How did Notre Dame's art students do representing the
United States at the Global Design Laboratory 2004?
Notre Dame was the only North American university chosen to compete
at what is known as the Olympics of product design. For the contest,
which culminated in New York City in November, 2004, students
were challenged to develop concepts for new kitchen and laundry
appliances for three distinct client groups: baby boomers, urban
dwellers and people living in developing nations.
The idea from Notre Dame's urban design team - for compact, light,
stackable appliances that could also be used to create a wall
divider - advanced to the finals but was not chosen among the
top entries. Those came from the University of New South Wales
in Australia, the Czech Republic's Academy of Arts, Architecture
& Design, and the Central Saint Martins College of Art and
Design in the United Kingdom.
(April 2005)