Gdes3003 Visit & Lecture to the Centre for Alternate Technology, Mid Wales

We went on our annual day visit to the Centre for Alternate Technology this week with the Gdes3003 Green Design cohort. We were back to a small, but free minibus this year - but still managed to get there late morning and spend about 4 or so hours on site.. As we're now out of the tourist season it was quiet and we pretty much had the site to ourselves. Despite this, there was also a hive of activity ongoing with the sustainable development MA students up around CAT's new WISE building and Sheppard Lecture Theatre.

While on site this year we managed to have a look around some of the interactive exhibits and document, make notes/pictures of these (most of the design and info boards used were informal, dynamic and oriented to families - something style-wise that might be considered too in your own design work for this brief). Of particular note was a setup with a Cob Oven/covered social area (very similar to that planned at the University of Worcester's allotment and of course which your brief this year is oriented around).

Additionally, in sessions and via online learning, we've looked at a range of themes, research, refs and historical sources linked the genre over the last few weeks and some of these issues were touched on again in the afternoon lecture and workshop sessions.

To name but some of these themes (there were loads more):
Perceived obsolescence (phones etc), properties of materials, energy efficiency (inc Cob Ovens), climate change, Zero Carbon Britain, The Living Planet Report 2015, Hans Rosling/Gapminder/his mother's washing machine (TED Talk video), quality of life, decarbonising the economy, travel & food (the most contentious aspect?), Laura's Larder, the FairPhone (& it's sustainable packaging), the largest users of resources per person (countries, Living Planet report), the future viablility of air travel, Nuclear Power vs renewables - costings, government cuts/impacts, rammed earth buildings, the Sheppard Theatre/it's heating/cooling methods, locality of materials.. The list goes on..

A selection of pictures from the day:

The 2015 visit cohort. From left: Leszek, Scott, tutor Andy,
Beth, Matt, Mitali, Martin, Sophie, Meg, Kirsty,
Ally, Hannah, Fran, Josh and Liam.

CAT's own Cob Oven setup and covered social space.
Very much like the plan for the UW Allotment.

The incredible insides of the Sheppard Lecture Theatre on site where
the afternoon's lecture/workshop took place. The walls are all layered
and made out of rammed earth - local soil that has been compressed
to about  half of it's volume.

Some of the cohort catching-up and eating their pack up luncheon
site before the afternoon's lectures and workshops.

Boards inside CAT's veggie cafe.

Some re-purposed scrap and materials turned creatively into typography.

CAT's Education Lecturer Ann talking in the Sheppard lecture theatre
to this year's Green Design cohort.

Our cohort this year listening to discussions around
materials and sustainability.

Hans Rosling's 'Gapminder' - an excellent graphical tool for showing
the many stats around climate change etc.

Tutor Andy and lecturer Ann expand on one of the
points being made on screen.

One of the massive propeller turbines on site from a commercial wind
generator system. Behind it students can be seen looking over some of
CAT's many exhibits and information boards in situ.

A student's eye view of discussions ongoing.

Kirsty, Josh and Fran arranging some of the lifestyle cards in the workshop.

Some more creative re-uses on site.

Reflective questions to answer in your own CAT blog posts (Looked for on assessment):

1. Had you heard of CAT before you came on this module? If 'yes' then please give an idea where you'd heard about them.

2. Please respond to the points below. All aspects were raised/discussed in the lecture and workshop on site:

• Power: Decarbonizing our power generation infrastructure via renewables - can it be done, is it feasible? What will it take before changes on the scale suggested by Zero Carbon Britain could happen - government intervention or market forces? Or maybe you picked up on the the nuclear power options available - pros and cons/politics involved. How do you feel about this? Please explain your answer either way and any proactive suggestions..

• Transport: Decarbonizing our transport infrastructure - electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered - are they feasible/have you heard of them? Air travel - is it feasible to lower it to the levels suggested in Zero Carbon Britain (?) - please explain your answer either way and any proactive suggestions..

• Food: Decarbonizing our food infrastructure (according to Zero Carbon Britain) means lessening our reliance on meat and it's various production methods. When grazing land is freed up, it can be 'better used' to grow crops (which ZCB says is a much more efficient use of it). What do you feel about this? Is it feasible? Would you personally want to lessen your meat intake in the week (unless already a vegetarian)? Does the very thought of this annoy you? Please explain your answers and any proactive suggestions in as much detail as possible.

3. Please tell us your thoughts, concerns and/or proactive suggests on the 3x most notable things seen on site at CAT (i.e. it could be one of the specific exhibits seen, or maybe the clever use of materials with specific buildings to help reduce CO2 emissions, or maybe their Cob Oven setup/Covered social area or maybe the food on site etc).

4. Now you've had time to reflect, what 3x things gained from the CAT visit might you bring forward into your own ideas and developments for the sustainable packaging brief? Please explain your answers and any proactive suggestions in as much detail as possible.

Ask: Thanks all, I look forwards to seeing what you've all written. Can you complete this simple feedback by end of play fri 20th Nov please and e-mail me the link to your blog post.