Created in 2018, senior-lab is an interdisciplinary innovation and research platform dedicated to aging well, of which ECAL is a founding member. In close collaboration with HEIG-VD and the Institut et Haute Ecole de la Santé La Source, ECAL contributes all its skills to research projects and mandates specifically dedicated to this initiative.
At the heart of senior-lab's concerns are the specific needs and expectations of senior citizens. The laboratory carries out research and development activities aimed at generating social and technological innovations adapted to this population. Concrete, innovative solutions are developed and promoted through fruitful exchanges between public and private players, universities, companies, associations, foundations and individuals. Older people play a crucial role by sharing their experiences and aspirations, thus acting as experts.
By employing participatory methods, senior-lab offers seniors the opportunity to influence companies and public authorities. In return, the latter can adjust their offers and/or products to better meet the expectations of older people. This approach fosters mutually beneficial collaboration, strengthening the link between seniors and the various players involved in improving their quality of life.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
with Friederike Daumiller
In collaboration with ASA-Handicap mental and the Senior-lab, the Bachelor students, led by designer Friederike Daumiller, present a collection of closing and fastening systems for clothing, bags and wearable accessories that make them easier to use, helping to make them more universal and inclusive.
PRODUCT DESIGN
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.