Alastair Brook, Jack Lehane, Jason Ladrigan and Seán Conlan-Smith are four design doctoral students which decided to found the DSGN Movement (Design Student Global Network), a new project pioneered by an international network of student designers and social communities. Read the interview to find out what their project is about!

DSGN: “Our first major project is located in Pejarakan, a village in the northwestern region of Bali– nestled between mountains and the sea. Despite this, the inhabitants are often from struggling families and live on the poverty line. To combat this, we have partnered with a local community development organisation and are building a self-sustaining Innovation Hub to educate Balinese youth on environmental and economic security.”

SOYC: “The project you are going to create, the Innovation Hub, it’s your property. But what about the designers and authors of the project?”

DSGN: “This Innovation Hub has been designed by Hanna Haczek and Ewelina Andrecka, two Polish Architecture Students who won our recent architecture competition!”

SOYC: “Can you told us what they said you about their project?”

DSGN: “Yes, of course. Here their words: The hub is designed in such a way that it gives the impression of a perfect balance with the surrounding nature. It is divided into three sections by mobile walls – frames filled with bamboo, a sustainable material – that are arranged to the users preference. the heart of the facility there is an installation which cools down the inside by using stored rainwater and natural airflow circulation- saving on unneeded power. Simplicity is key here- and usage of local building materials and plain environmental solutions play a significant role in achieving harmony with the environment.”

SOYC: “What did inspire you to produce such an important project and make it reality?”

DSGN: “Our first project in Bali began when we met the Five Pillar Foundation. Its leaders, I Putu Wiraguna and Alan Yu, have a dream of creating a sustainable and self-sufficient Innovation Hub, where the local community can teach each other craft and design skills and boost their local economy.

This Innovation Hub will overcome a shortage of education and knowledge in the local community. A lack of social collaboration has meant there are many jobless people. The future development of Bali will come through re-connecting with our local culture and our environment. The project connects students of architecture and design from around the world with local youth, allowing freedom of design thinking that will spark new and exciting entrepreneurial opportunities – creating a sustainable community in the heart of the island.”

The other project we are going to present today is that by Clementina Chiarini and Nicolò Cellina. They designed a craft-made bike which is made of wood and perfectly fits with your body and your preferences.

SOYC: “So, can you please talk about your project, which is close to the green mobility cause?”

Clementina: “A wood bike is what you need to move around the city: no traffic, no pollution and no sedentary people! It is a special bike because it is craft made. It is a prototype based in a digital model that you can customize according to your body and your tastes. The bike fits you and you fit your bike. This design object is useful and it is the symbol of green mobility with zero emission. Moreover, it is made of a renewable material: wood. In particular, it is a wasted wood in very good condition that we recycle and combine to make a beautiful bike.”

SOYC: “Where does your project take its origins?”

Nicolò: “Everything begins whit a question: How can we recycle wasted wood with small dimensions from carpentry? Of course, making a bike! Promote a green way of life also when we move it is very important for us and for our planet. Using multilayered wood, it is the answer. This technique allows to recycle small pieces and different types of wood. For the shape, the main source of inspiration for the project is the shape of the bikes used in the early nineties. The study of the shape and the geometry of one of those frames have been taken as a base configuration to develop the shape of our frame.”

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