For the 2024 edition of the KEA Charette, the theme was inspired by KEA's interdisciplinary research project, The Industry and Sustainability Analysis, which explored the question: "What is sustainable?"
Charrette 2024 – What is Sustainable?
The Theme
In recent years, the number of sustainability terms and labels has skyrocketed. At the same time, both consumers and government agencies are increasingly focused on environmental and social responsibility. This has made sustainability a growing priority for businesses—big and small—as it becomes more integral to their success.
But what does sustainability really mean? Should all companies be sustainable in everything they do? Is it even possible, or are we at a point where we must acknowledge the limitations and dilemmas of sustainability?
The Industry and Sustainability Analysis research project addresses these questions by examining how different industries define sustainability and how they present themselves as sustainable. Drawing from this project, students were tasked with creating their own sustainability concepts.
They worked closely with local businesses, analyzing their practices within the New European Bauhaus framework, which incorporates not just environmental responsibility but also inclusion and aesthetics. The framework prompted the students to continually ask: What is truly sustainable?
The Process and the Results
To inspire the students, the first few days featured talks on how to engage with and challenge sustainability concepts. Christina Melander from the Danish Design Centre introduced the New European Bauhaus framework, while Bodil Sofie Espersen from Havhøst spoke on integrating sustainability into all aspects of business, from product design to work environments.
The students were divided into 10 groups, each collaborating with a local business that presented them with a sustainability dilemma. These challenges ranged from finding ways to reuse beer kegs to activating an underused space in front of a concert hall. Working through these challenges, the students developed solutions that met the needs of their collaborators while maintaining sustainability.
The students pushed their creativity to the limit, producing projects such as repurposed beer kegs turned into mobile bars, modular urban furniture, and mushroom growing kits.
View some of the concepts below, developed and presented by the students
Group 1 - FIRE TYVE
Students
- Christian Riis - KEA
- Zeezee Kujay Biyai - KEA
- Arne Titze - Berlin Hochscule für Technik
- Luca Moritz - FH Salzburg
- Deniz Hadjiosmanov - Fontys UAS
- Dion Johannes van Litsenburg - Fontys UAS
- Nasrat Ghaibi - Humber College
- Elma Mačiulytė - Vilnius College of Design
Advisors
- Bernhard Sill - BHT
- Anders Dollerup - KEA
- Giulia Sola - L’Ecole de Design
Group 2 - URBAN CAMPER
Group 2 consisted of:
Students
- Luca Jannes Gesner - BHT
- Uma Mahfoudhi - FH Salzburg
- KinLok Lau Fontys - UAS
- Jady Virginia de Lima - Senac University
- Tobias Hahn Madsen - KEA
- Rugilė Jakštaitė - Vilnius College of Design
Advisors
- Leon Konschake - OWL
- Martin Bille-Hansen - KEA
- Richard Shelton - OTIS College of Design
Group 3 - FLOK CANTEEN
Students
- Mauro Leonardo Culaciati Lange - BHT
- Lena Pattis - FH Salzburg
- Bobby Iliyanov Georgiev - Fontys UAS
- Melissa Passarelli - Humber College
- Rasmus (Ren) Oliver Kronborg - KEA
- Stefan Olai Solberg - KEA
- Julia Tiemi - Senac University
- Kelvin Bokai Doe - TMU
- Kotryna Švelnytė - Vilnius College of Design
Advisors
- Michael Guido - Humber College
- Brian Everitt - KEA
- Roxana Marghidanu - External
Group 4 - FLYING COUCH
Group 4 won the People's Choice Award by popular vote.
Students
- Paul Moritz Peuckert - BHT
- Cassandra Marie Rolle - Humber College
- Maud Saris - Fontys UAS
- Anders Juul Rasmussen - KEA
- Lina Marie Bjerrum Bach - KEA
- Pedro Zamarreno Gomez - KEA
- Aidan James Quigley - OTIS College of Design
- Thiago Ferreira Rodrigues - Senac University
- Indrė Lisinaitė - Vilnius College of Design
Advisors
- Michael Ebner - FH Salzburg
- Rikke Moseholm - KEA
- Viktorija Bockute - Vilnius College of Design
Group 5 - ALICE
Students
- Timo Emanuel Greb - BHT
- Rema Maghir - FH Salzburg
- Alex Murashka - Fontys UAS
- Elijah Boet - Humber College
- Emil (Milo) Pehrson - KEA
- Daniel Thisted Larsen - KEA
- Zoe Adrienne Schwarz - OTIS College of Design
- Karina Martins Fernandes - Senac University
- Luciana Di Tacchio - TMU
Advisors
- Mikkel Sinius Nielsen - KEA
- Luciana Chen - Senac University
- Noemi Emidi - Politecnico di Torino
Group 6 - ALICE
Group 6 won the Jury's Award for Best Concept.
Students
- Vincent Kemo Egbert - BHT
- Patricia Russegger - FH Salzburg
- Maksim Malko Fontys - UAS
- Flavia Moreira Pinto - Humber College
- Emil Vejlø - KEA
- Mathias Rossetti - KEA
- Jeevan Jason Southwick - OTIS College of Design
- Christophe Sabat - TMU
- Evelina Marcinkevič - Vilnius College of Design
Advisors
- Monika Tropper - FH Salzburg
- Peter Ulf Jørgensen - KEA
- Carralina Svenningsen - KEA
Group 7 - FLYING COUCH
Students
- Alaa Toubasi - BHT
- Linda Liebe - FH Salzburg
- Sayem Ibne Taher - Fontys UAS
- Ana Karimova - Humber College
- Jonathan Kayser - KEA
- Molly Merete Page - KEA
- Jamie Kathrine Hansen - OTIS College of Design
- Isabel Wamser - Senac University
Advisors
- Erik Heijligers - Fontys UAS
- Rados Nenadovic - KEA
- Alė Janonytė Mulienė - Vilnius College of Design
Group 8 - FLOK CANTEEN
Students
- Jette Henneberg - BHT
- Timon David Lorke - FH Salzburg
- Vasil Borislavov Todorov - Fontys UAS
- Laura Mai Nosella - Humber College
- Oliver Marco Fogh - KEA
- Thea Havem Løvøy - KEA
- Gabija Kviklytė - Vilnius College of Design
Advisors
- Constanze Thomassen - Fontys UAS
- Peter Topsøe - KEA
- Qinglong Chen - KEA
Group 9 - URBAN CAMPER
Students
- Malak Khaled - BHT
- Ben Durbin - Humber College
- Ravi Bruggink - Fontys UAS
- Andrew Fudge - Otis College of Design
- Niels Kofod - KEA
- Olivia Nua Schneider Carlos - KEA
- Diana Rancevaitė - Vilnius College of Design
Advisors
- Charlotte Laporte - L’ecole de Design
- Christian Lystager - KEA
Group 10 - FIRE TYVE
Students
- Susanne Girnus - BHT
- Lissa Yasnill Gonzalez de Jesus - Humber College
- Dessy Andonova - Fontys UAS
- Jada Rose Wong - Otis College of Design
- Emilie Voss - KEA
- Niels Kristian Sveinsson - KEA
- Sophia Asmar Zielinski - TMU
- Gabrielė Ravdo - Vilnius College of Design
Advisors
- Hanadi Alnawab - Humber College
- Kristian Colvey - KEA
- Dan Kreutzfeldt - External
About the Author
Anne Dibbern
International Mobility Coordinator
T: 40 88 36 65
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.