Learning Lab Denmark

Narratives

Architect Narrative

PROJECT NARRATIVE
Building the lab has been an unusual proces — a learning proces. We were asked by the client to remodel an existing building only 5 months before the projected opening. And though we were able to stretch the schedule 1 month, all faculty moved into the buildings basement during most of the construction period.
Due to the fixed time schedule and some other considerations, we agreed to construct the building as a kind of ’partnering-proces’ with the construction-company, on the basis of 5 very open sketches. We had no time to make a project or a description, all discussions were conducted with the above mentioned drawings and a short statement of intent as the point of departure. The client wanted a specific flooring type; the shelving, which is a predominant feature, had to match this flooring; the curtains had to be long, and white. Qualities for light fixtures and hardware were set from common knowledge.
The engineers made calculations for statics, plumbing and wiring early on, but obviously, even this part had to be negotiated on site, as unexpected problems turned up.
The existing building was originally constructed as a Nazi high-school, during WWII, but was abandoned before it was taken into use. The authorities rebuilt it, for use as an educational college, and the wing we remodelled was formerly used for language-laboratories and administration. There were no architectural or historical qualities to preserve. To the contrary, the client expressed a strong intention of changing the enviroment completely — from worn, dark and authoritarian to bright, new and open to change. So even before deciding what spaces to make, it was determined we would remove all existing walls, floors and fixtures. The materials used were also determined before the design/building-proces began.
The unusual building-history meant that we had no adequate drawing material, and the proces was full of surprises. The partnering-proces, however, meant that the problems were solved in an atmosphere of common understanding, and with great speed. Since the client was already on-site, she could often participate in decision-making, a factor that has certainly added to her current sense of ownership of the building.
Obviously, all details were drawn on site, or in the manufacturing workshops. To aid this proces, we made two subsequent digital animations, showing our intentions with the whole. For the builders on-site, these animations were a great help in understanding the aims and intentions in the building proces. We could stop at a specific point, and discuss possible solutions till one was found that was acceptable to all. The solutions are all cost-concious.
The result is a building which represents the values of the client, as well as a proces of developement and invention during construction. Although the average visitor is hardly aware of the unusual story behind the building, no one fails to comment on the high level of craftsmanship. At the opening a speaker likened it to a gothic cathedral, because of the strong collaboration between the learned client and the skilled craftsmen.

Educator Narrative

EDUCATOR NARRATIVE
The Lab is a practice-oriented research organisation that focuses on learning, competence development and knowledge creation for individuals, organisations, and society in general.

We work experimentally and transdisciplinarily, in close collaboration with the private and public sectors, educational institutions, and non-profit organisations.

Established by the Danish government in 2001, the Lab today consists of six research consortia (thematic project clusters) and a coordinating secretariat, jointly employing more than 70 people full time or part time.

BASIC DESIGN IDEAS
What kind of design did we need to be able to support the institutional brand and to adapt directly to the keywords mentioned above? We had three primary starting points:

# Product and process: we wanted a design and furnishing style that could reflect the range of very different ‘results’ we develop: intellectual research production (academic papers/books), tools and methods to catalyse learning and innovation processes.

To represent these different demands we have brought in two primary elements: the bookshelf representing the intellectual production and the whiteboard representing the ongoing process. The ultimate metaphor for this is our full two-floor bookshelf that can hold thousands of books. This enormous shelf is placed in our reception area — the coordinating hub connecting the different activities going on.

# Flexibility: we wanted a house with rooms and facilities that could be used for different purposes. That the spaces adapt to the work that is being done. Today we see people move around as their team expands, they change their location as the work develops.

# Home: as there are very few staff members that have regular working hours (9AM-5PM) and as we don’t like to dictate on working habits (when and where to work), we’d like to offer the different kind of facilities that we usually see in an ordinary home: we have a full kitchen for breakfast, lunches — and dinner for those who like to cook, a bathroom for the bikers and joggers, and a library for reading and meetings.

WORKSTATIONS IN OPEN PLAN WORKSHOPS
As we were given limited space from the campus management, as we knew from the start that we potentially could expand quickly in some of our projects, we decided to go for open plan workshops. The idea was that we work together (to save space, to get close together and thereby exchange knowledge and ideas on an ongoing basis) and that we also established ‘quiet’ or ‘chill out’ areas where reading and writing could take place. We have on-going negotiations with the campus management to get more ‘silent space’.

The workstations are personal for full time researchers and staff members. For part time workers they tidy up and share with others.

All in all: we have tried to build up a work place with an informal atmosphere, where the personal, the practical and the beautiful can merge into one expression with many faces — just like we take several research approaches, that all relate to learning.