Titled Engagement Tree, the versatile and modular furniture set is designed to be accessible, flexible, and easy to use for people of all ages and abilities.
Its design eliminates the need for screws, bolts, or nuts, making it effortless to move, disassemble, store, and reassemble – encouraging engagement and exploration in a simple and playful way.
“We were very focused on the aesthetics of the design,” says Fabiana Guimaraes Soares. “Our goal wasn’t just to create a functional tool for engagement, but something that grabs attention – something that makes people say wow,” she explains.
The most interesting part was thinking about how to make the assembly process as quick and easy as possible. “It could be the surface of a stool or a small table to put small things on, like a pen, or it could be orientated vertically as a view board to hang some posters on,” Yannan Wang comments.
The surfaces can also be combined for a bigger working space to accommodate many people.
The project was a collaboration between the MAID course and led by Professor Lorraine Gamman, Director, Design Against Crime Research Lab and Jeffrey Doruff with the London Borough of Lambeth, to engage residents in conversations about local challenges and potential solutions.
“Everyone’s perspectives and challenges were different,” explains Cansin Demircioglu, who believes understanding these perspectives truly enhanced the project. “Working with the council was like stepping into a whole new world – it shaped our mindset and showed us different ways of working,” she recalls.
The multifunctional design of the furniture enabled Lambeth Council officers to create dynamic, inclusive spaces both indoors and outdoors, encouraging participation in community research, advertising, and voting activities.
The biggest challenge in the design process was time management. Spanning only seven weeks, the project pushed the team to the limits of their creativity and efficiency.
“We’d printed a calendar to plan our work, but every day we looked at it and thought, ‘No, no, no, we don’t have time to finish this!’” Guimaraes Soares shares with a smile. “We joked about it, but deep down, we succeeded because we believed in what we were doing,” she says.
The students managed to do extensive research and create prototypes which were tested in the hallways of Central Saint Martins (CSM) as well as within the local Brixton community.
“Even under stress, when you co-design and collaborate, you realise that it’s all possible,” says Guimaraes Soares.
In the end, the team was surprised that the project turned out to be simply perfect.
Beyond its aesthetic appeal and adaptability, the Engagement Tree serves as a platform for inclusivity. The modular pieces can function as stools, tables, display boards, or be combined to create larger collaborative spaces. This versatility makes it suitable for a variety of settings, from schools and libraries to council offices and public parks.
After finishing the unit, Guimaraes Soares started thinking about how this project could be used in classrooms. “Inclusive education needs more flexible environments, especially for neurodiverse children and individuals with disabilities, and traditional classroom layouts no longer work – we need more options,” she explains.
Winning the IFIP Global Inclusion Award was an emotional moment for the team “When I received the award, I was both nervous and excited,” recalls Xu Han. “But after all our hard work, it felt incredibly rewarding,” he reveals.
The experience also emphasised the power of teamwork and being part of the changemakers in design. “We weren’t competing against anyone,” says Guimaraes Soares, “and it wasn’t just about aesthetics – it was about being part of a community, creating change, and working together for a better world,” she comments about the awards ceremony.
The team believes that Engagement Tree has limitless potential beyond the competition. “This project is too good to just stay in the computer,” says Demircioglu. “We need to keep working on it, adjusting it for different environments and improving its design,” she believes.
With its multifunctional adaptability, the Engagement Tree can be integrated into schools, libraries, maternity wards, public spaces, and corporate environments – anywhere that benefits from dynamic, inclusive design.
“It was amazing to see the public’s reaction,” Guimaraes Soares reflects. “The way people engaged with it showed that design has the power to bring people together,” she concludes.