STORY OF CHANGE
PAST INNOVATION LAB COLUMBUS, OHIO
At the root of WSA Studio is a group of really good people focused on providing really good design for really good clients. We are the proven idea that good design prevails over obstacles.
THE NAME IS PAST; THE GOAL IS FUTURE PAST Innovation Lab focuses on learning in the future. For 15 years, the goal has been to educate. Through the efforts of anthropologists, scientists, engineers, and educators, that goal continues to swell. PAST has been wildly successful in outreach programs to educate the public in exploring new ways to teach and learn that are relevant and meaningful. This outreach enables a successful transition from being a student to becoming a member of the workforce. The idea is simple: to be a tool that helps teachers and schools promote and transform learning strategies with an intensive hands-on approach. Research confirms that school facilities impact learning. PAST has designed active learning spaces that emphasize collaboration and project work that address real world concerns. These facilities reflect PAST values about what supports and enhances successful learning. Creating a learning environment that helps all types of students succeed was a desire out come that threaded throughout the physical space that PAST has created.
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APPLYING A MISSION TO A BUILDING The PAST Innovation Lab needed a space to support innovation and out-of-the box thinking, giving students freedom and control over their learning while concurrently providing rigor and guidance. To succeed in this, the teaching and learning lab had to physically teach the community the interdisciplinary approach to learning where intensive academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to make contextual connections within a school, community, the workforce, or the world. The Innovation Lab would serve as the example of what could be possible if the idea of teaching and learning could expand beyond the traditional boxes. The PAST Foundation jumped at the opportunity to apply their methods to a building and they got that opportunity in 2015 when a 32,000 square foot warehouse space became available near The Ohio State University’s campus. Based on creativity and the intense innovative nature, WSA Studio joined the team immediately after. It all started with a feasibility study to determine if the open and empty warehouse space would be sufficient for the needs PAST voiced. The study brought the building’s resiliency to the surface. The next steps were to start discovery meetings and to build a
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team, the right team, to get to the root of any hesitancies and to determine the biggest needs to support the growth of the organization.
IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME The PAST Foundation bought the space with innovation and community in mind. When guiding the design requirements of the building program, it was important to identify characteristics that reflect the learning needs and aspirations of the community. This context provides a solid foundation for planners and is critical that community members embrace and endorse the facility. In the beginning, the building was a cold and dark warehouse. The space needed honesty and awareness in its sensibilities. This worked in the PAST Foundation’s favor because it was a completely blank slate. The space could be designed in a way that supported their mission and purpose. In seeking that sort of design, the relationship with WSA Studio deepened based on the mindfulness and importance of light, acoustics, and the use of space as a design element.
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NATURAL LIGHT Natural light was one of the most important factors in designing the Innovation Lab. Sunlight and exposure to it is a huge source of energy and productivity. Studies have shown that exposure to natural light positively influences a person’s overall health as well as behavior. Natural light is also more energy efficient, saving money for the organization. It’s clear why this was so important in the design of an innovation lab. Natural light illuminates a space and changes the quality of light throughout the day. The bay doors in the existing building were replaced with glass garage doors to bring in as much light as possible into the facility and to open up the space to shift as needed. Skylights were installed to incorporate the process of daylighting the central access area. This was a crucial addition because natural light entices people to gather. The combination of the skylights and garage doors encourages an atmosphere of collaboration and togetherness and, in a space driving innovation, this is king.
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ACOUSTICS Another important factor in the design of the innovation lab was the use of quality acoustics. The existing, untouched building was completely open, which was important from a teaching and learning standpoint because it allowed for multiple flexible teaching areas, but sound travel had to be considered to get the full benefit of the open site. Specialty milled carpet was chosen because it pulls sound to the ground instead of up. The installed glass is thick enough to contain sound when all the doors and openings are closed. The ceiling is a specialty product that absorbs sound. Homasote panels were attached to the walls in strategic locations around the facility because they’re inexpensive, recyclable, absorb sound, and are versatile in usefulness.
