The focus of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 was on building better cities through long-term development projects. It is still too early to evaluate the success of these development projects, but initial results suggest that the WDC Helsinki 2012 year has made Helsinki a city that is both more open and better attuned to the needs of its residents.

The first sum-up of the year's legacy is in the form of ten theses, which World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 published at the end of November 2012.  The year helped city residents gain a deeper insight into the importance of design and its impact on their daily life, highlighted the user’s perspective in design, and promoted the use of design in solving problems in different environments. Design also contributed towards better well-being services, student library services, airport security checks, ways of working, work wear, new signage system for the entire Helsinki area, and more.

The World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 organisation will publish a final report and end its activities in March 2013.

Attention on design

In 2012, Finns discussed design more than ever before, and Finnish design attracted unprecedented levels of international attention.

The World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 programme was made up of a total of 580 projects that increased understanding of the importance of design. Visitor numbers for the events, exhibitions and destinations as a whole were well upwards of one million, and the WDC Helsinki 2012 programme also left a mark in most residents' lives or surroundings through the different development projects.

Of the total of 2,800 events held throughout the year, 90% were open to the general public while 80% were completely free.

Comprising 12 different projects, 365 Wellbeing was one of Aalto’s main contributions to the programme of the design capital year.

– Design in the field of wellbeing tries to find means of planning environments, products and services in such a way that the benefits for citizens, service providers and the public healthcare and wellbeing system meet,’ explains the project leader, Professor Turkka Keinonen from Aalto University.

– Design related to wellbeing is often based on co-design but may also point out problems observed by the designers through the means of work that is more artistic.

More than 200 Aalto University students, employees, teachers and professors participated in the 365 Wellbeing projects, which also involved residents of Helsinki, Kauniainen, Espoo and Lahti. Other collaborators included around 50 professionals from the fields of healthcare, child welfare and city planning as well as the field of suburb development.  

The last projects of the project entity will reach their conclusion only in mid-December but the members of the projects and collaborators will present the accomplishments for the year in a joint event held already on 12 December. 

Researchers from the project have compiled their experiences of wellbeing-related design into a book, which will be published at the beginning of next year. The book will lay out the ways in which researchers approach fields that are considered to be far from the traditional areas of design. The reader will also hear what the collaborators thought of their experiences of working with the designers.   

– A recurring theme is the collaborators’ bafflement over what designers could have to offer to a very practical field, such as mental health care or care for the elderly. The way the designers brought new and fresh perspectives to the work and its routines has been praised almost without exception. The design students’ enthusiasm and dedication were also seen in a very positive light, explains Janos Honkonen, media coordinator of 365 Wellbeing and one of the editors of the book.

The World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 year is drawing to a close but according to Turkka Keinonen, the 365 Wellbeing projects will not end with the WDC year.

– Some of the 365 Wellbeing themes will continue in the form of joint research projects by Aalto University and the cities in the capital region. Based on the results from the project, teaching will be developed so that in future more attention will be paid to collaboration between design and public services, says Professor Turkka Keinonen.

Further information on the project: http://365wellbeing.aalto.fi/

The researchers tested how sustainability business innovations and the market value of companies in the construction sector are connected. The study is a first of its kind. An event study model was used to analyse large construction sector companies in several European countries as well as Australia.

Most important finding of the study is that a positive and statistically significant association exists between sustainability innovation announcements and the market value of companies.

When sustainability innovation announcements are reported regularly it explains an increase of 0.82% in the market capitalisation of the studied companies. Sustainability innovation announcements can be for example about renewable power solutions, sustainable workplace concept and carbon audit software.

 - Investments on sustainable practices by companies lead to the creation of economic value. The results imply that sustainability innovations can be relevant to the top management of companies operating in the business development. On top of that, information on sustainability innovations can also be useful to stock market investors when they evaluate the future growth potential of companies, says Professor Seppo Junnila from Aalto University, Finland.

The full article has recently been selected among the best articles of 2011-2012 in"Editor's recommended papers 2011-2012" of the prestigious Building Research & Information –journal.

 View the full article here. 

