The ExLaB Experiment

The Experimental Design Lab, or ExLaB, is a design laboratory at the Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, that explores, researches and creates design through an experimental process focused on the materials and machines things are made from.

Playful experimentation and prototyping lie at the core of the ExLaB pedagogy, encouraging designers to re-examine everyday materials and invent new ones. Designers are required to get out of their sketchbooks and get their hands dirty.

Process driven design suggests an alternative ‘bottom-up’ approach that places materials and the way things are made at the core of the conceptual process. Designers are hereby compelled to uncover latent opportunities that only become evident through open-ended experimentation, while also readdressing our relationship with the planet by requiring a deep understanding of what things are made from. This exhaustive process