Thinklab receives Core77 Award

Thinklab was conceived and designed by Kathleen Brandt (Industrial and Interaction Design Program) and Brian Lonsway (School of Architecture) of KBL Studio. Thinklab offers both a space and support structure for transdisciplinary work for the University community and serves as a laboratory for research, playful testing, and development of collaborative tools, media, technologies, and systems.

The Core77 Design Award celebrates the richness of the design profession and the brilliance of its practitioners. A selection of international design leaders, based in various cities around the world, served as jury captains. This year’™s Core77 Educational Initiatives jury team was based in Arhus, Denmark, and consisted of Simon Kavanagh (Kaospilots), Pernille Skov (Caki Center for Anvendt Kunstnerisk Innovation), Lasse Schuleit (Lynfabrikken), and Morten Nottelmann (Kaospilots). 

Thinklab Design Laboratory was funded by the University Chancellor’s Leadership Project Initiative via the Transdisciplinary Media Studio (TdMS). The funded projects support the University’™s mission of Scholarship in Action and ‘the academic disciplines yet resonate with common purpose: to bring faculty and students together in collaboration with communities of experts from many sectors in addressing critical questions and challenges facing society.’

Thinklab has been home to research, design, and educational projects that have leveraged its systems and technologies for applications that extend beyond the Thinklab environment. Most recently, its work is serving as a foundation for the Einhorn Next Generation Design Studio in the School of Architecture at Syracuse University. The studio’s development, sponsored by architecture alumnus Steve Einhorn, is a multi-year project to experimentally develop and deploy an innovative, technology-rich creative environment for design education.

‘The Core 77 Design Award is a fitting acknowledgement of the cutting edge work that Kathleen and Brian have been doing into interactive and collaborative learning environments. The experience they have gained from their work on Thinklab has been invaluable for the development of the Einhorn Next Generation Studio at the School of Architecture,’ said Randall Korman (Interim Dean through June 30).

Since 1995, Core77.com has been an indispensable design magazine and resource serving the greater online community. Founded by designers living and working in New York City, today the Core77.com network includes daily design news, thought leadership, professional development, industry advocacy and community outreach.