Further information: 
Seppo Junnila, Professor, Real Estate Business, Aalto University 
tel: +358 (50) 511 5816 
email:  seppo.junnila@aalto.fi

The initiative took place from 5 to 11 November and was organised in collaboration with Aalto University - Aalto Global Impact, Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), the Finnish Embassy in Pretoria, the city of Cape Town and its local partners.

The reasons behind the visit were twofold:

1) For Aalto’s community, WDC Helsinki and Finnish Designers to interact with local partners/networks and showcase the legacy of Helsinki’s WDC year in the spirit of passing on the torch to their counterparts in Cape Town for 2014.

2) For Aalto University to develop the framework around the longer term collaboration with Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), under the concept of Design for Urban Transformation.

The two major activities co-organised by Aalto Global Impact were:
A full day open space ACCESS workshop “Design needs your voice!”
A full day “Talkoot: cross-community design” workshop at RLabs (Bridgetown). 

Planning for WDC Cape Town 2014

In view of 2014, both Aalto and CPUT  have decided to collaborate on a joint initiative under the concept of Design for Urban Transformation, which is in line with the themes of the WDC Cape Town for 2014 (reconnecting, rebuilding and repositioning the city through the transformative power of design).  

The visit in November was seen as a contextual enquiry period for Aalto and CPUT to shape concrete areas of collaboration and joint educational programs, curriculum twinning and capacity building with partners in South Africa.

As the partnership in South Africa continues to unfold, Aalto University encourages the inclusion of the student community – from both countries and beyond.

Under the banner of Aalto Global Impact, a student-driven project is in the making, bringing students and project courses along the road through Eastern African countries – where Aalto has on-going hands-on student projects – all the way to Cape Town for a special event showcasing the Helsinki – Cape Town collaboration at World Design Capital 2014.

For further details, please contact:
Anne Badan  
anne.badan(at)aalto.fi 

Co-Core arranges open educational events, which will showcase the both art and design works by different universities. Co-Core seeks to open up different design and working procedures and the sharing of idea- and product development. The goal is to propel further open dialog and it's effect on the birth of a new learning environment.

The Co-Core event brings with it new student works that are presented to the public in a large public exhibition. The show will be accompanied by information about the design processes behind each work and will have dialog between the artists and the audience.

The Co-Core event will also include a seminar, where international professors will present their findings from different art and design fields worldwide.

Aalto University to host Co-Core this year

The Co-Core seminar will be held in Helsinki at the Ateneum on the 12^th of December at 10-13PM and the critique event at the Sanoma house Mediatori on the 13^th and 14^th of December between 9AM and 16PM.

The events are open to the public and a fine opportunity to acquaint yourself with the design process behind the works, as well as catch up on the visions and future plans of soon graduating students from Aalto.

The partnering universities of the event are: Aalto University, China Central Academy of Fine Arts (China), Hongik University (South Korea), Silpakorn University (Thailand), Tama Art University (Japan) and Tsinghua University Academy Of Arts & Design (China).

The event will be presided over by lecturer Toni Kauppila from the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture.

Sanoma Magazines will support the event in conjunction with the World Design Capital 2012 partnership.

“The World Design Capital's task is to highlight the significance of design; indicate the intended usage of contemporary design, and to increase the demand for design.  Our projects have succeeded brilliantly in all of these. Helsinki and its partner cities have concentrated on building better cities and initiated development work that utilises design,” tells Pekka Timonen, Executive Director of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012.

Design has had a wider impact on Finns this year than ever before. The effect and significance of design has been explored in 580 projects in total. World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 has been carried out in Finland and abroad by an extensive network consisting of 290 organisations.

During WDC Helsinki 2012, the use of design methods has widened in various ways. They have been used to find solutions for healthcare and social services, student library services, airport security checks, our working habits, work wear and revamping signage systems, among other things.

World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 events, exhibitions and locations have attracted nearly one million visitors. Altogether 2,800 events were organised throughout the year, of which 90 per cent were open for the general public and 80 per cent were free-of-charge. In addition to the events, the programme had an impact on a huge percentage of residents through the extensive development projects.

