Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Strengthen Design Research Partnership with U.S. Art University

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia announced on the 27th that they are strengthening their partnership with the world-renowned American art college, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

On the 25th (local time), Hyundai Motor Company and Kia introduced their partnership program with RISD and announced their sustainable design direction during NYC Climate Week held in New York, USA.

NYC Climate Week is an annual event where corporate leaders, policymakers, and civic groups gather to discuss future changes and response strategies. It is jointly hosted by the United Nations General Assembly and the international nonprofit organization Climate Group. Lee Sang-yeop, Vice President of Hyundai Genesis Global Design, participated in a panel discussion titled "Haptic Futures: Sustainable Materials through Design Innovation," introducing the joint research projects conducted with RISD so far and announcing plans to reorganize and operate the program.

Sangyeop Lee, Vice President in charge of Global Design at Hyundai Genesis (second from the left in the photo), is participating in a panel discussion at the New York Climate Week event.
[Photo by Hyundai Motor Company·Kia]

Since 2020, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia have been operating a joint research program with RISD every year to study future design concepts based on nature.

Last year, under the theme of "collaborative future living," they conducted design research inspired by nature. Through this, they derived various design ideas for coexistence with the environment, such as ▲building structures that efficiently distribute heat by combining the ventilation structure of reeds with Korea’s ondol system ▲brick materials that enhance moisture absorption by mimicking frog skin texture ▲and a water filtration system inspired by spider webs, among other industry-academia research ideas.

Starting this fall semester, they will newly open the "Regeneration Studio" and strengthen biomimicry research activities in addition to the existing program. The Regeneration Studio will be conducted through regular semesters, intensive summer workshops, biomimicry seminars, and dispatched research. In particular, a dedicated faculty team specializing in biomimicry has been assigned exclusively to the Hyundai Motor Company and Kia program to enhance expertise.

At the panel discussion, Vice President Lee said, "Hyundai Motor’s 100-year design vision is the ultimate circularity and sustainability of vehicle design that maximizes recycling," adding, "Through RISD’s Regeneration Studio, we will learn the wisdom and processes of nature and apply them to various fields, including design."