Sue Fairburn

Kwantlen Polytechnic University · Wilson School of Design

While past visions of future cities were often inspired by space and exploration of the unknown, and thus based in science fiction, we propose future visions of the city based in science fact; that which is known and learned from our accumulated space exploration experience. Technological spin-offs from space design could integrate into our daily l...

As the International Space Station (ISS) takes shape, the prospect of living in space for prolonged periods becomes a reality for a greater number of individuals. Crewmembers aboard the ISS will live alongside each other for months, in confined spaces, under difficult conditions. Living in a hermetic environment, with other individuals from a varie...

As expectations within the area of smart textiles increasingly become informed and driven by technological developments, the disciplinary boundaries and relationship between user and technological innovation will unavoidably transform. The authors venture that new paradigms of collaborative practice will inevitably develop between design and scienc...

The ‘winter of…’ and the 'hottest day since…' are narratives that describe our experience with a climate that informed our behaviours of the time. What was, isn’t necessarily what will be, and as global climate change shifts and pushes us into unfamiliar climatic experiences, we seek a more meaningful way to anticipate climate change. In this insta...

Whether we live on land, underwater, or out there in space, what makes it possible is our ‘skin’. The one we were born with, the one we wear, the one we live in, and the one we travel in. The skin is a response to where we live: it protects as our first line of defense against a hostile environment; it regulates as part of our life-support system;...

While past visions of future cities were often inspired by space and exploration of the unknown, and thus based on science fiction, we propose future visions of the city based on science fact; that which is known and learned from our accu‐ mulated space exploration experience. Technological spin‐offs from space design could integrate into our daily...

Unprecedented climate emergencies are part of everyday conversations and experiences. As students seek how to design for these challenges, some design educators are providing learning grounded in what it means to live in extreme environments. As Space Architects, the authors design suitable living conditions and life support systems for unfamiliar,...

Design education is working in an expanding field of environmental contexts. The coming generations will witness changing climates that drive them toward migration to the poles and survivalism. As we explore and settle further from our familiar locales, how might we respond to risk before we adapt? Why are risk and expertise in extreme environments...

In the face of extreme weather and terrain, Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers face a growing challenge of rapid changes in environmental conditions. This demands that rescuers manage layered demands to prevent accidents and save lives. The volunteer-based work of ICE-SAR (Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue) is constantly balancing risks a...

The paper explores protective equipment for work in extreme environments manifested in a proposal for a haptic feedback system for astronauts. It follows the thesis that the safety of astronauts wearing Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) suits, whether in space or on planetary surfaces, is connected to their ability to interact with their environments,...

This paper presents a project – Collective Futures – a researcher practitioner collaboration exploring the nature and models of creative collectives in Scotland through a design thinking approach. Collectives are proposed as a new way of working and an unintended stimulus for social change: reducing isolation, and empowering creative practitioners...

One of the greatest risks humanity faces is Climate Change. Evidence on sea-level rise and extreme weather events supports that climate systems are changing as well as our relationship to climate. Changes are taking place at the global and national level, on built structures at the city and community level, yet we construct an understanding of clim...

When an article about one of the largest biospheric projects entitled “Noah’s Ark—The Sequel” (Reingold 1990) appeared in September 1990, the author Edwin Reingold could not anticipate that Biosphere 2 would become the proof that constructing a closed ecology is one of the toughest challenges for humankind and for long-term spaceflight. It is not c...

Water is ubiquitous and essential, yet we struggle to understand it from a systems perspective. Water is a terrestrial closed-loop system involving individuals, communities, cities and geographies, and as such, might it serve as a metaphor for sustainable design? We identify four locations and frame their connections through water and society. This...

The advances made for spaceflight have influenced almost every aspect of modern life on Earth through spin-off technologies. Looking at the Space environmental context and the crew dynamics we can gain insights and inspiration into how to manage stressful and unpredictable emergency situations. In this paper we enquire into ways that design can hel...

Design has expanded its scope towards social change and innovation– this is observed to a great extent in the UK in parallel with "The Big Society" , but is happening globally as well. The existing literature concentrates on practices, approaches and outcomes, with a desire to understand the implementation and the impact of these social 'design int...

Increasingly design education is taking place within a Krauss-ion ‘expanded field’ of cross disciplinary practice. This explorative nature of design, when set against notions of traditional disciplines, will ask graduates to participate with certainty and confidence in this ‘expanded field’. We argue that developing disciplinary identity, when rein...

Social innovation is an interdisciplinary area, where many professionals work collaboratively towards public good. In the last decade, design practitioners in the UK have shown increasing interest in social innovation projects and much of the existing literature on design for social innovation (DfSI) is influenced by studies that draw from these pr...

https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/246166/impact-by-design-evaluating-knowledge-exchange-as-a-lens-for-evaluating-the-wider-impacts-of-a-design-led-business-support-programme . This paper reports on the evaluation of knowledge exchange and impact generated through Design in Action (DIA), a design-led business support approach to answering...

As an emerging area of research, blending science, technology, design: product, textiles and fashion, this paper speculates on ways to use 3D realisation and embedded technologies to address and enhance our ability to live well. There is clearly a significant market for wearable, livable technology that maximizes our awareness of our personal physi...

