m21 research project
Research outcomes | Events | Contact details | Location
| Weblinks | Booklist | Tools | List of 21 Tools
How Might We Make Our Lifestyles More Synergistic?
- This question continues our (2005) ds21 research - whose context is the failure of design for sustainability.
- Our research asks whether metadesign methods could facilitate a possible 'synergy-of-synergies'.
- The project's agreed objectives are to create some metadesign tools and to draft possible international standards.
- ‘Sustainable development’ is elusive in a dysfunctional society that sees economy and ecology as almost entirely separate.
- Where bureaucratic 'techno-fixes’ address symptoms, rather than causes, ‘design thinking’ offers a deeper approach.
- Therefore, although designers have enormous, untapped potential, they are mainly employed to increase economic growth.
- If they were able to work at a higher level they could help create genuine lifestyle changes (not just products or services).
- Unfortunately, traditional models of design are not well suited to create, and sustain a state of living consensus.
- Our (AHRC-funded) research has developed a ‘metadesign’ approach that enables designers to intervene at a higher organizational level.
- Here, we define ‘metadesign’ as a set of consensual, cross-disciplinary practices that ‘designs itself’ via team-oriented methods.
- This approach is intended to synergise existing synergies, and/or to uncover new ones in unexpected places.
- Our aims are guided by a manifesto, ten principles and numerous international publications, including audio-visual resources.
- It is managed via a benchmarking system, and facilitated with over 90 tools.
- All our resources are available for distribution to to appropriate designers, companies and universities, subject to approval and agreement.
