27 November 2023 News

What if Lab at InnovatieExpo 2023

This year, What if Lab was part of the Innovation Expo! How can we harness design power for societal transitions? On behalf of Dutch Design Foundation, we showed that through four What if Labs. We took visitors of InnovationExpo into a reality where the power of design is undeniable.

The four projects visualise concretely how design power can contribute to a broad pallet of societal issues. They also show how designers and organisations work together to arrive at new solution directions and perspectives.

The four featured projects

One of the projects displayed was Green for Gasoline, from the Embassy Lab (project at World Design Embassies, where the What if Lab methodology was applied) in collaboration with Eindhoven municipality and Studio 1:1. This is a concept for a liveable street with more greenery and high resident engagement. This project was also part of Dutch Design Week 2023.

We also showcased the Bridging the gap project, a What if Lab in collaboration with Gemeente Amsterdam. In this lab, PLYGRND.city, Ivanka Bakker and Florian Eckardt set to work on a concrete issue about the bridges in Amsterdam that are at the end of their technical lifespan. How can these bridges be designed as multifunctional spaces without car traffic?

Also on display will be The Circular Station, a What if Lab in collaboration with Bygg Architecture & Design and ProRail. How to make 350 small stations in the Netherlands Circular? We showed Bygg’s concept involving local residents of the station.

Sunseeker was also part of the expo. In 2018, Eindhoven municipality and Solliance initiated the What if Lab: SolarSquare Design Challenge. The question? Design an innovative application of flexible solar cells for the new Victoria Park in Eindhoven. Design studio VANTOT developed SUNSEEKER, a new, interactive form of street lighting that makes us think about sustainability in a different way.

Read the review of the day on the InnovationExpo website here.