Transcription: Practical design experience

It’s wonderfully innovative to have a café for our students right here. Another novelty is that the Pedelec Café is actually functioning. Students can rent bikes free of charge, which is great. And all that in a pleasant atmosphere. So it’s no longer just a lab but a cosy location for students where they can hang out and take in their surroundings.

Some of my colleagues involved in the project asked if we had any students who could come up with designs for their Pedelec Café. That was great, we love doing such projects. I had my doubts whether the students would be willing to work during semester break. But 15 people signed up who then competed with one another in 7 groups.

It was exciting right from the start because there always was a chance that our idea would be realized which is not the case with many projects. I was intrigued by the project’s limited duration and its guaranteed implementation.

We carefully assessed all 7 drafts that were presented by the students. It didn’t take long to choose the 3 ideas that most appealed to us. The challenge was combining three ideas into one. I was really happy, although I knew it wouldn’t be easy to blend the concepts and ideas of 3 drafts.

The café and rental service are quite popular with students and staff who really make use of this new infrastructure. Lots of people like to come here. The bikes are always booked out and the café is highly appreciated as new element of our department.

Students and staff members like to drop in between, before, and after lectures to get a cup of coffee. I’m thrilled that it’s gone over so well. That’s awesome. What could be better than achieving something like this?