Design workshops and the circular economy

Elżbieta Ryńska

Abstract

Civilisation has developed based on an assumption of abundance with access to resources often treated as a marginal issue. A circular economy may prove more sustainable than a linear economy, as it emphasises reliance on resources, and preserving water and energy. Included here are assumptions as to design and management applicable to interdisciplinary design, initially in educational curricula and later in the architecture profession. Selected outcomes of the study discussed here are based on conclusions drawn from design studios and workshops supervised by the author, and with academic staff at the Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology (FA-WUT). Outcomes include those of a workshop run in October 2019 with Menno Rubbens from Dutch architects cepezed. The educational approaches encompass regenerative and circular solutions, and should be considered more as issues under research than as final conclusions. The finding of the education theme is that the changing approach to design should be taught at university level, because students at that stage are much more flexible.