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Eat.Work.Sleep.
DIY Campus (3): Winter Edition
»Design begins with the understanding that the haphazard way in which elements have been formally brought together is no longer acceptable. […] Creative processes, as is slowly becoming apparent, always begin with confrontation of material things and the inadequacy of habits and routines.« (Petruschat, 2017, p. 17).
We hacked and energised our campus.
We sparked new ideas by asking:
How do we want to work?
How do we want to take breaks?
How do we want to be?
In this course, we took a meticulous, pragmatic, loving, critical and optimistic look at how we do things together. Furniture, products, services, events — anything goes. The important thing was that the community comes together. As always, the choice of media was free of choice. The students learned how to develop and communicate design solutions using various digital and analogue prototyping techniques.
Petruschat, J. (2017). Wicked Problems. In Das Ungehorsam der Probleme: Bd. 1. Auflage. Form+Zweck Verlag. Translated from German with the help of DeepL
DIY Campus is an initiative of Prof. Judith Glaser, Dr. Beatrice Barrois ↗ and Prof. Johanna Diehl ↗. Following the summer edition, which focused on outdoor spaces and was led by Prof. Johanna Diehl, the winter edition looks inward.
Supervision Prof. Judith Glaser
Winter Term 2025/26
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akka
Amelie Neuhoff, Alisa Kober, Patricia Zadrima
The project aimed to develop workspaces for the university that foster a sense of community, offer flexibility in use and make use of existing resources. The result is a modular workspace that transforms an existing metal shelf into a versatile workstation. A precisely fitting tabletop and simple magnetic fasteners come together to create a modular, mobile system that combines a desk and a workbench. This enables both focused and collaborative work and is tailored to the needs of design students.
A central aspect of the project is reproducibility. Detailed instructions explain everyday use and how to replicate the design. akka is an open concept that encourages the sensible use of existing resources, increases the visibility of work, and strengthens university spaces as vibrant, collaborative workplaces.
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PULPi 2.0
Paul Schulz, Khalid Aldaba
PULPi is a recycling campaign for our faculty. The project is based on PULPi 1.0 from SPUR ︎︎︎. The objective of this project is to make our faculty more environmentally friendly and raise awareness for circularity, the waste we produce and the value it holds. PULPi is a playful intervention based on collaboration and circularity. Utilizing DIY production, it fosters connection to the object and enhances product longevity.
The campaign features four different elements. Posters, INTERVENING in the waste behavior of students, encouraging them to separate their paper waste and offering directions to a COLLECTION point as well as a display of the final stationary product. Further INFORMATION on circularity, faculty waste statistics and upcoming workshops is offered through posters and PULPi’s own social media channel.
The campaign features four different elements. Posters, INTERVENING in the waste behavior of students, encouraging them to separate their paper waste and offering directions to a COLLECTION point as well as a display of the final stationary product. Further INFORMATION on circularity, faculty waste statistics and upcoming workshops is offered through posters and PULPi’s own social media channel.
All these processes are narrated by the mascot, that lives in the walls of the faculty and appears behind the posters, monitoring the behavior of students and staff. Finally, the recycled stationary containers are PRODUCED in a collaborative workshop format. Each participant can influence the structure and color of their container by choosing the material. Four different sizes of containers can be produced using modular molds. All variations can be stacked and combined freely. Once dried and documented, participants can collect their containers. If one should be damaged throughout its life, it can be brought to the next workshop to be rehydrated and pressed again.
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Bude
Leonard Schorling, Jada Richardson
This project visualizes ideas for a beloved communal space on our campus. The space was measured and then modeled in both cardboard and digitally. Different parameters like placement and scale were tested and must-haves like storage and a counter were defined. After testing multiple prototypes in this way, we opted for the panoramic bar concept, which takes into account the stunning view that is so defining for our campus. We focused on communicating the idea of a shared space, while structural details and construction will be managed in the upcoming DIY CAMPUS ︎︎︎
classes.
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How to Cafete
Lilli Pfundt, Ines Rückl, Charlotte Strobel
Cafete has been a central part of student life at THWS for
years. Organized entirely by students and driven by voluntary commitment, it
provides self-made food and drinks at cultural and academic events, shaping
campus life in meaningful ways. However, despite its strong impact, Cafete increasingly faced
challenges: low visibility on campus, declining participation, and a lack of
structured knowledge transfer within the team.
