Author: 9ve8c

Sunmit is a mountain tent with an integrated flexible, rollable solar panel that allows you to be selfsufficient at Everest Base Camp. Designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, it is lightweight and easy to transport.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

The main issue this project aims to minimize is the use of kerosene and gas, the energy sources currently used in Himalayan camps, reducing both waste and harmful emissions. The project ensures fair working conditions for the Sherpa porters, who currently carry all equipment on their backs. It also improves conditions for Sherpa-Cookers, freeing them from inhaling smoke and fumes by replacing traditional fuels with clean energy. The product is manufactured in local textile workshops in Kathmandu (Nepal) using local labor, reusing nylon from abandoned tents—a common waste in high-altitude expeditions—while supporting the local economy.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

Its ergonomic design allows the solar panel to tilt up to 36° to maximize energy efficiency. Is a modular system: multiple units can be connected to expand energy capacity according to the expedition’s needs. A single unit provides autonomy for two days, allowing the charging of 11 phones, 2 laptops, or powering 8 lights for 6 hours. The fabric is recycled nylon, recovered from abandoned mountain tents or other base camps. The structure uses fiberglass rods repurposed from old tent frames. The solar panel is flexible, monocrystalline, and has a 25-year lifespan, reused annually by expeditions. Built to withstand extreme weather conditions, it is lightweight, easy to transport, and simple to set up.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

There is currently no tent on the market with an integrated flexible solar panel. Existing flexible solar panels are sold as standalone units, designed for placement on vans, caravans, or boats, but not on tents. Our system also has a positive impact on Nepal’s economy, one of the poorest countries in the world, promoting sustainable tourism and supporting the well-being of local communities in high-altitude environments. Creating an electrical network through these modular tents provides organization and safety within the camp, offering shared power for all members. Additionally, it is a temporary, easy-to-assemble electrical installation that leaves no waste and does not disturb the natural environment, maintaining harmony with nature.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

Yes, it does. Many young Nepali Sherpas still depend on these physically demanding and poorly paid jobs for their future and their families’ livelihoods. Young Sherpas carry up to 40 kg on their backs for 15 days and risk their lives climbing Everest to ensure clients return safely. Our project aims to reduce this burden by providing clean energy solutions, improving working conditions, and offering safer, more sustainable opportunities for the younger generation.

Talas bridges traditional guitar craftsmanship with contemporary product design, promoting longevity and repair over consumerism while highlighting material expression, hands-on making, and the visible human trace through a customizable and evolving instrument.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

Talas addresses the disconnect between users and products in a market driven by fast consumption and short lifespans. Instruments are often fixed and difficult to repair or personalize. Talas introduces a human-centred approach that emphasizes craftsmanship, material awareness, and direct user interaction. Its construction allows for repair, replacement, and customization, extending product life and reducing waste.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

With limited prior knowledge of guitars, the project began through in-depth research into construction, electronics, and ergonomics. This process revealed inefficiencies in space use, leading to a more compact, headless electric guitar format. Developed in collaboration with Oboss Guitar in Belgrade, the main structure was CNC-machined from high-quality wood and later hand-finished, resulting in a fully functional prototype. The body design, inspired by waves (“Talas” in Serbian), was shaped through ergonomic studies to naturally follow and support the player’s touchpoints. The project bridges traditional guitar making with contemporary design methods, emphasizing material understanding, hands-on processes, and the visible human trace, while allowing the player to evolve together with the instrument—from its form and aesthetics to more advanced gear and sound-shaping electronics.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

Talas approaches modularity in a practical and user-driven way, addressing a common gap where modular systems are often complex and underused. Its simplified core structure allows components to be easily adapted, replaced, or upgraded without compromising usability. In addition, the repositioning of electronic components introduces a new way of interacting with the instrument, control knobs are placed along the natural path of the player’s hand, enabling intuitive adjustments during play. By combining a clear structural logic with ergonomic innovation, Talas moves beyond conventional guitar design, offering a more adaptable, responsive, and human-centred instrument.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

Talas resonates with young creative individuals who are eager to experiment and rethink what is traditionally fixed or standardized. It reflects a need for freedom, personalization, and active participation in the creative process. By allowing the instrument to evolve with the user, it transforms playing into an open, exploratory experience rather than a predefined one. This adaptability encourages curiosity, hands-on engagement, and a deeper connection to both the object and the act of making.