Worldwide recognition and interest for WDC Helsinki 2012

As the World Design Capital, the Helsinki Metropolitan Area has attracted extensive international attention. The message of design’s new role has been convincing as well as interesting: the project has featured in almost 7,000 international articles published in nearly 100 countries.

Over 80 international seminars, conferences and events were organised during World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, which brought more than 2,000 experts worldwide into Finland. Between 2010 and 2012, more than 200 international events in 44 different countries have been organised within the framework of WDC Helsinki 2012.

World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 has also had an effect on the development of tourism. The Cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen and Lahti are pleased with the growth this year, adding to the previous successful tourism years. In Helsinki, according to estimations, the growth will be 1,3 per cent.  According to research carried out by IBM analysts, the special effect of 2012 in Helsinki's tourism will be 2,5 per cent.

Final report published in March 2013

The World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 organisation will terminate its operations in early 2013, and the project's final report will be published in March 2013.

Due to the networked operational model, the change initiated by World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 will not cease with the organisation that implemented the project. The projects which aimed for long-term development continue their activities, and the project’s background communities are preparing further activities.

In the spirit of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, the government also wishes to promote the use of design. In 2012, the government initiated the compilation of the National design programme, which will be ready for publication in January 2013.

Read more.

The aim of Cape Town’s year as Design Capital is to use design to create a more harmonious city. During the year, Cape Town will place emphasis on socially responsible design, durability and innovations.

A delegation of seven representatives from Cape Town will participate in the WDC Helsinki 2012 closing summit and evening ceremony, including Mayor Patricia de Lille and the World Design Capital 2014 project manager Richard Perez. 

The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) will be conferring the title of World Design Capital on Cape Town at an evening ceremony at Helsinki City Hall. A plaque containing the title World Design Capital Cape Town will be presented to Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille.

Closing summit to discuss significance of design in changing cities

The international World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 closing summit will be held at Finlandia Hall on 29 November 2012. The summit will summarise the impact of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 year and review the importance of themed years to the city.

Four topics will be discussed at the summit: Roots for New Growth - Demand for Design, Global Responsibility - Designing the Future, Open Helsinki - Creating Cultural Change, and Design Destination - Transforming the City. Debating these topics will be top Finnish and international speakers such as Ravi Naidoo, Judy Dobias and Michael Thomson.

The summit will end with a panel discussion involving the Mayors of Cape Town, Taipei and Lahti, the Chair of Stockholm's city council and representatives from Icsid, UNESCO and the IBM Smarter Cities network. The panel will consider what kind of cities are design-led cities, and what the challenges of design are in modern cities, as well as touching on other topics.

The summit will be moderated by strategic design manager Marco Steinberg from Sitra.

Further information
Summit programme 

Snapshots from the summit

The challenge given to the the participants was to come up with innovative solutions/interventions by asking themselves: "What can we do ourselves to improve our situation?" 

Immediately placing the challenge and outcomes in a very real and pragmatic context, the challenge encourages communities to take ownership of the proposals going forward. It also means the focus is on finding small scale interventions of which communities themselves can be the owners, instead of what constitutes as the responsibilities of the city or service contractors regarding service delivery.

The challenges and results were compiled into this video by Andrea Couvert and can be viewed below.

Watch the video here!

The Aalto Executive DBA is designed for experienced executives who wish to complete a doctoral program alongside their work. This working-life oriented program includes applied research.

 - The DBA is an international doctoral program offered by high-quality educational institutions. We provide an internationally competitive DBA program for companies and executives who are interested in developing themselves further. The program has attracted interest, especially in Asia, where Aalto EE has thousands of Executive MBA alumni, says the Academic Director of the Aalto Executive DBA Program, Professor Henrikki Tikkanen, Aalto University School of Business.

Year after year, Finland has been at the top of the international Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which gauges students’ key skills required in the future. Finnish executive education programs are also among the best in the world. As part of Aalto University, Aalto EE holds all three of the respected international business university accreditations: AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS, - widely called the “Triple Crown”, and represents the top 0.4% in the world. The Aalto Executive MBA Program is ranked number one in the Nordic countries, and number 83 in the world.

