Building Int’l City of Design, Co-drawing Colorful Future of Economy

Under the guidance of the Hongkou District Government, the 2nd "DesignUniverse" Creativity Camp and the North Bund International Creativity Festival jointly hosted by the Shanghai Institute of Innovative and Creative Design and the North Bund Group were successfully held from December 17 to 18, setting off a wave of design innovation on the bank of the Pujiang River in winter.

With the theme of "Designing Metropolis - Economic Future", the event is the first major activity held in the 88-year-old Lester School and Henry Lester Institute of Technical Education after its original site has been renovated. It aims to respond to the historical mission of Shanghai to accelerate the construction of a modern socialist international metropolis with world influence, continue the successful path of the 1st "DesignUniverse", refresh the cultural landmark, connect the past and the future, gather the design strength, inspire the public creativity and create the future economy together.

Guo Fang, Standing Member of the Shanghai Party Committee and Party Chief of the Hongkou District Party Committee, attended the activity and lit up the Lester Building Light Show in the opening activity on December 17. This excellent historical building, which has experienced nearly a hundred years of extraordinary years, was officially opened at this moment. Lu Ming, Deputy Party Chief of the Hongkou District Committee and the District Governor, delivered a speech.

Ruan Li, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Economic and Information Commission, Guan Yetong, Standing Member of the Hongkou District Committee and Deputy District Governor, Lou Yongqi, Vice President of Tongji University and Chair of the "Frontier Design Innovation Award" Committee, Srini Srinivasan, Chief Operating Officer of Shanghai Innovative and Creative Design Institute, Wang Yanping, a representative of the donor of the Frontier Design Innovation Award and Executive Director of Hillhouse Investment, jointly played the triangle iron, announcing the landing of the "Frontier Design Innovation Award" in Hongkou and the opening of the first exhibition. In the activity, the digital art sculpture of Lester Garden was used.

The "DesignUniverse" Creativity Camp is a diversified ecological platform under the Shanghai Institute of Innovative and Creative Design, aiming to create, gather and activate an ecosystem of design innovation, which will catalyze the whole link transformation from innovation and creativity to practice. This year, on the occasion of the completion of the renovation of the 88-year-old Lester School and Henry Lester Institute of Technical Education, Shanghai Institute of Innovative and Creative Design once again joined hands with the North Bund Group to co-hold the 2nd "Design Universe" Creativity Camp and the North Bund International Creative Festival, with an aim of gathering the world's top design forces, making a brand name of the world's first-class city of design, lighting up the landmark of a better life and culture, and creating a highland of economic innovation in the future.

The activity lasted for 2 days, including design activities such as the Lester Design Night, 6 design co-creation workshops, a theme exhibition of "Frontier Design Innovation Award", a creative practice workshop, and nearly 20 master lectures and summit talks.

Following the successful holding of the first activity last autumn, the 2nd "Design Universe" creative camp gathered several famous figures. The co-creation and sharing of nearly 100 domestic and international design industry leaders, academic celebrities and vanguard figures has attracted the enthusiastic participation of more than 100,000 online and offline audiences, presenting a promising future for the global design community.

Don Norman, the winner of the first "Frontier Design Innovation Award" for outstanding contribution, academician of the National Academy of Engineering, and Huang Haiqing, Vice President of Alibaba Group, delivered keynote speeches on major issues and complex challenges facing today's design.

At the summit talk and the innovation lecture, more than ten professionals at home and abroad gave advice and suggestions on the urban brand construction of the North Bund and the construction of the world’s design capital in Shanghai. All the guests felt that no matter the daily necessities in our lives or the new fashions in the meta universe, they all have the wisdom of design.

As an important part of the "One Award, One Think Tank and One Initiative" of the World Design Capital Conference (WDCC), the "Frontier Design Innovation Award" exhibition was opened, focusing on the five dimensions of "frontier, future, innovation, change and international", sharing the stories behind the award, and showing the winners and their design works who have made pioneering contributions to the design field. The exhibition’s presentation and operation also implemented the green and low-carbon concept, abandoned the traditionally massive building and demolition of commercial exhibitions, emphasized the use of eco-materials and no waste, and recycled 700 recycled wooden boxes and 200 kraft cartons from the WDCC theme exhibition to build the booths and exhibition walls.

The creative camp activities not only attracted international top design talents, but also gathered a comprehensive and diversified design industry ecology. Shanghai Research Institute of Innovative and Creative Design, using the design method of "problem laboratory" developed by itself, has conducted workshops with brands such as the North Bund Group and Nike around city brands, sustainability, artificial intelligence, smart life, food innovation, etc., and it has demonstrated a forward-looking, systematic and practical design and development framework at the closing ceremony.

In order to better put the design vision into practice, the Institute and the “First Maker Space of China” new workshop jointly set up a practice workshop during the activity that can process a variety of materials and make prototypes. More than 100 "zero base" audiences were attracted to experience PCB circuit welding, making exclusive “Design Universe” electronic badges, and gaining happiness in the creation.

The Lester School and Henry Lester Institute of Technical Education, located at No. 505 East Changzhi Road, is an excellent historical building in Shanghai. The typical Gothic and decorative art style is the best combination of form and cost among many buildings in Shanghai. It used to be the most advanced engineering college in modern China, with courses in architecture, civil engineering, machinery, electrical engineering, etc. The students were mainly Chinese, and a large number of outstanding top professional talents have been cultivated. At the end of October this year, the repair of the Lester School and Henry Lester Institute of Technical Education was completed.

On the occasion of the completion of the renovation of the Lester School and Henry Lester Institute of Technical Education, the successful holding of the 2nd "Design Universe" Creativity Camp and the North Bund International Creative Festival is a stirring of thinking among international design forces and a declaration that Hongkou uses design to enhance the city's soft power. In the future, the Shanghai Research Institute of Innovative and Creative Design and the North Bund Group will, by adhering to the cross-border innovation and scientific research, focus on the design innovation and innovation transformation in the AI era, empower industries and incubate innovation, as well as gather creative talents and industry talents, in a bid to create a new design innovation engine for the construction of Shanghai’s Science and Technology Innovation Center and the sustainable development of a community with a shared future for mankind.