We address societal challenges through design-led approaches, which engage diverse stakeholders, critically deliberate alternatives, prototype solutions and possible futures. Challenges include those of wellbeing and public health, climate justice and ecological issues, civic and community cohesion. Our design-led approaches include service design, action research and participatory design methods. Knowledge and solutions produced address societal challenges but also contribute to design, specifically through advancement of collaborative and material practices that are reflexive and responsible.

Our initiatives are transdisciplinary, building deep partnerships across sectors: with government, business, third sector organisation, and communities. The application of practice as research, using new methods and tools, facilitates knowledge co-creation at multiple levels and amongst diverse actors in complex (human and non-human) living systems. As a centre emphasizing not only research but knowledge exchange, the Lab has practical and research expertise in (and produces outputs about) stakeholder collaboration where knowledge and solutions are co-created, reciprocal, synergistic and enduring.

We are driven by principles of design justice, ethical engagement and reflexive research, with particular focus on working with stakeholders in inclusive and accessible ways.

We operate as a consultancy and as an academic research lab out of London College of Communication, University of the Arts London.