VERSATILE SPACE Since the innovation lab was intended to serve so many varietal purposes, the design needed to incorporate a lot of flexibility. The furniture chosen for the common spaces are modular and easily movable. Oversized chandeliers were chosen to focus the areas and offset the modular nature of the ground setting. The same can be said for the pendants that run through the entry way. The pendants help identify three distinct spaces of collaboration: the common area, the central space, and the flexible labs. There are four distinct learning labs that encompass the central space. These labs were designed to be transparent and open, so garage doors were incorporated to make each space easily expandable and open to represent the idea that learning has no limits. Doors can be open, tables can be moved to expand learning to the common areas and, alternatively, people outside of the labs can be involved in what is going on inside. The labs are transparent from the outside and transparent from the inside because student performance is higher when there is a sense of connectedness. There isn’t a surplus of lab equipment because it quickly becomes obsolete. Students are learning based on real world issues and are co-sharing resources and networking to solve problems instead of being fixed behind equipment that will go out of production sooner than the problems are solved.
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EFFORTLESS FLUIDITY PAST used a set of design requirements that would lead to the creation of a facility that was open, flexible, and where anything was possible. The facility needed to be open and airy and multizonal without being static. Collaboration zones and areas needed to encourage learners to move seamlessly from one conversation to the next, from one design idea to the next without having to stop, rethink, or reorganize. The design needed to make it possible to flow from one space to the next effortlessly; a critically important design feature when the goal is supporting teaching and learning in a space where anything goes.
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CONNECTING THE DOTS Obstacle #1: Site Location The building doesn’t rest in Columbus proper; it rests in Clinton Township. In terms of zoning and annexation, it was not ideal in that the facility would not be able to tap into the city’s water line without evaporating the budget and derailing the already tight schedule. Instead of waiting and spending, a 4,000-gallon water tank was incorporated allowing the Innovation Lab to be fully self-reliant on its own water system. This not only gave the facility the ability to transition off the grid, it also gave the building a much higher property value after construction which will give them equity for years. What was learned? Traditional restraints aren’t the end all. Good design is a very powerful tool. Obstacle #2: Permit As always, there are hesitancies and obstacles associated with innovation because innovation is change and growth and that always occurs outside the restraints of what already exists. The permit process showed to be one of those obstacles. The Innovation Lab was an expedited process and the City of Columbus’ rule book was slower than the schedule. It would have taken longer than 30 days to complete, but that was out of the question. WSA Studio relied on the aptitude of the building the PAST Foundation’s value to the city and invited the State of Ohio to walk through the building. This expedited the permit process exponentially. Instead of 30 plus days, the permit was in hand after one day. What was learned? Resourcefulness and innovation are the keys, always.
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MOVERS AND SHAKERS This space is not a classroom. The Innovation Lab is not a school. It is not a storage facility for lost or broken toys. It is a place where ideas come to fruition. Since the PAST Innovation Lab opened their doors, they have had more than 1,800 visitors from across the globe in the first eight months of operation. Growing interest in STEM centers and the future of education has educators and scientists flocking to the PAST Foundation to observe and learn about productive models of education. From these visits, they have secured private sector partners such as Honda, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and many more. These partnerships help to advance the curriculum with grants and donations. This gives them recognition within the city as well as on a national level. A recent partnership with the Battelle Memorial Institute will provide education programs at the PAST Innovation Lab for underserved youth of Ohio. The efforts will increase access for high needs and at risk Central Ohio youth to programs and scholarships provided by the PAST Innovation Lab. Since opening, they’ve also gained local partnerships in their research. Otterbein University has
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recently teamed up with the PAST Foundation and WSA Studio to collaborate on the STEAM Center. It’s officially in the planning stages. This winning team is the winning combination in bringing STEM Education to a higher education facility on a leading university’s campus. With this success, they’re starting to look to expand into other Greater Columbus school districts to show and implement the importance of their research in education. The PAST Foundation has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in a recently released report, STEM 2026: A Vision for Innovation in STEM Education. They’ve been praised for their “flexible and inclusive learning spaces” and their use of technology to expand access to highquality STEM education to all communities. You can read the full report at https://innovation.ed.gov/ files/2016/09/AIR-STEM2026_Report_2016.pdf. The PAST Innovation Lab is becoming the national example for STEM Education and sustaining a state-of-the-art facility that operates off the grid. That’s something really powerful that adds to what Columbus, Ohio has to offer the nation. It is a true community space that challenges the restraints placed on traditional models of education.
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