- Resilient Systems and Sustainable Qualities Small, local, open and connected: an emerging scenario For a long time, we have known that, whatever our future society will be, it will be a “risk society” [2]—a society likely to be affected by different kinds of traumatic events (from natural catastrophes, to war and terrorism, to financial and economic crisis). We have known […]
- Patterning Dialogues A good conversation can change everything. As this three-year partnership between Powertech Labs and Emily Carr University of Art + Design demonstrates, good conversation can seed insights and change trajectories. In our case, iterative dialogue clarified business strategy, identified new markets, and deepened understanding about the technical and social systems surrounding the use of energy […]
- Co-creating Spaces: The Tag Project Abstract This article examines how participatory design strategies can serve as an effective tool when working with multiple design constraints. Emily Carr University of Art + Design students were asked to collaborate with children with special learning needs to create a textile-based product from reclaimed fabric that endorsed sustainability among both the users and the […]
- Pulse™ Energy On Re-Educating Your Market Pulse™ Energy On Re-Educating Your Market Interviewer: Haig Armen, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Design + Dynamic Media Interviewees: Kara Pecknold, MAA 2009 graduate from the design stream, & Chris Stone, principal of SeaStone Designs. The Back Story What does energy consumption look like? Or, for that matter, what does energy conservation look like? If you’ve […]
- Case Study: Powertech – Service Oriented Strategies for Sustainability This morning, I spent two dollars on a coffee and put 834 grams of carbon into the atmosphere. That’s 417 grams per dollar, according to us carbon intensity data (us Energy). In our resource-based economy, it should come as no surprise that this can be measured, and certainly no surprise that our spending habits have […]
- Rest + Recharge: Long Distance Travel Using Electric Vehicles Across Canada Rest + Recharge is a collaboration between Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD) students Amanda Klassen, Ada Chiu and Kevin Tsuyuki Tomlinson, and Powertech®, a company specializing in clean energy consulting, testing, and solutions. Electric vehicles (EV) can be recharged from a standard wall socket (12o Volt); they are generally viewed as a […]