Designathon
Engineers without borders
The Designathon is our annual Employability by Design event. This year’s Designathon gave the opportunity to first and second level students to compete in the Engineering for People design challenge competition run by Engineers without Borders.
Design Brief
This year’s brief was defined in collaboration with Makers Valley Partnership. Makers Valley is a vibrant community of makers, creatives, and social enterprises in Johannesburg, South Africa. Engineers Without Borders UK has partnered with Makers Valley to engage students in design challenges focused on addressing local challenges and promoting sustainable development.
Three groups of students submitted their design proposals which looked at diverse aspects of Makers Valley (built environment, digital infrastructure and waste management). All proposals built on the community’s strengths, cultural identity and activities already happening, to support the development of social, economic and environmental benefits.
Submissions
The Built Environment team’s proposal by Ben Preston and James Gibbs, called The Hub Effect, focused on the creation of a community hub for construction education through modular infrastructure providing a route to employment and promoting sustainable building practices.
The Hub effect
The Digital team, Valentina Kozina and Hayley Jones, proposed a community-focused app (Makers Connect) to connect local youth to temporary hospitality jobs, addressing inequality of opportunity and actively supporting the local economy.
Makers Connect
The Waste team, Kristin Sives and David Lewis, proposed Uguqko, an idea to help the community to smooth waste glass and use it to repair potholes and cracks in pavements by filling them with mosaic patterns. The aim was to improve local infrastructure, encourage the reuse of materials, and celebrate local culture.
Uguqko
Grand Finale
The Waste team was invited to participate in the Grand Final in Sheffield, together with 36 teams from other universities across the UK, a fantastic opportunity to be part of a growing community of designers and engineers that seek to use their creative and critical skills to address real world challenges.
We are proud of the work of all the students who took part in this competition with dedication and creativity, whilst working and studying for their modules.