Thesis project

Finland

Client

WWF Finland,
2022

Work

Policy redesign
Interior design

BCU —

Development of the practices and furnishing of the Finnish mobile bird cleaning unit

My thesis focused on the development of operational practices and interior solutions for the Finnish mobile bird cleaning unit, part of the national oil spill response system. The unit, built within three standard-sized shipping containers, had not yet been deployed in a real oil spill incident, but training exercises and educational activities had identified opportunities for further development. In addition, the unit's procedures needed to be aligned with guidelines developed by the international EUROWA network.

The project examined the bird cleaning unit as a specialized work environment designed to support environmental protection efforts during oil spill response operations. Through a user-centred and multidisciplinary co-design process, the interiors and workflows were re-evaluated and improved from an ergonomic and operational perspective.

The outcome was a concept-level proposal for updated operating principles, spatial organization, and furnishings for the Finnish mobile bird cleaning unit. The proposed improvements were subsequently implemented in the containers in 2024, bringing the project from concept development into practical use.