Yichen Wu

Yichen
Wu

Projects

PRODUCT DESIGN

SORTIR DU CADRE – ECAL + DECATHLON

with Camille Blin

On the occasion of Paris Design Week 2024, DECATHLON is partnering with ECAL's Product Design Master's programme to unveil "Sortir du Cadre", an installation showcasing two prototypes of electric-assisted trekking bikes based on research into eco-design. Through this collaboration, DECATHLON engages the younger generation of designers around eco-design themes. These concept bikes, envisioned by students from Product Design Master’s programme, express a vision of the future in which sustainable development and the pleasure of outdoor activities go hand in hand.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Yichen Wu – Haitang

by Yichen Wu

Haitang Stool is the result of a culture-based form study, a blend of tradition and democratic ubiquity. The popularity of the New Chinese Style demonstrates a growing recognition of traditional culture in the Chinese market. Building on extensive research into Ming-style furniture, this project aims to extract and bring its beauty to everyday objects, challenging the common perception that it only serves a select few. By redesigning the iconic red plastic stool, the local Monobloc alternative, Haitang Stool explores the communicative power of cultural forms while keeping its low cost and universal functionality.

PRODUCT DESIGN

ECAL X HORGENGLARUS The Future is... Older

by Youssef Bassil, Meri Hozumi, Altamirano Castro Eduardo, Sofia Biondi, Gabriella Duck Garnham, Louis Ferraz, Justus Hilfenhaus, Clémentine Merhebi, Fanny Marrot, Lilian Onstenk, Aurelia Pleyer, Antonio Severi, Loïs Weber, Yichen Wu, Tom Jacquérioz

Who will we be? What will we need? How will we live? What will design offer? “Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will nearly double from 12% to 22%.” — World Health Organization Led by Tutor Sam Hecht and completed by first-year students of ECAL Master Product Design with input from the senior-lab, this project presents a range of objects designed for Horgenglarus that cater to the growing population of elderly users. The aim of these objects is to challenge the stereotypes associated with this frequently medicalised category, while leveraging Horgenglarus’s extensive expertise in wood-based craftsmanship.