Students at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit (CCS) have successfully completed projects in collaboration with Ford, Gravity Sketch, and American Chemistry Council.
The projects were run through the school’s Transportation Design program during the fall 2023 semester. Graduate and undergraduate students delved into various aspects of future mobility and were required to consider factors such as lifestyle habits, urban green spaces, deconstruction, reuse, and the enhancement of current transportation systems.
As part of the sponsored projects, CCS students were able to demonstrate their understanding of sustainability considerations and the potential of these materials to address human and environmental challenges.
For example, “Conceptual Vehicle Design for Ford Using Gravity Sketch” required graduate and undergraduate students to design Ford vehicles in the year 2050.
Students used Gravity Sketch, design software used for cross-disciplinary teams to create, collaborate, and review projects. This let students create a virtual studio to design conceptual vehicles at 1:1 scale.
The goal was to create designs for vehicles suitable for a road trip in various nations across the world. They continued using the software to build out the surrounding creative environment to support the storytelling of their work.
One student group designed a vehicle that could transport a band from Brisbane to Sydney, Australia. The vehicle has spaces for sleeping, writing, and recording music. It could stop in different locations and transform into a mobile concert station, allowing the band to perform wherever and whenever they choose. Due to its adaptable design, the vehicle could also serve as a mobile blood bank or ambulance.
CCS and American Chemistry Council’s project, called “Close-Loop Production and Recycling in Future Mobility,” celebrated 20 years of collaboration between the groups and required undergraduate and graduate students to design an electric vehicle for the year 2050.
The designs had to feature sustainable plastics and composite solutions. Students had to incorporate the deconstruction process in their designs and create an end-of-life reuse and recycling system.
The project emphasized the importance of green space initiatives and harmonious urban environments that had a positive impact on daily life.
Students had to produce digital models with animations and storyboard graphics and shared a final presentation that included models of their conceptual vehicles. Both physical and digital models showcased the students’ craftsmanship and attention to detail, while the storyboard graphics provided insights into the vehicles’ circular economy principles and user experience.
Inspired by the future of American railway travel, one student designed a fully autonomous intermediary electric vehicle that can transport individuals and objects to the train station.
The vehicle itself was designed to board the train and disembark at its destination. The vehicle was imagined as completely constructed of recyclable plastics, polyethylene, and polycarbonate. Toward the end of its life cycle, the vehicle would be deconstructed, its former parts being used to build the next edition of the same vehicle.
The sponsored projects provided students with hands-on experience in design and sustainability, but also valuable insight into the minds of industry professionals.
“Our longstanding partnership with CCS has helped forge a new era in transportation design focused on eliminating plastic waste in the environment,” says Gina Oliver, senior director durable markets advocacy at American Chemistry Council. “ACC’s vision for sustainability is at the core of everything ACC and our members stand for and together through our work with CCS and the automotive industry, we are working to create the innovative sustainable materials necessary for a circular automotive industry.”
The industry change must begin first and foremost with automotive design, says Oliver. CCS students should play a part in the sustainable future that ACC and its members are working to achieve in this industry.
“These visionary budding automotive designers are truly the future of automotive sustainability and circularity,” says Oliver.