Collective Futures: Cultivating Creative Collectives was a one-year Creative Scotland funded project focussed on the development of creative entrepreneurial talent. The project sought to share knowledge and create practical guidance for collective working to help individual designer-makers enhance their own professional development and ensure conti...

We moderate our world and our interactions with objects and others through our behaviours, habitats, clothing and gadgetry. Designers seek new ways to innovate products but there is a limit to our experiences and observations of the everyday and there is opportunity in finding ways to aid our imaginations. This paper proposes that experience gain...

SPACESHIP ECOLOGIES The study and translation of ancient Greek texts reveals that the whole Greek world and philosophy was reflected in their language and in the meaning of the words which sometimes had more holistic meanings than one would associate with them today. To define the spaceship ecologies the authors would like to introduce “oikos”, the...

Technological spin-offs from space design integrate seamlessly into our daily lives but the confined conditions of extraterrestrial shuttles seldom serve as Earthly inspiration. Space entrepreneur Susmita Mohanty profers that living conditions in outer space can inform and exchange with cramped environments down below, such as the worker-housing an...

In 2014, the CAAS Collective, in collaboration with Swiss student Rüede Anne-Marlene, explored the “city” as a “spaceship” metaphor using graphical representations of information (data). They attempted to map terrestrial tendencies, human density, consumption and waste. This CAAS journal presents four sets of visual data for comparing and contrasti...

"Jack-of-all-trades, master of none" is a figure of speech that suits generalists well. Having special knowledge is usually confused with being an expert. Does it mean that a non-specialist or a generalist is not an expert? Curriculums of many design schools provide a generic design education, which enables designers to work across fields. Maintain...

Designing out crime is a strategy that the UK Design Council continues to profile and support, promoting the use of design as an approach for addressing social challenges and combating crime (UK Design Council 2011). This paper considers the strategy and application of design for social innovation to create an inclusive platform for participation i...

This paper aims to understand the effectiveness of design-led methods and approaches to support small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) with innovation, and how their needs are fulfilled by support instruments through investigating the activities of " design-led innovation centres " (DICs) that have been established in the UK. These Centres promot...

The design field has broadened to include a wide range of design interventions following the promotion of concepts such as design thinking that are based on a generalist mind-set. Yet, some designers as specialist–generalists find it difficult to communicate their expertise. As Kripperndorf's (2009) quotation illustrates, " designers who know a lit...

This paper sets out to describe and contextualize the impact a new FabLab workshop program has had on the direction and curriculum development at Gray's School of Art, Robert Gordon University towards more clearly linking current developments in rapid prototyping, rapid manufacturing, and e-manufacturing services in engaging creative technologies a...

For over 50 years, including some form of Space education in school curriculum has become an established approach for inspiring young minds to study the sciences and pursue science-based careers. Space camps and schools are active all around the globe and typically attract the 'best and the brightest' young minds. But the context of Space is broad...

In light of the renewed international interest in lunar exploration, including plans for setting up a permanent human outpost on the Moon, the need for next generation earth-based human space mission simulators has become inevitable and urgent. These simulators have been shown to be of great value for medical, physiological, psychological, biologic...

Is it too late to improve the habitability of the International Space Station? Habitability is a crucial factor in the success of human space missions. Current efforts in the design and construction of the ISS use human factors engineering to maximize habitability and promote crew satisfaction and productivity. This is a highly engineered approach...

A prospective blinded cohort study was performed to test for a difference in the pattern of physical activity factors measured with the ERGOS work simulator in subjects with low back injuries versus those with limb injuries. Also tested was the relationship between physical activity factors measured with the ERGOS and several psychological tests an...

A prospective blinded cohort study was performed in an interdisciplinary vocational evaluation program to investigate the concurrent validity of the ERGOS work simulator in comparison to current methods of evaluation. Seventy men and eight women, aged 22 to 64 years, who attended for a 2-week physical capacity assessment participated in the study....

The psychomotor and cognitive performance of ten male divers was assessed during exposure to three effects: underwater exercise, nitrogen narcosis, and the combine effect of exercise and nitrogen in addition to exercise-induced hypercapnia. The protocol involved rest and exercise, at three sub-maximal workloads on a fin-ergometer in a hyperbaric ch...

The purpose of this study was to test the CFK equation for its prediction of the rate of formation of carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) in exercising humans by use of measured values of the respiratory variables and to characterize the rate of appearance of HbCO with frequent blood sampling. Ten nonsmoking male subjects were exposed to carbon monoxide (CO)...

The immersed clo value of a series of 11 marine work suits has been measured using both humans and a thermal manikin. In still water, there is no significant difference in the measurements. Turbulent water significantly reduces the immersed clo value. The manikin errs on the safe side and consistently overestimates this decrement in insulation, and...

The recent increase in underwater research has produced an accompanying need for methods to assess energy and ventilatory requirements of diving activities. In response, The Defence and Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine (DCIEM) designed and built the Underwater Metabolic Assessment System (UMAS). It consisted of a low-resistance, open-circu...