Collaborative Design Engineering Studio II

The second-semester studio builds upon theoretical and technical concepts already introduced in the MDE program, emphasizing problem assessment, creative and critical thinking, observational and experimentation-based evaluation, and context-aware communication strategies essential for complex problem-solving activities. Within the scope of the 2D, 3D, and 4D MDE studio pedagogy, the fourth dimension, time, will feature strongly in project considerations. Students will be challenged to prioritize deeper reflection and holistic connections across the entire ecology of their design-engineering project (i.e., systems design, experiential design, and futuring).

This year, student teams will develop a semester-long project on the topic of Sustainable Textile Ecologies. The projects will be informed through an initial textile ethnography intended to immerse students in a wide range of contemporary questions surrounding the textile industry to generate meaningful and empathetic design-engineering projects. Student teams will then spend most of the semester developing design-engineering projects addressing sustainable textile ecologies' global social, technical, and economic challenges and opportunities. Finally, teams will communicate their design-engineering project through a novel experiential media, a fashion parade.

This Studio is limited to first-year students enrolled in the Master in Design Engineering Program, a collaborative degree associated with Harvard GSD and SEAS.