Aalto University’s largest annual exhibition returns—showcasing bold solutions from fungal architecture to carbon sinks

Now in its seventh year, Designs for a Cooler Planet is Aalto University’s largest exhibition.
The theme for 2025 is Acts of Change—because the world won’t change for the better on its own; we have to make it happen. Multidisciplinary teams of students and researchers have developed bold, creative solutions to global challenges like aging, material scarcity, and the climate crisis.

Featured projects include:

• A tool for early detection of dementia risk
• Gems from the Nokia Design Archive
• A tiny house made from recycled materials
• Protein-based glue inspired by mussels
• Composite material formed by fungal mycelium, which can be used to build, for example, wall elements
• Waste clay turned into carbon sink
• Everyday biomaterials
• Children’s material experiments
• A floating sauna built from recycled wind turbine blades

In past years, the exhibition has attracted over 10,000 visitors. Many have hoped for a longer run—so this year, it will be open from 5 September to 28 October. The main exhibition takes place in the university’s newest meeting place, Marsio, with additional satellite exhibitions, events, film screenings, and workshops across the campus.

External funding plays an increasingly vital role in supporting the work of the Aalto community, and many of the projects on display have been made possible by donations, big and small.
Could making a donation be your act of change?

Support our work at the exhibition or at https://www.aalto.fi/en/a-sign-of-change