Lassonde School of Engineering
Designing the Renaissance Engineering Program at York University
OVERVIEW
In partnership with Lassonde School of Engineering at York University, we developed a comprehensive vision and strategy to redefine engineering education for the 21st century. Together, we imagined a new archetype—the Renaissance Engineer—combining technical depth with creativity, empathy, and purpose. Our work spanned cultural design, curriculum innovation, and systems-level transformation, ultimately shaping the foundation of Lassonde’s identity and student experience.
THE CHALLENGE
The Lassonde School of Engineering set out to build something radically different: a school that could transcend the siloed, outdated model of technical education. The leadership needed a compelling and cohesive vision—one that could unite diverse stakeholders, attract bold faculty and students, and offer a meaningful alternative to traditional engineering education. This meant starting from zero: defining the DNA, the culture, the principles, and the educational model itself.
THE WORK
Through immersive research, synthesis workshops, and iterative prototyping, we partnered with Lassonde to build a strategic and human-centered blueprint. Our work included:
Defining a Bold Vision: We articulated a unifying identity around the “Renaissance Engineer”—a curious, creative, and purpose-driven problem solver.
Creating the Lassonde Manifesto: A set of values and behaviors to guide hiring, curriculum design, and student life.
Designing the Student Journey: From pre-enrollment to alumni engagement, we mapped and redesigned key touchpoints—emphasizing passion projects, interdisciplinary learning, storytelling, and real-world application.
Embedding Change at Every Level: We worked across nine strategic opportunity areas—from attracting the right faculty to fostering lifelong learning—to ensure systemic, scalable transformation.
Throughout, we championed student voice and creativity, encouraged the school to prototype new ideas in real time, and developed tools like the “Tinker Truck,” “Lassonde Studio,” and personalized curriculum maps to translate vision into action.
THE IMPACT
The Lassonde vision has since shaped not only how the school is structured, but also how it is perceived—by students, faculty, and the wider engineering and academic communities. By grounding everything in human-centered design and student-led experimentation, Lassonde has become a beacon for what’s possible in higher education.