Co-designing
inter-cultural connections in the north
Co-design Session
Students from the University of Lapland, GSA Highlands & Islands and Mackintosh School of Architecture joined together in a two-day hybrid co-design workshop facilitated by In the Making Collective. The aim of the co-design was to explore the possibilities of using technology to generate studio-based inquiry to explore a distributed design process between three locations: Finnish Lapland, Moray and Glasgow. The students were asked to work together to design a structure inspired by a Finnish laavu and influenced by the Scottish shieling.
The brief suggested that the structure give shelter from the elements, it should include space for very basic food preparation, and encourage storytelling. It also asked that the students carefully consider the surroundings, the design should sit sensitively and lightly within its location. We also asked the students to design in timber and consciously reflect upon the sustainability of the proposed materials.
The co-design workshop was beautifully structured to get the students working together, sharing intercultural food stories, and making the most of their different disciplinary knowledge in the design process. It was exciting to work with students from art & design education, innovation design and architecture in a distributed setting. This reminded us of the importance of collaborative learning through inter-disciplinary practice; thinking and making with one another.
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