Professors Tapani Vuorinen and Pirjo Kääriäinen awarded at the Opening of the Academic Year 2.9.2014.
The aim of the Aalto Act of the Year Award is to recognise a significant initiative or action in the Aalto University community. The Aalto Act of the Year Award 2014 goes to Professors Pirjo Kääriäinen from the School of Arts, Design and Architecture and Tapani Vuorinen from the School of Chemical Technology in recognition of their interdisciplinary work in creating the CHEMARTS project.
The aim of CHEMARTS has been to create new concepts for bioeconomy by combining design, brand thinking and natural materials science. The core of the project has been formed by student projects, which have generated several different concepts: colour changing textiles, luxury brands within Finnish cellulose and using recyclable clothes as material for 3D-printed new products. The CHEMARTS collaboration expanded in 2013 into a large strategic research opening funded by the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation Tekes. Titled ‘Design Driven Value Chains in the World of Cellulose’, the project is a collaboration between four Aalto University schools, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, and Tampere University of Technology.