 - Aalto EE serves as a bridge between East and West in terms of leadership expertise. Achieving top quality lies at the core of our operations. We want to be the preferred partner of international companies in Northern Europe and Asia, says Dr. Minna Hiillos, Business Area Director, MBA and EMBA Programs, Aalto EE.

- The Aalto Executive DBA Program can be completed, alongside work, in three to six years. The program has a rolling intake, and a personal progress plan is tailored for each participant.

 - Aalto Executive DBA serves both the student and the employer. Students can write their DBA dissertations for their employers; theory and practice become linked and create new knowledge that can immediately be applied to the company’s development activities, Hiillos continues.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Minna Hiillos, Associate Dean 
Business Area Director, MBA and EMBA Programs 
Aalto University Executive Education 
Tel: +358 50 583 9521 
Email: minna.hiillos@aaltoee.fi

Dr. Henrikki Tikkanen
Professor, Aalto University 
Tel: +358 50 573 4174 
Email: henrikki.tikkanen@aalto.fi

Aalto EE
Aalto University Executive Education, Finland offers high-quality executive development services, drawing on the many strengths of its extensive international network and the competencies of Aalto University. Its mission is to build a better world through better leadership and educate a new generation of leaders. Aalto EE’s strengths lie in its global operating model and diverse offering. In addition to Finland and Singapore, Aalto EE offers education programs in Poland, Sweden, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, and Russia.  As part of Aalto University, Aalto EE holds three respected business university accreditations: AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS certificates. In this respect, it is representative of the top 0.4% institutions in the world.

"This work is born from a dream of an ideal learning environment : a space that always meets the needs of its occupants and embraces constant transformation. This dream can come true in Aalto University Learning Center," says Valeria Gryada, the designer behind the "Ever-changing space" project.

“Ever-changing space” creates spatial design guidelines through observation, experimentation, and reflection. The relations between change, openness, community and human senses are brought into focus and studied through the prism of architecture. Provided guidelines can be used as a platform for designing the Aalto University Learning Center and upgrading the existing facilities of the University.

Valeria Gryada is a MoA’12 – Masters of Aalto graduate, which is part of the Aalto University Living+ program creating better and more sustainable living environments.

School of Arts,
Design and Architecture
Spatial Design

+358 44 362 8188
valeria.gryada @ gmail.com
www.valeriagryada.com

“At the border of another world” is a photo-project, which depicts human-made changes to mire ecosystems from an ecocritical point of view. Ecocriticism looks into the various interacting roles of nature and culture. Some 60 % of Finland’s pristine mire landscapes have been sacrificed on the altar of agriculture, forestry and energy generation. Times of social upheaval led to the clearing and draining of mires for farming use, but more recently mires were also drained, occasionally with questionable grounds, for forestry and for peat mining.

Terhi Asumaniemi is a MoA’12 – Masters of Aalto alumni, which is a part of the Aalto University Living+ program creating better and more sustainable living environments.

School of Arts,
Design and Architecture
Visual journalism
+358 50 309 3309
asumaniemi @ kolumbus.fi
www.asumaniemi.com

The two universities have decided to collaborate on a joint initiative under the concept of Design for Urban Transformation. The concept creates innovative solutions for urban and societal challenges in the spirit of creative sustainability and future design. 

In order to deepen the co-operation representives from both cities will meet on Nov 7-10, 2012. 

Both universities committed to creating societal impact and sustainability

The overall  theme of the WDC Cape Town 2014 is reconnecting, rebuilding and repositioning the city through the transformative power of design. The rapid change of technological, societal and environmental living context inspires both universities. They acknowledge their commitment to societal impact and sustainability issues through research, education and projects.

- Aalto University has unique capabilities in bridging disciplines and developing new solutions for global problems. We believe our concept of combining art and science with technology and business leads to life-improving design. Collaboration between the two universities provides a unique opportunity for making a real change for a better world, says vice president Hannu Seristö from Aalto University.

- Sharing experiences from WDC Helsinki in 2012 will support Cape Town’s own planning processes for year 2014. It will also offer a great opportunity to increase collaboration between continents, cities and institutions. The CPUT intends to continue to be a major contributor to the design year’s programme of events and looks forward to drawing on the Aalto University’s experience to do this, says Bruce Snaddon, Senior Lecturer at the CPUT.

