorbed by the appropriate Plexiglas™ diffuser. By using the box one isn’t looking at a pinpoint source of light, it’s broader. And then the eyes need to be a certain distance from it to get bright enough light. With the florescence light there is no heat, which may be harmful for the eyes at that close distance. There are modifications that may or may not be better. But that is what I recommend.
That seems to be the current standard, which is nice because I’ve seen a few examples of blue light boxes.
Blue light was originally shown to be the most active wavelength for achieving the positive effect we want, but there is a controversy that remains to this day as to whether pure blue light (not blue light embedded in white light) is harmful to the eyes. And until that controversy is resolved I cannot recommend pure blue light at high intensity to be administered to the eyes.
There is also Sunnex Biotechnologies that has come out with a green light that emits at 500nm.
Yes, and that’s fine. Green light is fine.
Now thanks to Dr. Lewy’s findings we have a whole new approach to biological rhythms, circadian rhythms and theuse of bright light as a way totreat depression.
88 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 89The Light Clock
I’ve always been interested in light. More importantly I’ve always felt my moods were affected by the strength and kind of light I was around during certain times of day. The 60hz buzz of florescence bothers me and I’ve always purchased or made lamps with dimmer switches to turn the lights down in the evening. Thanks to Dr. Alfred Lewy and his research into circadian rhythm disorders, I now have clinical research that backs up what I always believed—light affects our moods.
Dr. Lewy was the first doctor to prove that human physiology is affected by light. He has over thirty years experience in treating patients with circadian rhythm disorders using light therapy and low-dose melatonin. His work has helped the blind, manic-depressives, shift workers, and people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (sad).
During his time at the National Institute for Mental Health (nimh), he had worked on a psychiatric unit that specialized in manic depressive illness in patients. Their moods seemed to switch without regard to events in their lives as if some clock was ticking off a number of days or weeks—that they would be in one mood verses another. To further this work Dr. Lewy developed a technique to accurately measure melatonin in humans, which was published in Science in 1978. Using this technique Dr. Lewy discovered sunlight and bright light suppressed the production of melatonin.
Before his findings there were other experiments proving the contrary, but it turns out the lights used were not bright enough. Now thanks to Dr. Lewy’s findings we have a whole new approach to biological rhythms, circadian rhythms and the use of bright light as a way to treat depression. I was lucky enough to have Dr. Lewy answer some questions that had eluded me in my research.
TREVOR MYERS: Did that first insight at the nimh lead you to the 1980 study using the bright artificial light to show that it does affect human melatonin levels?
DR. LEWY: Yes, and that was published in Science in 1980. And around the same time I was contacted by a patient who claimed that he became depressed every winter. He was the first patient ever treated with bright light, and that opened up the whole field of bright light therapy. And that’s winter depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Was Herbert Kern that first patient you were talking about?Yes, and I made him second author of the case record.
So you in all likelihood have the most experience in using light boxes for therapy. I was wondering if you had seen light boxes improve over the years, or if there was something that continually bothered you about them?
Well not dramatically so. Light boxes have gotten a little smaller and lighter and more convenient but essentially they’re what I proposed thirty years ago, which is cool, white, florescence light in a portable fixture protected by a Plexiglas™ diffuser. With the cool, white light there is very little ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Any stray UV rays would be absorbed by the appropriate Plexiglas™ diffuser. By using the box one isn’t looking at a pinpoint source of light, it’s broader. And then the eyes need to be a certain distance from it to get bright enough light. With the florescence light there is no heat, which may be harmful for the eyes at that close distance. There are modifications that may or may not be better. But that is what I recommend.
That seems to be the current standard, which is nice because I’ve seen a few examples of blue light boxes.
Blue light was originally shown to be the most active wavelength for achieving the positive effect we want, but there is a controversy that remains to this day as to whether pure blue light (not blue light embedded in white light) is harmful to the eyes. And until that controversy is resolved I cannot recommend pure blue light at high intensity to be administered to the eyes.
There is also Sunnex Biotechnologies that has come out with a green light that emits at 500nm.
Yes, and that’s fine. Green light is fine.
Now thanks to Dr. Lewy’s findings we have a whole new approach to biological rhythms, circadian rhythms and theuse of bright light as a way totreat depression.
90 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 91The Light Clock
The cause of winter depression is the shorter days during winter. And for some people that means the later dawn. For a smaller subgroup it means the earlier dusk. That’s why I
recommend the different times of day for using the light.
90 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 91The Light Clock
The cause of winter depression is the shorter days during winter. And for some people that means the later dawn. For a smaller subgroup it means the earlier dusk. That’s why I
recommend the different times of day for using the light.
92 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 93The Light Clock
They are saying at 350 lux it’s comparable to 10,000 lux of white light.Well, I know there is some comparability there but I’m not sure if that exact comparability is correct—but you should be able to use less green or even less blue light than white light if you’ve got the optimal wavelength, and the green light won’t hurt your eyes. But the green light is a little weird to look at.
I haven’t been able to interest my patients so much in a green light fixture. They just find it kind of weird. Again if you embed green light in white light, if you enrich white light with green that might be the best way to lower the total light intensity a bit.
Is there a certain brand or unit that you use? Or are they all good as long as it follows the principles you already outlined?
Well I try not to recommend one brand over another. It gets into kind of a com-mercial tie I don’t want to be involved in. There are several out there. The key elements are cool, white florescence light, portable light fixture kind of like a box, and a Plexiglas™ diffuser that absorbs UV radiation. The ultimate key is the manufacturer should provide the consumer with the exact distance from the fixture their eyes should be to get the 10,000 lux light intensity which is the maximum light intensity we recommend.
In the September 2007 issue of Science there is a picture of you with a patient and you actually had a light meter and a red…
…red ribbon, yeah. I wanted to imprint that point that you just can’t get a light fixture, sit it down and sit near it. You’ve got to be the right distance from it. Now we don’t have patients stare the whole time into the light fixture we have the fixture set up at a 45 degree angle—usually from the side sometimes —ahead of the person if they’re reading and their head is tilted down at a 45 de-gree angle. Then we ask them to scan their eyes across the fixture a few times a minute for a few seconds.
Is that what patients end up doing, is it usually a half hour of light therapy?Well it depends on the disorder and where you are in the disorder. For winter depression we recommend one to two hours for the first few days and then you can cut it down as you gradually feel better to 20–30 minutes, but it pretty much should be everyday throughout the winter and it should be immediately upon awakening in any event. There is a subgroup of winter depressives for whom that won’t help. It might even make them worse. And if it does then they need to switch that time to 7:00–9:00 p.m.
SAD Treatment 101
Light box “must haves”- Eminence of 10,000 lux white light- Florescence bulb (to cut down heat)- Plexiglas™ diffuser
How to properly use a light box:1.Sit two feet away (or the distance recommended by the manufacturer)
2.Face the light source at a 45 degree angle
3.Use for 1 to 2 hours for the first few days
As you gradually feel better you can cut it down to 20-30 min. Use everyday throughout the winter. Therapy should start immediately upon awakening
NOTE: There is a subgroup of winter depressives for whom that won’t help. It might even make them worse. And if it does then they need to switch that time to 7:00-9:00p.m.
—TM
92 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 93The Light Clock
They are saying at 350 lux it’s comparable to 10,000 lux of white light.Well, I know there is some comparability there but I’m not sure if that exact comparability is correct—but you should be able to use less green or even less blue light than white light if you’ve got the optimal wavelength, and the green light won’t hurt your eyes. But the green light is a little weird to look at.
I haven’t been able to interest my patients so much in a green light fixture. They just find it kind of weird. Again if you embed green light in white light, if you enrich white light with green that might be the best way to lower the total light intensity a bit.
Is there a certain brand or unit that you use? Or are they all good as long as it follows the principles you already outlined?
Well I try not to recommend one brand over another. It gets into kind of a com-mercial tie I don’t want to be involved in. There are several out there. The key elements are cool, white florescence light, portable light fixture kind of like a box, and a Plexiglas™ diffuser that absorbs UV radiation. The ultimate key is the manufacturer should provide the consumer with the exact distance from the fixture their eyes should be to get the 10,000 lux light intensity which is the maximum light intensity we recommend.
In the September 2007 issue of Science there is a picture of you with a patient and you actually had a light meter and a red…
…red ribbon, yeah. I wanted to imprint that point that you just can’t get a light fixture, sit it down and sit near it. You’ve got to be the right distance from it. Now we don’t have patients stare the whole time into the light fixture we have the fixture set up at a 45 degree angle—usually from the side sometimes —ahead of the person if they’re reading and their head is tilted down at a 45 de-gree angle. Then we ask them to scan their eyes across the fixture a few times a minute for a few seconds.
Is that what patients end up doing, is it usually a half hour of light therapy?Well it depends on the disorder and where you are in the disorder. For winter depression we recommend one to two hours for the first few days and then you can cut it down as you gradually feel better to 20–30 minutes, but it pretty much should be everyday throughout the winter and it should be immediately upon awakening in any event. There is a subgroup of winter depressives for whom that won’t help. It might even make them worse. And if it does then they need to switch that time to 7:00–9:00 p.m.
SAD Treatment 101
Light box “must haves”- Eminence of 10,000 lux white light- Florescence bulb (to cut down heat)- Plexiglas™ diffuser
How to properly use a light box:1.Sit two feet away (or the distance recommended by the manufacturer)
2.Face the light source at a 45 degree angle
3.Use for 1 to 2 hours for the first few days
As you gradually feel better you can cut it down to 20-30 min. Use everyday throughout the winter. Therapy should start immediately upon awakening
NOTE: There is a subgroup of winter depressives for whom that won’t help. It might even make them worse. And if it does then they need to switch that time to 7:00-9:00p.m.
—TM
94 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 95The Light Clock
That’s interesting. Have you found any benefit from using a wake light that emulates sunrise to help you wake up?
