2023 Good Design Award for Sustainability – EMU

THE GOOD DESIGN AWARD FOR SUSTAINABILITY RECOGNISES PROJECTS THAT EMBODY EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRINCIPLES.

THE AWARD AIMS TO INSPIRE CHANGE TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE THROUGH THE POWER OF GOOD DESIGN.

Reef Design Lab ideates, prototypes, manufactures and implements coastal solutions for real impact, marrying the needs of nature and humanity across a range of nature-inspired innovations. To paraphrase Founder Alex Goad, they thrive within the space of ecologically-inclusive design, where all species – not just humans – are equally considered.

Embodying the studio’s unique approach, Reef Design Lab’s Erosion Mitigation Units (EMUs) are a series of swell attenuating artificial reef modules. They steer away from the hard coastal engineering approaches of the past to solidify a softer nature-based solution. Not only forming a permeable barrier to reduce the height and energy of waves, they provide a rich habitat for native sea creatures and offer an incredible sight for snorkelers.

After almost a decade of scientific research, negotiations and approvals, the first EMUs were installed at Clifton Springs on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria earlier this year. Each sculptured module has created a complex range of habitat niches that have welcomed all kinds of marine life, including mussels, oysters and banjo rays. In-built rock pools also provide an intertidal habitat that birds love to feed on.

Reef Design Lab’s Erosion Mitigation Units have received the 2023 Good Design Award for Sustainability. Good Design Australia caught up with Alex ahead of the 2023 Good Design Awards Ceremony to dive into the inspiring EMU journey.

Erosion Mitigation Units (EMU) – Winner of the 2023 Good Design Award for Sustainability

Good Design Australia: The EMU project seems to do a lot more than mitigate coastal erosion. What else do these reef modules offer?

Alex Goad: The whole point of the EMU installation down at Clifton Springs was to look into how you could create multi-benefits around engineered coastal infrastructure. It shows that an engineered concept can provide coastal protection, but also be this multi-benefit installation that people could snorkel on, swim around and be educated about eco-engineering. There’s already quite a few school groups that go down there. In my mind, it’s sort of a no-brainer I guess. We need to guard the ocean and we have to build this infrastructure. Why not do it in a more beautiful way?

Everything that we’re doing is founded in scientific collaboration. The Clifton Springs installation, for example, is being researched by the National Centre for Coasts and Climate who are with Melbourne University. They’re looking at oyster recruitment and fish aggregation. We work in a relatively new area of work, so it’s just really important to collaborate with a lot of different people to make sure what we’re doing is actually having a positive impact.

GDA: Around Australia, you see a lot of rock groynes and seawalls as the traditional coastal erosion solutions. Were there aspects of these traditional designs that EMU draws from? Or, was it trying to intentionally steer away from them?

AG: I think it would be naive to say we’ve reinvented coastal protection, but we’re quite interested in how we can bring in a more of a designed approach to how we build. Looking to the future, we are unfortunately going to have to continue to build a lot of coastal protection structures, but I also think this exposes an opportunity to create habitat and bits of community infrastructure while protecting the coastline.

GDA: The EMU features a rather interesting design. What details were you trying to balance with this?

AG: Originally, the project was going to potentially be an underwater sculpture park of sorts and then be merged into a breakwater. We wanted to create an interesting aesthetic to be almost like a true underwater form – a sculptural breakwater, essentially. This gave us the opportunity to develop an undulating system which allows people to snorkel through the breakwater. Traditionally, breakwaters are very closed off and you can only swim around them, so EMU presents this very fluid, very porous type structure that challenges that.

This brought on a deep-dive into eco-engineering principles that had us looking at surface textures, creating rock pools and little caves, implementing all these functional aspects. What’s really exciting about this is the more complex the surface geometry of the unit, the better colonisation of different organisms you’re going to get. However, within that, you also want to be sure that you don’t create geometries that might encourage invasive species as well. So we do work really closely with a range of different scientists to ensure we’re designing in the right direction.

Erosion Mitigation Units (EMU) – Winner of the 2023 Good Design Award for Sustainability

GDA: How has a sustainable focus come into play with the use of materials and the manufacturing process?

AG: We manufactured all of the units from a mould that we built in-house at our studio using digital manufacturing techniques. We then cast all the units like you normally would, but also incorporate recycled shells, which was something that Ralph Roob [Senior Environmental Engineer at City of Greater Geelong] suggested. One of the issues with incorporating any kind of shell product into concrete mixes, though, is that it can weaken the concrete because it’s a lot weaker than regular aggregate. So, to incorporate the shell without jeopardising the strength of the product, we vibrated and cast the units in a way that saw the shells come to the top – the surface of each unit. The resulting shell texture provides a great substrate for shellfish to colonise. We also used an eco-blended concrete mix with a lot of fly ash and various other byproducts to reduce the cement content.

