Helsinki Design Award to Aalto University’s Designs for a Cooler Planet

The Helsinki Design Award, granted jointly by Helsinki Design Week and the City of Helsinki, honors the Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition as a meeting place that shapes a better planet for our cities.

To mark its 20th anniversary, Helsinki Design Week wanted to recognize a bold program concept that has emerged from within the metropolitan design community. The exhibition brings people and ideas together, continuously creating engaging content, renewing our understanding of design, and reaching new audiences.

Aalto University’s annual Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition is organized as part of the European Commission’s New European Bauhaus initiative and Helsinki Design Week. Launched in 2019, the concept highlights experimental solutions by Aalto University’s students and researchers to global challenges such as new materials, construction, health, and the circular economy.

“The scope and multifaceted nature of the Designs for a Cooler Planet concept is truly unique. The exhibition team brings together researchers, teachers, designers, manufacturers, producers, and curators, all united by a focus on a better future for our planet,” says Kari Korkman, founder of Helsinki Design Week. “From Helsinki Design Week’s perspective, the university community and the young professionals graduating into the field are invaluable partners. Without this kind of future-oriented interaction, no city festival could remain lively, current, and relevant,” Korkman continues.

“Designs for a Cooler Planet is a brilliant example of Helsinki’s design scene: creative, interdisciplinary, and strongly oriented towards a sustainable future. Helsinki Design Week has offered the concept an excellent platform for dialogue with different audiences,” notes Hanna Harris, Chief Design Officer of the City of Helsinki.

The exhibition is now being held for the seventh time on Aalto University’s campus. Visitor numbers have steadily grown from a few thousand in its first year to more than ten thousand today; what began as a quick university experiment has become Aalto’s largest annual exhibition.

On display are experiments, solutions, and prototypes that aim to transform the world through science, art, technology, and business. Opening on September 5, this year’s theme is acts of change. The theme emphasizes the fact that the world will not become better by itself—it needs to be made better. The exhibition dives into insights in areas such as construction, health, and materials.

“We need the ability to conceptualize and envision the future. All meaningful change begins with the skill of reimagining things fundamentally. The projects showcased at Designs for a Cooler Planet help make visible an alternative future—a future with space for hope and sustainable solutions,” says artistic director for the exhibition Enni Äijälä of Aalto University.

One example of this year’s innovations is a mobile brain-body imaging technology being developed for the early detection of dementia. There are at least 50 million people living with memory-related illnesses worldwide, a number expected to double in the next 20 years. AI-enabled early detection methods could significantly improve the quality of life for millions.

“Exhibitions like this play a vital role in bridging the gap between advanced university research and the wider community. They offer a unique platform for researchers and research groups to present their state-of-the-art innovations, making complex ideas accessible and inspiring to all. It’s an honor to be part of such an initiative that celebrates and shares the impact of our work with the public”, says Aalto University’s research fellow Shrikanth Kulashekhar.

In addition to the main exhibition in the Marsio building on Aalto’s Otaniemi campus (September 5 – October 28, 2025), the Designs for a Cooler Planet festival program includes lectures, workshops, and films. More information can be found here.