I’m intrigued with them. I’m kind of surprised that more hasn’t been done with them in recent years, which makes me a little bit concerned about just how efficacious they might be. They’re pretty good as an alarm clock. You know when light reaches a certain intensity, it’s hard to sleep and it’s another way to have you wake up in the morning. Theoretically it should help with winter depression and any other phase delay circadian rhythm disorder because it should advance your body clock. There were a few studies years ago that kind of showed it worked that way. I haven’t seen much of it lately. I don’t know how effective it would be in advancing the body clock. I get a little concerned when I don’t see follow up studies at the current time from something that’s been reported years ago. It makes me wonder if they did not find a positive result and didn’t publish it.
There was a study done back in 1998 that apparently proved that the back of your knees were light sensitive.
It would have been great if it were true but it’s been disproved.
Is there a common cause besides the lowering of light levels, maybe alcohol consumption or watching TV late at night, that would throw off the circadian rhythms of someone with sad?
The cause of winter depression is the shorter days during winter. And for some people that means the later dawn. For a smaller subgroup it means the earlier dusk. That’s why I recommend the different times of day for using the light. There must be some other predisposition that you have to have because not every-body gets winter depression. But that is the only mechanism that we know of.
It’s interesting finding out that you started researching circadian rhythms because of your work with manic-depressives. I found out about their impact through researching sad, having some family members that seemed to be affected. I’m intrigued to see that both sad and Manic Depressive patients are affected by the same issue.
We’re finally now getting back to manic depressives and unipolar depressives. We’re finding that there may be a component there similar to what’s happening with sad. We are also finding people who get depressed in the summer might be affected by the light during the day. The common pathway here is usually a delay in the body clock relative to the sleep-wake cycle and the way to treat that for most people is light in the morning and low dose melatonin treatment in the afternoon. Both of which will provide a corrective phase advance and correct the pathogenic phase delay.
There seems to be a lot of light boxes that people can purchase for them-selves online but do you think that people should be using them without the direction of a doctor?
Over the years I have become less concerned about that. I feel if the lighting manufacturer is sophisticated enough and responsible enough to provide the distance the eyes should be from the fixture. In other words they have calibrated their fixtures, if not individually at least generically and can tell you at what distance is 10,000 lux. I’m also less concerned that people can self diagnose. I think if you’ve been depressed every winter for several winters you pretty much know you have winter depression. There are more complicated cases where you have winter depression on top of non-seasonal depression then you probably need to see an expert.
You mentioned that with the work you’re doing with the blind that they are running on a 25 hour clock.
Yeah with blind people you can’t treat them with light but you can give them low dose melatonin to treat them and it’s almost 100% effective. And that has caused us to go back to the circadian rhythm problems of sighted people and use low dose melatonin in the morning or in the afternoon to treat their body clock disorders which includes SAD, some component non-SAD disorders, jet-lag and shift work.
I found it very interesting that if they were blind from birth there is still a clock running but it’s about an hour off. It just keeps advancing an hour a day.
Delaying. Delaying an hour a day. It keeps shifting forward.
My exchange with Dr. Lewy, made me remember how much more there is to discover about ourselves. For instance, I’m still curious about why a blind person would run on a 25 hour clock. They aren’t tied to the light patterns of the Sun, so why are they even close to a 24 hour clock? Why not 23 hours? As Earth’s rotation slows, days get longer—do their bodies plan ahead? So it seems the old adage is true, the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.
Photo: Courtesy of Alfred Lewy
94 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 95The Light Clock
That’s interesting. Have you found any benefit from using a wake light that emulates sunrise to help you wake up?
I’m intrigued with them. I’m kind of surprised that more hasn’t been done with them in recent years, which makes me a little bit concerned about just how efficacious they might be. They’re pretty good as an alarm clock. You know when light reaches a certain intensity, it’s hard to sleep and it’s another way to have you wake up in the morning. Theoretically it should help with winter depression and any other phase delay circadian rhythm disorder because it should advance your body clock. There were a few studies years ago that kind of showed it worked that way. I haven’t seen much of it lately. I don’t know how effective it would be in advancing the body clock. I get a little concerned when I don’t see follow up studies at the current time from something that’s been reported years ago. It makes me wonder if they did not find a positive result and didn’t publish it.
There was a study done back in 1998 that apparently proved that the back of your knees were light sensitive.
It would have been great if it were true but it’s been disproved.
Is there a common cause besides the lowering of light levels, maybe alcohol consumption or watching TV late at night, that would throw off the circadian rhythms of someone with sad?
The cause of winter depression is the shorter days during winter. And for some people that means the later dawn. For a smaller subgroup it means the earlier dusk. That’s why I recommend the different times of day for using the light. There must be some other predisposition that you have to have because not every-body gets winter depression. But that is the only mechanism that we know of.
It’s interesting finding out that you started researching circadian rhythms because of your work with manic-depressives. I found out about their impact through researching sad, having some family members that seemed to be affected. I’m intrigued to see that both sad and Manic Depressive patients are affected by the same issue.
We’re finally now getting back to manic depressives and unipolar depressives. We’re finding that there may be a component there similar to what’s happening with sad. We are also finding people who get depressed in the summer might be affected by the light during the day. The common pathway here is usually a delay in the body clock relative to the sleep-wake cycle and the way to treat that for most people is light in the morning and low dose melatonin treatment in the afternoon. Both of which will provide a corrective phase advance and correct the pathogenic phase delay.
There seems to be a lot of light boxes that people can purchase for them-selves online but do you think that people should be using them without the direction of a doctor?
Over the years I have become less concerned about that. I feel if the lighting manufacturer is sophisticated enough and responsible enough to provide the distance the eyes should be from the fixture. In other words they have calibrated their fixtures, if not individually at least generically and can tell you at what distance is 10,000 lux. I’m also less concerned that people can self diagnose. I think if you’ve been depressed every winter for several winters you pretty much know you have winter depression. There are more complicated cases where you have winter depression on top of non-seasonal depression then you probably need to see an expert.
You mentioned that with the work you’re doing with the blind that they are running on a 25 hour clock.
Yeah with blind people you can’t treat them with light but you can give them low dose melatonin to treat them and it’s almost 100% effective. And that has caused us to go back to the circadian rhythm problems of sighted people and use low dose melatonin in the morning or in the afternoon to treat their body clock disorders which includes SAD, some component non-SAD disorders, jet-lag and shift work.
I found it very interesting that if they were blind from birth there is still a clock running but it’s about an hour off. It just keeps advancing an hour a day.
Delaying. Delaying an hour a day. It keeps shifting forward.
My exchange with Dr. Lewy, made me remember how much more there is to discover about ourselves. For instance, I’m still curious about why a blind person would run on a 25 hour clock. They aren’t tied to the light patterns of the Sun, so why are they even close to a 24 hour clock? Why not 23 hours? As Earth’s rotation slows, days get longer—do their bodies plan ahead? So it seems the old adage is true, the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.
Photo: Courtesy of Alfred Lewy
96 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
* SPECIAL TO ACUMEN *
the Nathan H. ShapiraDesign Archive Project at
San Francisco State University* * * * *
Design to Live: Inclusive Designin the Majority World
by Ricardo Gomes
97The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
96 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
* SPECIAL TO ACUMEN *
the Nathan H. ShapiraDesign Archive Project at
San Francisco State University* * * * *
Design to Live: Inclusive Designin the Majority World
by Ricardo Gomes
97The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
98 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 99The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
This article outlines the sabbatical research project conducted by Professor Ricardo Gomes, that is dedicated to developing and making accessible the late ucla Industrial Design Professor Nathan Shapira’s Archive, professional and scholarly works. The initial focus of this sabbatical work has been to establish a segment of Dr. Shapira’s Archive in conjunction with the development of a Graduate Design Center for Global Needs and Community Development in the Design and Industry Department at San Francisco State University.
The research entitled: “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World,” addresses the three topics that design education, practice and com-munity development must encompass in order to facilitate the responsible development of our future society in the 21st Century: (1) Design for the Majority; (2) Inclusive Design; (3) Sustainability. These topics constitute three converging principles that formulate the framework of “Design for Living and Social Responsibility.”
Dr. Shapira advocated that, “Future Designers must concern themselves with the Quality of Life and not merely the decorative arts.”
The Nathan Shapira Design Archive The Nathan Shapira Design Archive is a unique and rich body of materials representing the thinking, events and objects of 20th century design. It contains well over 2,060 known design books, both contemporary and collectibles, as well as articles, files, documents, audio and video footage dating from 1963 to 2008 relative to design curriculum; lectures; seminars; and documentaries on topics addressing: design in developing countries, architecture and design in Los Angeles and Italy as well as hallmark exhibits and conferences.
The archive contains valuable original documents related to emerging design theory and practices iconic international designers who gave shape to the last century. The Archive contains written (and otherwise recorded) intellectual dialogues between Shapira and his contemporaries—from Gio Ponti to Henry Dreyfuss.
The Design Archive Collection of the late ucla Design Professor Emeritus, Dr. Nathan H. Shapira was donated to the dai department on behalf of the Design Center for Global Needs and the Graduate Design Program. Dr. Nathan H. Shapira, was affiliated with the Design Center for Global Needs as a Program Director and Advisor from 1992 to 2009. During this period, he contributed to many graduate design seminars, lectures and affiliated workshops.
The Objective of the research is to create a broader access and awareness of the benefits of design as a tool for development of society, design education, community engaged scholarship and community service learning applications. The objectives of this research is to establish an accessible, comprehensive
Design is not a field of specialization, but an interdisciplinaryattitude which requires a total approach integrating communication,
structure and environment.
— Dr. Nathan Shapira
98 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 99The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
This article outlines the sabbatical research project conducted by Professor Ricardo Gomes, that is dedicated to developing and making accessible the late ucla Industrial Design Professor Nathan Shapira’s Archive, professional and scholarly works. The initial focus of this sabbatical work has been to establish a segment of Dr. Shapira’s Archive in conjunction with the development of a Graduate Design Center for Global Needs and Community Development in the Design and Industry Department at San Francisco State University.
The research entitled: “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World,” addresses the three topics that design education, practice and com-munity development must encompass in order to facilitate the responsible development of our future society in the 21st Century: (1) Design for the Majority; (2) Inclusive Design; (3) Sustainability. These topics constitute three converging principles that formulate the framework of “Design for Living and Social Responsibility.”
Dr. Shapira advocated that, “Future Designers must concern themselves with the Quality of Life and not merely the decorative arts.”
