CASE STUDIES
This work-in-progress section compiles a repertoire of projects and initiatives for sustainable and inclusive development of communities and territories, capable of reducing inequalities, and strengthening institutions that guide local communities, to sustain peace and prevent conflict.
The case studies are a stimulus for the development of design approaches and processes applicable to the peace economy theme.
FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE
Goldsmith, University of London
2010
service design
design for emergencies
design justice
Forensic Architecture (FA) is a research agency based at Goldsmiths, University of London, dedicated to investigating human rights violations, particularly instances of violence by states, militaries, and corporations.
In close collaboration with various institutions within civil society, FA employs cutting-edge methodologies like spatial and architectural analysis, open-source investigation, digital modeling, and immersive technologies.
The impact of FA’s investigations is substantial, with findings presented in national and international courtrooms and highlighted by cultural institutions and media outlets. These findings play pivotal roles in citizen tribunals and community assemblies, advocating fervently for justice and accountability.
E-NABLE
Ivan Owen, Richard Van As
2011
product service system design
humanitarian design
open-source
distributed
making
e-NABLE is an online global community of volunteers who use digital manufacturing techniques to create free prosthetic upper limb devices for children and adults in need with low production costs.
e-NABLE Volunteers develop open-source designs that aid individuals born without fingers or hands, or those who lost them due to various circumstances like war, natural disasters, illness, or accidents. With a global network of around 40,000 volunteers spanning over 100 countries, e-NABLE has provided free prosthetic hands and arms to an estimated 10,000-15,000 recipients.
Their collaborative efforts and open-source designs empower underserved communities lacking adequate medical care. These designs have been instrumental in offering assistance to those who face limited or no access to traditional medical resources.
RE:UKRAINE SYSTEM
Balbek Bureau
2022
product service system design
humanitarian design
design for emergencies
design for inclusion
RE:Ukraine comprises a series of social initiatives initiated by the Balbek Bureau team in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The cornerstone of this system is the RE:Ukraine Housing project, dedicated to providing dignified housing for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and enhancing the lifestyle of temporarily displaced citizens.
The RE:Ukraine Villages project instead, utilizes digital architecture practices to develop a design code, ensuring the preservation of the distinct, organic image of Ukrainian villages. This initiative safeguards these villages from being erased by newer constructions.
Lastly, the RE:Ukraine Monuments was designed to offer a standardized solution that would allow the quick design of a shelter for any monument, regardless of its size.
MINE KAFON
Massoud and Mahmud Hassani
2013
product design
design for emergencies
hacking
making
robotics
The Mine Kafon Ball is a large wind-powered device designed to safely trigger landmines as it moves across minefields. With a 17 kg iron core and multiple cheap bamboo legs, it mimics the size and weight of an average person, making it effective in detonating landmines upon contact.
The movements are tracked by a GPS unit, giving data to local communities or governments and helping mapping minefields.
The newer version of Mine Kafon incorporates drones for precise mine detection, surveying, and mapping. This integration enables operators to work from a safe distance, expediting the detection process by tenfold and reducing costs by forty times compared to traditional methods. The use of drones enhances safety measures and accelerates minefield clearance.
ROMI
IAAC FabLab, Noumena
2018
product service system design
design for inclusion
making
robotics
transition design
ROMI is a research project aimed at promoting sustainable, local, and human-scale agriculture. ROMI consists of a multi-platform system designed for use in the context of polyculture market-garden farms.
The ultimate goal is to increase the level of productivity of agricultural realities, favouring the shift towards more sustainable and optimized models. ROMI combines hardware and software components within a complex, open-source system. This system is based on a platform capable of managing data acquisition processes and 3D plant analysis. This dashboard makes it possible to monitor the health status of crops and provide situated plant data for agronomy. Therefore, ROMI aims to develop new techniques for managing production realities through research and understanding emerging agricultural trends, involving local communities in new production models.
TRAFICANDO ARTE
Allan Weber
2021
communication design
crtitical design
design for inclusion
Allan Weber, hailing from Rio de Janeiro’s 5 Bocas community, found his artistic calling through ‘pixação’ and photography, inspired by skateboarding. Beyond photography, he crafts installations reflecting urban life. After studying at the School of Visual Arts, he founded the 5 Bocas Gallery, a community-focused space for artistic expression. His debut exhibition, “There is a whole life you don’t know” (2020), challenges societal stigmas. Through his art, Weber aims to unveil the unseen aspects of his community, fostering understanding and empathy. His journey exemplifies art’s transformative power, bridging gaps and shedding light on marginalized narratives.
In Traficando Arte the artist appropriates elements linked to the culture and reality of the peripheral communities of Rio de Janeiro and redefines them by creating objects, collages, and compositions related to the bricoleur tradition in Brazilian art.
