Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum

I am trying to keep up with the posts while trying to read several books, attend classes, write elevator speeches and think about my Big Idea. It has been a challenge but here we go.

The Impact! Design for Social Change class visited the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum last week. The museum currently has their National Design Triennial on display. This year, the curators and collaborators decided to theme the exhibition and focus on the work of designers who are addressing human and environmental issues in the fields of architecture, fashion, furniture, etc. Cynthia Smith, one of the curators, showed us around the exhibit and gave us a brief explanation of some of the projects.

I was surprised to find that one of the projects on display included a map of Colombia highlighting Medellin and many of the new buildings that have been built in the past few years. There was also a model of the library and several photos showing the community making use of these public spaces. The buildings were built to address the problem of violence and lack of community in the poorest areas of Medellin. The schools, library, metro cable and other buildings have not only made education more accessible to many but they have also been beautifully designed and they create an environment that the people of Medellin can be proud of.

http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Why-Design-Now/project/medellin-colombia

  









Another project shown in this exhibition is this 88 unit affordable housing complex near Madrid, Spain. The Carabanchel Social Housing building opens up to a garden on one side and a public park on the other. The facade of the building is ever changing since it is made up of bamboo shutters that tenants can open or close as they please. 

The NYC Hoop Rack is an item that is on display and one that many of us have seen and will be seeing throughout NY. These minimalist designed bike racks are being installed around the city in order to encourage people to ride their bikes as a main form of transportation in urban areas. Not only do they provide security from having our bikes stolen but they look great too.


To see the rest of the designs on display, visit http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Why-Design-Now/