Co-Design in the Village
Developing sustainable practices and contemporary product for large-scale decentralised manufacturing through a network of villages
The concrete reality of rapid urbanisation in Vietnam stands in stark contrast to the slow and simple everyday rhythm of villages on the fringes of Hanoi. In collaboration with Sustainable Product Innovation - Future Living Studio as part of the UN Environmental Program we spent four months redesigning manufacturing processes, designing sustainable products and shifting to more decentralised modes of livelihood that support subsistence and rural living. We worked cross- culturally, often without shared language to reveal common values and create sustainable production solutions through collaborative, exploratory design.
A key outcome was a co-designed series of rattan furniture with a small specialist factory in Thahn Dat. This found ways to preserve local techniques and practices through integrating global sustainable design knowledge. These pieces were exhibited at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi, published in local design media and travelled to France as part of the Maison D’Object (global furniture fair) in Paris in 2014.
Traditional local production practises are passed down over hundreds of years and therefore are inherently sustainable, particularly in comparison to centralised large-scale manufacturing alternatives that dominate the competitive market.
The project created pathways for these ecologically conscious practices to be economically viable in the global production network that is exemplified in the Northern Vietnamese region, and supports the social and cultural fabric of local places.
Through this project we unlocked the value of linking up a global network of local villages, connecting small-scale local producers to increase accessibility to global economic markets, promote sustainable product design and produce positive social, economic and environmental outcomes that feedback into local communities.
This project received attention across Vietnamese government sectors and design communities who agreed on the value of building Vietnam’s design capacity and unique export capabilities through the development of connected, resilient local systems in the global market. The project was followed on by a second project involving direct design consultation with VIETTRADE (the Vietnamese trade body) and the Hanoi Design Centre.
For more on this project see here
