A radically new model on how to link design to circularity and urban transformation
Design plays a pivotal role in achieving climate-neutral cities in Europe, facilitating a green and resilient transition of urban areas. This transition, which encompasses both the improvement of cities as living spaces and their potential as catalysts for change, is high on the agenda. The circular economy presents innovative pathways to foster creative design sectors actively involved in this transition, as they are instrumental in driving the necessary cultural shift and promoting social inclusion.
Taking a multidisciplinary approach, the Innovation Alliance in Circular Design (CiD) aims to bridge the gap in skills and knowledge within architecture, urban design, and product/service design sectors. It offers a groundbreaking model that establishes a strong connection between design and circularity, thereby facilitating urban transformation. By aligning with the goals of the New European Bauhaus and merging creativity, arts, and technology for the Green Deal, CiD reimagines design within a circular economy framework.
CiD’s focus is on fostering collaboration across disciplines to develop carbon-neutral cities, with a particular emphasis on bio-based innovation in the built environment. This involves leveraging bio-materials from various sectors, establishing regional circular systems that utilize renewable materials, and incorporating building designs that function as bio-machines. The development of green, digital, resilient, and entrepreneurial skills in Circular Design is a key aspect, and an Innovation Ecosystem has been established to bring together relevant stakeholders from higher education institutions (HEIs), vocational education and training (VET), research and technology organizations (RTOs), municipalities, civil society, and businesses. This collaborative environment enables the exchange of knowledge and expertise, supporting the creation of a sustainable circular design ecosystem beyond the project’s scope. Furthermore, the involvement of pan-European organizations in architectural practice, society, and culture ensures the widespread dissemination and long-term viability of the Alliance’s achievements.
The Alliance’s primary focus is to foster innovation in Circular Design education by nurturing entrepreneurship within academia. This includes the provision of an accelerator program and continuing education initiatives aimed at enhancing skills aligned with emerging labor market demands. Additionally, these efforts enable the establishment of green start-ups that contribute to the circular construction and design economy. The Circular Design Innovation Ecosystem created by the Alliance will propel the transition towards a more sustainable and circular approach to construction and design.
Ersilia’s role:
Ersilia oversees the Bio-based Innovation Observatory, train students in green skills, ensure quality assessment of educational programs, and lead sustainability and knowledge transfer efforts.
Project partners: The CiD – Innovation Alliance for Circular Design is a multidisciplinary European consortium that brings together 11 partner organisations from across Europe to develop innovation in research and education in urbanism, architecture, and product/service design through the lens of circular economy and bio‑based innovation. The alliance is led by Leibniz University Hannover (Germany) and includes the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC, Spain), the University of Genoa (Italy), ARCES (Italy) as an experienced VET provider, the Ersilia Foundation (Spain), Architektūros fondas (Lithuania), the Architects’ Council of Europe (Belgium), ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy (Italy/Europe), Tallinn Business Incubators (Estonia), Materiom (UK), the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (UK). Together these partners form an innovation ecosystem that fosters circular design skills, accelerates green entrepreneurship, and integrates interdisciplinary knowledge into academic and continuing education programmes for sustainable, climate‑neutral cities.
Keep updated at: https://www.cid-innovationalliance.eu
What’s going on in CiD?
Transformational Journey in the CiD Accelerator Programme
The CiD Accelerator programme, organized by Tallinna Ettevõtlus Inkubaator, provided participants with a transformative learning experience that bridged the gap between architecture and sustainable business. For architects, traditionally focused solely on design, this programme introduced [...]
Circular Design in Practice: The Story of Põhjala Tehas
In CiD we aim to create a new educational model that links design to circularity and urban transformation. Aligning with the goals of the New European Bauhaus and integrating creativity, arts, and technology for the [...]
Creativity Through Constraint
As the Harvard Business Review points out, 'Contrary to the belief that total freedom fosters creativity, research shows that certain constraints can actually boost creative output.' Scott Sonenshein, 2016 Harvard Business Review That’s exactly why [...]
Promoting cross-collaboration and peer learning to ignite innovation
To promote cross-collaboration and peer learning among students from LUH, UNIGE, and IAAC, we introduced three transversal challenges to work with: keep-in-use strategies, bio-regional material flows storytelling for bio-based materials Addressing the transversal challenge of [...]
Making Design Matter
Design doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it shapes the world we live in. And right now, we are part of a climate change crisis. Over 40% of global CO₂ emissions come from constructing, using, and [...]
Systems Thinking: Tackling Circular Design Challenges
An ancient Sufi story tells of a city whose inhabitants were blind. One day, a king arrived at the head of his army, riding a mighty elephant. Curious about this strange animal, some of [...]
Integrating best practices in Design Education in CiD Academic Programme: Genoa Workshop
On June 12, 2024, representatives from CiD's academic, continuous education, and accelerator programmes gathered in Genoa to assess best practices based on their impact and ease of implementation. Here's a breakdown of their key [...]
Unleashing innovation through transdisciplinarity: The role of CiD observatories
Imagine a space where academic knowledge meets real-world challenges, and collaboration drives innovation. That’s the essence of transdisciplinarity, where non-academic actors play an active role in creating solutions for complex issues. At CiD, we embrace [...]
Transforming Urban Futures: GreenInCities and CiD in Action
At Ersília Foundation, we are proud to be part of the Innovation Alliance on Circular Design (CiD) and participate in GreenInCities, two groundbreaking European projects that aim to reimagine urban areas through fostering transdisciplinary collaboration. [...]