Sustainable Development is one of the most pressing concerns of the 21st Century. Existing socio-economic development trends need rethinking and realignment in a sustainable direction. Most disciplines and fields of study have absorbed this philosophy and contributed in their ways. Design as a field of study uses phrases like eco-design, green design, sustainable design, etc., to label such approaches. Currently, the Department is invested in addressing the following research gaps:

Developing a comprehensive framework of sustainable design - Frameworks are the logical structures which makes any concept (or philosophy) understandable, especially to novice and non-experts. The philosophy of sustainable design in literature was found to be diverse and interpretative in nature. Moreover, available frameworks and conceptual models representing the philosophy were found to be inadequate for creative designers. This research direction attempts to develop a usable and comprehensive sustainable design framework for Designers.

Developing tools for Creative Design Phase – Most decisions impacting the sustainability of any product, service or system are fixed in the Creative Design phase of the design process. Therefore there is an urgent need to develop support tools to be used in the creative phase of the design process. It also relates to cognition and learning.