This article was published 10 years Due to an imbalance between imports and exports, every year 26.1 million shipping container loads travel from China, but only 12.9m loads travel back to China – meaning that half of the containers going back to Asia are empty, a fact that designer Innovation Design Engineering…
Category: design for good
a day in the life
Maya Alvarado creates a new shelving system for local charity shop
This article was published 10 years This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado teams up with Benchmark’s cabinetmaker Max to fit the Red Cross fix, they bring pre-fabricated parts on site and prepare the new storage system ready for use… 09:00: It is Saturday morning, having collected the materials and tools…
a day in the life
Maya Alvarado prototypes new paddles
This article was published 10 years 06:00: I wake up in Hungerford, and begin my day by researching existing paddles. Today I will prepare some different versions for Heidi to test out at the next canoe training session. I get ready and leave for work. 07:30: When I arrive at…
a day in the life
Maya Alvarado runs fixing workshop for Two Saints
This article was published 10 years This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado tests out a new handle for Sean Sutcliffe’s portable samples case, collects scrap material and charity shop finds, and leads the second workshop for local homeless charity Two Saints. 06:00: I wake up in Hungerford and get…
a day in the life
Maya Alvarado prepares for Red Cross charity shop fix
This article was published 10 years This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado, learns about ordering materials in the workshop, prepares wood in the mill and makes the final Red Cross charity shop fix… 06:00: I wake up in Hungerford and get ready for work. 07:00: I start the day…
a day in the life
Fixperts Resident makes remote fixes through social media
This article was published 10 years This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado transforms nutcrackers into bleach bottle openers, finalises two pairs of adapted nail clippers for limited hand dexterity, and makes a plastic art tray test for a young woman with autism… 05:55: I wake up and get ready for…
a day in the life
Maya Alvarado learns about the risky, the worthwhile and the possible
This article was published 10 years This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado visits the Dingley centre to meet an occupational therapist to get feedback on some of her ideas, and makes Heidi a playing cards tray… 07:00: I wake up in Hungerford and gather my camera, measuring equipment and sketchbook. 07:30:…
a day in the life
Maya Alvarado has a day of testing with Fix Partners
This article was published 10 years This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado builds an art tray prototype for Fix Partner Philly’s wheelchair, visits new week-old twins, and delivers a resonance board to the Dingley Centre… 06:20: I wake up and get ready for work. I have some Swedish ‘quilted…
a day in the life
Fixperts resident helps the homeless make things with Benchmark offcuts
This article was published 10 years This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado gathers oak offcuts, packs up tools and materials and leads a making workshop for residents at local housing charity Two Saints’ hostel… 06:20: I wake up and ensure that my camera batteries are charged, as today my…
a day in the life
Benchmarks’ resident Fixpert Maya Alvarado designs ‘wearable toothbrushes’
This article was published 10 years This week, British Furniture Manufacturer Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado delivers the second sofa fix to The Dingley Centre, puts up a new coat hook for their staff and designs some alternative toothbrushes… 06:20: I wake up in Hungerford and get my things ready for…
a day in the life
Team Benchmark go on a canoeing day trip with Heidi and her family
This article was published 10 years This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado heads out with Kevin, Mike, Colin and Danny from the Benchmark team on a canoe day with Heidi and her family… 05:30: It’s Saturday. I wake up very early at my parents’ house in North London to…
Confessions of a Design Geek
Aalto University wins award for new cotton recycling technique
This article was published 10 years Researchers from the School of Arts, Design and Architecture and the School of Chemical Technology at Helsinki’s Aalto University have won the top H&M Global Change Award for a recycling technique that converts waste-cotton into new textiles. The conversion of the existing ‘Ioncell-F process’…
a day in the life
Maya Alvarado meets a new Fix Partner and prototypes paddles
This article was published 10 years This week, Benchmark‘s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado visits Fix Partner Anne at the Red Cross Charity Shop, seeks out potential fixes and makes paddle prototypes for canoe trip with Heidi… 07:30: I wake up and get ready to go and meet my new Fix…
Confessions of a Design Geek
A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident
This article was published 11 years This week, Fixperts Resident Maya Alvarado tells us about her day looking for fixes at British furniture manufacturer Benchmark – in this week’s column, she finally gets to meet Heidi, a pupil at local special needs school The Castle, and starts works on some fixes for her. …
Confessions of a Design Geek
design for good :: maacraft
This article was published 11 years I’ve just discovered Maacraft and I thought it was worth sharing. Founded by product designer Dani Szalkai at the Miskolc Autism Foundation, it is a small Hungarian workshop, where designers work alongside people on the autism spectrum to produce everyday objects, embracing rustic surfaces, clear shapes, natural…
Confessions of a Design Geek
design for good :: kangaroo cups
This article was published 12 yearsThis month I’m sharing some of my favourite posts of 2014 and I loved the story of 11 year old Lily, who invented a cup that you can’t knock over… I am always inspired by young designers, but they’re not often quite as young as…
Confessions of a Design Geek
design for good :: lostfound
This article was published 12 years LostFound is a concept by Evan Gant – a ‘lost and found’ system for the modern age. 3D-printed hooks placed within the community, alongside social media, connect people with the things they’ve lost. Attention grabbing red hooks are designed to be attached to sign…
Confessions of a Design Geek
design for good :: the bradley timepiece
This article was published 12 years The Bradley Timepiece was originally designed for blind people. Its titanium body contains a magnet that rotates two ball bearings allowing people to tell the time just by touching it. One ball moves around in a groove in the watch face, indicating minutes, while…
Confessions of a Design Geek
design for good :: wheelchairs of hope
This article was published 12 years I spotted this wheelchair at the Designs of the Year exhibition at the Design Museum and was intrigued to find out more. It is the first children’s wheelchair to be designed specifically for children, rather than being just a scaled down version of an…