Blitzes/Charrettes/ with a cross-disciplinary group of students working together over the weekend to “Think Wrong”.
The students work together, give up their weekend, sleep, and egos, to solve a problem. They are encouraged to get out in the community, talk to people, think wrong, and come up with ideas.
Work in the professional world is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, and faculty in different departments of the School of Architecture and Design has made it a goal to provide opportunities for their students to work together. “Part of the purpose of putting students from different departments into interdisciplinary groups was to get them into a completely different design environment. Collaboration instead of competition” said design professor Lance Rake.
A Blitz is set in an intensive, chaotic, energizing, workshop environment for prototyping, researching, doing, designing, and exploring that, while thinking wrong, produces a project or service that uses design thinking for the greater good.
“Architecture and Design students bring different but complementary knowledge and points of view, said Andrea Herstowski, associate professor and interim chair of the Design Department. “Getting them to work together can produce amazing results.”
“This project was rewarding because we came up with a fun solution in an unorthodox manner, and more importantly, a solution we were proud of,” Taylor Stelter, Olathe, who is studying industrial design.
Students were also extremely enthusiastic about the outcome. “It was enjoyable and rewarding to work with people from various disciplines, as everyone had something unique to contribute,” adds Clair Pederson, Seattle. She is studying visual communications in the Design Department.
The average American owns 19 pairs of shoes. How do we reduce this obvious over-consumption and waste? 20+ students from the University of Kansas and the Kansas City Art Institute followed the Blitz process of Thinking Wrong lead by professional advisors John Bielenberg, Jamie Koval, and Read Worth (Oregon Design Lab) and professors Andrea Herstowski and Lance Rake.
What is the movie theater experience in a multi-device world? 20+ University of Kansas students in Architecture and Design participated. Lead by professional advisor John Bielenberg and professors Andrea Herstowski, Lance Rake and Jeremy Shellhorn.
Water. over 35 University of Kansas students in Architecture and Design participated. Lead by professional advisor John Bielenberg and professors Andrea Herstowski and Lance Rake.
Food Waste. over 35 University of Kansas students in Architecture and Design participated. Lead by professional advisor John Bielenberg and professors Andrea Herstowski and Lance Rake.
John Bielenberg was awarded the American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal for his innovative investigations into the practice and understanding of design, and leadership in the “design for good” movement.