The Nathan Shapira Design Archive The Nathan Shapira Design Archive is a unique and rich body of materials representing the thinking, events and objects of 20th century design. It contains well over 2,060 known design books, both contemporary and collectibles, as well as articles, files, documents, audio and video footage dating from 1963 to 2008 relative to design curriculum; lectures; seminars; and documentaries on topics addressing: design in developing countries, architecture and design in Los Angeles and Italy as well as hallmark exhibits and conferences.
The archive contains valuable original documents related to emerging design theory and practices iconic international designers who gave shape to the last century. The Archive contains written (and otherwise recorded) intellectual dialogues between Shapira and his contemporaries—from Gio Ponti to Henry Dreyfuss.
The Design Archive Collection of the late ucla Design Professor Emeritus, Dr. Nathan H. Shapira was donated to the dai department on behalf of the Design Center for Global Needs and the Graduate Design Program. Dr. Nathan H. Shapira, was affiliated with the Design Center for Global Needs as a Program Director and Advisor from 1992 to 2009. During this period, he contributed to many graduate design seminars, lectures and affiliated workshops.
The Objective of the research is to create a broader access and awareness of the benefits of design as a tool for development of society, design education, community engaged scholarship and community service learning applications. The objectives of this research is to establish an accessible, comprehensive
Design is not a field of specialization, but an interdisciplinaryattitude which requires a total approach integrating communication,
structure and environment.
— Dr. Nathan Shapira
100 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 101The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
resource and database for the promotion Design for Living and Social Responsibility with the intent of augmenting and facilitating research, education and collaborative project developments between university and industry-educational partners.
The Archive Timeline
Italy1954Dr. Shapira was studying at the Politechnico de Milano, where Gio Ponti was one of his instructors and clearly his mentor who took a liking to him. Ponti befriended Nathan not only as his professor, scholar and mentor, but as a close friend. Later on in life, Dr. Shapira honored Gio Ponti with a retrospective on the life and works of Gio Ponti, “Expressions of Gio Ponti,” in 1966. This occurred 12 years after his graduation from the Politechnico.
1966–1968Dr. Shapira honored Gio Ponti with a major traveling exhibition on the life and works of Gio Ponti, “Expressions of Gio Ponti,” in 1966. This Gio Ponti exhibit which traveled across the United States, was one of Dr. Shapira’s signature exhibits.
USA to UCLA:1955–1956 Dr. Shapira’s first comings to the US which was in 1955 by the invitation of a Commonwealth Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit) and Harvard so that was his first beginnings in the US and I believe part of that venture was that Nathan did a cross-country tour, in which I recall seeing photographs of Nathan and I believe he may have went into the South as well as across to the West. He has some very good documentation images from that, which I will try to find out where those may be because I’d like to certainly be able to reflect upon those because I think it really was the beginnings of Nathan’s ethnographic and anthropological approach to life in Design, which I think really epitomizes the whole notion of us entitling this sabbatical research, study, memoir and archive, “Design to Live.” Dr. Shapira approached life as a design. I think he did design to live and live to design. And I think he always tried to look at how design really framed, recorded, even defined the way in which design really took place in society.
1963Nathan Shapira’s permanence and lifetime affinity with California—“Los Angeles,” was established in 1963 upon his arrival as an Industrial Design Professor at ucla. Los Angeles and ucla was to be Nathan’s “destiny” despite the efforts of one of the iconic pioneers of Industrial Design in America, Raymond Lowey’s solicitation for Nathan to work in his New York office. As Nathan had shared with me, he had already set his sights to being in California. I believe Nathan preferred the boundless visionary outreach and intellectual prestige of academia. In addition, I believe looked at himself as being a design pioneer, seeking to establish design beyond its conventional commercial boundaries and esoteric constituency. He certainly he established by the end of his life, his legacy as a Design Ambassador and advocate. In fact the name he coined his design consultancy firm was “Design Advocacy.”
Nathan Shapira took design in a explorative manner, that was not so much about just creating objects but seeing how design could become a mainstay in sustaining global needs in our society. As a design ambassador he did not see himself being centered in one place, nor creating design for his own self-satisfaction, never seeking to establishing himself as a center of attraction. Nathan believed design had to be outreaching, whether it was his initial architectural design studies in Milano, going to Israel, coming to America. For Nathan Shapira coming to America had all of the pioneering intrigue and adventure from his landing New England to his Commonwealth Fellow ventures through America’s urban concrete jungles across its southern landscape and vast western expanse. It was Dr. Shapira’s inquisitive, curios, exploratory mindset that inspired his provocateur, exploratory, “don’t know “No” persistence.
1965–1968In 1965 and 1968 Nathan was a member of President Lyndon Johnson’s U.S. Committee for the Rehabilitation of the Handicapped. The period of the 1960s was a period that coincided with the civil rights movement and clearly President Lyndon Johnson was also a prominent and key person involved with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Act. It is quite significant that Nathan Shapira was also involved in the early days of what would later become the civil rights amendment for persons with disabilities as the American Disabilities Act (ada). We find Nathan Shapira again at the forefront of design and society having addressing issues of disability utilizing design as an equalizer and agent of change.
100 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 101The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
resource and database for the promotion Design for Living and Social Responsibility with the intent of augmenting and facilitating research, education and collaborative project developments between university and industry-educational partners.
The Archive Timeline
Italy1954Dr. Shapira was studying at the Politechnico de Milano, where Gio Ponti was one of his instructors and clearly his mentor who took a liking to him. Ponti befriended Nathan not only as his professor, scholar and mentor, but as a close friend. Later on in life, Dr. Shapira honored Gio Ponti with a retrospective on the life and works of Gio Ponti, “Expressions of Gio Ponti,” in 1966. This occurred 12 years after his graduation from the Politechnico.
1966–1968Dr. Shapira honored Gio Ponti with a major traveling exhibition on the life and works of Gio Ponti, “Expressions of Gio Ponti,” in 1966. This Gio Ponti exhibit which traveled across the United States, was one of Dr. Shapira’s signature exhibits.
USA to UCLA:1955–1956 Dr. Shapira’s first comings to the US which was in 1955 by the invitation of a Commonwealth Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit) and Harvard so that was his first beginnings in the US and I believe part of that venture was that Nathan did a cross-country tour, in which I recall seeing photographs of Nathan and I believe he may have went into the South as well as across to the West. He has some very good documentation images from that, which I will try to find out where those may be because I’d like to certainly be able to reflect upon those because I think it really was the beginnings of Nathan’s ethnographic and anthropological approach to life in Design, which I think really epitomizes the whole notion of us entitling this sabbatical research, study, memoir and archive, “Design to Live.” Dr. Shapira approached life as a design. I think he did design to live and live to design. And I think he always tried to look at how design really framed, recorded, even defined the way in which design really took place in society.
1963Nathan Shapira’s permanence and lifetime affinity with California—“Los Angeles,” was established in 1963 upon his arrival as an Industrial Design Professor at ucla. Los Angeles and ucla was to be Nathan’s “destiny” despite the efforts of one of the iconic pioneers of Industrial Design in America, Raymond Lowey’s solicitation for Nathan to work in his New York office. As Nathan had shared with me, he had already set his sights to being in California. I believe Nathan preferred the boundless visionary outreach and intellectual prestige of academia. In addition, I believe looked at himself as being a design pioneer, seeking to establish design beyond its conventional commercial boundaries and esoteric constituency. He certainly he established by the end of his life, his legacy as a Design Ambassador and advocate. In fact the name he coined his design consultancy firm was “Design Advocacy.”
Nathan Shapira took design in a explorative manner, that was not so much about just creating objects but seeing how design could become a mainstay in sustaining global needs in our society. As a design ambassador he did not see himself being centered in one place, nor creating design for his own self-satisfaction, never seeking to establishing himself as a center of attraction. Nathan believed design had to be outreaching, whether it was his initial architectural design studies in Milano, going to Israel, coming to America. For Nathan Shapira coming to America had all of the pioneering intrigue and adventure from his landing New England to his Commonwealth Fellow ventures through America’s urban concrete jungles across its southern landscape and vast western expanse. It was Dr. Shapira’s inquisitive, curios, exploratory mindset that inspired his provocateur, exploratory, “don’t know “No” persistence.
1965–1968In 1965 and 1968 Nathan was a member of President Lyndon Johnson’s U.S. Committee for the Rehabilitation of the Handicapped. The period of the 1960s was a period that coincided with the civil rights movement and clearly President Lyndon Johnson was also a prominent and key person involved with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Act. It is quite significant that Nathan Shapira was also involved in the early days of what would later become the civil rights amendment for persons with disabilities as the American Disabilities Act (ada). We find Nathan Shapira again at the forefront of design and society having addressing issues of disability utilizing design as an equalizer and agent of change.
102 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
1963–1998ucla, Department of Design, Design and Art History, Associate Professor Nathan Shapira established himself as a professor at ucla in 1963 up until 1998 for a 35–year period. As a Professor Emeritus, Shapira was still very active at ucla up until his death in May of 2009. In 1963, Nathan Shapira was hired as a ucla when Henry Dreyfuss was the Department Chair.
ICSID 1957–19711959First icsid Congress, Stockholm, Sweden (Selby Mvbusi). In the late 50s early 60s, Dr. Shapira was a significant and influential member of icsid, which is the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design where they had held conferences back in the late 50s, early 60s. The theme of the First icsidCongress in was based upon Design for Low-Income Economies, in respect to how industrial design could best address issues of developing countries. This conference was where Dr. Shapira met and befriended Selby Mvusi who was a South African designer/artist in exile.
Nathan Shapira was involved in hallmark early years of the International Council Society of Industrial Designers (icsid) which covered work and issues addressed by Dr. Shapira and his contemporaries in the early years of icsid, like Josine des Cressonnières and Tomas Maldonado, 1957–1977) There was some hallmark events that Nathan Shapira was involved with icsid, the International Council Society of Industrial Designers. icsid is one of Dr. Shapira’s significant contributions to Design Education and Design Development in Low-Income Economy Countries.