We’ve tried to pack all of that into these modules, all while making something that is economical to manufacture. Coastal protection is not an area of work where the budgets are super high – you’re essentially competing with cast concrete blocks – so that’s all come into play as well.

GDA: You note that designing for nature as well as humanity is an important next step in the evolution of the built world, and this project is an important catalyst for that change in the coastal protection space. How would you describe design’s potential to face or challenge environmental challenges?

We’re in a particularly interesting area to really explore the realms outside human-centred design, so we see massive opportunity there. It really can be of value to everyone, the environment, people, various kinds of species, but I think it’s also important to be careful of greenwashing throughout the process. The issue with a lot of these kinds of work is they’re not complete solutions to any kind of environmental issue, they have just options to mitigate certain impacts.

This means that truly impactful projects in the area need to be communicated properly. Otherwise, I think it waters down the potential of the field. It’s why we work really closely with scientists who publish a lot of papers on the sort of work that we do. They’re very honest about whether something we’ve installed has been really effective or not. With honesty, there’s huge potential for this work, and I believe we can only say it’s done in an appropriate way if there’s genuine, proven benefit.

GDA: Good Design Australia defines ‘good design’ as ideas, products, projects and services that show potential to lead to a better, safer and more prosperous future for all. How would you describe ‘good design’ yourselves?

AG: I’m not sure if I could sum it up in a more eloquent way than that! But, I think certainly what we think of as ‘good design’ is something you can have fun with. It’s important to bring joy into this kind of design work. We also think it’s important to bring in an interesting aesthetic language to push the message of what you’re trying to do, whether that’s eco-engineering, design for the natural environment or otherwise.

Just to bring joy back into the product is a really important part for us. And I think that is, you know, what ‘good design’ can be.

Erosion Mitigation Units (EMU) – Winner of the 2023 Good Design Award for Sustainability

VIEW ALL 2023 GOOD DESIGN AWARD WINNERS HERE

Marc Newson – 2023 Australian Design Prize

THE AUSTRALIAN DESIGN PRIZE WAS ESTABLISHED TO RECOGNISE INDIVIDUAL DESIGNERS WHO ARE MAKING, OR HAVE MADE, A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN AUSTRALIAN DESIGN OVER THE COURSE OF THEIR CAREER.

Born in Sydney before embarking on his global design career, Marc Newson is an innovator routinely noted as one of the most influential designers of our modern generation. From his roots in jewellery making at Sydney College of the Arts, to his later work alongside Qantas, Louis Vuitton and Ferrari, Marc’s idiosyncratic touch has traversed industries, helping redefine design processes, possibilities and philosophies along the way.

Lockheed Lounge (1988) – Karin Catt

Marc staged his first exhibition in 1986 at the age of 23, and by 25, had introduced the Black Hole Table, Embryo Chair and the Lockheed Lounge to the world. The Embryo Chair has never ceased production, whereas the Lockheed Lounge was graced by Madonna in her 1993 Rain music video, and later set the record for the most expensive object ever sold by a living designer on the secondary market.

Marc moved to Tokyo in the late 80s, honing his furniture crafts. He moved to Paris in 1991 and settled in London in 1997, where he established his design studio, Marc Newson Limited. Since then, Marc has held senior positions at clients’ companies such as Qantas and Apple, and began the LoveFrom creative collective alongside Sir Jonathon Ive in 2019.

Sydney First Class Lounge, Qantas (2007) – Brett Boardman

Many of Marc’s pieces now reside in the permanent collections of major museums, with his body of work the subject of numerous publications, documentaries and radio programs. His string of awards and distinctions include a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) presented by Queen Elizabeth II, an appointment as a Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts, and honorary doctorates from the Royal College of Art and The University of Sydney, which further expound his illustrious legacy. He is also the only industrial designer represented by Gagosian.

This year, he adds the coveted Australian Design Prize to his mantelpiece in recognition of his ongoing contributions to Australian design. Good Design Australia caught up with Marc to discuss the incredible accolade, his philosophies of good design, the globalised design industry and the impactful nature of design.

Good Design Australia: Brushing shoulders with the likes of Robert Pataki, Ros and John Moriarty, and Carl Nielsen, what does it mean to you to be the recipient of the Australian Design Prize?

Marc Newson: It’s obviously a huge honour and a very well-timed one, because I’m turning 60 this year, which is a bit of a milestone. I also figured out the other day that I’ve been working professionally now for about 40 years, so it’s an incredibly auspicious and symbolic moment personally. My forthcoming monograph being published by Taschen chronicles this four-decade period and just about every project.

To receive this Award and to be honoured in Australia is also special, because it will always be my home country. I’ll always be Australian, and I’ll always be regarded as an Australian designer, which is something I’m very proud of. It’s a big deal. I would hazard a guess to say that I’ve not received any award, anywhere in the world, as significant as this. A big thank you to everyone.

