Speculative design projects undertaken by university students often produce valuable insights and radical new approaches to persistent design problems, but much of this research does not get shared beyond the walls of universities.

In 2023, Disegno Works collaborated with Écal, University of Art and Design Lausanne, to publish its project U.F.O.G.O. in Disegno #35 and as a standalone publication, making its research available to a broad audience. U.F.O.G.O. is a collection of eight speculative wind turbine models that explore how renewable energy infrastructure could be better integrated into our landscapes. The proposals all focused on Fogo Island, a remote community off the coast of Canada.

Working with the Disegno and Écal teams, Disegno Works devised a publishing format that combined the students’ design proposals with CAD drawings, explanatory texts, feasibility feedback from engineers, and key data points into a digestible, high-quality design publication. 

The publication also brought together on-site photography and contextual essays to give a comprehensive insight into the depth of the project and the complexity of designing new typologies of renewable energy infrastructures.

Cover image: Écal / Arthur Seguin