1964–1967Nathan Shapira was one of the early design forerunners of Design Education in Africa and Nairobi, like Selby Mvusi (South African), who laid the foundation and establishment of the first Design department in sub-Saharan Africa in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Both of these quintessential design educators were presenters and participants in the First icsid Congress in Stockholm, Sweden in 1959 and subsequent seminars and workshops in Bruges(1965) and Ibiza/Barcelona in 1971. Selby Mvusi as an exiled Black South African artist, designer and educator, gave significance and meaning to the term “Design to Live.”
1964icsid/unesco Seminar The Education of the Industrial Design, Bruges, Belgium. Selby Mvusi contributed a major keynote address and paper at this significant collaborative convention between icsid, unesco and unido.
We do not designfor society, or for that matter design in order to design society. We design because society and ourselves are in fact design. We do not design for living. We design to live.
— Selby Mvusi, 1963
103The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
102 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
1963–1998ucla, Department of Design, Design and Art History, Associate Professor Nathan Shapira established himself as a professor at ucla in 1963 up until 1998 for a 35–year period. As a Professor Emeritus, Shapira was still very active at ucla up until his death in May of 2009. In 1963, Nathan Shapira was hired as a ucla when Henry Dreyfuss was the Department Chair.
ICSID 1957–19711959First icsid Congress, Stockholm, Sweden (Selby Mvbusi). In the late 50s early 60s, Dr. Shapira was a significant and influential member of icsid, which is the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design where they had held conferences back in the late 50s, early 60s. The theme of the First icsidCongress in was based upon Design for Low-Income Economies, in respect to how industrial design could best address issues of developing countries. This conference was where Dr. Shapira met and befriended Selby Mvusi who was a South African designer/artist in exile.
Nathan Shapira was involved in hallmark early years of the International Council Society of Industrial Designers (icsid) which covered work and issues addressed by Dr. Shapira and his contemporaries in the early years of icsid, like Josine des Cressonnières and Tomas Maldonado, 1957–1977) There was some hallmark events that Nathan Shapira was involved with icsid, the International Council Society of Industrial Designers. icsid is one of Dr. Shapira’s significant contributions to Design Education and Design Development in Low-Income Economy Countries.
1964–1967Nathan Shapira was one of the early design forerunners of Design Education in Africa and Nairobi, like Selby Mvusi (South African), who laid the foundation and establishment of the first Design department in sub-Saharan Africa in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Both of these quintessential design educators were presenters and participants in the First icsid Congress in Stockholm, Sweden in 1959 and subsequent seminars and workshops in Bruges(1965) and Ibiza/Barcelona in 1971. Selby Mvusi as an exiled Black South African artist, designer and educator, gave significance and meaning to the term “Design to Live.”
1964icsid/unesco Seminar The Education of the Industrial Design, Bruges, Belgium. Selby Mvusi contributed a major keynote address and paper at this significant collaborative convention between icsid, unesco and unido.
We do not designfor society, or for that matter design in order to design society. We design because society and ourselves are in fact design. We do not design for living. We design to live.
— Selby Mvusi, 1963
103The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
104 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
1965icsid Seminar on the Teaching of Design, Ulm Germany.Quintessential seminal design seminar addressing the Teaching of Design by some of the renowned design educators of that day such as, Dr. Tomas Mal-donado, Rector of the infamous Hofteschule der Gestaltung Ulm, Professor Misha Black, Director of the Design Research Unit at the Royal College of Art and Josine des Cressonnières, Brussels, Belgium.
1971icsid 7th Congress, Ibiza/Barcelona Spain.In 1971 Nathan Shapira addressed a major international conference in Ibiza, Spain for icsid. Dr. Shapira’s involvement and activity with icsid began in 1957 with the formation of icsid and its First Congress in 1959 in Stockholm, Sweden. At this conference, which coincided with his work at the University of Nairobi, Dr. Shapira identified the Design Needs Areas Common to Devel-oping Countries: 1. Design Promotion 2. Design Education 3. Design Research 4. Design Professional Practice
University of Nairobi 1969–1972Head of the Department of Design at the University of Nairobi and Director of the University of California’s Education Abroad Program in Kenya. Dr. Shapira’s work at the University of Nairobi was really quite a momentous occasion, it was an inflection point in his career, particularly in respect to design for developing countries and low-income economies.
Dr. Shapira was one of the key figures in establishing and implementing the design program at the University of Nairobi back in 1969 to 1972 where he was the Head of the Department of Design and also the Director of the University of California’s system’s education abroad program in Kenya. The formation of the Department of Design at the University of Nairobi, estab-lished a bonafide program of design education and instruction in sub-Saharan Africa where design really did not have a formal presence.
“The ambitious target embarked upon by Professor Selby Mvusi and his architectural colleague at the University of Nairobi, Derek Morgan, had a unique human-centered design approach outlined on three different levels relative to one’s awareness and conscious of critical global problems: 1. The Individual Person, driven by the compulsion of self-regulation 2. The Communal Person, driven by consciousness and commitment 3. The Universal Person, concerned to apply comprehensive technology to cooperative ventures. 4. The objective of the design mission and pedagogy was not to replicate design as was formulated at the Bauhaus, or other European, American, or western schools of thought, but rather to establish a design program and philosophy relevant to the material culture, value and resources in Africa; Kenya; and at the University of Nairobi. Many of the first generation of African designers in Nairobi were students of Dr. Shapira. These design cohorts became the first indigenous African designers in Kenya and also led the design profession in Kenya, which was previ- ously, led by expatriate Danish, English or other Europeans.
Dr. Shapira assisted in giving an indigenous voice, face, image, and identity to design in Africa and Kenya through his leadership as the head of the Design Department at the university. Dr. Shapira established a unique and genuine empathy for design in the Kenyan and African society in terms of trying to make design a very inclusive and responsible tool for development. Dr. Shapira instructed and positioned design education to be a socially responsible dis-cipline, profession and viable practice for the Kenyan designers.
105The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
104 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
1965icsid Seminar on the Teaching of Design, Ulm Germany.Quintessential seminal design seminar addressing the Teaching of Design by some of the renowned design educators of that day such as, Dr. Tomas Mal-donado, Rector of the infamous Hofteschule der Gestaltung Ulm, Professor Misha Black, Director of the Design Research Unit at the Royal College of Art and Josine des Cressonnières, Brussels, Belgium.
1971icsid 7th Congress, Ibiza/Barcelona Spain.In 1971 Nathan Shapira addressed a major international conference in Ibiza, Spain for icsid. Dr. Shapira’s involvement and activity with icsid began in 1957 with the formation of icsid and its First Congress in 1959 in Stockholm, Sweden. At this conference, which coincided with his work at the University of Nairobi, Dr. Shapira identified the Design Needs Areas Common to Devel-oping Countries: 1. Design Promotion 2. Design Education 3. Design Research 4. Design Professional Practice
University of Nairobi 1969–1972Head of the Department of Design at the University of Nairobi and Director of the University of California’s Education Abroad Program in Kenya. Dr. Shapira’s work at the University of Nairobi was really quite a momentous occasion, it was an inflection point in his career, particularly in respect to design for developing countries and low-income economies.
Dr. Shapira was one of the key figures in establishing and implementing the design program at the University of Nairobi back in 1969 to 1972 where he was the Head of the Department of Design and also the Director of the University of California’s system’s education abroad program in Kenya. The formation of the Department of Design at the University of Nairobi, estab-lished a bonafide program of design education and instruction in sub-Saharan Africa where design really did not have a formal presence.
“The ambitious target embarked upon by Professor Selby Mvusi and his architectural colleague at the University of Nairobi, Derek Morgan, had a unique human-centered design approach outlined on three different levels relative to one’s awareness and conscious of critical global problems: 1. The Individual Person, driven by the compulsion of self-regulation 2. The Communal Person, driven by consciousness and commitment 3. The Universal Person, concerned to apply comprehensive technology to cooperative ventures. 4. The objective of the design mission and pedagogy was not to replicate design as was formulated at the Bauhaus, or other European, American, or western schools of thought, but rather to establish a design program and philosophy relevant to the material culture, value and resources in Africa; Kenya; and at the University of Nairobi. Many of the first generation of African designers in Nairobi were students of Dr. Shapira. These design cohorts became the first indigenous African designers in Kenya and also led the design profession in Kenya, which was previ- ously, led by expatriate Danish, English or other Europeans.
Dr. Shapira assisted in giving an indigenous voice, face, image, and identity to design in Africa and Kenya through his leadership as the head of the Design Department at the university. Dr. Shapira established a unique and genuine empathy for design in the Kenyan and African society in terms of trying to make design a very inclusive and responsible tool for development. Dr. Shapira instructed and positioned design education to be a socially responsible dis-cipline, profession and viable practice for the Kenyan designers.
105The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
106 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 107The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
One of Nathan Shapira’s greatest attributes that was as a “Design Ambas-sador.” He probably did more for the design profession and practice by exposing, informing and bringing value to design to many people who were not designers. Dr. Shapira’s approach to design was to make it a very interdisciplinary, inclusive and participatory process. He was not only trying to educate the designers, but make everyone knowledgeable patrons of design and advocates of design.
Dr. Shapira did a tremendous amount of documentation of the material culture and vernacular of Kenya. He approached design education, value and practice through an anthropological, ethnographic lens they could also take on a very innovative, sustainable and responsible methodology for design. Although the use of the term “sustainable design” was not used at that time in 1969/1970, an equivalent term of that time would have been “appropriate technology” or “intermediate technology” as brought forward by such design visionaries as E.F. Schumacher in Small is Beautiful, Victor Papanek in Design for the Real World, or Hassan Fathay in Architecture for the Poor. These were these archetype visionaries that Dr. Shapira personified. He was very much one in the same with these individuals who were really trying to bring a voice, a vision, a presence for design in society.
1972Design in Low-Income Economies. In 1972 Nathan conceived and moderated Design in Low-Income Economies papers and exhibit which he presented at international arenas. These papers and exhibit became part of the cornerstone of the graduate design program curriculum at ucla, that addressed the issue of design for low-income econo-mies and developing countries.
