Designing for a Changing Future: Understanding the Past as a Basis for Better Designs for the Future
Title of Course: Designing for a Changing Future: Understanding the Past as a Basis for Better Designs for the Future
Facilitator: Wilhelm Reindl
Email: alteravista@gmail.com Phone: 651-633-4410
Class Time: Saturdays 10 to 11:30, 11 to 12:30, or 1 to2:30 (or a Monday evening 7-8:30)
Class Dates: Consecutive Saturdays: July 11, 18, 25 (the 4th session listed will be informal and held only if participants wish it, at a time convenient to them); and repeated August 8, 15, and 22 if there is interest
Place: Macalester College, Campus Center Room 207
Course description: Design is a (human) response to a situation, challenge, or problem constrained by insight, means, opportunities, and environment. The response can reach far beyond the designer's intent or conception. Today's solution-driven designs for society can be dangerous propositions.
This class will examine the listed constraints, taking into account the humanistic and philosophical concepts that underly today's society (understanding where we have come from) and will engage students in applying a resulting broader vision to specific design problems.
Four 1 1/2-hour sessions, each including class discussion:
1) Purpose of design, principles, and analysis of conditions leading to today's design environment, illustrated with slides
2) Cultural filters to which current designs must conform, illustrated with slides
3) 3) Development of new design principles and student analysis of a design problem
4) 4) Student creation of ongoing hands-on designing sessions
Class size: Minimum ___5-6______ Maximum ___20______
What experience do you bring to this class?
Educated in physics at University of Munich; former researcher at U of M and with federal Bureau of Mines in Mpls.; former energy consultant to government and industry; independent energy entrepreneur/inventor; now a part-time farmer using design in new ways.
