CPUT’s Interior Design B-Tech students Bronwen Impey Smith and Rudolph Jordaan want society to live a life that is environmentally friendly, and instead of just talking about it they’ve developed a system to make it a reality.

The idea for the Integrated Sustainability Awareness System came after the duo attended a sustainability roadshow that took place at CPUT. The event encouraged students to enter the Shift Fresh Talent Sustainable Design Competition.

After entering the competition, the students were chosen as finalists and recently submitted their prototype for judging.     

The system will see the distribution of green cards which will allow users to collect green points they can use to trade. The website used to run this will be accessible to everyone, regardless of whether they have an internet connection.

Rudolph explains that the product can change the way you live for the better: “The programme is also designed as a service to collect information for local authorities. Our system links up with the government website and makes the information available to a wider audience like a directory. This encourages people to make responsible choices like choosing products with recyclable packaging.”

Jordaan adds that the sustainability theme complements their interior design studies and encourages sustainable living.

“The website can also be used to collect and record information about a household’s progress, including the amount of electricity and water used. This allows individuals to monitor their carbon footprint – with just a swipe of their card.”

By Nurahn Ryklief

Written by CPUT News

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A project designed by an Interior Design alumna earned her a place in the finals of the 2022 edition of Prototypes for Humanity, recently held in Dubai.

Bronwen Smith developed the Integrated Sustainability Awareness System, an online platform for collecting information relating to a household's consumption of energy and resources, as part of her fourth-year dissertation project at CPUT.

Prototypes for Humanity (previously called the Dubai Global Graduation Show) is the most diverse assembly of innovations that have the power to change the world, with programmes and activities to raise awareness of global problems, celebrate solutions, and catalyse action for positive social and environmental impact.

Bronwen and senior lecturer Colleen Cocotos recently travelled to Dubai where they attended the exhibition and the final awards announcement by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

“I felt truly honoured and excited. It would be wonderful if this Sustainability Awareness System can receive further attention and possibly be developed into a marketable idea that will impact humanity. I have always been motivated to make people aware of how to live a more sustainable lifestyle,” said Bronwen.

Explaining how the platform works, Bronwen said information is collected through a smartphone application, which feeds into an online database.

“The information is analysed to generate understandable statistics that are freely available on the website. Anyone can access the statistics to track the impact of the system and to see how different areas measure up to one another.”

She continued: “Through encouraged regular interaction and a gamified or reward element to the user experience, consumers will learn how to make changes in their daily lives, making informed choices to enable them to have a reduced impact on the planet.”

The proud CPUT graduate, who hails from Plumstead, is completing a Master’s in Interior Architecture – Adaptive Re-use at Hasselt University in Belgium.

Cocotos said “Bronwen’s design was competing against Master’s and PhD submissions, she should be proud of having been selected, as a finalist in such a prestigious competition.”

“I thought that it was a genius idea, and she deserves to get further recognition for the development of the Sustainability Awareness System.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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