Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator
An annual initiative supporting Australian industrial designers working in sustainable design.
APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED
Supported by a generous bequest from Carl and Judy Nielsen, Powerhouse selects one project designed in Australia that demonstrates outstanding design in sustainability.
‘It has been an honour to be a mentor for the Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator. This initiative holds immense value, recognising the challenges and costs involved in bringing a project to life, especially during the early stages of a career. The partnership with a prestigious institution like the Powerhouse and what it brings is invaluable.’
This accelerator program is open to industrial designers up to 10 years post-graduation. Each program will be tailored to the recipient and may include industry mentorship, production or research assistance or outreach support up to the value of $25,000. Powerhouse may also seek to acquire the winning project into the Powerhouse Collection. Recipients may be invited to participate in the following year’s Sydney Design Week.
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Industry Advisor
The successful recipient of the 2024 Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator program will be advised by Sydney-based industrial designer Ed Ko who will work with the recipient to create a bespoke program tailored to the project.
Ko is a multifaceted, award-winning industrial designer, lecturer, communicator, and community builder dedicated to nurturing creative expression and driving positive change through industrial design.
‘I truly believe that industrial design holds the potential not only to shape our physical environment but also to instigate profound societal change. Through bold public conscious-grabbing innovations to subtle, nuanced interventions – industrial design has the power to elevate the human experience and address pressing global challenges.’
2023 Recipients
Camada Daybed
Ash Fischer and Orlando Hayes were the recipients of the 2023 Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator program for their Camada Daybed project. This design collaboration celebrates aesthetics and sustainability and shows how design can change people’s understanding of what waste is capable of becoming. The entire frame of the daybed is made from 100% recycled plastic, with Australian foam upholstered in Australian wool. The design has considered sustainability across the materials, manufacturing and lifecycle of the product.