Vitali Valtanen

Vitali Valtanen is an alumnus of the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) Master's Program in Product Design (2021). He currently works as an industrial designer and partner at Upstairs Studio, specializing in sustainable solutions and architecture. Academically, he co-supervises a master's project on 'Activism and Prototyping of Change' at EKA’s Faculty of Design, Department of Product Design.

Education: MA in Product Design (EKA, 2021). His thesis explored repurposing depleted underground mines in Ida-Viru County, winning the 2021 EKA Applied Research Competition. Earlier, he earned a bachelor’s degree with a decade-long hiatus before returning to academia.

Research focuses on circular economy principles, user-centric design methodologies, and sustainable architecture. Projects include a floating museum (collaboration with Heut Architects), eco-friendly artwork packaging, and prototype waiting rooms for Tallinn’s public transport. He advocates for interdisciplinary collaboration between designers and researchers to address climate challenges.

Awards: Recognized for innovative research in adaptive infrastructure solutions.