The collaboration of the two universities will strengthen their partnerships with society and create a new platform for students, researchers and professors to engage with real-life challenges. Programmes, courses and partnerships will run under the banner of Aalto Global Impact, which brings together number of parties working in societal issues within Aalto University.

Aalto University played a major role in WDC Helsinki 2012

Aalto University has been one of the major partners in realising the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 in Finland. 

Around 2000 Aalto students and staff with other partners worked together in 37 projects under the banner Living+ for creating better living environments.

In the Living+ programme two thirds of the projects had international partners and half of them had activities outside of Finland.

The Pavilion’s building materials will be reutilised, and the result will be presented at the 2013 Habitare Fair's Trash Design Department. Between four and six internationally well-known architects or architect offices will be invited to come up with ideas for the reuse of the Pavilion building materials with a design for a small structure. Habitare is the biggest furniture, interior decoration and design fair in Finland.

The Pavilion will turn into the third Trash Design implementation representing experimental and progressive reuse of materials. The two other implementations seen at Habitare Fair have been the Trash Home (2011) and the Trash Design Hotel (2012). The concept is a joint project by the Finnish Fair Corporation and two well-known designers, Isa Kukkapuro-Enbom and Henrik Enbom.

Pavilion’s reuse important for UPM

The Pavilion’s wood and composite materials were provided by World Design Capital Helsinki 2012’s main partner, UPM, and after being dismantled, the Pavilion became the property of UPM again. UPM’s decision to reuse the building materials has pleased all parties. The Pavilion’s reuse is also an example of UPM's Biofore Strategy which emphasises the use of renewable and recycled materials.

- The Pavilion has conveyed a forceful message of the possibilities offered by eco building and UPM’s innovative products. It is important to us that the Pavilion’s materials continue their design journey. It will be interesting to see what the internationally renowned architects come up with using the materials, says Elisa Nilsson, Vice President for Brand Management at UPM.

Dialogue on the Pavilion’s legacy to remain active

WDC Helsinki 2012 Pavilion was a joint project by Aalto University, the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Design Museum, UPM and World Design Capital Helsinki 2012. The aim was to create a new, open meeting place in an urban environment and to offer a sense of community as well as to provoke discussion on better cities.

- The Pavilion transformed a car park into a meaningful place, which now comes across vacant. I hope that we have accelerated the discussion on the use of urban spaces as well as Design Museum's and the Museum of Finnish Architecture’s space issue, says Kaarina Gould, Programme Director of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012.

The Pavilion’s programme was coordinated by think tank Demos Helsinki and implemented by more than a hundred different parties from designers to non-governmental organisations and from civil service departments and civil servants to urban activists and universities. The creators' and visitors’ eagerness speaks of the major demand for an activity base such as the Pavilion.

Pavilion’s visitors and creators were enthusiastic

The Pavilion offered free-of-charge, open programme and entertainment on 105 days in total. The wooden pavilion designed by Aalto University Wood Studio’s student and expert team represented new age architecture and embodied Finnish wood building at its best. There were 80,000 visitors to the Pavilion in total.

- Design Museum is an international meeting place for design. The heart of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, the Pavilion, functioned as an active meeting place during the 2012 summer season, providing people with an opportunity to experience design in an unaffected and relaxed atmosphere. The Pavilion highlighted the museums’ space shortage in concrete terms and gave a glimpse of the possibilities appropriate premises would offer, says Director of the Design Museum Jukka Savolainen.

The Pavilion was the centre of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 summer activities offering a programme open to everyone from Tuesday until Sunday between 12 May and 16 September 2012. The Pavilion was a joint project by World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, Aalto University, the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Design Museum and UPM. The programme was coordinated by Demos Helsinki. The Pavilion was located in Helsinki between Design Museum and the Museum of Finnish Architecture at Ullanlinnankatu 2-4.

