Aalto LAB Shanghai Posted 26.04.2010

During the Shanghai World Expo, Aalto University in collaboration with Tongji University and IDEO organize two Aalto LAB Shanghai workshops that will take place both at the Finland Pavilion and at the Aalto-Tongji Design Factory.

Aalto LAB is a program concept created by Tuuli Sotamaa of Aalto University with the aim of making the world a better place to live. Aalto LAB unites universities, companies and society together to work on societal issues in order to create concrete impact on the specifically chosen theme.

The foundation of Aalto LAB is based on creating sustainable future with the underlying theme being the notion of sharing. Sharing in this context is based the comprehension of the emerging green economy in which resources such as energy, knowledge, matter, time, skill, software, space, or food will be shared. Aalto LAB focuses on realizing the dream of sustainability by creating radical new innovations.

In the context of China, Aalto LAB takes the initiative on the idea of reinventing urban life: rural + urban. Instead of people having to move to major cities, could rural areas be developed and supported in such a way that its’ inhabitants could continue living there; villages would become self-sustainable, the economy would be balanced and also the social structure of the areas would become healthier. In the case of Shanghai, Aalto LAB focuses on a small village at the Chongming Island.

The goal of Aalto LAB is to create concrete impacts and to support social entrepreneurship. Through the program a long-term effect is hopefully initiated, engaging the local people to carry out the development and progress. 

Aalto LAB also aims for acting as a bridge builder between people, topical issues, ideas and the society. Thus Aalto LAB is making the world a better place by creating multidisciplinary collaboration.

Aalto University is proud to realize the first international Aalto LAB with Tongji University and IDEO.

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Schedule:
Workshop I: 26.-27.5. at Kirnu and 28.-30.5. at ATDF
Phase I presentations: 31.5. at ATDF
Workshop II: August-September 2010

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Participants Aalto University:
Anni Hapuoja, School of Science and Technology
Anne Liiri, School of Economics
Ching-Yi Wang, School of Economics
Claudia Garduño García, School of Art and Design
Henna Immonen, School of Art and Design
Henri Lönn, School of Science and Technology
Mikko Koski, School of Science and Technology

Participants Tongji University:
ZHU Mingjie, environmental design
CHEN Xu, product design
YANG Lihua（Emily), product design
GU Chenchen, automotive engineering
LIU Xiaofeng, electronics and information engineering
ZHANG Yulei, mechanical design and manufacture

IDEO
Hei Cheng
Eddie Wu
Selena Xu
Helen Zhao
Gregory Perez

& Richard Kelly & Jerome Goh

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Follow the Labbers at Blogging pages