SoD Co-Design

A workshop in a classroom setting, with participants seated at tables and engaged in a project. In the foreground, a diverse group of students listens attentively to a presenter who is gesturing towards a screen displaying a slide titled "What does a door do?" Various craft supplies are scattered on the tables. The room features bright lighting and walls decorated with colorful artwork.

Co-Design courses at the School of Design immerse students in real-world community-engaged projects with stakeholders within and beyond Pratt’s gates. Open to graduate and undergraduate students from across the School of Design, interdisciplinary projects introduce the tools and methodologies necessary for designing with equity in mind. Connected by an empathy-driven framework, seminar and studio courses aim to build community within each project and cohort, embracing the guiding principles of collaboration, accessibility, and community empowerment as cornerstones of responsible design practice.

Courses

SoD 401/ 601: Ethics and Tactics of Co-Design seminar establishes the foundational building blocks of co-designing with communities. Lectures, guest talks, and hands-on projects introduce ethical research practices, workshop facilitation techniques, and equitable co-evaluation processes for community-based work.

SoD 405/ 605: SoD Co-Design Studio immerses students in the design, prototyping, and assessment of a 15-week co-design + build project with a local community partner. Students work hand in hand on the research and realization of a real-world collaboration rooted in the principles of Co-Design.

Three individuals are gathered around a large piece of paper laid out on a table. Two are standing close, focusing on the paper. One person, with wavy hair, is writing on it, while the other, wearing a patterned top, points at the paper. The third person is seated, looking thoughtfully at the paper, which contains notes and diagram-like elements. In the background, there are gray lockers. The space has wooden flooring and a bright atmosphere.

Co-Design Studio Featured Projects

Gotham Arts Hub

Spring 23 Co-Design Studio collaborated with students and staff from Gotham Professional Arts Academy to transform their existing library into a flexible gathering and display space to celebrate visual and performing arts.

A diverse group of eleven people poses together in a well-lit indoor space. They are smiling and sitting or standing around a wooden structure with perforations. The background features overhead lights and a wall with framed pictures. The group displays a mix of clothing styles, ranging from casual to semi-formal.

A speaker stands on a small stage in a well-lit room, addressing an audience seated in chairs arranged in rows. The audience consists of several individuals with varying hairstyles and outfits, all facing the speaker. In the background, there are wooden partitions with cut-out windows, and large windows offer a view of the city skyline outside.

Mather Maker + Grower Spaces

Fall 23 and Spring 24 Co-Design Studios worked with students and staff from Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School and the National Park Service to reimagine their spaces of learning, making, and growing on the historic north end of Governors Island.

A modern workshop is depicted with light wood finishes and green accents. Three individuals are present: one person is seated at a workbench, facing away, while another stands at the center, wearing headphones and looking down, and a third person is engaged in conversation. Various tools and supplies are visible on the workbenches, and large windows provide natural light and a view of greenery outside.

A wooden workshop cart with multiple compartments and tools organized on it. The cart features several clamps with red handles attached to the top. There are also spaces for bottles of glue and other materials on the side. The cart stands on green wheels, allowing for easy mobility. The background is plain white, emphasizing the cart's details.

The Dock Street Store

FA 24 Co-Design Studio engaged 7th grade students from the Dock Street School for STEAM Studies on the design of “The Dock,” a student-run retail storefront and mobile store.

A brightly colored shop interior featuring a yellow theme with wooden shelves. A woman in a black outfit is interacting with a customer behind a counter. A young boy with a black and red backpack is approaching a shelf, where a woman in patterned clothing is looking at products. The space has vibrant decorations and a welcoming atmosphere.

A brightly designed space features a wooden display area with yellow shelves. A boy with a backpack approaches the display, while a woman takes notes nearby. The walls are adorned with yellow-patterned wallpaper, and a counter is visible in the background with snacks. The scene conveys a lively and inviting atmosphere.

Dock Street Store Taconic Project Overview

El Puente Mobile Teaching Kitchen

SP 25 Co-Design Studio partnered with students and staff from El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice to design a mobile teaching kitchen complete with community pantry and dining space.

