The Need:

The project team wanted to bring together experts to explore if they could combine their vision for the future with a historic location at the heart of one of their neighborhoods. We were asked to help bring a structured approach to the two-day workshop and employ tools to help them think outside the box. The question in the room was, «Can our vision of this library of the future find a home, be expressed, and flourish within the confines of an old protected house? »

The Process:

As with all our projects, we used an approach based on the design thinking process. In this case, explore, imagine, and define. With the experts and experience in the room, we gained insights into what others in the library world have done, what they learned, and what could be taken as food for thought when proceeding. We even spent significant time physically exploring the historic building and getting a feel for its potential and the desired melding of old with the new. Once the team had built their understanding, they moved on to an imagine phase. How does the library of the future look? To achieve this, we decided to use the Lego Serious Play method. Through this practical modeling approach, the team could approach the question in a whole new way and more effectively share their vision and ideas and combine them into a shared story. It never ceases to amaze me how the Lego Serious Play method allows for deeper and clearer conversations and understanding among participants. It is not only a fun and different approach, but it is also be quite effective.