Industry Collaborations

SIA partners LASALLE to design Innovation Lab

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Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced a partnership with LASALLE College of the Arts under which LASALLE students will conceptualise and design a new Innovation Lab1 to be set up by SIA.

The collaboration involves engaging Final Year students from LASALLE’s School of Spatial & Product Design in a competition to come up with key design concepts, layout plans and an interior design proposal for SIA’s Innovation Lab, which is expected to open around the middle of 2018. Through this involvement, students will also be able to apply skills which they have learnt theoretically to a practical setting.

Students will form teams to develop their design proposals under the guidance of LASALLE lecturers who will offer coaching and expert advice. A panel of judges, comprising design industry veterans, lecturers from LASALLE and senior management from SIA, will then evaluate the submissions, with the winning team earning a cash prize of S$4,000 as well as return Economy Class tickets to any SIA destination. The proposals will be assessed based on criteria such as functionality, creativity and originality.

To offer students the opportunity to translate theories learned in the classroom into practical industry experience, the winning team will also be involved in bringing their concepts to reality in the construction phase of the Innovation Lab.

The new 3,200 sq ft Innovation Lab will complement SIA’s comprehensive digital transformation, under which the Airline is advancing its digital capabilities and leveraging on emerging technologies to redefine the air travel experience for customers. The Lab will serve as a collaborative workspace that offers SIA staff an energetic and conducive area to facilitate the generation of innovative ideas and solutions to challenges, including with external partners such as start-ups, as well as be a test bed for technology-related projects.

“Singapore Airlines has always been a great supporter of education. Through this unique partnership with LASALLE, we look forward to tapping into the minds of bright young students while also providing them an opportunity to showcase their design abilities and apply what they have learnt in the classroom to a real-world setting,” said Singapore Airlines Senior Vice President Corporate Planning, Ms Lee Wen Fen.

“We see this as the beginning of a long-term partnership with LASALLE, and look forward to even more opportunities in future for win-win collaborative projects of this nature.”

“This collaboration with Singapore Airlines is a first-of-its-kind, invaluable learning opportunity for LASALLE students: Not only to design a brand new, digitally-driven workspace for a world-renowned company, but also to be involved in bringing it to life. At LASALLE, we are passionate about exploring new ideas and pushing boundaries, and we are very pleased to partner with Singapore Airlines to continue raising the bar for innovation and creativity,” said Ms Nur Hidayah, Dean, Faculty of Design, LASALLE College of the Arts.

1The final name of the Innovation Lab will be selected at a later date.