The Pavilion’s story will continue at the Trash Design Department of Habitare Fair organised between 18 and 22 September 2013 at Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Aalto University, Finland, has successfully built strategic connections in China in close cooperation with Tongji University. The Sino-Finnish Centre was opened at Tongji University in 2010, and since then Aalto University and Tongji University have been jointly developing the Aalto-Tongji Design Factory. The aim of the cooperation is to promote research, education and innovation and to offer a platform where students and researchers encounter enterprises and society.

"During the first two years of the Sino-Finnish Centre, Aalto University and Tongji University have deepened the university-industry-city cooperation between China and Finland and built a bridge of innovation connecting the countries. It is a bridge to the future. We believe that together we can co-create a new means for creatively sustainable wellbeing and build a better world for all. Radical Design Week 2012 is a brilliant example of what Aalto and Tongji can achieve together" says Tuula Teeri, President of Aalto University.

Aalto University’s main event in the Radical Design Week is the NEXT Design Exhibition, a multidisciplinary selection of works of graduates of Aalto University, 'Masters of Aalto'. The exhibition is more than just another collective showcase. It represents the ideals and values of the new generation and presents their vision of the future of design. The exhibition kicks off the Tongji-Aalto design exhibition series. Next year, there will be a Tongji Design Exhibition at the School of Art, Design and Architecture at Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland. The NEXT Design Exhibition is open from 31 October to 25 November at Tongji University.

Radical Design Week brings Aalto University’s academic workshops to Shanghai in cooperation with Tongji University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and several companies. Finnish and Chinese students and researchers work with companies on urban planning meeting sustainability challenges, on finding new means for user-driven innovations, and on creating rooftop gardens in urban architecture.

Contact:
Krista Kinnunen
Aalto University communications  
+358 50 341 2256 
krista.kinnunen@aalto.fi

Read more: 
www.radicaldesignweek.com

How can city planning, urban design and building architecture meet the challenges of the massive urbanization in the 21st century? The world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history. More than half of the world’s population is living in towns and cities. By 2030 this number will rise to almost 5 billion. The challenge for urban planning in the next few decades is learning how to exploit the possibilities of urbanization.

The urban issues are core factors determining the future sustainability agenda with direct implications to people’s everyday lives. Urban planning must find new methods in the future to live up to creative sustainability, usability and the quality of life.

Aalto University from Helsinki, Finland, is organizing a one week international Urban cells workshop in Shanghai at the Aalto Tongji Design Factory as cooperation between Aalto University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT and Tongji University. 

"We will examine urban ecosystems from a holistic perspective, which links land use planning, urban development, real estate business, building and environmental design, urban planning and building services to mutually complementing ecosystems, which are offered to end-users, people, in the most attractive, innovative and economical way," says Mr Lou Yongqi, professor in Aalto Tongji Design Factory at Tongji University.

The Urban cells workshop will focus on the design of resilient communities in Shanghai by developing new and scalable housing, mobility and energy systems. The elements of urban space for the new flexible environment will be studied and tested. The aim is to design new urban ecosystems that are more livable, walkable, bikable and usable environments for all people. Students will focus on developing key components of a resilient city in a generalizable fashion that could scale to new greenfield cities all over China.

"China is looking for new methods in urban planning to meet the qualitative aspects of urbanization. Aalto University can contribute, through the Aalto Tongji Design Factory, in the creation of a welfare society in China. Finland is world’s top class in combining welfare, creative sustainability and competitiveness in building good living environments. As a practical example, Helsinki is one of the best and livable cities in the world," says Mr Antti Ahlava, Head of the Department of Architecture in Aalto University.

Read more: 
Aalto University
Tongji University
Radical Design Week

Contact:
 Professor Lou Yongqi, Tongji University 
+86 13901751533 
lou.yongqi@gmail.com

Head Antti Ahlava, Department of Architecture 
+358 50 3241 179  
antti.ahlava@aalto.fi

365 Wellbeing consisted of 12 projects, which represent actual services or processes in the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen, and Lahti. Each project addresses a unique dimension of wellbeing, focusing in particular on municipal services and patient-centered health care solutions. More than 150 students were involved.

The aim was to find ways of encouraging people to adopt healthier lifestyles, and to help designers and municipal decision makers design more pleasant and healthier environments.

The projects resulted in over 30 publications, widespread visibility in the media, and around 50 exhibitions and participaton in international events.