The Anthill reimagines an abandoned warehouse as a cooperative vertical commons where food production, repair culture, and shared spaces intertwine—transforming industrial infrastructure into a catalyst for circular practices, collective learning, and resilient community life.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

Many suburban districts of post-socialist cities face a lack of accessible public spaces where everyday social life, knowledge exchange, and community participation can occur. In Budapest’s Újpest district, industrial decline has left large vacant structures while residents lack “third spaces” that support shared activities beyond home and work.
The Anthill addresses this gap by transforming an abandoned pharmaceutical warehouse into a cooperative vertical public space that combines food production, cultural activity, learning, and repair. The project proposes a circular and community-driven system where production, consumption, and knowledge sharing coexist.
By integrating a vertical farm, food processing, repair workshops, and communal spaces, the project promotes resource awareness, local production, and collective participation. It strengthens social infrastructure while reusing an existing building, minimizing environmental impact. The cooperative model encourages shared responsibility and collective ownership, supporting resilient local networks and fostering a culture of collaboration and care.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

The Anthill is a proposal to transform a seven-story abandoned pharmaceutical warehouse in Budapest’s Újpest district into a mixed-use cooperative hub for food, workshops, and community life. Inspired by the principles of commoning — shared knowledge, collective care, and cooperative labour — the building becomes a vertical public landscape where production, education, and social interaction coexist.
The lower levels host a canteen, café, and cooperative grocery store supplying food partly produced within the building. Upper floors include a cheese manufactory, vertical farm, and workshops for clothing repair, electronics, and woodworking, supporting circular practices and skill sharing. Flexible event spaces allow cultural programming and community gatherings.
Terraces connected by an external staircase form an urban hiking route that enables visitors and school groups to explore the building’s activities. By reusing an existing industrial structure, the project minimizes material consumption while creating a flexible system that can evolve according to community needs.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

The innovation of The Anthill lies in combining adaptive reuse, cooperative governance, and vertical mixed-use programming into a single integrated system. Rather than treating production, consumption, education, and social life as separate urban functions, the project brings them together within a shared spatial framework.
Unlike many regeneration projects driven primarily by commercial development, The Anthill proposes a commons-oriented model where knowledge, infrastructure, and labour are collectively shared. The vertical organization allows reuse culture, food production, cultural programming, and everyday social activities to coexist within a compact urban footprint.
The project also introduces a public circulation route that makes otherwise hidden processes—such as food production or craft—visible and educational. This transparency encourages participation and awareness, turning the building into a living learning environment rather than a closed production facility.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

The Anthill responds to the needs of young people by creating accessible spaces for learning, making, and social engagement outside institutional or commercial environments. In many suburban areas, opportunities for informal education, experimentation, and community participation are limited.
The project introduces workshops for repair, craft, and making, where practical skills and knowledge can be shared across generations. Spaces for events, cultural programs, and collective activities provide platforms for youth initiatives and local collaboration.
The building’s open circulation route allows schools and kindergarten groups to explore food production and sustainable practices, supporting environmental awareness from an early age. By promoting cooperative governance and shared resources, The Anthill also models alternative economic and social structures that young people can actively shape.
In this way, the project supports agency, creativity, and collective responsibility for more sustainable and community-oriented urban futures.

The project is a thoughtful example of sustainable spatial design based on the reuse of materials, minimal interventions and the application of techniques with a low ecological footprint.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

The identified problem was the presence of a small, central, but completely neglected space within the Faculty of Forestry in Belgrade. Although located just behind the main entrance, this 75 m² space had no defined function, no access and had been left to decay over decades, becoming disconnected from academic and social life. The need was to reclaim and transform this neglected area into a useful, engaging environment for its everyday users, a place for meeting, sharing and learning. The project addresses the problem of neglected space and transforms the abandoned void into a sustainable, community-driven platform. Social engagement is ensured by involving the users themselves in shaping the space, while the intervention transforms academic life by providing a space for pause and rest within the faculty, as well as a place for gathering.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

