An art-science project exploring the future of energy.
Energy shapes our future. But how do we want to shape the energy transition?
Can proactive design make energy supply and infrastructure more attractive and more widely accepted?
How can transformation be accompanied and supported?
The energy transition demands innovative solutions that combine technical, ecological, and social dimensions. Designing Energy develops future-oriented energy concepts at the intersection of science, technology, architecture, and art. It focuses on creatively integrating decentralized energy sources through design, digitalization, and the use of new and recycled materials – locally and in response to global challenges. The aim is to open up spaces of possibility, explore alternative pathways, and make change tangible and designable.
At the center of this is functional design with societal relevance – less about technological aesthetics, more about meaningful, context-based approaches that respond to today’s pressing challenges.
The objective is to highlight the positive opportunities of the energy transition by developing and testing new concepts. In this context, major contemporary questions are explored:
Can participatory approaches, design, and aesthetics increase acceptance of local energy supply and infrastructure? How does energy infrastructure shape space – and how can we actively shape this impact? What is needed to ensure global access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy (SDG 7)? How can technical innovation be linked to local value creation and business models to achieve long-term impact and acceptance? How can digitalization make energy visible, understandable, and manageable? How can we support resilient concepts for energy supply in times of uncertainty? How can temporary structures and sustainable architecture provide flexible responses to climatic and energy-related challenges? What measures can be taken to counteract overheated urban environments?
Designing Energy aims to offer a platform for dialogue and reflection – a space where ideas can grow, evolve, and even be challenged. It’s about actively contributing to the discourse on our energy future – through creative impulses and the deliberate introduction of new perspectives.
Energy
What is Energy?
Energy surrounds us and is a constant part of our daily lives. Without energy, life would not be possible. In our modern society, it fundamentally shapes our everyday experience: no energy means no heat, no light, no mobility, no communication, no functioning infrastructure.
Energy is in everything: the food we eat, the movement of our bodies, the electricity powering our devices, the sun growing plants, and the wind driving turbines. It’s invisible, but its effects are felt everywhere.
At the same time, energy is now more than ever a central topic of societal, political, and ecological debates. How we produce, distribute, and use energy not only affects our quality of life but also our climate, environment, and global justice.
The transformation of our energy system – away from fossil fuels and toward renewable sources – is one of the greatest challenges of our time. But it also offers tremendous opportunities: for technological innovation, social inclusion, and a livable future for all.
Energy is not only measurable in physical terms – it is also designable. And that is where Designing Energy comes in: as an invitation to rethink energy, to develop creative perspectives, and to collaborate on building a sustainable energy future.
With kind support by 
