Wednesday 28th November

World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 – Design Embedded in Life
Venue: Huutokonttori Information Center,
Tyynenmerenkatu 1

Helsinki is the World Design Capital 2012 together with four other cities in the region. The aim is simply to create a better, more functional and comfortable city with the methods of design. During the year Helsinki has received massive international media attention and the official WDC program consists of almost 400 design projects.

Jätkäsaari Urban Development Case

The modern and environmentally sustainable suburb of Jätkäsaari is currently under construction on a southern peninsula recently vacated by a cargo port. It will feature homes for 16 000 residents and 6 000 jobs. A modern information center called "Huutokonttori" has been designed by the City of Helsinki to ensure efficient provision of information for residents during the construction works.

Presented by Mr. Matti Kaijansinkko, Architect and Project Leader at the Helsinki City Planning Department. Bio of Kaijansinkko

A New Tree Grows in Seattle

In 1953 the city of Seattle chose to join its manufacturing center south of its downtown with the home of the Pacific NorthWest Fishing Fleet north of downtown with a double deck elevated highway.  It worked very well as a transportation route, but provided a physical and acoustic barrier between the downtown and one of the prettiest waterfronts in the world. In 2009, after an earthquake, more than 2,000 public meetings and 11 years of the “Seattle Process,” the region chose to bury the highway in the largest diameter deep bore tunnel in the world, which will create about 20 acres of open space for parks and paths, access to the water, places to enjoy views, vibrant public and cultural spaces, and a new urban street that will accommodate all modes of travel.

A Journey to Connect the Past to the Present – Columbia Pump Station, Metro Vancouver

Since 2002, Metro Vancouver has formally put the principles of sustainability at the centre of its operating and planning philosophy.  The Columbia Pump Station replacement exemplifies the operating principles that guide Metro Vancouver:  protect the natural environment, provide for ongoing prosperity; and build community capacity and social cohesion.

Developed with significant contributions from the community, the new Columbia Street Pump Station is in the historic Gastown neighbourhood of Vancouver. It replaced an adjacent 40-year-old pumping station that had reached the end of its useful service life. The finished facility includes an artist’s interpretive program “to connect” that is integrated into the design of the building reflecting its function, as well as the rich culture and history of the neighbourhood. The components of “to connect” use words in stone, photographs, and a real time video frame to provide a permanent art installation that honours the past, engages us in the present, and provides a glimpse of a sustainable future. The success of this public art project on a Metro Vancouver utility building has set a new precedent for future projects.

From the beginning the constraints upon the design of the new pump station were formidable. Design innovation, engineering excellence, community engagement, and sustainability principles were key to successfully integrating a new wastewater pump station in this unique site.

Presented by Mr. Simon So, Deputy Manager, Metro Vancouver Engineering and Construction Department, bio of So

Rethinking Waste Management ... the Design Difference

The majority of the waste generated by the items in our lives happens before they even reach us. Behind every item lies the resources used and the waste produced to manufacture, package and transport it to us.

This means that how we design our stuff - from the start to the end of its useful life – has real consequences.    As long as the products citizens use are difficult to re-use, repair or recycle, they will too easily be discarded as garbage, and local governments will continue to face the high costs needed to manage that waste. And as the limits of what can be economically recycled are approached, with products that are difficult to separate into recyclable components, municipalities will likely face diminishing returns in their investments to reach higher diversion targets.

To overcome these limits, products and their packaging will need to be designed with “cradle-to-cradle” principles, so that at the end of their useful lives they can be economically repaired or recycled into similar-value products.

Metro Vancouver and the Federation of Canadian municipalities are collaborating to create a National Zero Waste Council; a national unified voice encouraging behaviour change and influencing the redesign of products and packaging so that products are designed to be more readily reused, repaired and recycled.

Presented by Mr. Richard Stewart, Director, Metro Vancouver Board of Directors and Mayor, City of Coquitlam, bio of Stewart

Meet the Designer – Case Helsinki Trams (Transfer from Huutokonttori to the University Library)

Trams have a special place in the hearts of Helsinki's residents since their introduction in year 1900. How is a tram designed? Join a tram ride hosted by the designer of Helsinki's latest generation of trams.

The Future Library – University of Helsinki Library Architecture and Service Design
Venue: Kaisa House, Fabianinkatu 30

Finland's largest university library opened its doors in September and has since been prized for its architecture and functionality. More importantly, the building and its facilities have been designed by a team of service designers together with the users and employees of the library. We will take you on a tour at the library to explain how libraries can face the future at the digital era.

Lunch Hosted by the City of Vantaa
Venue: Minerva House, University of Helsinki City Centre Campus, Siltavuorenpenger 5 A

”Case Aviapolis - Lunch Presentation by Ms. Ritva Alatalo, CEO of Vantaa Innovation Institute Ltd. Bio of Alatalo

Vantaa Innovation Institute helps to accelerate the growth of Vantaa and the Aviapolis area into an international business environment. We support the internationalization of local companies, assist foreign companies to establish operations in Vantaa and promote the creation of new jobs, especially in the Aviapolis area. We work in close cooperation with international companies, universities as well as research institutes.

Vantaa Innovation Institute Ltd is a non-profit development company. The company was established in 2009 and is owned by the City of Vantaa. Our head office is located in the heart of the Aviapolis area, in the Plaza Business Park. The Aviapolis area is located nearby the international airport, forming one of the fastest growing business clusters in Finland.

Introduction to Future Learning Environments
Venue: Minerva House, University of Helsinki City Centre Campus, Siltavuorenpenger 5 A

Professor Kirsti Lonka and her team have built a new classroom environment where learning is based on offering students opportunities to create knowledge and solutions together, much in the same manner as in the workplace, be it through social media, videoconferencing or traditional roundtable discussions. We will spend the afternoon using these smart methods in our conference.

Design Exchange Program by Sitra

The Finnish Innovation Fund (Sitra) has together with two ministries and two cities hired four strategic designers to work within the partnering public sector organizations. The designers will work full-time and in-house for one year. The City of Lahti has engaged the designer in a project where a trackside area is planned together with local residents.

Presented by Mr. Santtu von Bruun, Head of Strategy at the City of Lahti and Ms. Sara Ikävalko, Industrial Designer working at the Design Exchange Program. Bio of Bruun and Ikävalko

Barcelona Politics and Management Deal

A new way of understanding politics with public organizations willing to face the challenges of the XXIst century.

Helsinki Region Infoshare - Facilitating, Empowering and Supporting Openness and Co-Creation

The Helsinki Region Infoshare – web service offers fuel for the digital age. Usable and often free tools for processing data and creating applications, en-couraging user participation and constant prototyping are the soil the flowers of open data thrive on. Helsinki Region Infoshare offers open and useful public data on the Helsinki Region, its municipalities and sub-areas, and the operating environment of the region.

The service is managed by a directive board formed by the funding and ex-ecutive parties, as well as the City of Helsinki Urban Facts and Forum Virium Helsinki.

Wrap-Up and Panel Discussion

The entire day is wrapped up by a panel discussion featuring case presenters and keynote listeners from IRBC regions.

Romantic City goes Ice-Breaking – IRBC Dinner Hosted by the City of Helsinki
Venue: Ice-breaking ship Urho
Merikasarmin laituri

We will end the night at a dinner in a very romantic and exotic venue: onboard the ice-breaking ship Urho. One of the design principles guiding Urho's construction besides ice-breaking was its planned role as a PR ship for the highest government executives. To this end, the vessel has two saunas, a swimming pool, a gym and a library.