In the Co-designing the Future Health IT project, students worked with the Helsinki municipal health care centre to develop concepts for reducing the amount of no-show patients in healthcare, addressing the problem of chlamydia infections in the student population, and finding ways for the Neuvola maternity wards to enhance the communication with new mothers. The final seminar held in May triggered broad interest for the suggestions and a lively discussion among health care representatives.

In the spring Suburb 2072 project activated hundreds of people around the Helsinki suburb of Mellunkylä to take part in coming up with ideas for improving the neighborhood, and the Repicturing Suburban Neighbourhood project brought the the suburb of Kannelmäki together to a block event.

The User Inspired Design - Psychiatric Care I project came up with concepts and solutions to help psychiatric patients to feel like they are in control of their therapeutic process, and to enhance the communication between the third sector organizations involved in mental health care.

The three Villa Breda projects addressed such important topics as bridging the intergenerational gap in sharing experiences and communication, facilitating a better mobility for the elderly via transport services, and making the actual Villa Breda facilities meet the needs of both the elderly but also other demographics better via spatial planning, new activities, better use for materials in decoration, etc.

As a whole 365 Wellbeing has been very successful in providing practical, design based solutions to diverse healthcare and wellbeing related challenges, and raising the profile of design in decision making in such concrete fields as health care and city planning.

The Aalto Otaniemi Garden project is taking it's first steps to reality as the WDC 2012 year draws to a close.

"The project has been scaled down from it's original vision due to budget constraints, but we feel that this could actually be only a good thing" says Meri Löyttyniemi, expert in sustainable design at Aalto University.

The campus garden, with a view on a tentative 2013 date, is designed to bring new life and a visual beauty to the Otaniemi area. 

"We are looking into starting the planting in the spring of 2013, and to have the area ready for use for the opening ceremonies of the fall season of the same year," Löyttyniemi continues.

The Urban Gardening Competition had 24 finalists in the design competition. The winning design (above) was created by Aalto student Sofia Tigerstedt.

The Danish NPO, INDEX: Design to Improve Life is calling out once more nominees for it's Design 2013 awards.

Currently in the world: 2 out of 5 children in the UK do not know that potatoes are the main ingredient in french fries. 3.6 million people die out from water related disease yearly. In developing countries, 200 million people aged 15-24 have not completed primary school.

The goal of the initiative is to gather together the best ideas around the globe to address these important challenges - like water shortages, lack of education and lifestyle illnesses through design.

Currently nominees have arrived from around the world to be evaluated by a panel of international judges.

Nomination for the Index is free and open to everyone. More information on the nomination procedure can be found here.

More information
http://www.designtoimprovelife.dk/

The exhibition's theme falls under the Venice Architecture Biennale umbrella, Common Ground and is curated by Professor Pekka Harni and industrial designer Yuka Takahashi. The Finnish co-organisers, Harni-Takahashi and Hahmo Design Ltd, are also responsible for the visual identity of the event.

The 45 works on display represent the very best of Finnish sustainable and ecological design, driven by a desire to find sustainable solutions and give people a positive push.

The Sustainable Design from Finland exhibition in Venice will run until 20 October. The event will culminate in a closing seminar held at the IUAV University of Venice on 22 October.

The exhibition is part of the official World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 programme.

The Finnish designers featured in the exhibition are:
Aalto & Aalto, Linda Berghroth, Sirpa Fourastié & Susan Elo, Johanna Gullichsen, Hahmo, Henri Halla-aho, Pekka Harni, Simo Heikkilä, Sanelma Hihnala, Jouko Järvisalo, Inka Kivalo, Seppo Koho, Harri Koskinen, Antti Kotilainen, Hannu Kähönen, Kristiina Lassus, Stefan Lindfors, Samuli Naamanka, Vuokko Nurmesniemi, Anniina Nurmi, Mikko Paakkanen, Pelago, Peruste, Ritva Puotila, Tuula Pöyhönen, Heikki Ruoho, Jukka Setälä, Ilkka Suppanen, Janna Syvänoja, Yuka Takahashi, Petri Vainio and Yrjö Wiherheimo.