Don Carr, professor of design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ School of Design, received a runner-up honor in the Design Concept category in the 2018 Core77 Design Awards program for the project Amber Waves, an energy harvesting concept that looks to capture low-level atmospheric energy at the ground level.
Amber Waves
Carr served as the lead for the project, which was designed for the SyracuseCoE, New York State’s Center of Excellence for Environmental and Energy Systems. Designers Rob Englert of RAM ID and Meyer Giordano, a part-time instructor in VPA’s Department of Transmedia, also served as members of the project team.
“Energy harvesting systems that capture wind and solar energy are currently based on mechanical systems,” says Carr. “However, the path forward for future energy solutions will need to be intelligent, benign and responsive to the smallest of atmospheric changes. As designers, it’s imperative that we pose ideas that question the status quo and point the way to a more sustainable future.”
Amber Waves is now eligible for a Core77 Community Choice Award, which is voted on by the public through July 12. To vote for Amber Waves and learn more about the project, visit the project’s page on the Core77 website.
Carr is a Syracuse CoE Faculty Fellow whose research focuses on biomimicry and biophilia. In VPA’s School of Design he is program coordinator of the master of fine arts (M.F.A.) in design and the undergraduate program in industrial and interaction design.
Recognizing excellence in all areas of design enterprise, the Core77 Design Awards celebrates the richness of the design profession and its practitioners. Fourteen categories of entry are presented, providing designers, researchers and writers a unique opportunity to communicate the intent, rigor and passion behind their efforts. From client work to self-initiated projects and entrepreneurial endeavors, they embrace a wide diversity of enterprise: commercial, cultural, social, environmental and discursive.