The project was inspired by the microscopic image of wood’s cellular structure, which shaped the conceptual framework for material organization and spatial design. The architectural solution emphasizes reuse and clarity: the floor integrates reclaimed galvanized steel grates and wooden slabs, systematically arranged by species, origin, and processing methods, turning construction elements into a living archive and educational resource. The steel substructure was deliberately designed to be modular and as simple as possible to fabricate, ensuring efficiency and adaptability. Two micro-laboratories anchor the intervention. Xylotheque presents dozens of types of wood used in exterior applications, with instruments enabling real-time monitoring of hydrothermal parameters. The Landscape Laboratory introduces selected plant species, creating a controlled micro-environment for biodiversity observation and spatial experimentation. Technical measures included façade and roofing renewal, drainage improvements… The process combined collaborative design, ecological integration, and hands-on construction, merging sustainability, research, and education into a coherent solution.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

Our project is innovative because it transforms a neglected atrium into a hybrid space that is both a xylographic catalogue of wood species and an open public area for students to spend time in. Unlike conventional renovations, the atrium is not only rehabilitated but reimagined as a living laboratory where sustainability, education, and everyday life intersect. The Xylotheque installation enables direct exploration of wood species, turning reclaimed materials into teaching tools, while the Landscape Laboratory introduces biodiversity into the architectural setting. At the same time, the atrium functions as a welcoming social environment, integrated with the faculty’s daily rhythm. By combining material reuse, ecological awareness, and student-centered design, the project offers a unique model of how overlooked spaces can become drivers of sustainable transformation and collective responsibility.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

Our project reflects the needs of young people by offering a multifunctional atrium that combines rest, learning, and creative expression. It provides students and professors with a comfortable space to relax during breaks, encouraging informal interaction and community building. At the same time, it is likely the only place where they can encounter so many different wood species used in architecture in one location, enabling direct, hands-on exploration of material properties and performance. Furthermore, the installation of cables along the walls allows the atrium to function as an exhibition venue for student projects, giving young people a platform to present their work publicly and engage with peers.

The Food Club is a student-led solidarity collective enabling affordable agroecological food access through relational initiatives with local small-scale producers, including a collective purchasing group (G.A.S.), cooking workshops, on-campus markets, and farm visits.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

A historical view of food systems reveals a recurring pattern: global trade policies have favoured transnational corporations while disadvantaging local small-scale farmers. Policies such as the Agreement on Agriculture, TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights), and SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures) helped drive agricultural industrialisation, with consequences including higher energy use, reduced biodiversity, and depleted nutrient density. This same pattern is mirrored in universities, where public procurement and catering services favour standardised, transnational corporate suppliers and exclude local producers from the supply chain. For young people, especially students, the problem is lived every day as a convenience trap: the most affordable and accessible food is industrial and commoditised, while fresh, high-quality agroecological food remains unaffordable and harder to find in daily life.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

Inspired by the peasant-led vision of food sovereignty, The Food Club imagines a future in which agroecologically produced food is accessible to all university students, while local producers, most disadvantaged by the dominant food system, regain power over how food is produced and distributed. The project builds a coalition, braiding the capabilities of three actors: students, who organise as a collective through a solidarity purchasing group, pooling their purchasing power within a student food economy that, at the scale of Politecnico di Milano alone, represents a multi-million-euro opportunity; producer networks such as Campagna Amica and Slow Food, contributing distributed producer ecosystems, logistics know-how, and solidarity infrastructures at scale; and the university, which provides infrastructural support for student-led action. Its long-term goal is a non-profit consumer cooperative where members can propose and run their own initiatives, turning students into active participants in a direct relationship with local producers and institutions.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

What makes the project innovative is that it treats food access not as a service to deliver, but as a governance relationship to reorganise around food sovereignty. It brings students and disadvantaged local producers into direct, active relation, shifting both from end-points in a system designed by others to co-designers with growing ownership over how food is sourced, distributed, and accessed. Its distinctiveness also lies in braiding capacities that usually remain separate: students’ aggregated purchasing power, producer networks’ coordination and logistics capabilities, and the university’s infrastructural support. Embedded in a university, it can function as an evolving infrastructure through which successive cohorts of students learn, participate, and refine the model over time. If successful, it could be replicated across universities nationally through partners such as Campagna Amica and Slow Food, and internationally through networks such as La Via Campesina.

