Design for Dignity
“Design for Dignity” aims to enhance the daily lives and mental well-being of asylum seekers in Switzerland by offering practical solutions that improve privacy in shared living spaces.
Factsheet
- Schools involved Bern Academy of the Arts
- Institute(s) Institute of Design Research
- Funding organisation Others
- Duration (planned) 01.07.2025 - 31.01.2027
- Head of project Violetta Dyka
- Project staff Tamara Tremonte
- Partner Swiss Center for Design and Health
Situation
“Design for Dignity” addresses the urgent need for privacy and well-being in shared living environments, particularly in asylum centres, where residents often have a lack of personal space. Through creating an adaptable, lightweight, easy-to-install, modular privacy system, this project aims to foster a sense of autonomy and dignity while also supporting the mental health of residents and improving the working conditions for facility staff. Beyond the humanitarian context, this system opens possible pathways for broader applications in youth hostels, hospitals and temporary housing structures where flexibility and comfort are essential.
Course of action
This project follows a human-centred, research-based design process. Material research was conducted to identify sustainable, locally produced options ensuring feasibility in asylum-centre environments. Iterative prototyping was developed in close collaboration with the Swiss Center for Design and Health SCDH, utilising their material library, workshop facilities and Living Lab for testing. Prototypes were evaluated together with experts from the migration, integration and service design sectors. A comprehensive business model and production strategy were developed in parallel, balancing social value with long-term scalability and economic feasibility.
Result
The project has achieved several key outcomes in its development phase. Five prototype concepts were created and tested, leading to the selection of two promising design directions for further refinement and pilot production. Collaboration with the SCDH, cantonal-level partners and design researchers enabled robust feedback to be integrated in the concept and facilitated expanding the network of potential users. A selection of prototypes was further developed, produced in a pilot series and tested in March 2026. The prototype that received the best evaluation is now to be produced for the market, launched and made available for purchase during the EXECUTE project phase, which is funded by the Gebert Rüf Foundation.
