Social impact in biophilic design: inclusive, local manufacturing
Design is also deciding how and with whom we manufacture
When we talk about a product’s impact, we usually think first of its materials, durability or the resources needed to make it.
But there is another equally important question:
Who takes part in that process?
At CitySens Lab we want the positive impact of our products to go beyond the recycled materials or the plants we bring into spaces.
That is why part of the manufacturing process is carried out in collaboration with Fundació Estela, a Tarragona organisation that promotes the personal development and social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities through educational, residential and occupational services.
The result is a production chain in which design, local manufacturing and social impact are part of the same product.
Social impact is part of manufacturing
The recycled panels from which we build our biophilic systems pass through Fundació Estela’s workshops before becoming the final product.
There, the pieces are prepared: sanding, polishing, varnishing and drilling the holes needed for assembly.
These are not side tasks outside production. They are necessary steps to turn recycled boards into components ready to become furniture.
So social impact does not appear once the product is finished. It is created while we make it.
This way of working also reflects CitySens Lab’s commitment to the social economy and to involving social organisations in manufacturing and handling its products.
Real work within a real production chain
For us, it matters that the collaboration is directly linked to what we make.
The people who work at Fundació Estela handle pieces that will become part of a planter, a green divider or a piece of furniture installed in an office, a hotel, a care home or another shared space.
The Foundation runs occupational activities adapted to each person’s abilities, aimed at fostering autonomy and social and professional inclusion.
This connects two realities that are often presented separately: making a product and the social impact of how it is made.
Local production with nearby impact
Our collaboration with Fundació Estela also has a local dimension.
The Foundation works in Tarragona and has spent more than four decades improving the social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the region.
Working close by lets us know exactly who takes part in each stage and maintain a close relationship with the organisations in our production chain.
For us, manufacturing locally is not only about shorter distances.
It is also about creating value in the territory and building a network of collaboration around what we design.
Designing spaces with an impact beyond the space itself
CitySens Lab products are designed to bring nature into offices, hotels, care homes and other shared spaces, and to improve how we experience them.
But we want their impact to start before they reach the project.
In the materials we recover.
In the manufacturing processes we carry out locally.
And in the people who help prepare each piece.
That is why we understand responsible design broadly: it is not only about what we design, but also how and with whom we do it.
Our collaboration with Fundació Estela is part of that approach. Learn more about how we design in The laboratory.
Because a product’s impact is also built before it is installed.
