Library

Design Researchers in Residence 2023/24 SOLAR

This publication features the work of the 2023/24 Design Researchers in Residence. It accompanies an exhibition staged at the Design Museum from June to September 2024. This year's theme, Solar emerges out of an uneasy dualism in our relationship with the sun. For as long as there have been humans, the sun has been considered a life force, an energy source and a cultural figure. Throughout their residency at the Design Museum, this year's cohort locate the role of designers and researchers in continual dialogue with how we see ourselves in relation to the burning star at the centre of the solar system. Design Researchers in Residence is Future Observatory’s programme for emerging design researchers hosted at the Design Museum.

Low-carbon Homes: Housing construction for the green transition

Although the construction sector is committed to meeting net zero targets, barriers to adopting the necessary strategies to achieve this still exist. This report compiles surveyed experiences from construction industry professionals, designers, policy makers and researchers, to better understand how the systemic changes necessary might be catalysed.

Retrofitting for Cultural Infrastructure

This report helps articulate the three values of retrofit - environmental, cultural and social - operating within the parameters of economic considerations, which should be considered for the future-proofing of our cultural infrastructure. It aims to bring greater clarity to the retrofit process for cultural organisations as well as recommendations for policy-makers and researchers.

Design Researchers in Residence 2022/2023 ISLANDS

This publication features the work of the 2022/23 Design Researchers in Residence. It accompanies an exhibition staged at the Design Museum from June to September 2023. The four distinct projects by the Design Researchers in Residence form an archipelago of design thinking with currents of research and practice connecting different species, citizens, languages and terrains. Design Researchers in Residence is Future Observatory’s programme for emerging design researchers hosted at the Design Museum.

Mosaic Landscapes: How private woodland owners have the power to change the future of our landscapes

Our work has investigated the opportunities for private woodland owners in England to develop resilient treescapes and regenerative land management practices to repair our degraded landscapes. We are interested in the opportunities that a transition to varied treescapes would offer a sustainable construction industry through the supply of diverse, low embodied carbon construction materials.

Design Researchers in Residence 2021/22 RESTORE

This publication features the work of the 2021/22 Design Researchers in Residence. It accompanies an exhibition staged at the Design Museum from June to September 2022. Throughout their residency at the Design Museum, this year's cohort have been applying a restorative lens to their respective fields and projects. In the fields of design, restoration typically describes the act of fixing or mending an object: a salvaged piece of furniture, a cracked screen, a rusty bicycle. Design Researchers in Residence is Future Observatory’s programme for emerging design researchers hosted at the Design Museum.