How can design address global issues such as educational equity, cultural heritage, and community sustainability? Recently, Jiang Xiao, a doctoral student in Design at the Faulty of Innovation and Design, City University of Macau, won the 2026 iF Design Student Award (Winner) for his work "Roots of Light—Decentralized Mini Museum for Culture". Supervised by Professor Chai Chunlei and Associate Professor Wang Pohsun, the project addresses the cultural learning needs of under-resourced communities, exploring innovative pathways for design to promote cultural heritage and community development. The iF Design Student Award is one of the world's most influential design awards, recognizing innovative solutions that use design to tackle social challenges and advance sustainability. Only 90 works worldwide received the Winner honor in this year's competition.

"Roots of Light" stems from concern over the lack of cultural learning opportunities in under-resourced communities, with its design concept developed through the author's design research and practice. During the project's optimization, discussions and exchanges on the Midorikawa case in the doctoral course Special Topics in Design Theory and Practice proved invaluable. The project innovatively combines repurposed waste tree stumps, solar technology, and community cultural narratives to create a decentralized learning network that functions as a cultural showcase, children's educational tool, and nighttime lighting solution. Using design research and visual exploration tools such as mood boards, the designer integrated elements like natural materials, community culture, and sustainability into a cohesive design vision. Through modular design, underutilized community spaces are transformed into sustainable cultural learning nodes, offering new design pathways for cultural heritage, public education, and community development.

Official project page: https://ifdesign.com/en/winner-ranking/project/roots-of-light/784208

The iF design jury commented, "By integrating recycled materials, solar technology, and the dissemination of community stories, the project creates an inclusive cultural infrastructure with both local cultural character and broad scalability". This recognition affirms the project's innovative value and demonstrates the ability of the  faculty and students to address global issues through design. This award reflects the faculty longstanding commitment to innovative design and interdisciplinary research.

Winner's Remarks

Jiang Xiao (Ph.D. student in Design, Class of 2024)

"I am deeply honored to receive recognition from the international jury. This achievement would not have been possible without the academic platform provided by the faculty and the continuous guidance and support of my supervisors. Moving forward, I will continue to combine design research and social practice, exploring further possibilities for design to facilitate cultural learning and community development, and promoting greater public value through design".