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Student Design Awards 2012/13

Valuing Water
Use design to help people understand the value of water
Brief Design a means of better communicating and/or revealing the inherent value of water so that people improve their understanding of water as a limited natural resource and a commodity. Scope For the purposes of illustration only, the following would all be viable responses: a domestic product, appliance or accessory that helps people use water more wisely a retrofit concept for a bathroom or kitchen a new water delivery or supply system or service a re-designed water meter a powerful graphic display of statistical information an app or other digital technology solution a learning resource or toolkit an event or activity that helps people better understand, value and enjoy water environments and many others are possible. Following several recent communications campaigns by Yorkshire Water, pure graphic design and communication design solutions are less appropriate responses to this brief. Yorkshire Water would like the design solution to be something applicable to the Yorkshire region. For example a solution that was aimed at a Third World community would not be appropriate. Yorkshire Water would like to see ingenious solutions that addresses how people think
RSA Projects Student Design Awards 2012/13 Website: www.thersa.org/sda Email: design@rsa.org.uk
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Submission requirements about and use water both as individuals and in households and communities or in Entries should comprise the following: industry and agriculture. up to four A3 boards (max. four) showing design development and final designs Awards The Big Idea a short, typewritten text There are two awards available for this (max. 250 words, sans serif, 14pt type) brief: that captures your idea and helps the jury to quickly understand your solution, the An RSA Fellows Award of 1250. process by which you reached it and the benefits you believe it will create Paid internship at Yorkshire Water one sketchbook (photocopied pages Services in the Innovation Delivery from your sketchbook will be accepted) department. illustrating development of your solution Renumeration: 1500 and in response to the brief accommodation expenses Duration: six weeks All work (except sketchbooks) should Location: Leeds/Bradford be submitted on A3 lightweight card The winning student will receive or foam board and all items (boards, 1500 payment at the start of the sketchbook, written statement) should internship. Yorkshire Water will also pay have an RSA label on the back. Please accommodation expenses in the Leeds/ do not submit work in plastic sleeves or Bradford area. in boxes. These requirements are in the interests of students to ensure the safety The Innovation Delivery Department of their work whilst in storage and transit, see this award as an opportunity for and to ensure that it can be displayed for the winning student to develop their judging in an efficient manner. design solution further, working within Yorkshire Water to explore how their idea Submissions are due by Friday, could be implemented in the business 22 March 2013 at 17:00. Please see and developing their concept into an the Schedule of Key Dates for further Innovation Delivery project. information. Please note that the judging panel may Further notes for entrants decide on more than one winner and will You have a maximum of four A3 boards allocate the award/s accordingly. and a written summary not exceeding 250 words to communicate your solution Site visits to the judges. You have to distil your All students working on this brief will weeks or months of work into a story be offered the opportunity to go on a that is digestible in a short period of time. site visit to a water treatment facility in Yorkshire, hosted by Yorkshire Water. Site Imagine it like an advert and sell your work to the judges. visit will take place in Autumn 2012 and more information will be available on the RSA Student Design Awards website in Any models or mock-ups should be submitted as photographs or print-outs coming weeks. mounted on one of your A3 boards do not submit 3D work at this stage. If you Mentoring are short-listed for interview, you are All short-listed students on this brief welcome to bring mock-ups and models, will be invited to a mentoring session but for ease of judging at the first stage, at Yorkshire Waters offices where they only 2D material is accepted. will have the chance to hear more about Yorkshire Waters Representatives from Yorkshire Water and the RSA will help Valuing Water entrants to develop their projects and Page 1/2 prepare for interview.

How this brief will be judged 1 2 3 4 5 6 Social benefit 10% Research 15% Design thinking 25% Commercial awareness 25% Execution 10% Magic 15%
6 5 1 2

Judging criteria There are six judging criteria that your entry will be measured against:

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1 Social benefit How does your design benefit society? 2 Research Where did you go to research this issue? Whom did you speak to or This brief asks you to consider how interview? What questions did you ask? people and communities value water What did you learn? and how we can use design to better 3 Design thinking We want to know their understanding of water as a limited about your thought processes and natural resource and a commodity. insights. Your insights might be researchbased or intuitive, or a combination of You should think about how people both, but the judges want to see you regard and use water and what role relate the final concept clearly to these water plays in our quality of life. It is insights also not just about the individual or 4 Commercial awareness Is your solution household level what role does a water viable and does it make sense from a company, industry, a local authority or financial point of view?You may want the government play in our relationship to think about how it might be part of a to water? What would better facilitate larger business or marketing strategy. our individual and collective valuation of 5 Execution We are looking for a design water in our daily lives? An insight into that is pleasing and looks and feels wellhow people respect, disrespect and/ resolved or consume water will be crucial to your 6 Magic We are looking for a bit of magic research and your final design solution. a surprising or lateral design solution that delights You may want to consider why people in todays society take water for granted Judging process and what the consequences of losing a Please see the Entry Pack for more reliable and clean water supply might be. information on the judging process, Most people are aware of the importance including key dates you should be aware of water to our survival and our of through Spring 2013. environment, but in other ways, the value of water is less obvious or appreciated. Background What effect does our cultural value The UKs population is predicted to grow system have on how we value a natural by 10 million over the next 20 years and resource such as water? Can water be demand for water will increase. In order considered a national asset that should to manage the risks of population growth be protected by the state? and climate change in the future it is vital that both individuals and industry change Increased demand for water in the UK their behaviour and relationship with water. has contributed to water poverty, defined Water is a precious resource and we need as when households spend 3% or more to create a society which values water. of their disposable income (after housing costs) on water and sewerage bills. Water is essential to our survival as Approximately four million households a species and to the environment. A in the UK are currently defined as being dependable water supply is vital for in water poverty and the situation is expected to worsen with water bills RSA Projects predicted to rise by 5% a year for some Student Design Awards 2012/13 consumers.1 Website: www.thersa.org/sda Email: design@rsa.org.uk Most people benefit from a substantial Page 10/20 network of treatment plants, pump stations

health and wellbeing, and also for economic growth. But in our society most people do not often think about where their water comes from, how it is extracted and distributed, how clean it is, or how much they consume.

and pipes that allows us access to generally unlimited tap water in our homes, schools, workplaces and more. And yet, tap water is not valued very highly despite its contribution to our public health, fire protection, economic development and quality of life. In addition, recent conversations and media coverage about the drought in the UK and water scarcity have led to increased confusion about the relationship between rainfall and water supply. As part of your research, you may consider the meaning of value and how cost affects how much we value things. You may want also to consider the current means that water companies use to determine how much water an individual, household or building uses and how that water is charged In line with the judging criteria, we encourage you to be poetic, whimsical and surprising in your design solution. Sponsor information Yorkshire Water manage the collection, treatment and distribution of water in Yorkshire, supplying around 1.24 billion litres of drinking water each day. At the same time Yorkshire Water also collect, treat and dispose of about one billion litres of waste water safely back into the environment. They operate more than 700 water and sewage treatment works and 120 reservoirs, sourcing water from reservoirs, rivers and boreholes. Yorkshire Waters company vision is Taking responsibility for the water environment for good. Water is a precious resource and one of Yorkshire Waters aspirations is to have water efficient regions.
1 Benzie M., Harvey A., Burningham K., Hodgson N., Siddiqi A. (2011). Vulnerability to heatwaves and drought: adaptation to climate change: Case studies of adaptation to climate change in southwest England, [Online].The Joseph Rowntree Foundation.Available: http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/ files/jrf/climate-change-adaptation-full.pdf Valuing Water Brief devised in collaboration with Zo Allis, R,D&I Project Manager, Innovation Delivery, Yorkshire Water Services Page 2/2

Schedule of Key Dates

Key Dates for submission of Entry Forms, Fees and work

Student Design Awards 2012/13

Deadline for Entry Form(s) and Fee(s) for all projects

Friday 22 March 2013

Please register by this date using our new online registration system, available from January 2013 at www.thersa.org/sda If registering by post, please ensure your Entry Form(s) and Fee(s) are postmarked by this date. Entry Form(s) and Fee(s) should be sent under separate cover not with your entry to: RSA Student Design Awards Registrations 8 John Adam Street LONDON WC2N 6EZ UK

Submission period for all project entries

Monday 11 February Friday 22 March 2013

Regardless if you register online or by post, you must send your entry in by post to Brooks Transport. Entries will be accepted at Brooks Transport Services Ltd on any weekday within the dates stated above between 09:00 17:00, excluding weekends and bank holidays. Entries arriving after 17:00 on Friday 22 March 2013 may not be accepted. Please remember that all entries should be sent or delivered to: Brooks Transport Services Ltd Unit 2/15 Second Avenue Bluebridge Industrial Estate Halstead ESSEX CO9 2SU UK All entry forms/fees should be sent or delivered to: RSA Student Design Awards Registrations 8 John Adam Street LONDON WC2N 6EZ UK

RSA Projects Student Design Awards 2012/13 Website: www.thersa.org/sda Email: design@rsa.org.uk
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