AWARD YEAR
2019
CATEGORY
Play & Learning
GOALS
Clean Water & Sanitation
KEYWORDS
drinking water, sustainability, design research
COUNTRY
United States of America
DESIGNED BY
Jane Withers is a leading design consultant, curator and writer with a long-term interest in the role design can play in shaping a sustainable future. Her London-based studio has received widespread recognition for creatively exploring complex environmental and water issues.
A/D/O in Greenpoint, Brooklyn NYC was founded by MINI to serve the local and global creative community. It is a meeting place for pioneers, a space for creative exchange that will spark innovative new work.
WEBSITE
https://a-d-o.com/research-programs/water-futures
The A/D/O Water Futures Research Programme
Research that questions how design can contribute to the creation of sustainable water cultures
The UN estimates that by 2050 there will be 4 billion people living in water-stressed situations. Curated by Jane Withers for A/D/O New York, the year-long Water Futures Research Programme brings together leading water experts from diverse fields to address today’s most pressing water issues.
Responding to tensions around access to clean drinking water in the urban environment and the shift for cities to ban single use plastic bottles, Water Futures aims to inspire the design community to take creative action to reimagine our toxic drinking water culture.
These images show design projects commissioned in response to three seasons of public programming that framed water challenges from different perspectives: Harvesting the Sky; Pollution & Purification; and Drink Local. An Open Call Design Challenge invited further creative responses to the programme, and a final Research Paper has published the year’s findings, providing a tool kit for designers to continue this crucial work.