Design can be a catalyst for positive cultural change.“95% of the world’s designers focus all of their efforts on developing products and services exclusively for the richest 10 % of the world’s customers. Nothing less than a revolution in design is needed to reach the other 90%”
Source:
Design for the Other 90%, Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York 2007
The outcomes of the research have transpired into the development, docu-mentation and publishing and presentation of the components of The Archive and research that addressed “Design for Low-Income Economies.” This research covers work and issues addressed by Dr. Shapira and his contemporaries in the early years of icsid (Josine des Cressonnières and Tomas Maldonado, 1957–1977); work at the University of Nairobi Design Department (Selby Mvusi, 1959–1967), the first established Design department in sub-Saharan Africa (1969–1971); and a segment of graduate design seminar curriculum and lectures conducted at ucla from 1965–1992.
The research reconstitutes and reconnects the efforts and dynamic interests in the design community today with the “Design for the Majority” legacy that was established through icsid and these great individuals at ucla and the University of Nairobi. In this respect the learning outcomes from the research, seeks to support a design retrospective, renaissance and resurgent call for, “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World.”
The establishment of this valuable design archive in the dai department compliments the efforts to formulate a Graduate Design Research Study Center for Social Responsibility and Community Development at San Francisco State University. The mission and goals of this center compliment the honor and spirit of the life’s work of Dr. Shapira. The research creates a broader access and awareness of the benefits of design as a tool for development of society, design education and community service learning applications.
The results of this research compliments and supports the further develop-ment of scholarly research in the dai Graduate Design Program through its designated creative work and thesis projects. In addition, the sabbatical research can be referenced for the development of senior degree culminating experience design research courses of study. The objectives of this research establishes an accessible, comprehensive resource and database for the promotion Design for Social Responsibility. The intent is to augment and facilitate research, education and curriculum development in the dai Department at San Francisco State University. Such proposed tangible linkages compliments other existing applied research development initiatives of community engaged scholarship that have already been established in the dai department. A tremendous amount of professional courtesy and accommodation was received from a number of universities, research centers and design archives, as well as, design professionals concerned with Inclusive Design in the Majority World in the United States, Europe and Africa.
During the Sabbatical Leave Research period, from January–May 2011, meetings, lecturers, presentations and workshops were conducted at ten universities; and six professional design centers, organizations and institutions throughout the United States and Europe.
106 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 107The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
One of Nathan Shapira’s greatest attributes that was as a “Design Ambas-sador.” He probably did more for the design profession and practice by exposing, informing and bringing value to design to many people who were not designers. Dr. Shapira’s approach to design was to make it a very interdisciplinary, inclusive and participatory process. He was not only trying to educate the designers, but make everyone knowledgeable patrons of design and advocates of design.
Dr. Shapira did a tremendous amount of documentation of the material culture and vernacular of Kenya. He approached design education, value and practice through an anthropological, ethnographic lens they could also take on a very innovative, sustainable and responsible methodology for design. Although the use of the term “sustainable design” was not used at that time in 1969/1970, an equivalent term of that time would have been “appropriate technology” or “intermediate technology” as brought forward by such design visionaries as E.F. Schumacher in Small is Beautiful, Victor Papanek in Design for the Real World, or Hassan Fathay in Architecture for the Poor. These were these archetype visionaries that Dr. Shapira personified. He was very much one in the same with these individuals who were really trying to bring a voice, a vision, a presence for design in society.
1972Design in Low-Income Economies. In 1972 Nathan conceived and moderated Design in Low-Income Economies papers and exhibit which he presented at international arenas. These papers and exhibit became part of the cornerstone of the graduate design program curriculum at ucla, that addressed the issue of design for low-income econo-mies and developing countries.
Design can be a catalyst for positive cultural change.“95% of the world’s designers focus all of their efforts on developing products and services exclusively for the richest 10 % of the world’s customers. Nothing less than a revolution in design is needed to reach the other 90%”
Source:
Design for the Other 90%, Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York 2007
The outcomes of the research have transpired into the development, docu-mentation and publishing and presentation of the components of The Archive and research that addressed “Design for Low-Income Economies.” This research covers work and issues addressed by Dr. Shapira and his contemporaries in the early years of icsid (Josine des Cressonnières and Tomas Maldonado, 1957–1977); work at the University of Nairobi Design Department (Selby Mvusi, 1959–1967), the first established Design department in sub-Saharan Africa (1969–1971); and a segment of graduate design seminar curriculum and lectures conducted at ucla from 1965–1992.
The research reconstitutes and reconnects the efforts and dynamic interests in the design community today with the “Design for the Majority” legacy that was established through icsid and these great individuals at ucla and the University of Nairobi. In this respect the learning outcomes from the research, seeks to support a design retrospective, renaissance and resurgent call for, “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World.”
The establishment of this valuable design archive in the dai department compliments the efforts to formulate a Graduate Design Research Study Center for Social Responsibility and Community Development at San Francisco State University. The mission and goals of this center compliment the honor and spirit of the life’s work of Dr. Shapira. The research creates a broader access and awareness of the benefits of design as a tool for development of society, design education and community service learning applications.
The results of this research compliments and supports the further develop-ment of scholarly research in the dai Graduate Design Program through its designated creative work and thesis projects. In addition, the sabbatical research can be referenced for the development of senior degree culminating experience design research courses of study. The objectives of this research establishes an accessible, comprehensive resource and database for the promotion Design for Social Responsibility. The intent is to augment and facilitate research, education and curriculum development in the dai Department at San Francisco State University. Such proposed tangible linkages compliments other existing applied research development initiatives of community engaged scholarship that have already been established in the dai department. A tremendous amount of professional courtesy and accommodation was received from a number of universities, research centers and design archives, as well as, design professionals concerned with Inclusive Design in the Majority World in the United States, Europe and Africa.
During the Sabbatical Leave Research period, from January–May 2011, meetings, lecturers, presentations and workshops were conducted at ten universities; and six professional design centers, organizations and institutions throughout the United States and Europe.
108 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 109The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
Phase 1: Spring Semester 2011
Design Archival Project Interns and Research Assistants (Jan.–Dec. 2011)January 28–May 20, 2011 (Spring 2011 - Project Manager and four StudentsJune 6–August 19, 2011 (Summer 2011) - two StudentsAugust 25–December 20, 2011 (Fall 2011)-Visiting Scholar/Design Intern
and three Students
During the Spring Semester 2011, the Sabbatical Research was supported by a team of five undergraduate and graduate Design Archival Project Interns and Research Assistants. The research team was composed of two graduate Students; two undergraduate students; and a Project Research Manager.
The designated Research Assistants were working in conjunction with the Sabbatical Research Project to pursue the documentation, Organization and development of Design Archive Collection of Dr. Nathan H. Shapira, in conjunction with the development of the proposed dai Graduate Design Study Center for Social and Community Design in the dai Department at San Francisco State University.
The research addressed the ideology of what constitutes the three topics that design education, ethics and practice must address in order to be a sig-nificant attribute in our future society in the 21st Century:
1. Design for the Majority: The Other 90%2. Inclusive Design3. Sustainability
The role and responsibilities of the Research Assistant Internship required the students to have basic foundation competency in Adobe CS4 graphic soft-ware applications and design research capabilities to assist in developing the following tasks:
a. Shapira Design Archive Timeline Developmentb. Promotional Graphics/Poster Developmentc. Digital Archival Development (Phase 1: Slides; Videos; Books; Periodicals;
Files)d. Blog/Website
A Web Blog was created for the Sabbatical Work and Archive—Shapira Design Archive Blog: http://nsdablog.com
Phase 2: Fall Semester 2011
Open House and Design Symposium was held on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 for the Nathan Shapira Design Archive and proposed Graduate Design Center for Global Needs and Community Development. This symposium theme, “Design to Live…” coincided with the theme of the Sabbatical Research.
The Design symposium addressed the impact of design, technology, and information applications on the diverse social and cultural identities within the majority world. The symposium focused upon what do the leading designers and visionaries need to know in order to create a built environment for a rapidly emerging, more inclusive and “attainable” future society. The Symposiums Speakers and Panelists will be asked to present from their design process, methods, or applications what they have employed in optimizing the significance of inclusive design in our future society, as a catalyst, for positive social change, particularly in respect to the “Majority World.” There diverse perspectives may range from the burgeoning contemporary markets of emerging low income economy nations, to the built environment of urban and rural locals. Guest Speakers and Panelist included: • Eric Bailey - Creative Director, frogdesign; Propaganda Design• Regina Davis - CEO, SF Housing Development Corporation• Marc Krizack - Exec. Director, Whirlwind Wheelchair International, San Francisco State University• Leslie Speer - Associate Professor, San José State University; idsa Design for the Majority• Tyler Valiquette - COO, Catapult Design
Phase 3: Spring Semester 2012
Development of Case Studies and Graduate Industrial Design Studio: “De-sign to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World” curriculum models that facilitate and celebrate the past and current work of sustaining inclusive socially-responsible design in our emerging society in regards to “Inclusive Design in the Majority World.”
A curriculum and collaborative Project partners for a Graduate Product Design Studio in the Design and Industry Department at San Francisco State University, “Design To Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World” It has been developed to be a continuum of the sabbatical work for the Shapira Design Archive and a follow-up on Design Symposium that was conducted last November 2011 at San Francisco State University. The Graduate Studio project will be based upon utilizing the Nathan Shapira Design Archive at San Francisco State University as a studio Think Tank resource.
108 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 109The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
Phase 1: Spring Semester 2011
Design Archival Project Interns and Research Assistants (Jan.–Dec. 2011)January 28–May 20, 2011 (Spring 2011 - Project Manager and four StudentsJune 6–August 19, 2011 (Summer 2011) - two StudentsAugust 25–December 20, 2011 (Fall 2011)-Visiting Scholar/Design Intern
and three Students
During the Spring Semester 2011, the Sabbatical Research was supported by a team of five undergraduate and graduate Design Archival Project Interns and Research Assistants. The research team was composed of two graduate Students; two undergraduate students; and a Project Research Manager.
The designated Research Assistants were working in conjunction with the Sabbatical Research Project to pursue the documentation, Organization and development of Design Archive Collection of Dr. Nathan H. Shapira, in conjunction with the development of the proposed dai Graduate Design Study Center for Social and Community Design in the dai Department at San Francisco State University.
