Interdisciplinary Design
Troy Baker thinks outside of the box. So far, in fact, that he’s out of this world.
Troy’s thesis stemmed from a brand extension project from the second semester studio class of the Interdisciplinary Design MFA program. For the studio class, Troy wanted to pair the outer space tourism business with the best place on Earth, Disney World. What he ended up with was the Celestial Harbor Experience.
For his thesis, Troy expanded the Celestial Harbor Experience into two parts: how to make it a permanent vacation destination and the business case for a space tourism establishment.
But how do you push the limits of a space vacation? Troy designed the station to include degrees of weightlessness, simulated gravity and a living ecosystem to make the Harbor sustainable. The Celestial Harbor Experience pushes the human exploration story into the next chapter, so we can continue to write the story of our humanity.
The most recent innovation in car segments arrived in the United States as crossovers – SUV-style bodies built on car platforms to improve fuel economy. Automotive companies discovered social trends that pointed to new car buyers wanting the interior space of a SUV, but the fuel economy of a car. These blurred lines created confusion within vehicle segments and today vehicles are classified into segments in order to comply with rules established by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Hyeon Jung Shim, a recent graduate of the MFA Transportation Design program, wrote his thesis about at what’s next in vehicle segmentation. By looking at social trends, past trends, economic and political influences, Shim forecasts what the next segment will be. Also, Shim explored how the current and previous segment definitions have hybridized into new segments. Shim concluded that looking into the past is an important step for determining the future.
Project by: Nikunj Jain
What if a car could grow with you? What if upgrades and maintenance could be ordered via a phone application? Nikunj Jain, a recent graduate of the MFA Transportation Design program, explored how we could make an impact in car waste by reducing the number of times we buy new cars.
Many of us remember our first car and how much we loved it. What if you could keep that car for the rest of your life? You could have a 2-seater sports car at age 16 and add a back seat and more trunk space for a family of 4 at age 35. Because we become emotionally invested in our vehicles, we should want to keep them with us as we age. Nik designed a car with a rich sensory experience because the more your vehicle can be integrated into your life, the more indispensable it becomes. Increasing the vehicle’s lifespan would greatly reduce pollution and waste during the production phase.
