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ReUse Lab
NuVu Design Sprint
SPRINT BRIEF
By upcycling, we not only reduce waste but also uncover the hidden potential in everyday objects, giving them a second life and new purpose. You will collect discarded or natural materials and transform them into creative new objects that serve a different function, showcase artistic expression, or highlight the beauty of reimagined design.
WHAT WE ARE DOING
WHY WE ARE DOING IT
Exploring the concepts of re-use and upcycling to design and create a new product from diverted waste materials
To engage in an exercise in creative sustainability and rethink materials and waste in an innovative way
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Final Project Expectations
Your design will manipulate or transform the upcycled material in some meaningful way
Your will design and build an object using a material or materials that were otherwise destined for the waste stream (upcycling)
Your object will serve some practical purpose in your everyday life
Studio Skills
Collaboration
Concept Development
Lo-Fi Prototyping
Positive Impact
Sustainability Design
Sketching + Documentation
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The design process will include these steps:
Upcycling +
Precedent Research
A good example of signals are "the launch of chatGPT" or "the fall of the iconic tunnel tree redwood" and good examples of drivers would be "artificial intelligence" or "climate change"
Then, identify signals (glimpses of the future we already see today) and drivers (what made the signal possible)
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60 mins
30 mins
Understand how old or unused items can be turned into new, useful products.
Generate many ideas and choose one to develop.
SPRINT STEPS
Week 2
3
Brainstorming
4
Prototyping
180 mins
Gallery of ReUse: Showcase
60 mins
5
Explore real examples of upcycled products for inspiration.
Make a simple model to test your product’s basic function. Refine after feedback.
Prepare your presentations for the share out. Share your product and explain how it was upcycled.
Week 3
Concept Idea
30 mins
Finalize your idea and do quick sketches of your concept
Week 4-5-6
Week 7
Example
So…
Recycling is hard
Alternatives?
upcycling
is the creative reuse of discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.
why upcycle?
to reuse materials rather than letting them reach the landfill. It is one way to reduce our environmental footprint as individuals
ACTIVITY MATERIALS
Week 2
1st
Explore the different precedents in the Toolbox. Select one precedent, and answer the following questions about the piece as best as you can:
Use the template to fill your answer along with a sketch.
Look at the website: https://www.upcycledzine.com/ for some extra precedent research if time allows
ACTIVITY MATERIALS
Week 3
2nd
Individually
As a group
First compile a list of possible materials that you have on hand that could be upcycled. What could you find in the school's recycling or trash bins that would be suitable to repurpose?
As a group
Next, take a few minutes to brainstorm on your own. Choose at least three of the materials from the list, and for each of those think of at least one way that the material could be upcycled. Make notes and sketch your ideas.
Share out your favorite idea(s) with the class. Your teacher will collect these on the whiteboard. Look for potential shared inspirations or directions to help form your collaborative groups.
BRAINSTORMING
1 - ENCOURAGE WILD IDEAS
2 - SUSPEND JUDGMENT
4 - BUILD ON IDEAS
5 - BE VISUAL
3 - GO FOR QUANTITY
Wild ideas can often give rise to creative leaps.
Don’t shoot down someone else’s idea.
Aim for as many ideas as possible.
Build and expand on the ideas of others.
Sketch your ideas.
3rd
1. In your group, choose a direction for your project with a clear concept. You will think on ways the material you chose could help you design an everyday object (think of something you use everyday)
2. Make a sketch of your idea that focuses on how the original material will be treated or transformed, and how you might use that to construct the new object/ product.
CONCEPT IDEA
ACTIVITY MATERIALS
Basic Building:
Connectors:
Tools:
Recyclables
Week 4-6
4th
Begin experimenting with your material, and create a quick prototype (this can be a material study rather than a fully-constructed model-- this is where you are figuring out your method for creating)
PROTOTYPING
Process Example
FEEDBACK + ITERATION
Teachers are going to move around the class and give feedback to each group!
Make sure you have your research, sketches, and prototype.
During this time, also meet with at least one other group to get feedback from them as well.
Kinds of Feedback
There are three forms of feedback. Understanding these can help us understand the conversations we have with our teams and improve our own ability to react to and use feedback to strengthen our designs.
Reaction-Based
Feedback
Direction-Based
Feedback
Question-based Feedback
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Once you get some feedback and have figured out your method of making, start to work on your final product.
In your final version of the project, pay careful attention to assembling the design carefully, with a clear sense of the form and function of the final product.
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ACTIVITY MATERIALS
Week 7
Devices to prepare presentations
5th
SHOWCASE: Gallery of ReUse
At the end of the challenge, you will set up a gallery walk or showcase of your products. Think about how you can best display your project, and if you can represent your process and making methodology in the showcase.
Photo of Project
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First Prototype (testing)
Concept Idea
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Sketch
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Final prototype Video
By upcycling, we not only reduce waste but also uncover the hidden potential in everyday objects, giving them a second life and new purpose. Students will collect discarded or natural materials and transform them into creative new objects that serve a different function, showcase artistic expression, or highlight the beauty of reimagined design.