The Designs for Safer Streets project, sponsored by Clear Channel, was facilitated by BA (Hons) Product and Industrial Design over a 13-week period from March to June 2022. With the backing of the Design Against Crime Research Lab at Central Saint Martins, the initiative tasked students with tackling the complex issue of violence against women and girls. Their mission: harness the power of design to create solutions that not only safeguard but also empower, educate, and effect meaningful change.
Lighthouse is a system of street lighting owned by communities, allowing them to opt in and register harassment on their streets. The intensity of the lighting signals when violence against women.
(VAWG) has increased within geographical areas based on information received from a community-backed information network.
EMPATHY LINES
Emily Cornuaud
2022
communication design
social design
design for inclusion
The Designs for Safer Streets project, sponsored by Clear Channel, was facilitated by BA (Hons) Product and Industrial Design over a 13-week period from March to June 2022. With the backing of the Design Against Crime Research Lab at Central Saint Martins, the initiative tasked students with tackling the complex issue of violence against women and girls. Their mission: harness the power of design to create solutions that not only safeguard but also empower, educate, and effect meaningful change.
Empathy Lines is a game that involves physical activities, using different line formations to discuss ‘awkward’ subjects. It rethinks the playground as a resource for playful learning, taking sex education out of the classroom and into a safe, shared space.
The Designs for Safer Streets project, sponsored by Clear Channel, was facilitated by BA (Hons) Product and Industrial Design over a 13-week period from March to June 2022. With the backing of the Design Against Crime Research Lab at Central Saint Martins, the initiative tasked students with tackling the complex issue of violence against women and girls. Their mission: harness the power of design to create solutions that not only safeguard but also empower, educate, and effect meaningful change.
In 2010 the UN declared that water is an indispensable human right; nowadays, the dramatic situation related to the access to such resource counts over 260 conflicts worldwide.
Therefore, this project aims to report the crimes related to water through a collection of 3 flasks.
César López invented the Escopetarras in 2003 after the Bogotá attack. The first, crafted from a Winchester rifle and Stratocaster guitar, was made in 2003. Alberto Paredes built five; four were given to Juanes, Fito Páez, UN Development Programme, and Bogotá’s government; López kept one. Juanes sold his for $17,000 in a Beverly Hills fundraiser for landmine victims. The UN’s Escopetarra was exhibited in 2006. In 2006, López got 12 AK-47s to make guitars for Shakira, Carlos Santana, Paul McCartney, and the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama’s team rejected it, prompting López to clarify the purpose.
President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Rodrigo Londoño, leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), signed the peace agreement on Monday using pens crafted from .50 caliber bullets. The Colombian president characterized this symbolic act as a transition from bullets to education, symbolizing a commitment to the future.
Santos presented each guest with a “balígrafo” (bala=bullet ) engraved with the phrase ‘Bullets wrote our past. Peace, our future,’ echoing sentiments shared by Santos and Londoño during the ceasefire agreement signing on June 23 2016.
HABITAT FOR PEACE
Pontifical Javeriana University
2019
design justice
design for inclusion
social design
Habitat for Peace is an urban proposal for the resettlement of ex-FARC guerrilla members in San José del Guaviare, Colombian Amazonia. The community, signatories of the Peace Agreement, collaborated with Pontifical Javeriana University to design an inclusive plan. Launched in 2019, the project integrates the expectations, dreams, and needs of the residents, aiming to create a harmonious living environment.
This collaborative effort, initiated through the “Food, Life, and Habitat” Project, envisions a community reflecting the aspirations of those seeking peaceful coexistence in their new home.
+ VICINI DA LONTANO
Valerio Vinaccia, Ánako Aps
/
product design
design for inclusion
distributed
social design
Design, ideas and projects as a tool for remote solidarity.
Using Design, planning and creativity, to design objects and useful tools for refugees and populations in crisis, which can be transmitted and produced directly where it is needed anywhere in the world.
Applying design and creativity to solving humanitarian problems, while promoting collaboration with local communities and the use of modern digital production technologies.
LAS GAVIOTAS
Paolo Lugari
1971
design for inclusion
sustainability
social design
The Experimental Center las Gaviotas, founded 37 years ago in Vichada, Colombia, is a community of 200 people sustainably utilizing 8,000 hectares.
From extracting resins for paint to producing palm biodiesel, the center excels in ecological initiatives. Initiated by Paolo Lugari, they have planted six million pines, forming the country’s largest planted forest. Projects like windmills for pure water extraction and bioclimatic houses with solar panels have been implemented. The community also contributes to residential projects in Medellín and Bogotá, emphasizing their focus on renewable energies and harmony with nature. Additionally, the project has fostered encounters and peace among local communities, showcasing diverse ways of coexisting harmoniously.
