The Department of Automotive and Transportation Design at Kookmin University’s College of Art and Design (President Jeong Seung Ryul) participated in the “World Design Capital Campus Exhibition 2026 Frankfurt,” held in Frankfurt, Germany, on Friday, July 3.

This exhibition was organized by the World Design Organization (WDO), which selects the World Design Capital every two years. Frankfurt, Germany, has been designated as the World Design Capital for 2026, and Busan, South Korea, was selected as the World Design Capital for 2028. Held at the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, this exhibition served as a platform to introduce next-generation design research projects centered on universities and consisted of project exhibitions, presentations, and lecture programs.

Prior to this exhibition, Kookmin University shared the results of its 2025 industry-academia collaboration project, “Design of Human-Centered Public Mobility Services for Future Smart Cities,” conducted in partnership with Hyundai Motor Company’s Genesis Design Innovation Lab, with representatives from Hyundai Motor Europe Design Center, Offenbach University in Germany, and the WDO. The university was invited to this exhibition after the project’s innovation and excellence were recognized during this process.

At the exhibition, Kookmin University’s Department of Automotive and Transportation Design presented concept videos, panels, scale models, and 3D topographic maps of the target region showcasing the project’s outcomes. Additionally, Professor Noh Jae-seung, the principal investigator, provided a detailed introduction to the project’s research topics, implementation process, and final deliverables during the “Design Talk” session held the day after the opening.

Dorothée Bolade, WDO Manager of Membership Engagement, stated, “Kookmin University’s participation in this WDC university exhibition, alongside other international educational institutions partnering with the WDO, demonstrated the value of design education institutions communicating and connecting with one another across national borders.” She added, “We are striving to enable universities around the world to share ideas, continue academic exchanges and collaboration, and collectively explore the future of design.” She added, “We hope that such international academic exchanges will continue at the World Design Congress to be held in Seoul in 2027 and in Busan, which has been designated as the World Design Capital for 2028.”

Hyundai Motor Company’s Genesis Design Innovation Lab explained, “We sought to provide mobility solutions that can be practically utilized by people with mobility challenges and in mobility-disadvantaged areas,” adding, “To create cities where anyone can move freely, we aimed to improve not only mobility design but also physical and digital infrastructure, as well as the intangible service experience.” They continued, “It was a valuable opportunity to work with students from Kookmin University’s Department of Automotive and Transportation Design to find answers to these questions,” adding, “Moving forward, Hyundai Motor will continue to pursue various projects aimed at achieving free mobility for all, including those who face difficulties with last-mile transportation.”

Professor Roe Jae-seung of Kookmin University’s Department of Automotive and Transportation Design said, “It is deeply meaningful and a great pleasure to participate in an exhibition of this international scale, having received recognition for the achievements of this industry-academia collaboration project conducted with Hyundai Motor Company’s Genesis Design Innovation Lab,” and “During the process of developing user-centered mobility design scenarios for future megacities, designers and students communicated closely and, with the active support of Hyundai Motor’s Genesis Design Innovation Lab, went through numerous rounds of feedback and design reviews to produce meaningful and innovative results,” he said.

He continued, “Given that Busan, South Korea, has been designated as the World Design Capital for 2028, it would be even more meaningful if we could present advanced results tailored to the regional characteristics of Busan based on this project.”

Meanwhile, this project is also featured on the Open Design Lab, a platform that researches and showcases Hyundai Motor Company’s future mobility design vision. Through this platform, you can view detailed information on the project’s theme, implementation process, and final results.