INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Salla Vallotton – Celcius

by Salla Vallotton

Terracotta is a natural thermally efficient material that has been used for centuries in both heating and cooling applications. Its high thermal inertia allows it to absorb heat slowly and release it gradually, making it ideal for maintaining a stable temperature over time. While heating systems are typically unused during the summer, Celcius explores how they could serve a dual purpose, integrating a passive cooling function, to extend their utility year-round.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Newspaper

with Elric Petit

Newspaper is an industrial design project that aims to cultivate fresh ideas with the potential to seamlessly integrate into our contemporary society and its economy. Under the guidance of Elric Petit, each student had the possibility to explore a chosen topic, expressing their personal affinities and interests, thereby enhancing the overall project experience. In the spirit of multidisciplinarity, the students underwent a writing workshop with a professional journalist, which culminated in 25 articles written by the students on their individual projects, collected in a printed journal.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

ECAL x AGO - Seoul Highlights

with Adrien Rovero

AGO Lighting has come together with ECAL Bachelor students in Industrial Design, under the guidance of Swiss designer Adrien Rovero, to conceive a collection of lighting installations to be used in public places such as museums, hotel lobbies, coffee bar and so on. Focusing primarily on the spatial aspect of light, our approach was to design lighting structures based on components supplied by AGO and inspired by the fabric of Seoul, rather than creating mere lamps.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

BY HAND

with Friederike Daumiller

Even if it seems that digital is taking over analog, there's still an interest and need for us as humans to have a physical connection to our daily tools. So many designers swear by their drawing routine and real-life experimentation still plays a important role in our practices. Under the guidance of Friederike Daumiller students took the challenge to design their own interpretations of hand writing and hand drawing instruments always referring to their hands-on tests and experience.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

ai.dentity

with EPFL+ECAL Lab

Guided by EPFL + ECAL Lab, participants explored how AI technologies can be integrated into product design to enhance functionality and enrich the user experience. Over the week-long workshop, BA students engaged with the theoretical foundations of AI while experimenting with practical applications across multiple use cases.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Filiforme – 2025

with Tomas Kral

In this project, first-year students were invited to design an object using wire as their main creative material. The aim was to explore the expressive and structural potential of this linear and flexible medium, while developing a personal and innovative approach. Bending, twisting, braiding or welding the wire became a way to experiment with form, balance, and lightness, and to rethink the function of the object through the limitations of the material.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

TRANSPORTER

with Elric Petit

This project explores the broad theme of transport. Since the dawn of time, our strength and energy have been limited — which is why we’ve always been inventive in finding ways to move the things around us. First-year students were asked to design an object that intelligently and comfortably moves or transports the elements they chose.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Bag It

with Stéphane Halmaï-Voisard

For this project, the 1st year BA Industrial Design students had to design a bag, or a collection of bags.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Abundance & Scarcity

with Nadine Sterk

When we live in a society with so much abundance yet at the same time so much scarcity, how do we discern the resources around us? How can we look to our surroundings to learn about where things come from, or how we might apply them in our own lives? More importantly, how can we live more harmoniously with nature by respecting it and taking only what we need? Within the workshop held by Nadine Sterk from Atelier NL the BA Industrial Design students were asked to create tableware around the theme ‘Abundance & Scarcity' from vernacular earth collected together in the Sauvabelin woods in Lausanne. Students and crew had no hesitation in getting their hands (and clothes) dirty to knead, turn, form, glaze, and fire ceramic tableware that tells a story.

FOUNDATION YEAR

Option Course Industrial Design – S2 21–22