This is an invite-only event. You must register for day 1 and day 2 separately.

Inspired by Future Observatory’s Tools for Transition display and the four AHRC-funded Green Transition Ecosystem projects showcased within it, this research conference convenes academics, policy makers and design experts to consider methods for overcoming green transition challenges to make way for more sustainable systems, materials and practices.

This 2 day conference includes a day of panel discussions on codesign, systems, new technologies and material reuse on Monday 7 September, and a half-day of concurrent workshops, talks and tours on Tuesday 8 September. Join us for provocations and conversations around the transformative and problem solving power of design research in the green transition, including breakthroughs in healthcare, housing, local planning and resource management.

Speakers include academics Alec Shepley, Clare Mulholland, Flora Samuel, Jo Patterson, Justin Magee, Mel Woods, Paul Rodgers and Scott Orford, designers Sahra Hersi, PlayDisrupt and Marwa El Mubark and Future Observatory’s Justin McGuirk, Janice Li and Abbie Adams. A detailed event schedule will be published in the coming weeks.

This conference is held in collaboration with four AHRC-funded Green Transition Ecosystem research projects from across the UK. They are Design HOPES, Transforming Homes, Public Map Platform and Future Island Island, each exploring and driving change in housing, healthcare, local planning and resource management.

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

Future Observatory Future Observatory is the Design Museum’s national research programme, established in partnership with the UKRI Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC). It acts as a catalyst for the green transition, supporting design research that can have real impact.

The UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) invests in the examination of our past, the understanding of our present and the imagination of our future. By championing creativity, enabling critical thinking and sharing cultural insights, they drive growth across the creative economy, strengthen the UK’s global leadership, and help shape a more prosperous, resilient and connected society. Their funding supports people, infrastructure, wherever ideas are made and performed, informs public policy, and enriches lives, placing arts and humanities at the heart of science for all. 

The Green Transition Ecosystem research projects are from University of Bath, University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, University of Dundee, University of Strathclyde, Ulster University, Queens University Belfast and Wrexham University.