As the current Cafete head team,
we asked ourselves how voluntary commitment could be enabled, supported, and
made appealing again. Our response was a step-by-step process focused on
visibility, accessibility, and self-empowerment. We strengthened Cafete’s
presence through recognizable visual elements, such as signs in the kitchen
space, branded aprons at events, add-on stickers for event communication, and
consistent and updated documentation on the THWS website and social media.
At
the core of the project lies How to Cafete, a playful, color-coded manual that documents and
structures Cafete’s organizational,
financial, and event-based knowledge.
Existing in both analog and digital form,
it serves as a manual, guide, workbook, and collective archive. Accessible to
all THWS students via the e-learning platform and supported by QR-code
touchpoints, How to Cafete lowers barriers to participation and ensures knowledge
continuity.
This project lays the foundation for Cafete to grow sustainably,
making voluntary commitment visible, accessible, and attractive once again.
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FACH: For a change of Headspace
Amire Koncici
Based on the observation that even breaks are often spent in front of a screen, FACH explores the role of digital technology in everyday student life. The project aims to facilitate brief, intentional offline moments that are easily accessible and can be seamlessly integrated into daily life.
The project is designed as a modular analogue game system. Each box represents a distinct category and offers a clearly defined type of break, such as calming, playful, physical or thought-provoking. This enables students to select a break that aligns with their current mood or energy level. The system is open-ended and can be expanded with additional categories in the future.
The boxes can be found in the Orange, an existing faculty relaxation and retreat space. Storing the boxes on Euro pallets creates a fixed, recognisable location for the project. At the same time, the pallets serve a dual purpose, functioning both as seating and storage. The boxes are kept easily accessible in their hollow spaces.
Each compactly designed box contains all the necessary elements: a play surface, instructions and storage. This allows the activity to be moved to another location with minimal effort. The design enables flexible, uncomplicated breaks offline within the faculty’s daily routine.
Each compactly designed box contains all the necessary elements: a play surface, instructions and storage. This allows the activity to be moved to another location with minimal effort. The design enables flexible, uncomplicated breaks offline within the faculty’s daily routine.
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PF26
Florina Rall, Paul Schulz
Light is arguably the most effective design element in shaping our living spaces. People structure their days around it; every room is transformed by the number of windows it has. It’s no coincidence, then, that ceiling lights are so maligned in the world of interior design.
The PF26 is a lampshade with a laser-cut, plug-in design. During the design process, our primary goal was to create an affordable lamp that could be produced efficiently and in large quantities while remaining aesthetically pleasing. It was also intended to diffuse the light and enable indirect lighting in Room I.0.16, also known as the
»Orange«.
After considering various options, we chose 5 mm white corrugated cardboard for its significant stability gained through interlocking construction. Without any additional composite materials, the lamp can be recycled as quickly as it is assembled. Furthermore, as it is made up of two-dimensional pieces, it can be stored or shipped in a space-efficient manner when disassembled.
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Orange
Florina Rall, ThuyVy Nguyen, Nour Abuzaid
Room I.0.16 in the Fakultät Gestaltung , also known as the
»Orange«
, was set up two semesters ago.
Unfortunately, it has mostly served as a storage room over the past few semesters.
However here at the university we urgently require a space that provides an area for quiet contemplation and socialising. In this class, we asked ourselves: »How can we ensure that the Orange Room becomes a visible, well-used space for the majority of students?« In short: social design.
Social design is far more than visual design. It is a participatory process that addresses complex social challenges. It focuses on the invisible aspects, the shaping of relationships, social structures and opportunities for participation, to create sustainable solutions.
However here at the university we urgently require a space that provides an area for quiet contemplation and socialising. In this class, we asked ourselves: »How can we ensure that the Orange Room becomes a visible, well-used space for the majority of students?« In short: social design.
Social design is far more than visual design. It is a participatory process that addresses complex social challenges. It focuses on the invisible aspects, the shaping of relationships, social structures and opportunities for participation, to create sustainable solutions.
»Design is also what you don’t see.« (Walter De Silva)
One surprising aspect of social design for us was the amount of structure behind a participatory space. This ensures that Orange is not just a semester project that fizzles out afterwards, but is established at the university for the long term. We developed a system for Orange consisting of events, community building and a visual identity/visibility strategy to create this long term impact.
One surprising aspect of social design for us was the amount of structure behind a participatory space. This ensures that Orange is not just a semester project that fizzles out afterwards, but is established at the university for the long term. We developed a system for Orange consisting of events, community building and a visual identity/visibility strategy to create this long term impact.
