World Usability Day - Sustainability, Usability, and Business
November 9, 2009
Date & Time: Thursday 12th November, 6.00 - 8.00pm
(Talk on sustainable design: 6.45pm - 7.15pm)
Venue: The Westin Hotel, 21 Viaduct Harbor Avenue.
Cost: Free
RSVP: Please RSVP to auckland@upa.org.nz by Tuesday 10th November
To celebrate World Usability Day 2009 'Designing for a Sustainable World', Optimal Usability in conjunction with UPA NZ, is holding an event on the 12th of November.
Timothy Allan, Principal of Locus Research, will be speaking on the night about sustainable design:
"Sustainability starts with you & finishes with your customers"
Sustainability and the concept of life cycle thinking involves products and services in a system that users and consumers interact with. Understand the connection between your company and this system. Learn how these relationships have a profound impact on the future sustainability and success of your company, and the role usability has to play in communicating these relationships.
The event is free, but there are very limited spaces available so please RSVP by Tuesday 10th.
August 14, 2009
6pm, 27 August 2009
Lecture Theatre WS114,
AUT School of Design,
St Paul St, Auckland
Managing Director of Frog Design in Milan, Thomas Sutton 
(CV) is currently in New Zealand and we thought it would be a great opportunity to get him to talk about his design career in the EU. Tom graduated from Victoria University in the mid 90's and after a brief stint at Te Papa during the building he emigrated to Italy to try his luck in the EU.
He worked at Design Continuum before moving on to Flextronics establishing their industrial design department in Milan. After Flex bought Frog Tom started the Frog Design office in Milan. He has built this into a team of more than 20 designers over the last four years.
Throughout Toms career he has worked on numerous Medical R&D projects and is the chair of Frogs Medical Devices group globally. Tom will be talking about his fascinating whitepaper "Innovation and Control" which navigates the complexities of designing in the high regulated medical domain.
The talk will be held on the 27th of August at AUT.
Sustainable Design for Business Workshop Series
June 23, 2009
Wellington: 6/7th Aug
Dunedin: 13/14th Aug
Christchurch: 11/11th Sept
Auckland: 17/18th Sept
The Sustainable Design for Business Workshop series (formerly the 'Life Cycle Thinking Workshop Series') is back for 2009, with a set of two day workshops that deliver easily understandable information and applicable tools for sustainable design and development in New Zealand.
Originally delivered in 2008 over three days, this year’s series has been compressed into a two day format with updated content.
Feedback from the 2008 series:
"well crafted, very motivational"
"Liked that the day was broken up into sections. I was never bored"
"The workshops were very organized and worked well. The pre-printed paper layouts were great"
Cost for two day workshops:
DINZ Members $350 + GST, Non-Members $395 + GST.
Refreshments are provided.
Time: 9:30am-4:30pm
For more information and to register, see the Sustainable Design for Business Workshop Series website.
Impressions Symposium: Shanghai and Beijing
May 3rd, 2009
Locus Research principal Timothy Allan will be speaking on Life Cycle Thinking at an upcoming symposium organised by Avery Dennison and Philips.
The Impressions Symposium aims to create a knowledge sharing and networking platform for the industrial designers and mechanical engineers mainly from electrical & electronics, and automotive. The focus is to share new market trends and technologies. Invited companies include Hewlett Packard, Dell, Asus, Huawei, Ford, GM, Volkswagen, Nokia, and Lenovo.
The symposium will be taking place in Shanghai on the 26th of May and Beijing on the 28th.
Sustainable Design Framework Series - Integrating Science, Business and Design
March 10th, 2009
This seminar will address the importance of integrating sustainability into product research and development. Recognising the issues of small, medium and large New Zealand enterprises, presenters will identify the opportunities and difficulties of applying life cycle thinking, management and assessment into a business environment.