A mental health campus that shifts away from hospital-as-machine toward a spatial ecosystem, where patients move through gradients of care, autonomy, and privacy, and architecture becomes part of the healing process.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

Most mental health facilities still feel like systems of control rather than places of healing. Spaces are designed around observation, liability, and efficiency, which often strips patients of autonomy and reinforces stigma instead of supporting recovery. At the same time, mental health issues are becoming more visible and widespread, but the environments we treat them in haven’t meaningfully evolved. There’s a disconnect between how complex and personal mental health is, and how standardized and rigid the spaces are. This project starts from that gap. Instead of treating architecture as a neutral backdrop, it asks what happens if space itself becomes part of the care system. It explores how design can support different emotional states, levels of independence, and forms of therapy, and how a more flexible, human-centered environment could lead to better long-term outcomes.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

The project proposes a “healing campus” at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, replacing the idea of a single institutional building with a series of interconnected spaces that operate more like a small neighborhood. Different programs—treatment, recovery, research, and community—are distributed across the site rather than stacked into one controlled system. Circulation is organized as a gradient, not a corridor. Patients move through spaces with varying levels of privacy, intensity, and independence, depending on where they are in their recovery. The architecture combines more structured linear elements with softer, curving forms to balance clarity and comfort. Outdoor spaces, gardens, and smaller-scale pavilions are integrated throughout, so movement between programs always includes moments of decompression. Instead of isolating patients, the project creates a system where they can gradually reconnect with themselves, with others, and with the surrounding environment.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

What’s different here is not just the program, but the way it’s organized. The project treats mental healthcare as something that happens across a system of spaces, not inside a single building. That allows for more flexibility in how people receive care, and more control over how they move through it. It also challenges the idea that these environments need to feel closed off. Parts of the campus are intentionally more public, creating points of overlap between patients, staff, and the broader community, which can help reduce stigma over time. The project isn’t proposing a perfect solution, but a different framework—one that prioritizes choice, spatial variation, and long-term adaptability. If applied more broadly, this approach could influence how future healthcare environments are designed, shifting them toward systems that are less institutional and more responsive to the people using them.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

Young people today are more open about mental health, but the spaces designed to support them haven’t really caught up. Most facilities still feel institutional, controlled, and disconnected from everyday life, which can make it harder to seek help or stay engaged in recovery. This project responds to that gap by rethinking mental health care as something more flexible and spatially diverse. Instead of a single, rigid environment, it offers a range of spaces that support different emotional states, levels of independence, and ways of interacting—whether someone needs privacy, community, or something in between. It also reflects how younger generations move through space more fluidly, valuing choice, informality, and connection to nature. By creating an environment that feels less like a hospital and more like a place people can actually exist in, the project aims to make care more accessible, less stigmatized, and more aligned with how young people live.

Thor(No) Tech is a biomimetic system inspired by the thorny devil’s skin that passively captures atmospheric humidity, transforming environmental moisture into a sustainable resource through adaptive design and bio-based materials.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

Thor(No) Tech addresses the growing challenge of indoor humidity management and water scarcity by exploring passive, nature-inspired alternatives to energy-intensive climate control systems. Conventional dehumidification relies heavily on electricity and mechanical processes, contributing to environmental impact and resource consumption. Inspired by the microstructure of the thorny devil’s skin, Thor(No) Tech proposes a biomimetic system capable of capturing and channeling atmospheric moisture through capillary structures and hygroscopic bio-based materials.
The project combines computational design, biomaterials, and additive manufacturing to create a scalable and adaptable humidity-regulating system. By transforming excess humidity into a usable resource, the project promotes resource efficiency and circular thinking. Its modular and potentially customizable design supports different spatial conditions and user needs, improving indoor environmental quality while encouraging a more conscious relationship with natural processes. Thor(No) Tech ultimately explores how design can collaborate with nature to develop sustainable, low-energy solutions for everyday environments.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

Thor(No) Tech is a biomimetic system for passive humidity control in indoor environments. Inspired by the Australian thorny devil lizard, the project translates the animal’s natural water-harvesting strategy into a design solution. The lizard’s textured skin forms a capillary network that passively collects and transports water across its body, allowing it to hydrate in arid conditions.
The system consists of a hybrid structure: a rigid, high-precision shell 3D printed in PHA and a removable bio-based insert that absorbs moisture from the surrounding air. The shell uses a concentric infill strategy to ensure structural stability while reducing warping, fabrication time, and material consumption.
The insert is composed entirely of renewable materials selected for their hygroscopic properties, biodegradability, and structural performance. Lightweight and efficient in humidity absorption and desorption, it fits precisely within the shell, supporting a quiet, energy-free system that responds to indoor conditions like a natural process.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

