VISIT
Singapore’s highest honour for designers and designs across all disciplines
One of Asia’s premier design festivals that champions design thought leadership
National Design Centre

Address
111 Middle Road
Singapore 188969

Opening hours
Everyday 9am to 9pm

What impact can Good Design Research make on society?

6 min read

Designers dream of changing the world. See how some are already starting to. 

Designers are natural problem solvers. They want to make things better for you, me and the world around us. Find out how these designers are doing just that with help from the Good Design Research initiative.

Technology

Slowing down to rediscover the city 

Geolocation technologies like Google Maps typically help people find their way. But what if they help you get lost instead? Read More

Reviving ageing malls in Web 3.0  

Get ready to step into “Beauty Meta World”, a virtual version of the Beauty World Centre shopping mall dreamt up by Spatial Anatomy… Read More

Ageing

Activating a new force for seniors

Industrial designer Sim Hao Jie hopes that the “Senior Active Force Singapore”, could be a useful framework for Singapore’s ageing population to stay active… Read More

Growing old without the loneliness

Can we help the elderly feel less isolated while respecting their privacy, especially those living in assisted living facilities? One design firm uncovers how… Read More

Sustainability

Drawing on elephant skins for cooler buildings

Architects and designers in Singapore have long designed with plants and foliage as inspiration as seen in the city’s lush green environment. What is newer is designing façade walls using biomimicry… Read More

Natural paints seeding nature
ties

Most creatives buy materials for their projects from art supplies stores. Shirin Rafie and Liz Liu, however, turn to the natural environment around Singapore and have found a way to work with horticultural waste… Read More

Creating new building blocks of sustainable architecture

In 2020, designer Kevin Lim started on his Good Design Research project to look into how kenaf could be used to create bio-composites for producing architectural tiles like those used for shelters and roofs. Kevin shares how his Kenopy project, a play on “kenaf” and “canopy”, has led to new opportunities… Read More

Keeping artisanal craftsmanship alive in the age of sustainable fashion

After Felicia Toh met several struggling textile artisans across Asia while travelling, the architect decided to start NOST, a loungewear and home goods brand, to create fabrics with them and sustain their heritage crafts. The efforts to bridge these artisans to the market led to NOST’s latest project… Read More

Replacing plastic takeaways with better(looking) earth-friendly versions 

As more people eat from home, the plastic waste generated by single-use food containers aggravates plastic pollution in our ocean, harms the planetary health and stresses our waste management systems. How can we transform the convenience mindset ingrained in a throwaway culture … Read More

Dispelling fast fashion, one “Made in Shop” bag at a time

While participating in TaFF’s The Bridge Fashion Incubator, the company developed a new retail concept which could potentially allow them to address the two key challenges of over-manufacturing and the evolution of consumer preferences against traditional brick and … Read More

Discovering a beautiful purpose for felled local trees

More than 13,000 trees will be felled in Singapore over the next 13 years, yet these logs are not used by local designers and craftsmen due to the high costs associated with Singapore wood.With the support of the Good Design Research initiative, Roger&Sons plans to address this challenge … Read More

Interested to apply for the Good Design Research Grant?

Return to the Good Design Research homepage to download the factsheet and submit your application.

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VISIT
Singapore’s highest honour for designers and designs across all disciplines
One of Asia’s premier design festivals that champions design thought leadership
National Design Centre