Tool Library Network
2026
Design Thinking Award
Winner
Instituto Tecnológico Rural de Trás-os-Montes, Portugal
Designers / Creators / Authors / Leaders
Inês Carvalho, Tiago Almeida, Mariana Lopes, Diogo Fernandes, Sofia Matos (Porject leader)
The Tool Library Network is a design-thinking initiative developed by students at the Instituto Tecnológico Rural de Trás-os-Montes in Portugal. Students are usually low on economic resources and the project started as a students based action. However the project quikcly expanded due to the lack of affordable access to tools and technical equipment in rural Portugese communities.
Instead of individual ownership, the project creates a shared tool system where agricultural, repair, and DIY equipment can be borrowed, maintained, and circulated across villages through a central hub and satellite pickup points near the technical institute.
The system combines community sharing, vocational education, and circular economy principles. Students at the institute support maintenance and logistics, while residents, farmers, and small businesses gain access to tools they would otherwise not be able to afford or fully utilize.
The solution emerged from field research showing that many tools in rural areas remain underused, while access barriers limit productivity, learning opportunities, and local entrepreneurship.
By transforming tools into shared infrastructure, the project increases resource efficiency, supports skills development, and strengthens social and economic resilience in rural Portugal. It demonstrates how design thinking can convert existing assets into accessible community systems with low environmental impact and high social value.
