Live Projects are also referred to as “Design Build Projects”, “Live Build Projects”, “Real Projects”, “1:1 Projects” and “Service Learning”. They are often connected with participatory, collaborative, inter-disciplinary, professional training, and construction / technology education such as Community Design, Public Interest Design, Participatory Design and Co-Design. They are a pedagogic means to extend the institutional confines of the design studio. They are organised by educational institutions and also independent organisations (normally with links to educational institutions) such as charities and NGO’s.
Our definition of a “Live Project”
“A live project comprises the negotiation of a brief, timescale, budget and product between an educational organisation and an external collaborator for their mutual benefit. The project must be structured to ensure that students gain learning that is relevant to their educational development.” (Anderson and Priest, 2014).
We have tried to make this definition representative of the common factors between the wealth of live project practice we have observed in recent years and at the same time to be as inclusive as possible of the many variations in approach and diverse motivations for undertaking live projects.
If you have any comments on this working definition, we would be very interested to hear them.