A group of diverse individuals stands together in a classroom, posing around a custom-designed wheeled cart with kitchen equipment. The cart features wooden shelves, red accents, and kitchen utensils visibly placed on top. Behind them, colorful artwork and posters decorate the walls. A projector screen displays a presentation, and additional students are seen in the background.

A wooden mobile cart with a rounded design featuring red accents. The cart includes various storage compartments with drawers and open sections. It has large bicycle-like wheels for mobility and is equipped with kitchen utensils displayed in a container on top. People are standing nearby, observing the cart in a classroom setting with a carpeted floor.

Collaborative Futures Exhibition

In 2024, Swale House NYC hosted an interactive exhibition celebrating the unique partnership between the Pratt SoD Co-Design Studio, Mather High School, and the National Park Service. This exhibition, Collaborative Futures, highlighted select projects born from their creative exchange, as well as the voices and visions of their collective effort.

A wooden wall displays quotes and images of students involved in a collaborative design project. There are hooks with headphones and a paint-splattered apron hanging. Text from Annieyrs Rodriguez, Ella Lunghi, and Henna Muric reflects on their experiences and learnings from working together and considering various perspectives in design. The overall aesthetic combines natural wood with graphic imagery and text.

A wooden wall features text quotes from Annjerys Rodriguez, Ella Lunghi, and Henna Muric, reflecting on engaging experiences related to design and collaboration. Below the quotes, images of students working on projects are visible. There are also wooden hooks holding a dark apron and headphones, adding a tactile element to the display.

Community Partners

Co-Design Studio partners have included:

“This is definitely an experience that I wish more students, especially past and future generations of students could have access to. The connections that we have been making, the outreach and opportunities have been great. We’ve been challenged to work with outside conditions and with what’s already there. We’ve had to look at the big picture and consider everyone, not just ourselves, but also park visitors and consider the future of the site.”
Annierys Rodriguez, 11th grade student, Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School

A group of people is engaged in a creative activity at a table covered with papers, scissors, markers, and notes. One individual is drawing on a graph paper while holding a small object. In the background, others are working on their projects, some using pens and others holding various materials. The hands of the participants show diversity in skin tones and nail art.

“I like going to Pratt and getting everyone’s ideas heard full on and getting everyone’s creativity and the opportunity to make a beautiful space for our school.”
Mimi Earle, 7th grade student, Dock Street School for STEAM Studies
Read More

Two women are in a workshop holding up a bicycle wheel. One woman, smiling, is on the left, while the other, wearing glasses and a green sweater, holds the wheel on the right. The background features woodworking equipment, including a large wooden structure and tools, under bright overhead lights.

“Once you do things like this project you can see how it creates opportunities for us to be able to do more in our class and in our school.”
Karly Conners, 10th grade student, El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice

A cluttered tabletop filled with various art and craft supplies. Two people are engaged in a project: one is attaching pieces to a base, while the other holds up a mesh structure. Scissors, glue, markers, colored pencils, and paper scraps are scattered around, along with a large drink cup. The space has a creative, collaborative feel.

“For me. it’s just really encouraging to have somebody be there to really tell you to dig deep into something. I would have an idea and they (Pratt students) would sit there and be like, ”well tell us what you mean by this,” or ask, ”why do you say that?” [They encouraged] more of just really thinking deep on why I had that idea, and really bringing that out and putting it down on paper or into the thing you are building.
Davion Blondet McClain (11th grade student, Gotham Professional Arts Academy)

A group of six people is engaged in a collaborative activity at a wooden table covered with notebooks, sticky notes, and a laptop. One person is standing and explaining something while others are sitting, observing, or working on the table. There are colored stickers and a map-like layout drawn on paper in the center. Large windows in the background show an outdoor scene.

Irina Schneid
Assistant Professor
Margot Kleinman
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Community Engagement Clinic

The Community Engagement Clinic invites all Pratt faculty and students who are interested in strengthening community-partnered aspects of their course or project to join us for weekly clinic hours.

Clinic Hours