Research becomes real-world solutions in autumn exhibition – Designs for a Cooler Planet showcases work by researchers and students

The autumn exhibition presents inspiring perspectives, bold experiments and concrete examples of the future of more sustainable architecture, construction, energy production, health and materials, among other themes.

“Aalto’s research and innovations rank among the world’s top across many fields. Visitors often tell us that after seeing the exhibition, they gain a more concrete understanding of what is done at the university and the benefits of multidisciplinary collaboration,” says Aalto University President Ilkka Niemelä.

What can fit inside a satellite the size of a milk carton? Why could a hydrogen fuel cell just one centimetre thick revolutionise mobility? Must sustainable fashion differ aesthetically from fast fashion? The exhibition brings together early-stage experiments as well as more advanced research and innovations from all six of the university’s schools.

This year also features projects that develop the structures and systems of society. Many of the works highlight the importance of long-term fundamental research in enabling innovation.

“Without persistent basic research that deepens our understanding of the world and its phenomena, there would be no innovations. In turn, new innovations and ideas generate much-needed internationally competitive business for Finland,” Niemelä says.

The autumn exhibition at the Marsio building in Otaniemi will present the following research themes:

• Electricity consumption of data centres in Europe
• Service design supporting the employment of immigrants
• The role of economic research and data in decision-making
• Innovative new uses for old public buildings
• Advanced prosthetics
• Novel hydrogen fuel cells
• Development of a room-temperature superconductor
• A small satellite adaptable to flexible needs
• New uses of wood and innovative timber architecture
• Environmentally friendly insulation materials
• Twisting metamaterials
• Bio-based material experiments
• Seaweed-based alternatives to plastic
• Super-black colour derived from wood
• The aesthetics of sustainable fashion
• A novel fabric made from recycled fibres
• Colours derived from agricultural waste

Designs for a Cooler Planet is one of the main venues of Helsinki Design Week. The collaboration, which has continued since 2018, aims to highlight the significance of design and multidisciplinary research. The exhibition is also a partner of the EU’s New European Bauhaus initiative.

The Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition will be open from 1 September to 30 October at Aalto University’s Otaniemi campus. In addition to the main exhibition, there will be events and satellite exhibition venues.