Thor(No) Tech is innovative because it challenges the environmental limitations of conventional humidity control systems. Both electric dehumidifiers and common low-cost passive alternatives rely on energy consumption, synthetic desiccants, or disposable components that generate material waste and require frequent replacement.
This project proposes a different approach by combining biomimicry, biodegradable materials, and digital fabrication to create a passive and regenerative system. Inspired by the thorny devil’s capillary skin, Thor(No) Tech translates this natural water-harvesting strategy into a hybrid structure composed of a precisely 3D printed PHA shell and a fully bio-based hygroscopic insert.
Unlike conventional solutions, the system operates without electricity, cords, or disposable cartridges. The insert is biodegradable and replaceable, while the shell is durable and material-efficient. By reducing energy use, waste, and synthetic materials, Thor(No) Tech introduces a more circular and nature-aligned approach to indoor humidity control.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

The project reflects the growing demand among younger generations for sustainable, low-impact alternatives to conventional technologies. Many young people are increasingly aware of the environmental cost of everyday appliances, electronic waste, and energy consumption, and are seeking solutions that align with circular and regenerative design principles.
By proposing a passive humidity control system that operates without electricity, or complex maintenance, Thor(No) Tech responds to this need for simpler and more responsible products. The use of bio-based materials, biodegradable components, and material-efficient digital fabrication reflects values of environmental responsibility and conscious resource use.
At the same time, the project encourages a different relationship between users and technology, and that emphasizes awareness of natural processes and environmental conditions. In this way, Thor(No) Tech supports a generation interested not only in functionality, but also in meaningful, sustainable design solutions.

Through this project, I aimed to demonstrate that waste can be integrated into everyday products, reducing the amount we generate. creating value by transforming our own production waste into functional design.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

This project addresses the issue of overlooked industrial waste in furniture production—materials that are routinely discarded despite retaining functional value. Cardboard tubes, leftover textiles, foam remnants, and partially used tension straps are reimagined as resources rather than waste. By transforming these materials into functional furniture for internal use, the project applies circular design principles, extending material lifecycles and reducing waste at its source. It demonstrates resource efficiency by relying entirely on materials already available within the factory.
The reuse of discarded tension straps, reassembled into a structural binding element, reflects a hands-on, human-centred approach and highlights inefficiencies in existing practices. This intervention encourages more responsible everyday habits and greater awareness among workers. The project reduces environmental impact, supports circularity, and enhances user experience through interactive design. It proposes a scalable model where design transforms waste into value, contributing to more resilient and responsible industrial systems.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

The Tubler system is a furniture project developed from industrial waste generated within a furniture factory. The concept is based on rethinking discarded materials, primarily cardboard tubes used for winding upholstery fabrics- as the main structural element of new products.
The design process focused on minimal intervention and maximum reuse. Cardboard tubes of varying diameters are assembled into stable structures, while discarded tension straps are repurposed and stitched together to function as a binding system. Additional materials, such as leftover foam and textile scraps, are used to create seating elements.
Technically, the project avoids adhesives by introducing notching in the tubes, allowing for better strap grip and structural stability. Through prototyping and testing, it was discovered that a solid top surface was unnecessary, resulting in a more open, interactive form.

The outcome is a coffee table and stool, fully made from waste, demonstrating a practical and scalable circular design approach.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

What makes this project innovative is its direct integration within an existing production system, using only in-house waste without additional processing or external materials. Rather than recycling through industrial means, it applies a hands-on, low-tech approach that preserves material value and reduces energy use. The repurposing of discarded tension straps as a structural binding element introduces an unconventional yet effective solution. Additionally, the project challenges standard furniture typologies by embracing openness and interactivity, showing how waste can shape not only material choices but also user experience and design thinking.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

Yes, the project reflects young people’s needs by promoting sustainability, creativity, and awareness of responsible consumption. It encourages a shift from passive use to active engagement through interactive design. By transforming industrial waste into functional furniture, it supports circular thinking and DIY culture, which are increasingly important to younger generations. The project makes production processes more transparent and accessible, fostering a mindset of reuse, adaptability, and critical thinking about materials and everyday objects.