It will be led by some of New Zealand's leaders in sustainable design:
- Timothy Allan, Principal, Locus Research
- Barbara Nebel, Project Leader Life Cycle Management, Scion
- Alistair Mowat, Innovation Leader, Zespri and
- Jake Mclaren, Environmental Manager, Formway
Each of the three areas — Science, Business and Design — will be discussed in detail by experts in their field, followed by a case study from Zespri as to the economic, social and environmental benefits of this approach.
Seminars will be held in the following cities:
- Tauranga
- 9am - midday, Wednesday 1st April
Hayward Wright Room, Zespri, 400 Maunganui Road, Mount Maunganui - Rotorua
- 9am - midday, Thursday 2nd April
Rimu Room, Scion, 49 Sala Street, Rotorua
Registration fee: $35.00*
Both sessions include mid morning refreshments.
RSVP: andrea@sustainable.org.nz by Wednesday 26th March. Call 07 577 9355 or see the official page for more information.
*cancellations received after the RSVP date will be invoiced at full cost.
January 29, 2009
Sailor's Lounge
Sailor's Lounge - detail
Quay
Pollen Planters
Balcony
VIP balcony - detail
VIP Front
VIP Side
VIP Detail
Decks
Furniture
Coast Plaque
Coast and Locus Research have collaborated to create two stunning spaces for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series. The two spaces have been designed around a new collection of furniture which locus has been working on with Coast. One space is specifically a relaxation area for the sailors; the other, a VIP room for entertaining guests and a place for events to be held that overlooks the viaduct harbour.
The team at Locus worked with Alex Webster, the founder of Coast, to create a compelling design proposal that excited the LV team. The concept sought to create a coastal environment that aligned with the ‘Simple Elegance’ that embodies the Louis Vuitton brand.
The LV team bought into the whole idea, causing wheels to start spinning in November to ensure all of the elements came together.
Decking elements called for a sophisticated product, Verda New Zealand immediately sprang to mind. The Locus team have done a lot of work with R&D manager John Gifford over the years and their high quality materials were an obvious fit. The decks perform a critical role in defining the space and creating islands on which the furniture would be presented in settings.
To create a sense of space in the 7.5 metre stud of the sailor’s lounge, Pollen Aerial planters were chosen. These unique products designed by Adam Ellis bring the outside in with a stylistic take on the role of plants in our environment. We will soon be sporting some of these beauties in the studio.
To add to the division of space, a series of small freestanding sails and two large format sails were created by Andy Pilcher’s team at Doyle Sailmakers. These elements create a sense of elegance in the VIP room and a sense of drama in the sailor’s lounge on the ground floor.
Bruno Troublé, Louis Vuitton's organiser and spokesperson for the series explains:
“We are excited about the series and being back in Auckland racing. The event will bring fun and glamour to the city in a time of lackluster news. As a keen supporter and admirer of New Zealand design I am particularly delighted to be able to provide guests and sailors with such a stunning hospitality area”.
Reform 08 - Futureproofing Design Practice
November 4th, 2008
The one-day Reform 2008 Conference on November 4th is to be run as part of Design Week Ireland. The conference offers designers and those working in the design realm the opportunity to explore new concepts while learning how to implement sustainability principles into their daily practice.
Topics covered at Reform 08 include Cradle to Cradle thinking for designers and business, Sustainable Product Design Innovation, and Sustainable Development for the Cork Docklands. Lectures are to be delivered by a variety of experts and will be followed by workshops that demonstrate pragmatic tools and skills related to the topics. Reform 08 will feature the following speakers:
PROF. DR. MICHAEL BRAUNGART - author of Cradle-to-Cradle
Professor Braungart has developed tools to design eco-effective products and business systems and has worked with a number of organizations and companies in a range of industries.
Brian O'Brien - Partner in Solearth.
He is a passionate advocate of Ecological Design and intelligent architecture. Brian is originally from Co Cork and studied in DIT Dublin and Berkeley California.
Tim Allan - Life Cycle Research
Tim Allan is head of Locus Research, a company that creates insight through a unique research driven approach to product development. The Locus process is holistic and incorporates technical, consumer, economic and environmental factors to deliver an integrated solution.
