BUS2Talk: A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY WITH ALMADESIGN

Rui Marcelino, CEO Almadesign

Rui Marcelino drives innovation through design for 26 years now – maybe even longer: The CEO and visionary force of Almadesign founded his studio in 1997, but the urge to create things that have an internal life like mobility products or related aspects was almost born with him, he says. With his team of 14 people at Almadesign in the Silicon Valley of Portugal, Rui Marcelino develops human-centered technological solutions mainly for transports, products and interiors and has won numerous design awards.

In the discussion with Totinia Hörner, Rui Marcelino explains why regulations play a big role in dealing with investments in sustainability, why collaboration is a key element and why designers should be involved from the first moment of product planning just like operators, drivers and passengers.

“Sustainability is probably the biggest concern we have today in the mobility sector”, he says and identifies a misunderstanding he sees concerning that word: “A lot of people think they are sustainable but in reality, they are not. Designers and engineers must understand the whole life cycle of a process and how it does impact the overall eco system. Before starting to create something new people should ask: Why do we create something new? Are we improving in terms of customer need, environment or sustainability? If not, we should leave it.” If you want to hear more of Rui Marcelino´s wisdom nuggets, find out what he loves about the mobility industry and why reevaluation is such an important part of his work, listen to the whole episode of Bus2Talk.