DESIGN THINKING IN ACTION: Lassonde Studios, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Here is another example of thinking differently about something that is a traditional element of a higher education experience. This is the Lassonde Studio at the University of Utah.
When you first look at that building, it’s hard to imagine what type of building it is. The design does not readily suggest its function.
Well, that’s a modern version of a dormitory. The university wants to be THE center for entrepreneurial education in higher education. When that is a goal, you rethink everything. And that includes the traditional concept of a dormitory and how it might be reimagined to serve that goal.
When you enter the Lassonde Studio, you realize it's much more than a dormitory. It’s actually an entrepreneurial studio that students just happen to live at. It’s designed to be a location where students can develop teams that work toward launching a service or a product - in fact, 365 teams were launched in 2017, and 504 teams launched in 2018. The intent of the space, and the role it serves student entrepreneurs, is cleverly represented by the hashtag #livecreatelaunch.
On the ground floor, the 20,000 square feet of the Neeleman Hangar innovation space serves as an invitation into the entrepreneurial experience. The other four floors build on the first floor’s invitation by offering a unique entrepreneurial theme (2nd: Sustainability & Global Impact, 3rd: Product Design, 4th: Adventure & Gear, and 5th: Games & Digital Media).
Probably the most creative aspect of living at Lassonde? It’s the mobile 150-square-foot living pod that can be repositioned on the floor that you live on (I’m serious) depending on your need and desire. Even a dorm room, which I’m guessing you can imagine right now, can be rethought. Imagine having a mobile dorm room!
The design process can provide the educator-designer with a way to be able to see and potentially rethink everything. In this example, the design process resulted in a dormitory that serves as an entrepreneurial center. The themed floors connect students of similar interests to encourage the creative collisions of thought and practice so important to entrepreneurialism. The living pod provides a new way to interact in space, with others, and with your designs.
My question to you. In your classroom, what is “your dorm” that is waiting to be recreated to make available new teaching and learning experiences? What is your “dorm room” that is waiting to be redesigned?
If we can see and think differently, we can take the first steps toward reimagining the experience you provide in your classroom. We can take the first steps in reimagining what can be. Everything can be on the table.
The Upshot: what can this mean for your practice and a design thinking classroom?
Literature Cited:
"About Lassonde Studios | Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute | University ...." https://lassonde.utah.edu/studios/about-lassonde-studios/. Accessed 6 Dec. 2018.
Read Report (PDF) - Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute - University of ...." https://lassonde.utah.edu/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Lassonde-annual-report-2018.pdf. Accessed 22 Dec. 2018.