The research addressed the ideology of what constitutes the three topics that design education, ethics and practice must address in order to be a sig-nificant attribute in our future society in the 21st Century:
1. Design for the Majority: The Other 90%2. Inclusive Design3. Sustainability
The role and responsibilities of the Research Assistant Internship required the students to have basic foundation competency in Adobe CS4 graphic soft-ware applications and design research capabilities to assist in developing the following tasks:
a. Shapira Design Archive Timeline Developmentb. Promotional Graphics/Poster Developmentc. Digital Archival Development (Phase 1: Slides; Videos; Books; Periodicals;
Files)d. Blog/Website
A Web Blog was created for the Sabbatical Work and Archive—Shapira Design Archive Blog: http://nsdablog.com
Phase 2: Fall Semester 2011
Open House and Design Symposium was held on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 for the Nathan Shapira Design Archive and proposed Graduate Design Center for Global Needs and Community Development. This symposium theme, “Design to Live…” coincided with the theme of the Sabbatical Research.
The Design symposium addressed the impact of design, technology, and information applications on the diverse social and cultural identities within the majority world. The symposium focused upon what do the leading designers and visionaries need to know in order to create a built environment for a rapidly emerging, more inclusive and “attainable” future society. The Symposiums Speakers and Panelists will be asked to present from their design process, methods, or applications what they have employed in optimizing the significance of inclusive design in our future society, as a catalyst, for positive social change, particularly in respect to the “Majority World.” There diverse perspectives may range from the burgeoning contemporary markets of emerging low income economy nations, to the built environment of urban and rural locals. Guest Speakers and Panelist included: • Eric Bailey - Creative Director, frogdesign; Propaganda Design• Regina Davis - CEO, SF Housing Development Corporation• Marc Krizack - Exec. Director, Whirlwind Wheelchair International, San Francisco State University• Leslie Speer - Associate Professor, San José State University; idsa Design for the Majority• Tyler Valiquette - COO, Catapult Design
Phase 3: Spring Semester 2012
Development of Case Studies and Graduate Industrial Design Studio: “De-sign to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World” curriculum models that facilitate and celebrate the past and current work of sustaining inclusive socially-responsible design in our emerging society in regards to “Inclusive Design in the Majority World.”
A curriculum and collaborative Project partners for a Graduate Product Design Studio in the Design and Industry Department at San Francisco State University, “Design To Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World” It has been developed to be a continuum of the sabbatical work for the Shapira Design Archive and a follow-up on Design Symposium that was conducted last November 2011 at San Francisco State University. The Graduate Studio project will be based upon utilizing the Nathan Shapira Design Archive at San Francisco State University as a studio Think Tank resource.
I would like to identify product design development projects relative to servicing the needs of the “Other 90%”, “Other Six Billion” that address the “Bottom of the Pyramid” fundamental Physiological Basic Needs in the Majority World and how it relates, or responds to Inclusive Design and Material Culture:
• Food • Shelter • Water The purpose of the Design Studio Project is to identify the most viable/
tangible project issue/need that may be defined, investigated, analyzed and conceptualized for Undergraduate and Graduate Design Research projects. The collaborative outcomes of this initial design solution could be then tested in the field with a host partner/project team for the 2nd stage of the project. The intent is to develop several student design teams with a designated outside partner/collaborator.
1. The San Francisco State University/Graduate Studio Seminar in Indus- trial Design: “Design to Live” (6-8 students) and possible University Partner (Europe, Brazil; Kenya; South Africa; or Ghana)
2. NGO/Institution (Field Experts; Logistics; Management)3. Host Community Partner (User/Client/Beneficiary)– Haiti; Brazil; Africa
Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Prof. Nathan ShapiraIn concluding the year’s sabbatical research and post-evaluation summary, a Design Symposium/Lecture Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Dr. Shapira, is scheduled for Thursday, May 17, 2012 at San Francisco State University. The Tribute will feature the international Guest Speaker, Professor, Dr. Maria Cecilia Loschiavo dos Santos from the University of Sao Paulo, School of Archi-tecture and Urban Planning, São Paulo, Brazil.
The lecture and symposium is being conducting in memorial of the 3rd Anniversary of the death of the late Dr. Shapira on May 16, 2009 and his 84th Birthday on May 28th. Dr. Loschiavo dos Santos has been invited to visit the Archive to conduct a lecture/tribute in the honor of the late Dr. Shapira and to do an interview for the Archive record.
Dr. Loschiavo dos Santos is a leading professor and researcher in the field of Social Design and has a dedicated commitment to broadening the under-standing, value and depth of industrial design in our global society. Dr. Loschiavo dos Santos was a revered colleague of Dr. Shapira, who will share with the Archive Project her post-doctoral studies at ucla under the sponsorship of Dr. Shapira. In this context, Dr. Loschiavo dos Santos will contribute to the Archival Project her personal accounts about the activities of the late Dr. Shapira relative to the field of Design for Society and its relationship to Brazil.
110 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
I would like to identify product design development projects relative to servicing the needs of the “Other 90%”, “Other Six Billion” that address the “Bottom of the Pyramid” fundamental Physiological Basic Needs in the Majority World and how it relates, or responds to Inclusive Design and Material Culture:
• Food • Shelter • Water The purpose of the Design Studio Project is to identify the most viable/
tangible project issue/need that may be defined, investigated, analyzed and conceptualized for Undergraduate and Graduate Design Research projects. The collaborative outcomes of this initial design solution could be then tested in the field with a host partner/project team for the 2nd stage of the project. The intent is to develop several student design teams with a designated outside partner/collaborator.
1. The San Francisco State University/Graduate Studio Seminar in Indus- trial Design: “Design to Live” (6-8 students) and possible University Partner (Europe, Brazil; Kenya; South Africa; or Ghana)
2. NGO/Institution (Field Experts; Logistics; Management)3. Host Community Partner (User/Client/Beneficiary)– Haiti; Brazil; Africa
Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Prof. Nathan ShapiraIn concluding the year’s sabbatical research and post-evaluation summary, a Design Symposium/Lecture Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Dr. Shapira, is scheduled for Thursday, May 17, 2012 at San Francisco State University. The Tribute will feature the international Guest Speaker, Professor, Dr. Maria Cecilia Loschiavo dos Santos from the University of Sao Paulo, School of Archi-tecture and Urban Planning, São Paulo, Brazil.
The lecture and symposium is being conducting in memorial of the 3rd Anniversary of the death of the late Dr. Shapira on May 16, 2009 and his 84th Birthday on May 28th. Dr. Loschiavo dos Santos has been invited to visit the Archive to conduct a lecture/tribute in the honor of the late Dr. Shapira and to do an interview for the Archive record.
Dr. Loschiavo dos Santos is a leading professor and researcher in the field of Social Design and has a dedicated commitment to broadening the under-standing, value and depth of industrial design in our global society. Dr. Loschiavo dos Santos was a revered colleague of Dr. Shapira, who will share with the Archive Project her post-doctoral studies at ucla under the sponsorship of Dr. Shapira. In this context, Dr. Loschiavo dos Santos will contribute to the Archival Project her personal accounts about the activities of the late Dr. Shapira relative to the field of Design for Society and its relationship to Brazil.
110 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012
112 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 113The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
The Tribute symposium is scheduled to occur on Thursday, May 17, 2012, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. in the San Francisco State University/dai Graduate Design Studio Space, followed by a closing luncheon and interview at the Shapira Design Archive from 12:00–2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 18, 2012.
Addendum: The following listing is a chronological review of the visits, meetings, presen-tations and workshops that were held during the sabbatical leave:
Phase I:
Spring Semester 2011January 4–May 20 to present (San Francisco State University): • Develop formal documentation, inventory and organization of existing donated Design Archive Collection of ucla Design Professor Emeritus Dr. Nathan H. Shapira.
Research and development of an online inventory and interactive archival system. Development of Information Design archival finding aids that may be linked through Web 2.0 and virtual environment models. Consultation with San Francisco State University Library staff and Academic Technology resources. Research what currently exists in online interactive design archival systems. • Darlene Tong, San Francisco State University Head, Information, Research and Instructional Services• Dr. Kevin Kelly• Andrew Roderick, Information Technology Director, San Francisco State University Digital Information Virtual Archive (diva)
One of the first projects addressed with the Archive is a “Timeline” project. In this respect, the goal was to develop its outline, design, assets and completion. This effort was done in tandem with identifying, organizing and preparing documents to be digitized in conjunction with diva.
Archival Design Center Promotion; Presentations; Workshops; Educational Partnerships; Scholarly Exchanges:January 28–30 (Los Angeles): Meeting with Director of Los Angeles Shapira Design Archive, Tom Farrage, Architect, Farrage and Company, Culver City and Archivist Researcher from the Politecnico di Milano University who has been assigned to document and prepare artifacts from the Los Angeles and San Francisco State University collection for the Gio Ponti Exhibit, Milan Triennial exposition.
March 20–21 (Los Angeles): Dr. John Odouch Pido, University of Nairobi, Dept. of Design (ucla African Art Triennial)
March 28–29 (Boston, MA): Institute of Human Centered Design, Ms. Valerie Fletcher, Executive Director
April 3–4 (Munich, Germany): Olaf Hoffmann Design, Olaf Hoffmann, Principal
April 4–7 (Ulm, Germany): • Sabbatical Research Presentation: “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World” (4/5/11)• Hochschule Ulm, Prof. Susanne Radtke • Hochschule fur Gestaltung, Faculty Emeritus, Prof. Martin Krampen • Hochschule fur Gestaltung, Faculty Emeritus, Prof. Nick Roericht • Ulmer Museum, Hochschule fur Gestaltung Exhibition, Dr. Martin Mantele, Museum Director
April 8–10 (Florence, Italy): Fondazione del Romaldo del Bianco, Mr. Paolo Del Bianco, President
April 10–16 (Milan, Italy): • Sabbatical Research Presentation: “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World”• (Leonardo Campus, 4/11/11 and Lecco Campus, 4/13/11)• Politechnico di Milano, Dr. Paola Trapani, Design Research Archivist • Harvard University, Dr. Jeffrey Schnappes, lectire/presentation, Digital Archives • Politechnico di Milano, Prof. Celestino Soddu and Prof. Enrica Colabella • Politechnico di Milano, Prof. Silvia Piardi, Head of the Industrial Design Dept.• Politechnico di Milano, Prof. Luisa Collina, Rector for Expos and Events • Villa Tosca Design Management Institute, Dr. Augusto Grillo, President and Ms. Caterina Grillo • Nuevo Accademia di Bella Artes (naba), Ms. Barbara Trebitsch, Director of International Exchanges (Meeting with dai/naba Bilateral Exchange Program Students)
112 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 113The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
The Tribute symposium is scheduled to occur on Thursday, May 17, 2012, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. in the San Francisco State University/dai Graduate Design Studio Space, followed by a closing luncheon and interview at the Shapira Design Archive from 12:00–2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 18, 2012.
