Sustainable Design: Materials and Energy Whole Life Cycles

Location: Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff School of Art & Design
Date: 26-28 March
Cost: Fully/Part Funded - Please contact us for details

Course designed and delivered by

This course will explore the use of sustainable materials and systems. It will help to identify waste and will propose methods of the promotion of sustainability as a marketing tool.

By the end of the course you will be able to...........

 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the issues surrounding the social, ethical and ecological impact of developing new products and services including material choices, production, product/service usage, as well as end of product/service life considerations.

 2. Demonstrate reflective and critical practice through the use of commercial case studies.

 3. Make appropriate reference to and demonstrate proper understanding of the implementations of the principles of sustainable design such as “three R’s”, Cradle to Cradle design considerations and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA).

Tutor - Paul Wilgeroth

Paul Wilgeroth is a very experienced Product Designer and Design Engineer with almost 20 years of professional practice in industry. The first decade of which was spent in a professional Research & Development environment working on a diverse range of projects and resulting in several successful patent applications, with many of the designs progressing in to mass production. Projects ranged from innovative, energy-saving domestic products through to various novel high powered medical and industrial laser systems.

The second half of his industrial career was devoted to various design management roles that culminated as Product Design Manager of Hoover’s European Division.

He joined Cardiff Metropolitan University (UWIC) in 1995 initially as a senior lecturer in Industrial Design, quickly progressing to Programme Director and Director of the Centre for Design Engineering Studies. He was the principal author of the Product Design Programme of courses and as Programme Director has seen the courses grow and become recognised as amongst the top five product design programmes in the UK.

Industry Expert - Dr Frank O’Connor

Dr Frank O’Connor is Director of the Ecodesign Centre. Frank was brought up in rural Ireland where his passion for environmental issues and their relationship with design began in 1988 with his first project on end-of-life recovery issues. Since then, he has worked in, or as a specialist advisor to, multinationals, SMEs, government organisations, higher education and NGOs in ecodesign, life cycle thinking and related issues. Frank set-up the Ecodesign Centre (EDC) in 2006.

Frank holds a Bachelors Degree in Technology with Education, Masters in Advanced Manufacturing, Postgraduate in Management and a PhD in Ecodesign. His roles have included Chair of the Welsh Assembly Government EEE focus group, Expert Witness to House of Lords Select Committee, Technical Advisor to Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), Chair of Sustainable Wales, MSc. Programme Advisor to Cranfield University, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Referee, IDI Design Awards Judge and Advisor to DME Awards.

Frank has published extensively and has been delivering lectures, workshops and talks in the UK and overseas on a wide range of issues since the mid-90s. He believes passionately that ecodesign is good design and good business practice.