About VEIL

The Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL) is a research-design-action group focused on innovation for more sustainable and resilient future cities. It is an interdisciplinary group whose work is engaged with and embedded in industry, government and communities.

VEIL’s work aims to shift thinking about both what is possible and what is needed imminently to create a more sustainable future. The group’s projects frequently use scenarios, modelling, and visualisations of alternative futures to help communicate these ideas.

Sustainability research, teaching and design

VEIL’s most significant contributions over the last ten years have revolved around systems thinking and future cities, drawing innovative input – from researchers, industry, professionals, communities and grassroots activists – through a research and design-engagement process now refined over a large number of projects. From the beginning, it has had strong ties to policy-making, and many of its projects include a policy component.

VEIL is particularly well known for its work in:

  • Distributed systems
  • Food systems
  • Design for resilient future cities
  • Eco-Acupuncture
  • Communicating sustainable futures

VEIL also teaches interdisciplinary postgraduate design studios incorporating urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, industrial design and service design. Its students produce urban experiments working alongside real-world clients and stakeholders. Projects address climate challenges and transform the urban environment’s existing systems of provision (energy, water, food, waste, transport).

History

VEIL was founded with a significant grant from the State Government in 2006, as part of the Government’s Environmental Sustainability Action Statement. Its projects have been supported by university research funds, government, industry, and the philanthropic sector. Its work has influenced policy and public conversation, and outputs have included traditional academic work alongside non-traditional outputs such as exhibitions, infographics, events, films, media articles, action-research food hubs, and toolkits for government, industry and community.