Addendum: The following listing is a chronological review of the visits, meetings, presen-tations and workshops that were held during the sabbatical leave:
Phase I:
Spring Semester 2011January 4–May 20 to present (San Francisco State University): • Develop formal documentation, inventory and organization of existing donated Design Archive Collection of ucla Design Professor Emeritus Dr. Nathan H. Shapira.
Research and development of an online inventory and interactive archival system. Development of Information Design archival finding aids that may be linked through Web 2.0 and virtual environment models. Consultation with San Francisco State University Library staff and Academic Technology resources. Research what currently exists in online interactive design archival systems. • Darlene Tong, San Francisco State University Head, Information, Research and Instructional Services• Dr. Kevin Kelly• Andrew Roderick, Information Technology Director, San Francisco State University Digital Information Virtual Archive (diva)
One of the first projects addressed with the Archive is a “Timeline” project. In this respect, the goal was to develop its outline, design, assets and completion. This effort was done in tandem with identifying, organizing and preparing documents to be digitized in conjunction with diva.
Archival Design Center Promotion; Presentations; Workshops; Educational Partnerships; Scholarly Exchanges:January 28–30 (Los Angeles): Meeting with Director of Los Angeles Shapira Design Archive, Tom Farrage, Architect, Farrage and Company, Culver City and Archivist Researcher from the Politecnico di Milano University who has been assigned to document and prepare artifacts from the Los Angeles and San Francisco State University collection for the Gio Ponti Exhibit, Milan Triennial exposition.
March 20–21 (Los Angeles): Dr. John Odouch Pido, University of Nairobi, Dept. of Design (ucla African Art Triennial)
March 28–29 (Boston, MA): Institute of Human Centered Design, Ms. Valerie Fletcher, Executive Director
April 3–4 (Munich, Germany): Olaf Hoffmann Design, Olaf Hoffmann, Principal
April 4–7 (Ulm, Germany): • Sabbatical Research Presentation: “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World” (4/5/11)• Hochschule Ulm, Prof. Susanne Radtke • Hochschule fur Gestaltung, Faculty Emeritus, Prof. Martin Krampen • Hochschule fur Gestaltung, Faculty Emeritus, Prof. Nick Roericht • Ulmer Museum, Hochschule fur Gestaltung Exhibition, Dr. Martin Mantele, Museum Director
April 8–10 (Florence, Italy): Fondazione del Romaldo del Bianco, Mr. Paolo Del Bianco, President
April 10–16 (Milan, Italy): • Sabbatical Research Presentation: “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World”• (Leonardo Campus, 4/11/11 and Lecco Campus, 4/13/11)• Politechnico di Milano, Dr. Paola Trapani, Design Research Archivist • Harvard University, Dr. Jeffrey Schnappes, lectire/presentation, Digital Archives • Politechnico di Milano, Prof. Celestino Soddu and Prof. Enrica Colabella • Politechnico di Milano, Prof. Silvia Piardi, Head of the Industrial Design Dept.• Politechnico di Milano, Prof. Luisa Collina, Rector for Expos and Events • Villa Tosca Design Management Institute, Dr. Augusto Grillo, President and Ms. Caterina Grillo • Nuevo Accademia di Bella Artes (naba), Ms. Barbara Trebitsch, Director of International Exchanges (Meeting with dai/naba Bilateral Exchange Program Students)
115The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
April 17–21 (London, UK): • Brunel University, Dr. Marco Ajovalasit, and Dr. Hua Dong, School of Engi- neering and Design• (Meeting with Brunel/DAI Bilateral Exchange Program Students)• Include 2011 Conference, Royal College of Art, Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Rama Ghaweero, Deputy Director (Presentation; Poster Session; Session Chair)• University of Brighton Design Archive, Ms. Catherine Moriarty, Curatorial Director
April 25–29 (Paris, France): • Dan-Antoine Blanc Shapira, son of Nathan Shapira (President, Sensations: an Event/Marketing/Publicity Firm, Paris)• Jocelyn De Noblet, Design Historian • Sabbatical Research Presentation: “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World” Ecole superiere de creation industrielle (Ensci/Les Ateliers, Liz Davis, Director of Studio Internationale), 4/28/11
April 29–May 2 (Berlin, Germany)
Phase II:
Fall Semester 2011• Acceptance of a peer-reviewed juried paper and presentation to the Sabbatical Research, “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World,” to the Industrial Designers Society of America (idsa) International Conference and Educators Symposium, September 17, 2011, New Orleans, LA• Open House for the Nathan Shapira Design Archive• Design Symposium, “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World,” November 1, 2011 This symposium theme, “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World” coincided with the theme of the Sabbatical Research.
Images: Courtesy Nathan Shapira Design Archive; and Ricardo Gomes
115The Nathan H. Shapira Design Archive Project at San Francisco State University
April 17–21 (London, UK): • Brunel University, Dr. Marco Ajovalasit, and Dr. Hua Dong, School of Engi- neering and Design• (Meeting with Brunel/DAI Bilateral Exchange Program Students)• Include 2011 Conference, Royal College of Art, Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Rama Ghaweero, Deputy Director (Presentation; Poster Session; Session Chair)• University of Brighton Design Archive, Ms. Catherine Moriarty, Curatorial Director
April 25–29 (Paris, France): • Dan-Antoine Blanc Shapira, son of Nathan Shapira (President, Sensations: an Event/Marketing/Publicity Firm, Paris)• Jocelyn De Noblet, Design Historian • Sabbatical Research Presentation: “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World” Ecole superiere de creation industrielle (Ensci/Les Ateliers, Liz Davis, Director of Studio Internationale), 4/28/11
April 29–May 2 (Berlin, Germany)
Phase II:
Fall Semester 2011• Acceptance of a peer-reviewed juried paper and presentation to the Sabbatical Research, “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World,” to the Industrial Designers Society of America (idsa) International Conference and Educators Symposium, September 17, 2011, New Orleans, LA• Open House for the Nathan Shapira Design Archive• Design Symposium, “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World,” November 1, 2011 This symposium theme, “Design to Live: Inclusive Design in the Majority World” coincided with the theme of the Sabbatical Research.
Images: Courtesy Nathan Shapira Design Archive; and Ricardo Gomes
116 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 117About the Authors
About the Authors
Ricardo Gomes earned his bfa from the Massachusetts College of Art, and his mfa and ma from ucla. Since 1984, he has accumulated an extensive background relative to international design research and development in such topics as: Inclusive Design, Universal Design, Design for Developing Countries,and Global Design and Cultural Identity. A former Fulbright Research Scholar in Kenya, he has lectured extensively at universities throughout the U.S., Africa, Europe, Latin America and Japan. He his currently Chair of the Design and industry Department. Kimberly Hylton holds a ba in Art Education with an emphasis in Ceramics and Sculpture from Purdue University. After teaching elementary and middle school art for four years in Arizona she has chosen to relocate to San Francisco to pursue an ma in Industrial Arts at San Francisco State University. In an effort to combine her sculpture background with an analytical approach to design she is currently exploring the design of outdoor gear and its role in the overall process and experience of the outdoors.
Steve Jones is an Assistant Professor and the Graduate Program Coordinator in the Department of Design and Industry. He received his bfa from the California College of the Arts, and his mfa in Graphic Design, with honors, from the Rhode Island School of Design. He is the founder of the Negro Emancipation Association (nea) and the Principal/Creative Director of plantain, an Oakland-based design studio.
Trevor Myers received his ba in Conceptual Information Art from San Francisco State University. This background helps him frame problems, literally and figuratively, in ways that lead to undiscovered solutions. His maia focus is on lighting and how it impacts our lives.
Eric Rosen is originally from San Diego and a graduate of University of California, San Diego. Drawing was the first way he learned to give life to his ideas. Then he discovered woodworking and painting. The joy of working with each new medium inspired in his curiosity and courage to experiment with any art form, any material he could get his hands on. Glassblowing, jewelry making, blacksmithing, casting, photography. Everything is constantly changing, evolving, eroding. One needs the ability to adapt, alter, and conquer in step with the capriciousness of the times.
John K. Smith, having worked as an urban Environmental Designer and Interior Designer, came to San Francisco State University to shift towards product design. However, he soon realized that working towards establishing democracy and freedom of speech in Iran is more meaningful to him. Currently, he stands at the beginning of a new journey in his life.
Nicholas E. Steele received his bfa, Interior Design from San José State University, CA. He is leed Green Associate accredited, a practicing Interior Designer and Instructor of Interior Design. Nick has ten years of experience in programing, space planning, design development, product design, finish materials and furniture selection, construction documents and construction administration. He has been involved in various project types throughout the bay area and San Diego. Prior to entering the field of interior design Nick had several years of experience in the commercial construction industry. Nick’s future interests are in the development of sustainable architectural products.
Stephanie Tang is an award winning book designer. She received her bs in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of California (San Francisco) and winning 2006 Best Portfolio for Graphic Design. Her professional focus is in book design—in the past she has worked for publishing house Weldon Owen, Inc., where she designed and developed many successful cookbooks for Williams-Sonoma, and children’s educational books for Discovery Channel, among others. Stephanie’s research emphasis focuses on improving health literacy through culturally relevant visual communication to serve underserved populations. With this work, she hopes to reduce the health disparities that many minorities continue to face.
