Design for Fire: Challenge Pitch and Forum 2009

Design for Fire: Challenge Pitch

The 2009 Design Challenge, an initiative of RMIT’s Design Research Institute, brought together research and specialist teams across a broad range of diverse sectors to generate innovative design proposals in response to the issues raised by bushfires. The Design for Fire: Challenge Pitch was the first stage of assessment of the teams’ design proposals, from which a shortlist of finalists were invited to further develop their ideas.

Design for Fire: Forum

A free public forum dedicated to uncovering innovative design solutions that can help communities deal with extreme fire events. Design for Fire presented a range of perspectives, experiences and proposals in response to this urgent and topical issue.

Drawing from leading thinkers across areas such as architecture and engineering, environment, planning and landscaping, social issues, art, emerging technologies for early warning systems, remote sensing, fire protection, communications systems, real-time information sharing and personal protection.

A forum that enabled the public to get inside the minds of leading designers and design researchers as they share their ideas for practical design solutions that could have a lasting impact on the way we deal with bushfires now and into the future.

As part of the forum their keynote international guest Michael Reynolds - the Garbage Warrior presented his perspectives on designing for extreme conditions, other presentations will draw from the Design Research Institute's 2009 Design Challenge - an RMIT University-led design challenge that will bring together research leaders and industry specialists to explore how innovative design solutions can help communities deal with extreme fire events.

Moderator for the forum was ABC Radio National's Alan Saunders, special guest Michael Reynolds.

Supported by State Government Victoria, Design Victoria, City of Melbourne, and Standards Australia.

Presented by Design Research Institute at RMIT and Melbourne Conversations, the City of Melbourne's program of free talks program.