The Hive

Project Type:
A service design project for a global Quality of Life Solutions company in the higher education vertical.

Context:
In 2016, significant demands called for changes in the higher education market

Demands include: Challenging student expectations; Advancing technology; Shift in student learning styles; Space optimization; Future employer expectations

Challenge:
How do you increase the relevancy of the physical assets to enhance the current students’ overall on-campus experience?


Research and Ideation:

Collaborators

Designers, Strategy Directors, SMEs for
Facilities Management, Clients, Students,
Architects

Research

A comprehensive battery of interviews, focus groups and data analysis and to determine the drivers that could provide the biggest impact to the student experience while simultaneously addressing stakeholder concerns

Hypothesis

Creating an experiential learning hub that fosters and develops critical thinking, collaboration and innovation will increase the usefulness of outdated assets and enhance the overall campus experience for students


Solution:
The Hive a three-tiered experiential student hub that provides students with opportunities to collaborate, create and showcase their ideas while changing the campuses’ physical assets from cost centers to revenue generators.

The 3 Hive Tiers: Innovation Center, Makerspace and Incubator

Impacts:

  • Financial: Added a new revenue stream through construction, management and consulting projects
  • Human: Increased student usage and satisfaction with the shared spaces on campus
  • Intangible: Changed the client’s view of the company, allowing for a deeper collaboration with their partners