Design thinking: localization vs. globalization - Shangai

IE is one of the leading European higher education institutions, whose belief in innovation, diversity with more than (92% of international students) and entrepreneurship is an integral part of its drive towards academic excellence. Our learning model puts students at the centre, is eminently practical and ensures that they acquire not only the technical know-how but also the mind-set and interpersonal skills that are essential for a successful future leader. With its centrally located Madrid campus, international student community, and dynamic learning environment, IE is the perfect place to develop your career.

We would love for you to join us in Shanghai for our Master Class – ‘Design Thinking: globalization vs localization´

18.30-19:00 Registration

19:00 19:05 Welcome speech by Roca Shanghai Gallery

19:05-20:05 Debate

20:05 – 20:30 Q&A

20:30 – 21:30 Cocktail & Networking

Nowadays, globalization is an unstoppable trend that affects us in our daily and professional life. In design industry this sometimes creates a conflict between adapting to a global trend and respecting a local custom. How do designers confront this problem?

• Localization: building is taking into account local elements, a design has to adapt to people’s daily behavior. Nowadays architects are traveling all over the world for different projects, how do they consider localization in each project? How do they learn how to adapt their design in a foreign country? Or as globalization is expanding, does localization really exist nowadays?
• Multiculturalism in university is quite common, such as, IE and Tongji, both have international students and professors who study and teach abroad, a wide variety of exchange programs, etc. How does it affect today’s design thinking? Does this help young designers work more internationally so they are able to have this multicultural thinking in their future work?  Does it blur their own roots?
• How does global thinking affect architects and designers? Are we loosing local practices to a global standard? How to keep one’s roots and culture in their international practice?
• Sustainability is a serious concern nowadays in many industries and in design and architecture specially. Is globalization affecting in the protection of the environment? For instance, if we choose local materials to build, the impact on the environment will be lower. Do architects and designers take into account this issue when designing? Is there any other practice that affects sustainability when thinking about localization vz globalization? Do we teach this at school?

SPEAKERS

Martha Throne

Martha Thorne (born 6.3.1953) is an American architectural academic, curator, editor, and author. She is the Executive Director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize and Dean at IE University in Madrid of architecture and design. Formerly, she was a curator in architecture at the Art Institute of Chicago. The awards and works: 1999, The Pritzker Architecture Prize: the first twenty years (with Colin Amery; et al.); 2000, Rafael Moneo, Audrey Jones Beck Building, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (with Joe C Aker; Gary Zvonkovic; José Rafael Moneo); 2001, Modern trains and splendid stations: Architecture, design and rail travel for the twenty-first century; 2002, David Adler, architect: the elements of style (with Richard Guy Wilson; Pauline C Metcalf); 2004, Unbuilt Chicago (with Art Institute of Chicago) and so on.

Yongqi Lou

Yongqi Lou is currently a professor, dean, doctoral supervisor and chief scientist of the School of Design and Innovation at Tongji University. He is also member of the National Art Professional Degree Graduate Education Steering Committee, Executive Committee of WDO (World Design Organization), Vice Chairman of China Industrial Design Association, Chairman of the International Advisory Committee of the Vienna University of Applied Arts, and the Italian Institute of Technology (Milan Polytechnic University and Politecnico di Torino) Committee members, etc. Yongqi Lou has received 2016 2015 Changjiang Scholars Awards Young Scholars；2015 Guanghua Longteng Award China Design Contribution Gold Medal；2014 Finnish Presidential Lion First Class Knight Medal；2014 China's top ten industrial design educators and so on.

Lidan Liu

Lidan Liu is the founder of designaffairs China, Professor of Industrial Design at Tongji University, College of Design and Innovation. In 2011 Lidan joined arms with designaffairs group to found designaffairs China, located in Shanghai. Lidan has worked with notable clients including Bosch, Siemens and Huawei, and led the team to winning over 70 international design awards, including Red Dot Design Award, iF Design Award, International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), Chicago Good Design Award, Plus X Awards and more. Lidan has also been a jury member of the iF Design Award, BraunPrize, ROI Festival etc. Lidan has won the awards of "China's Top Ten Industrial Designers" and “Top Ten Creative Youth Talent of Shanghai”.