C3 is project that seeks to transform the KPMG Gallery at Nova SBE into a dynamic hub that fosters creativity, innovation, and inclusion. Since its inauguration in 2018, the gallery space has evolved, prompting the need for a redesign to better serve the diverse needs of students, faculty, staff, and the wider community.
Leveraging the expertise of KPMG, the project aims to revitalize the gallery, emphasizing collaboration, serendipity, and engagement. By recognizing the importance of informal interactions in shaping organizational culture, the project seeks to create a space that not only optimizes physical usage but also stimulates meaningful social interactions.
Through a community-centered process,
the project focused on developing sustainable solutions over a two-month program, ensuring alignment with the evolving dynamics of campus life and future implementation of the proposals. At the core of the project lies a commitment to sustainability, co-creation, accessibility, and inclusion, guided by modular design principles…
…that helped us create our Roadmap:
1. Mapping Nova SBE’s community perspectives
March 08-24, 24
Generate conversations about the gallery today and tomorrow through interactive inspirational boards.
2. Research Workshop – Accessibility
March 12, 24
Understanding and listing of challenges of accessibility and inclusion on the KPMG Gallery with the support of people with disability engaged as consultants from Access Lab.
3. On-site Primary Research
March 18 – April 08, 24
Observation and interviews to understand and list the uses and needs of both Nova SBE community members as well as other community members.
4. Ideation Workshop
April 11, 24
Brainstorm ideas based on the insights from the research phase to collaboratively generate a wide range of potential solutions.
5. Final Showcase
May 06, 24 from 12.30pm to 2.30pm
During an afternoon dedicated to innovation and collaboration, C3’s final exhibition showcased the partial transformation of the KPMG Gallery at Nova SBE with fast prototyping. This event marked the culmination of a two-month journey, emphasizing community, collaboration, and creativity. Through inclusive processes and guided by principles of accessibility and modular design, our diverse team with all participants has generated innovative solutions to meet evolving needs. Here are the main areas we’ve collaboratively created and fast prototyped to the space (images from the intervention below):
Quiet Kube: Quiet Kube aims to be an oasis of respite, peace and quiet, offering students and neighbours a space to unwind, reflect and escape from the chaos of campus life, either alone or in small groups. This is a space to be Within.
Stained Glass: A vibrant display of stained glass that transforms sunlight into a dynamic array of colours, enhancing the space with creativity and light. This installation not only decorates but revitalizes, encouraging students and community members to experience a fresh perspective with each visit. As light shifts, so does the ambiance, promoting mental refreshment and artistic inspiration.
KPMG Programming Wall: a display of a full activities’ agenda – talks, presentations, friendly competitions and exhibitions – that will take place in the KPMG Gallery promoted by KPMG who will also have the opportunity to host informal sofa-talks and other initiatives.
Meeting Booth: an offer to students of a quiet space to have quick individual meetings. The following positioning with the tables seeks to create a fluidity to the space that encourages collaboration and creativity.
Konnect: an area that intends to bring identity into the KPMG Gallery. We saw a place where students and neighbours could work together and brainstorm with dry-erase walls, unwind in comfortable seats and share culture with the community through thematic exhibitions. This space is meant to flow, inviting movement and connection and inspiring creativity.
Green window: an attempt to bring conscious nature into the heart of the KPMG Gallery. We envision a focal point that evokes tranquility and creates a connection with nature within the university environment. Students and neighbors are invited to work surrounded by the revitalizing energy of greenery, finding inspiration and focus. Passerby are invited to slow down and appreciate their surroundings, finding moments of peace amidst their busy day.
Making it happen, for real!
We are excited to move forward with the implementation of the ideas generated during the first phase of the C3 project. This includes both the physical enhancements—such as the Quiet Kube, Connect Korner, vertical garden, and stained glass—and our engaging programming activities, including the KPMG Talks Series, where KPMG members share insights on their work, and the Testing Series program, offering students the opportunity to showcase their product developments and receive valuable feedback from the community.
To help us with this process we have a new KPMG Design Fellow for the semester joining our team! Welcome Carla Alexandra Hierro Dias, Master student in Impact, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
A layered team to make it happen!
Our team is comprised not only of members from the DESIS Lab, including Maria Guimarães, DESIS Lab mentor and our partner Nova SBE Innovation Ecosystem (IECO) representative, but also enthusiastic KPMG representatives who serve not only as participants but also as advocates, bridging perspectives and bringing the principles and values from KPMG to the table.
Recognizing the challenges of engaging GenZ students and accommodating the constraints of academic calendars, we are also involving as part of our team a core group of KPMG Design Fellows who will champion the project throughout its duration.
The KPMG Design Fellows are students are passionate about community, innovation, collaboration and interested in interacting with others and hands-on learning.
In this program, they take on multiple roles: advocates of students’ perspectives, champions of the process among their peers, and connectors with our KPMG partners. They will be working in close collaboration with the DESIS Lab, helping us facilitating the process (doing research, participating to workshops, doing outreach, etc.)
KPMG Design Fellows of the Spring’24 semester:
Laura Ferreira, Master in International Development & Public Policy
Manuel Estriga, Master in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Mariana Santos Silva, Master of International Master’s in Management
Riddhi Varma, Master in Management
Partners
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