Kenji Wada was born in Osaka, Japan. He received his ba in Chinese from Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. After graduation, he worked at a Japanese manufacturer that produced radio’s for export. He then moved to a small company in Osaka that built bicycles. His experience there encouraged him to take a next step and pursue a degree product design. Using his experience, he is working on a creative work project that combines the themes of the bicycle with sustainability with graphic design.
Zixiang Wei whose name, Zixiang, “Zi” in Chinese means “beloved child” and “Xiang” means “flying freely in the sky.” He holds a ba in Industrial Design from Shandong University. His interests include product design, architecture , photography pottery and website design. His graduation design won first place in his class. His “Entertainment Mobile Phone Design” won the silver award in the industrial design category at the 10th East China Grand Award Design Exhibition in 2006. His “Mobile Phone Design” won the bronze award in the industrial design category at the 10th East China Grand Award Design Exhibition in 2006. His “China Style Mobile Phone Design” won the golden award in the character design category at 2007 Qilu Star Design Art Grand Award. His favorite hobby is climbing. His biggest dream is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
116 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 117About the Authors
About the Authors
Ricardo Gomes earned his bfa from the Massachusetts College of Art, and his mfa and ma from ucla. Since 1984, he has accumulated an extensive background relative to international design research and development in such topics as: Inclusive Design, Universal Design, Design for Developing Countries,and Global Design and Cultural Identity. A former Fulbright Research Scholar in Kenya, he has lectured extensively at universities throughout the U.S., Africa, Europe, Latin America and Japan. He his currently Chair of the Design and industry Department. Kimberly Hylton holds a ba in Art Education with an emphasis in Ceramics and Sculpture from Purdue University. After teaching elementary and middle school art for four years in Arizona she has chosen to relocate to San Francisco to pursue an ma in Industrial Arts at San Francisco State University. In an effort to combine her sculpture background with an analytical approach to design she is currently exploring the design of outdoor gear and its role in the overall process and experience of the outdoors.
Steve Jones is an Assistant Professor and the Graduate Program Coordinator in the Department of Design and Industry. He received his bfa from the California College of the Arts, and his mfa in Graphic Design, with honors, from the Rhode Island School of Design. He is the founder of the Negro Emancipation Association (nea) and the Principal/Creative Director of plantain, an Oakland-based design studio.
Trevor Myers received his ba in Conceptual Information Art from San Francisco State University. This background helps him frame problems, literally and figuratively, in ways that lead to undiscovered solutions. His maia focus is on lighting and how it impacts our lives.
Eric Rosen is originally from San Diego and a graduate of University of California, San Diego. Drawing was the first way he learned to give life to his ideas. Then he discovered woodworking and painting. The joy of working with each new medium inspired in his curiosity and courage to experiment with any art form, any material he could get his hands on. Glassblowing, jewelry making, blacksmithing, casting, photography. Everything is constantly changing, evolving, eroding. One needs the ability to adapt, alter, and conquer in step with the capriciousness of the times.
John K. Smith, having worked as an urban Environmental Designer and Interior Designer, came to San Francisco State University to shift towards product design. However, he soon realized that working towards establishing democracy and freedom of speech in Iran is more meaningful to him. Currently, he stands at the beginning of a new journey in his life.
Nicholas E. Steele received his bfa, Interior Design from San José State University, CA. He is leed Green Associate accredited, a practicing Interior Designer and Instructor of Interior Design. Nick has ten years of experience in programing, space planning, design development, product design, finish materials and furniture selection, construction documents and construction administration. He has been involved in various project types throughout the bay area and San Diego. Prior to entering the field of interior design Nick had several years of experience in the commercial construction industry. Nick’s future interests are in the development of sustainable architectural products.
Stephanie Tang is an award winning book designer. She received her bs in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of California (San Francisco) and winning 2006 Best Portfolio for Graphic Design. Her professional focus is in book design—in the past she has worked for publishing house Weldon Owen, Inc., where she designed and developed many successful cookbooks for Williams-Sonoma, and children’s educational books for Discovery Channel, among others. Stephanie’s research emphasis focuses on improving health literacy through culturally relevant visual communication to serve underserved populations. With this work, she hopes to reduce the health disparities that many minorities continue to face.
Kenji Wada was born in Osaka, Japan. He received his ba in Chinese from Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. After graduation, he worked at a Japanese manufacturer that produced radio’s for export. He then moved to a small company in Osaka that built bicycles. His experience there encouraged him to take a next step and pursue a degree product design. Using his experience, he is working on a creative work project that combines the themes of the bicycle with sustainability with graphic design.
Zixiang Wei whose name, Zixiang, “Zi” in Chinese means “beloved child” and “Xiang” means “flying freely in the sky.” He holds a ba in Industrial Design from Shandong University. His interests include product design, architecture , photography pottery and website design. His graduation design won first place in his class. His “Entertainment Mobile Phone Design” won the silver award in the industrial design category at the 10th East China Grand Award Design Exhibition in 2006. His “Mobile Phone Design” won the bronze award in the industrial design category at the 10th East China Grand Award Design Exhibition in 2006. His “China Style Mobile Phone Design” won the golden award in the character design category at 2007 Qilu Star Design Art Grand Award. His favorite hobby is climbing. His biggest dream is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
118 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 119Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
Kimberly HyltonI would like to thank Luke Boldman for sharing his experiences and expertise with me. His dedication, hard work, and focus to do something he truly enjoys, has indeed inspired me to pursue a career I love. I would also like to thank those who have pushed and encouraged me along my educational journey.
Steve JonesI want to thank an incredible group of students! It’s been great working with you, and seeing you all develop over the course of the semester. You guys were an awesome group! I also want to thank University Librarian Darlene Tong, Design and Industry Department Chair Ricardo Gomes, and the Acumen Advisory Board for all their guidance, advice and support.
Trevor MyersI would like to thank Alfred Lewy md, phd, for taking the time to share his intimate knowledge of Chronobiology, for answering my questions and giving me plenty more to investigate. I also want to thank Professors Hsiao-Yun Chu and Paul Nowicki for their insight and eagerness to see students progress.
Eric RosenI’d like to thank Soren Lefkowits for taking time out of his busy schedule to allow me to interview him. I would also like to thank my sister Perth for her continual support and adoration.
John K. Smith I would like to thank and honor all the brave Iranian men and women who have been walking in the frontline of resistance and social change with their lives at risk. I would also like to thank Steve Jones for pushing me forward and being patient at the same time. Last but not least, a big thank-you to Arash Sobhani for accepting this interview.
Nicholas E. SteeleA huge thank-you to Liane MacNeil for working with me to arrange a time to conduct the interview with Mogens Smed. To Mogens Smed, thank-you for taking the time to speak with me to provide such a lively and informative conversation.
Stephanie TangI would like to express my greatest gratitude to Dr. Joseph Betancourt who took time out of his busy schedule of fighting for social justice in health and healthcare to give me his inspiring words of wisdom. Thank-you to his team for providing me with the imagery to use with the interview. A special thanks goes to the individuals who took the times to read my interview exchanged their interesting ideas, thoughts to improve my interview. Finally, I would like to thank my parents and grandparents for their wholehearted support for my work, and I thank them for their own work in serving underserved communities, which inspired and encouraged me to go my own way to give a voice to the invisibles.
Kenji WadaI would like to thank for Graham Bergh who agreed to be interviewed for my essay. It was a great opportunity to meet professional in a real field that that shares my interest—sustainable and bicycle business. I would also like to thank Professor Jones who coordinates our program and did the layout and design of our essays.
Zixiang Wei I’d like to thank Professor Liu Guanzhong for granting me a great interview, for his patient guidance and suggestions, and his broad range of knowledge and a wealth of experience.
118 Acumen: Insight into the Design Process || Spring 2012 119Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
Kimberly HyltonI would like to thank Luke Boldman for sharing his experiences and expertise with me. His dedication, hard work, and focus to do something he truly enjoys, has indeed inspired me to pursue a career I love. I would also like to thank those who have pushed and encouraged me along my educational journey.
Steve JonesI want to thank an incredible group of students! It’s been great working with you, and seeing you all develop over the course of the semester. You guys were an awesome group! I also want to thank University Librarian Darlene Tong, Design and Industry Department Chair Ricardo Gomes, and the Acumen Advisory Board for all their guidance, advice and support.
Trevor MyersI would like to thank Alfred Lewy md, phd, for taking the time to share his intimate knowledge of Chronobiology, for answering my questions and giving me plenty more to investigate. I also want to thank Professors Hsiao-Yun Chu and Paul Nowicki for their insight and eagerness to see students progress.
Eric RosenI’d like to thank Soren Lefkowits for taking time out of his busy schedule to allow me to interview him. I would also like to thank my sister Perth for her continual support and adoration.
John K. Smith I would like to thank and honor all the brave Iranian men and women who have been walking in the frontline of resistance and social change with their lives at risk. I would also like to thank Steve Jones for pushing me forward and being patient at the same time. Last but not least, a big thank-you to Arash Sobhani for accepting this interview.
Nicholas E. SteeleA huge thank-you to Liane MacNeil for working with me to arrange a time to conduct the interview with Mogens Smed. To Mogens Smed, thank-you for taking the time to speak with me to provide such a lively and informative conversation.
Stephanie TangI would like to express my greatest gratitude to Dr. Joseph Betancourt who took time out of his busy schedule of fighting for social justice in health and healthcare to give me his inspiring words of wisdom. Thank-you to his team for providing me with the imagery to use with the interview. A special thanks goes to the individuals who took the times to read my interview exchanged their interesting ideas, thoughts to improve my interview. Finally, I would like to thank my parents and grandparents for their wholehearted support for my work, and I thank them for their own work in serving underserved communities, which inspired and encouraged me to go my own way to give a voice to the invisibles.
Kenji WadaI would like to thank for Graham Bergh who agreed to be interviewed for my essay. It was a great opportunity to meet professional in a real field that that shares my interest—sustainable and bicycle business. I would also like to thank Professor Jones who coordinates our program and did the layout and design of our essays.
Zixiang Wei I’d like to thank Professor Liu Guanzhong for granting me a great interview, for his patient guidance and suggestions, and his broad range of knowledge and a wealth of experience.
