design of the ship should also exemplify functionality, thus every design solution has a clear function.The group created a concept where the ship features luxurious cottage-style apartments. The aim was that passengers are spending their cruise vacation more independently, e.g. providing their own food and without an organized program. Restaurants are mostly replaced with food stores that are changing selection according to the culture of the sailing route and only some bars exist. In the Community oriented ship concept, the group was asked to research different communities on board. What could be the relevant community size that one can handle and how the layout of the ship should support this? The group approached the topic with a floating city concept. In this concept, cabin areas are lively neighbourhoods where services and accommodation are mixed as in real cities and similar inhabitants are living in various sized blocks, which is strengthening the togetherness. From a teachers perspective the Aalto on Waves event was delightful experience. Something that I learned and will utilize in my future lectures is the affect of environment in a teaching situation. During the course we tried different places for the lectures that proved to be an efficient way to inspire students and keep the mental agility at a good level. Turning the traditional learning environment upside down showed it strengths: motivation was at a high level, students were more engaged in the taught sub-
jects, which they were able to choose without discipline constraints and a certain informality encouraged students to involve themselves more in teaching. I believe the main reason for the above mentioned factors was that the event was organized by the participants themselves. Students chose an interesting environment, courses and teachers for their own learning and provided funding to enable the event, and affordable participation for the volunteers. Afterwards, the Aalto on Waves cruise concepts were presented in co-operation between Aalto University and COPPE/UFRJ Seminar in Rio de Janeiro. Here, the Cruise & Ferry Experience program was introduced along with Aalto University’s maritime research. Also, course participants introduced their concepts to Brazilian and Finnish academia and marine industry representatives. The course work and the Aalto on Waves venture gained a positive reception and interest. Markus Ahola
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Cruise & Ferry Experience program, Cruise & Ferry Experience. http:// www.cruiseferry.Aalto.fi , 2011.
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