For a long time, it wasn’t clear whether TU/e would participate in Dutch Design Week this year. The Executive Board has been looking to cut costs. Last year’s Drivers of Change exhibition was already smaller than the year before, and this year’s budget was reduced even further. Future by Design is now represented by two glass containers: one from the Department of Built Environment (BE) and one from Industrial Design (ID).

Something is better than nothing. Still, for a university that develops so many innovations—and aims to attract more master’s students—Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven offers an ideal stage to showcase itself. Especially when you see how busy the TU/e exhibition is and how many questions visitors ask.

A missed opportunity, particularly for the growing departments. Think of the student teams, with their impressive projects in health, mobility, data and AI, and sustainability. Students are the university’s best ambassadors; they present their projects with contagious enthusiasm and can inspire future TU/e students.

But what can you really display in a 6-by-2.5-meter container that also has to accommodate visitors? The BE department tackled that challenge with an overview of smart, biobased materials, such as those made from flax or clay. More space would certainly have done the exhibition justice—especially considering the fragility of the ceramic objects.

The ID department appointed study association Lucid as curator. Lucid selected four student projects that demonstrate the diversity of design—so much more than simply creating a beautifully shaped product. The design process can also be applied to complex social issues. For instance: how can you build trust between farmers and the government? Or: is it possible to compost clothing?

Two interesting exhibitions, well worth a visit. And if you’d like a more extensive Future by Design experience, you don’t have to wait a whole year—just drop by Industrial Design’s Demo Day. At the end of each semester, the designers of the future present their design projects there.

Annemarie van Malsen is a communications officer at TU/e’s Department of Industrial Design. The views expressed in this column are her own.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.