Living the (Co-Design) Lab

Abstract

Design research environments are becoming visible in many places, in universities, in design schools, in companies and in public organizations. What most of them have in common is a commitment to the exploration of the possible rather than the factual. In this paper we will discuss what define such design research environments. Looking back on how we have employed the concept of the design laboratory in the environment we have been part of, we will argue that a design research environment must adhere to programs and methodologies that reach beyond individual projects. Furthermore we suggest that the laboratories of design research must have a consistent portfolio yet design researchers still have to mobilize and join forces with the many “living labs” of the everyday.