Video conferencing will allow parallel sessions to be held in both IT Carlow and at the Cork IT. The Carlow venue will focus on Sustainable Product Design, Innovation and Product Service Systems while the focus will be on Sustainable Architecture/Interior Architecture and the Sustainable Development of the Cork Docklands at the Cork venue.
It is intended that the mix of design disciplines will facilitate cross disciplinary collaboration and give designers and business people the opportunity to look at how sustainability thinking can be a core part of their practice.
For more information on Design Week Ireland and Reform 08 visit: http://designweekcork.com/talks-lectures and http://www.idi-design.ie/calendar/reform08.htm or email reform@designweekcork.com
Cradle to Cradle Workshop - Michael Braungart
September 3rd, 2008
Internationally renowned environmental advocate Michael Braungart was in New Zealand for the Better by Design CEO Summit which was held in Auckland in September. An additional workshop was organised subsequent to this as a follow on to the Life Cycle Thinking series; providing an opportunity to hear Michael's presentation on his Cradle to Cradle concept firsthand and offering another perspective on the design of products in our ever changing consumer society.
Braungart and colleague William McDonough co-wrote the book Cradle to Cradle which discusses the design of products and services from inception right through to the reappropriation of the materials for other use. This recurring sequence of service provision is defined in two ways, as a biological nutrient cycle and a technical nutrient cycle. Components and materials that are designed to break down form part of the bio-nutrient cycle, nourishing and adding to the system as they are disposed of; while technical nutrients are component parts and materials that are remanufactured and incorporated into a different series of products and services to maximise and enhance their existence.
Braungart's focus on the toxic nature of many designs provided food for thought for the design audience, particularly his comment stating that "a design that is less bad is still bad", especially when regarding the interaction of children with the objects we design. His hardline approach to 'yes or no' decisions when choosing which materials and production methods to use challenged the way we think about manufacturing of multiple component parts in New Zealand.
For further information on the Cradle to Cradle approach and Michael's personal site and vision visit: www.braungart.com, or www.nutec.de for information on the fair that he and his team are currently organising.
Life Cycle Thinking Workshop Series
June 3rd, July 12th, August 7th, 2008
The Life Cycle Thinking Workshop Series was successfully concluded in early August. The 3 workshops covered Life Cycle Thinking, Life Cycle Management, and Life Cycle Tools & Approaches.
The format for each day included expert speakers from within the industry and research bodies. The group workshops created a practical environment to put the tools and ideas into practice without the need for software applications.
Life Cycle Thinking - A Design Mindset
This workshop introduced the key principles behind Life Cycle Thinking at a conceptual level. It discussed changing from an objective oriented design model to a system oriented design approach that incorporates the product life cycle.
Life Cycle Management - From Product to Company
Life Cycle Management is defined as the managerial practices and organisational arrangements that apply life cycle thinking. This workshop introduced how to apply life cycle thinking to the development and management of products and services.
Life Cycle Tools & Approaches - Implementing Change
This extended the thinking in the previous sessions with an interactive tools and methods focused workshop. The session reiterated and expanded on the first two workshops, addressing the issues and impediments to implementing change within your business and for your clients.
For those who missed out this time, the programme is being developed forward for a future series in 2009 so stay tuned...
18-21 October 2004
This project was a partnership between The Dowse, EON Design Centre, Locus Research & Development and New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, developed in conjunction with New Zealand Fashion Week. These organisations came together to share their passion for, and belief in, the quality of New Zealand design, and most importantly a mutual desire to facilitate meeting points between the creative and commercial sectors.
March-July, September-November 2003
The Metaform design competition and exhibition aimed to increase public awareness of sustainability in furniture, and the value of using innovative, environmentally friendly materials - challenging creative designers to produce works of art that used these materials in an enlightened fashion.
The Metaform03 competition culminated in a large furniture design exhibition that was held at the Auckland Museum from March through to July 2004 and then at the Dowse in Wellington from September through to November 2004.