Better solutions to help society cope with COVID-19
Singapore’s design community rallies behind DBCS’s call to reimagine a better world with the Design for Good initiative: Six most promising projects selected for funding, project development & rapid prototyping
Design Business Chamber Singapore (DBCS) issued an open call on 13 April 2020 to rally the Republic’s design community to reimagine and pitch ideas on how they might make lives better during and after the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Andrew Pang, DBCS President, said, “In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, we saw an opportunity to harness the efforts of the creative community to find solutions for the societal issues we face and to improve the many lives, businesses and communities that were adversely affected by the pandemic.”
Themed Design for Good, DBCS posed designers three challenges seeking solutions for the short to mid-term as well as long-term.
- How can we keep our community safe and healthy (in body and mind) during this global COVID-19 pandemic?
- How can we encourage our community to support one another and look out for those who are socially isolated?
- How can we learn from COVID-19 to reimagine our futures for work, life, learning and play?
Proposals had to be original, actionable and implementable within a three to six-month period. Within two weeks, more than 120 design proposals were received when the call for submissions closed on 26 April. Each of the six selected projects will receive $6,000 in seed money.
One of the selected project is One Kind Block, by Dylan Soh and team. The Lego-like hydroponic module system brings urban farming to the masses. It is designed to fit windows, balconies and corridors in HDB flats and apartments. Requiring only water and hydroponic nutrients, and sealed to prevent mosquito breeding, this urban farming system allows anyone to grow their own vegetables and herbs and be self-sufficient. Click here to read more: https://designforgood.dbcsingapore.org/2020/04/25/one-kind-block/.
Photos courtesy of DBCS