021C Concept Car, Ford Motor Co (1999)- Ford Motor Company

GDA: The Australian Design Prize celebrates individuals that have had a significant contribution to Australian design. Is there anything that sticks out to you when you think of Australian design?

MN: I think, for slightly counterintuitive reasons, the answer is no. The reality is now that design has become a truly global enterprise or industry. I believe there was a time when one could potentially identify geographically where something may have been conceived or designed. That might not be the case anymore, but I’m very happy to say that, for all of the right reasons, Australian design sits, in an international context, with design globally.

It’s for those reasons that I feel that identifying the geographical characteristics of design becomes more and more difficult, and in a sense, more and more problematic. Design is really, truly one of the most global industries. Every designer I know, regardless of where they come from, is obliged to work wherever the work takes them. That’s as true for Australians as it is for designers everywhere. Australia sits within the context of international design, alongside other places historically championed and recognised for design.

*(RED) Leica Camera (2013)- Andrew Zuckerman*

GDA: Something that’s regularly mentioned about your work and designs, notably by Sir Jonathan Ive – that you have a deep understanding of the materials and the processes. How would you respond to that assertion?

MN: It’s critical and relevant for all areas of design. For example, if you work across a broad range of mediums within the design world, I’d say this understanding of materials and processes is the whole point really. People would argue that you’d perhaps risk being a jack of all trades and master of none, whereas I would argue that you can be a master of all trades. It boils down to learning and a command of your expertise.

I’m a big believer in the ability to be self-taught. I don’t necessarily believe you need to study automotive design to learn how to design a car, or to study naval architecture to design boats. A lot of these things you can learn in the same amount of time or less that it would take you in a tertiary institution.

Aquariva, Riva & Gagosian (2010)- Jerome Kelagopian

GDA: Your designs are often described as “biomorphic”. Do you feel as if Australia’s naturality and organic connection is something that informs this style?

MN: At best, you may be able to liken it to a certain philosophy, I’m not sure how any of those things necessarily manifest themselves physically. Maybe they did at a moment in time, and they were identified with Australia by those characteristics. But who decided that? Was it decided by Europeans who were looking for a way to digest what was happening in Australia? I personally think that if those indicators existed, once upon a time, they’re not that prevalent anymore – and I think that’s a positive thing.

GDA: Another inspirational element that you’ve mentioned in the past is the contemporary youth culture of Australia. What about this culture attracted you, or still attracts you?

MN: I think it’s largely a philosophical manifestation that you see playing out through my work, but I believe it’s the ability to be able to seamlessly work across a broad range of media or industries in a way that expresses a general open mindedness and flexibility that Australians tend to take for granted- but are certainly not the norm in Europe. These are some of the attributes that could be identified in ‘youth culture.’

As I’ve mentioned, I don’t like the idea of being able to identify something characteristically or visually based on where it was created- in the world of design at least. It may be appropriate in music, it may be appropriate in film or other areas of creative expression, but I think design has a unique ability and indeed duty to cut through all of those boundaries.

The idea of stuff that’s designed and made in Australia being available globally makes me happy. I don’t like the idea of stuff being only exclusively available in certain places. I think, in many ways, that represents a degree of failure.

Nickel Surfboard, Gagosian (2007)- Larry Lamay. Courtesy of Gagosian

GDA: Twisting the frame back onto design’s role in our modern world, and noting your involvement in numerous charitable efforts throughout the years, how would you describe design’s potential to face or challenge societal or environmental issues?

MN: We are, as a community, just scratching the surface really – in a good way. There’s an enormous amount more that can and should be done. It’s an area of design that, in itself, holds a profound space within the world. We inhabit it professionally, yet we’re able to exploit it much more effectively. It’s because design is an industry that lacks the conservatism and the shackles of many, many other professions. It’s incumbent on all of us in the design world to lead that space.

GDA: You’ve commented on the landscape and design community changing a lot over the years. Noting on that sense of evolution, do you have any advice or ideas that you would pass along to people that are just getting into their careers.

MN: Oddly enough, it’s the same advice that I would have given 20 years ago, and that is to get out there and do it- to be proactive physically. I’ve always felt very strongly about the necessity to be able to create physically and craft physically, to learn more about tools and to understand how things are made.

I think this becomes far more relevant now given that the threshold to being a designer, or being perceived as a good designer, is perhaps much lower than it has ever been. This is good, but practical knowledge is something which is learned and earned. It’s incredibly valuable for good designers to possess thorough knowledge about how things are made and understand why things were made this way.

Finally, as an end note, I’d like to say a huge thank you. I am so proud to receive this honour.

*White & Blue Cloisonne Chair, Gagosian (2022) – Paris Tavitian. Courtesy of Gagosian*

Main Image (Top): Marc Newson Credit – Prudence Cumming Associates Ltd Courtesy Gagosian 2022

VIEW ALL 2023 GOOD DESIGN AWARD WINNERS HERE