Registration deadline: 15 Dec 2008

Gone are the days when being “old” equated with being in frail health, heavily dependent on medical care and financially hard up.
Today the media portray senior citizens as being in the prime of life. Elderly people enjoy a high life expectancy and are highly mobile. They are avid consumers, and have the purchasing power to back it up. Nevertheless, life in advanced years, e.g. from 70 onward, has its own special framework. The competition entitled “lebens(t)räume 2009″ puts a spotlight on this framework, inviting students of design, architecture or interior design as well as young designers up until 2 years after graduation

Below are some examples from last year winning entries:

(+ plus minus -) little helper

University: Universität der Künste Berlin
Design: Mechthild Ubl

To unplug an electric appliance is a daily procedure with frequently occurring difficulties. For this, we often misuse the cable, because it seems to be much easier to catch hold of it and pull at. But by doing so, we cause loose contacts or even worse situations. (+plus minus -) is made to ease the act of grabbing a plug. Punched out of a 0.5mm strong plastic foil, it’s wrapped around the plug and builds two loops jutting out from the socket. By using different colours, unities between plugs and electric appliances can be created and recognized easily.

IUVO Injektionssystem - MS

University: Fachhochschule Coburg
Design: Simone Winkler

IUVO (~ich helfe) ist eine innovative Lösung für den Umgang mit der Multiplen Sklerose im modernen Alltag. Das System basiert auf den Möglichkeiten der e-Health. Im Mittelpunkt steht der Injektor für die kontrollierte Verabreichung des Medikamentes. Als Kommunikationsportal zwischen Patient und aller an der Therapie beteiligten Einrichtungen dient die Basisstation. Das modulare Aufbewahrungssystem nimmt alle notwendigen Utensilien auf und ermöglicht einen flexiblen Umgang mit der MS. Ansprechendes Design, Funktionalität und Intelligenz des JUVO sind Motivator für eine konsequente Therapieführung und steigern die Lebensqualität des Patienten.

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For more information, please visit http://www.ifdesign.de/projects_lebenstraeume_index_en

Hannover (Germany) – Universal design GmbH, in partnership with iF International Forum Design GmbH, announces the universal design award 2009. Now in its second year, the universal design award acts as a communication tool to target businesses, researchers and the political community. The competition is meant to not only sensitise the public to the topic of universal design, but to invite the public to actively participate in deciding which entries promise the greatest possible benefit for their target audience.

The competition is open to product designers, graphic designers, manufacturers, service providers and service designers, architects, and interior designers. Designs must demonstrate that they are accessible, flexible, intuitive, safe, affordable and sustainable.

Deadline for entries: December 15, 2008
New York (United States) – Open call to students around the world: Use your creative talent and strategic design skills to address the global water crisis.

The Aspen Design Challenge is an annual call to students worldwide, inviting them to address an international problem that is not only crucial in today’s world, but critical to our survival and the world that we will one day inhabit.

Designing Water’s Future is aimed at generating exceptionally creative and original design thinking to raise awareness of the emerging global water crisis – and to do so in ways that inspire people to act. Reaching beyond all boundaries, the initiative seeks to reframe how we think about water, how we manage it, how we save it. It will address the design problem of the crisis, redefining the outdated, limited cultural mythologies that have become obstacles to progress on one of the world’s gravest threats.

For more information, please refer to http://www.aspendesignchallenge.org/