VEIL involves an evolving 'think-tank' referred to as 'the Hub'. At its core the Hub has design academics seconded from the design schools of Victorian Universities. Researchers from various academic and other institutions, representatives from industry, from government and environment and community groups, contribute to the deliberations of the Hub through a variety of structured processes.
The work of the Hub combines research, analysis, design speculation and evaluation, resulting in visions, concepts, reports and papers, identifying fruitful long-term (typically 25 year) scenarios for sustainable solutions (products, services, systems, life-styles, built environments and infrastructure). These long-term visions and eco-innovation ideas are also formulated as 'design studio' topics for the university design schools (and as student and design competitions). Through these design studios, ideas and visions are further researched and tested by hundreds of (final year) design students as part of their academic programs. (Diagram 2 below)
University design studios involve students and staff in concept development and testing within a network of external organisations and actors (including those identified from the work of the Hub). (Diagram 3 below)
At the end of these design studios, the student work is referred back to the VEIL hub and evaluated as a test of the ideas and visions that were developed. This process involves various processes for eliciting feedback from stake-holders and the public. Student concepts/projects considered most relevant to the on-going Hub research are then further developed in a 'post production workshop' (PPW) with the students, hub members and professional designers. (Diagram 4 below) The PPW has to elaborate the concepts so that the ideas, visions and stories of sustainable futures can be engagingly communicated through a variety of media (exhibitions, magazines, newspapers, and professional journals). (Diagram 5 below)
Hubs, design studios, post-production workshops and communications overlap in a repeating cycle, supported by a range of research and 'observatory' projects such as the SustainableMelbourne.com activity.
Diagram 2:
Diagram3:
Diagram 4:
Diagram 5:
