Several WDCD alumni and friends are among the Beazley Designs of the Year, from 18 October until 28 January to be seen in the Design Museum in London. These are their projects:
Warka Water
Warka Water by Arturo Vittori is a vertical structure designed to harvest potable water from the atmosphere (it collects rain, harvests fog and dew). It relies only on gravity, condensation and evaporation and doesn’t require any electrical power. Warka Water is supported by our Climate Action Challenge partner Autodesk Foundation and is featured in our publication Good News for the Planet.
Warka Water tower, inauguration in Dorze
Flax Chair
Also in the book: Christien Meindertsma’s Flax Chair, by the Best Designs of the Year nomination jury described as ‘a surprising and radically innovative piece of furniture’. The chair is constructed from boards that are made out of locally grown flax and a sustainable glue. After being cut out of this board, the pieces are bent into their form.
Flax Chair / Photo by Labadie van Tour
Lycée Schorge Secondary School
Located in the third most populated city in Burkina Faso, the Lycée Schorge Secondary School, designed by WDCD2015 speaker Francis Kéré, sets a new standard for educational excellence in the region. The design for the school consists of 9 modules which accommodate a series of classrooms and administration rooms in a radial layout which wrap around a central public courtyard. The architecture not only functions as a marker in the landscape, it is also a testament to how local materials, in combination with creativity and team‑work, can be transformed into something significant with lasting effects.
Lycée Shore Secondary School / Photo by Iwan Baan
Light Traffic
Light Traffic is a slot-based intersection that could replace traditional traffic lights, significantly reducing queues and delays. Led by WDCD2014 speaker Carlo Ratti, researchers from MIT, the Swiss Institute of Technology and the Italian National Research Council have developed a conceptual traffic system that would enable driverless vehicles to drive through intersections without colliding, eliminating the need for signals.
The Refugee Nation flag
The flag for The Refugee Nation, a team of ten refugees competing in the Rio Olympics, draws its colour scheme and design from lifejackets. Designed by Syrian artist and refugee Yara Said, and produced by the WDCD Refugee Challenge winner Makers Unite, the flag is a vivid orange with a single black stripe. The flag serves to highlight the status of refugees as displaced persons, creating a sense of solidarity and awareness of the difficulties facing refugees.
The Refugee Nation Flag in the V&A Museum, London