Science and Art meet Technology and Business - Service Design, Co-design and the Future Learning Center at Aalto University, Finland

Abstract

Aalto University operates on three campuses in two cities, Helsinki and Espoo (Finland) and consists of six schools: School of Chemical Technology, School of Electrical Engineering, School of Engineering, School of Science, The School of Business, and School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The University will centralize its operations gradually to one campus area meaning that also the three campus libraries will move to same area and form a joint Learning Center.

The Otaniemi campus library (= former Library of the University of Technology, library building designed by Alvar Aalto.) will be fully renovated to cater for the demands of a modern learning center. The versatile library services will get further support from new services and spaces that will support different ways of studying and working. After the renovation, the library will offer a modern and dynamic space, supporting the Aalto University spirit of multidisciplinary learning, research and working methods.

Planning of the Learning Center and center´s services has been based on service design methods. In my paper I will present the service design process and the results of the process. The other half of the paper covers co-design methods used when building up the Learning Hub network. The Learning Hub network serves as a series of prototypes of Aalto University Learning Center.