Since September 2022, the exhibition hall RTU and ORIGO Future Stop has been open to everyone, providing exciting information about the innovations being developed right here in Latvia, at Riga Technical University (RTU). The aim of the exhibition space is to encourage the public to pay attention to the sustainability of education and its promotion, especially by inviting and encouraging would-be students – Latvia’s future scientists – to explore the innovations of the moment, the process of their creation, as well as to gain insight into the creative study process.

Understanding the challenges of fashion sustainability and inviting young talents to also focus on innovations in fashion design and material technologies, Origo Shopping Centre has also invited the faculty of the Institute of Design Technologies at Riga Technical University to collaborate. The first design masterclasses have already been held in the Future Stop exhibition space, demonstrating how to preserve historical values in modern products, as well as informing about the creation of new sustainable materials. Students, visitors to the shopping centre and anyone else interested have a try at the RTU “Materials Technology and Design” programme drawing entrance exam, trying their hand at drawing tasks for aspiring product designers. Of particular interest was the opportunity to learn about the technology and techniques of producing and working with leather materials, sustainable use of the material and even the opportunity to learn to draw to scale in an attractive creative process. At the end of the workshop, the participants could take away a leather object – a leather phone case, a stylish handbag or another product made without sewing – that they created created themselves under the guidance of professionals.

“Creating any innovation requires the interaction of knowledge, design and technology. Origo Multifunctional Centre has become an example of sustainable future architecture, where modern design incorporates innovative solutions for environmental accessibility, energy efficiency and visitor well-being. It is an excellent launching pad for the younger generation to demonstrate the fulfilment of future ideas already today and to encourage a focused choice of design studies. But just as important is the involvement of the shopping centre’s visitors in the process of creation and exploration, which promotes public awareness of the presence of technology and innovation in our everyday lives,” says Viktorija Bižāne, Marketing Manager at Origo. Until the end of August, the Innovation and Scientific Achievements exhibition space RTU and ORIGO Future Stop will host an exhibition of bachelor students’ work at the Institute of Design Technologies showcasing examples of sustainable design. The exhibition reflects the different directions in which future design and designers are developing, for example, part of the award-winning recycled tyre pellet outdoor furniture collection, several exterior design products that can also be used indoors, the clothing collection Unknown, which tells about the ability to survive and abstract from the outside world by staying in the underwater realm, and other works by RTU students. When planning your visit to the exhibition space, keep an eye out for information about future workshops.