While the catalogue of materials available to architects and 3D printing have exponentially increased the possibility to marry innovation with value, most of us still paint within our comfort zone. Instead of limiting our use to a traditional palette consisting of concrete, wood, brick, glass, and metal, however, we have expanded our use of available materials to embrace a design ethos that bridges research, practice, and the possibilities.

Till now and counting, there are 95 design weeks throughout the world, each generating massive impact on a city by attracting media attention, tourism and helping the economy. The collective dialogue invites local designers to engage on the world stage.

How then do we innovate? How can design drive innovation? Every organization needs to create a culture of innovation, for it is only the habit of innovation that leads to success. In this speech Paul Hughes will draw live as he speaks along ten meters of paper. He calls this unique form of storytelling Ten Meters of Thinking.

NE+AR shares their knowledge and perspective, exploring added local value, as well as creating a network of like-minded designers working on multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural projects. NE+AR is a bridge building initiative between The Netherlands and the Arab world. They believe that while it is common to anchor oneself in local initiatives and people, innovative technologies help us connect with like-minded individuals and organizations all over the world.

Studio Martens & Visser believes that through digital means, smart materials, old techniques and craftsmanship, motion can be brought back into our domain and that the non-static will become a bigger and more important element in our future daily environments. This talk will explore how we use motion in our designs.

Heritage reflects both good and bad events, and the varying experiences of a wide range of individuals and social groups, creating an authentic society. During this talk Roy Letterlé will talk about the role of industrial heritage in the work of Studio Mieke Meijer and the different steps in the design process.