Here is some more information about the UBC project.

Im sorry i linked the wrong video.
Check out this:

http://vimeo.com/48453519

Its more informative, has interviews with both project manager, ceo of ulstein and other Ulstein people and some other big guns. (Yes i know its a bit cheesy but I wont apologize for that :)) 
It even has a few cuts taken in the AHO "secret" maritime design lab with demos of working prototypes. These are now obviously history since this film was made last year.

The project involves three PhDs one is financed by the project, another by the university college of Ålesund (www.hials.no) and one financed by the university college of Vestfold. 
Here are the info pages for the PhDs:

http://www.designresearch.no/projects/situation-awareness-on-the-vessel-bridge/news 
http://www.designresearch.no/projects/radical-innovation-in-maritime-rd/about 
http://www.designresearch.no/projects/human-factors-in-ship-bridge-design-2/about

All three PhD projects have an element of designing (research by design) as a central aspect of the inquiry

I was the project leader in the start but i am glad i asked Kjetil Nordby to take over. He is the central driving force in the project .
One of the errors we did was to totally underestimate the speed the project would take and the need for being connected at all time. I was drafting a 10% project admin, which was totally off target. Project admin of such a Research by Design driven project, that tends to be very complex, needs to be full time and integrated.

The project website is here:
http://www.designresearch.no/projects/ulstein-bridge-concept/news 

The project has achieved two patents and five publications so far
http://www.designresearch.no/projects/ulstein-bridge-concept/publications

We are aware of the need to increase the publication rate and several new publications are in the pipeline

The project team is interdisciplinary, with design researchers, different designers and programmers who are hired in addition beyond the framework of the research council funded project, HCI experts, technicians and engineers.
I am especially proud of that the renown electro-acoustic composer Natasha Barrett is on board of the team working with the sound environment on the ship bridge. I think never before a composer has been there. She is a researcher with a PhD. I have collaborated with her over many years making sound - space installations. Her work with sound space has lead to the commission by Ulstein.  Interdisciplinarity at work!

 http://www.natashabarrett.org/ 

The project started 1 April 2011 so it has been very productive in a short time driven by an enthusiastic team but also backed up by a very enthusiastic project owner the Ulstein Group company Ulstein Power and Control.

Almost all project members have been on field trips with supply ships on the north sea. The researchers conducted structured field studies on these trips. The project is hands on and quite salty :)

I am sharing this because i hope this can be inspiring to the design research community when it comes to inquiries that are design driven in one or the other way.

There are many questions, issues, difficulties and problems but to our experience research by design is not only needed but wanted out there.
Without this angle, approach, methodological framework, seamless integration of designing and knowledge production, visualization, conceptualization the project would have been nothing.


A weakness in the project is that we right now don't have the capacity to analyze and reflect upon the project as research by design. I plan to get back to this.

If you have questions or comments i would be glad to answer them.


Birger Sevaldson (PhD, MNIL)
Professor at Institute of Design
Oslo School of Architecture and Design
Norway
www.birger-sevaldson.no
www.systemsorienteddesign.net
www.ocean-designresearch.net
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