recent ProjectS

SAM CENTRE

Special Projects, Scown Gallery

January 2023 - May 2024 | Calgary, AB

Scown Gallery, Special Projects - Client, Calgary Stampede Foundation

Social Studies Lab's first permanent project, the Calgary Stampede Foundation's Sam Centre Scown Gallery, is a visitor experience designed to be the heart and soul of the new Culture and Entertainment District in Stampede Park.

Working alongside amazing folks within the organization, the designers and the fabricators, to build an immersive multimedia experience telling the stories of the hundreds of exceptional humans that bring the joy of western hospitality to Calgary for 10-days each year.

Social Studies Lab wants to thank Angie Gelinas and the great folks at the Calgary Stampede Foundation for the opportunity.

Exploring Equitable Design WORKSHOP

Co-presented with The Good Future Co.

March 2024 | Calgary, AB

Equitable Design Workshop in partnership with The Good Future Co.

This workshop was developed for an architecture firm just beginning to define what it means to design for equity. 

The workshop was created to visualize “equity” as a continuous practice; fluid not linear, ongoing not fixed, and the impact of our own individual mindset on the outcome. Also asking, “if knowing equity is a mindset, a practice - how might we infuse this into the way we approach design?” 

Thanks to both The Good Future Co and the firm for the opportunity!

OFFERINGS

How to Value Design WorkShop

How does your personal values impact your satisfaction at work? How do you recognize and support them, then create space for those whose values defer from your own.

The Value Design Workshop creates alignment where individuals can be themselves while working as a cohesive team. 

This is achieved through a 4-hour workshop with tools to undercover how values impact team culture and success.  

Get in touch to book or learn more.

How to be like an Anthropologist Workshop

Let’s shift your team’s mindset and advantage by approaching the world like an anthropologist.

Driven by curiosity, anthropologists explore the world through the lens of participant observation plus total immersion. Together, we unearth how these methods create new understanding of the world around us.  

Explore how these approaches can upend assumptions and perspectives to create better designers, managers and leaders!

Become more anthropological in 90 minutes of playful conversations and experiments!

How to Delight Strangers Workshop

Did you know humans get a burst of positive emotions when engaging with strangers? What opportunities can only happen when strangers come together?

This workshop is all about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Through storytelling, collaborative exercises, group activities, and brainstorming sessions, we’ll create a dynamic space where everyone can bring ideas to life.

Discover new ways to delight strangers, to create unexpected moments of joy and connection.

Explore ways to break down barriers, spark conversations and create meaningful interactions. After all, everyone including a friend starts out as a stranger. 

Then let’s explore how you design spaces, experiences and services, once you know “how” in this 90 minute workshop. 

interested in what social studies Lab can do?

Book A WORKSHOP OR LEARN MORE

Project Highlights

  • SAM CENTRE 2023/24 | CALGARY

    Calgary Stampede

  • SAM CENTRE 2023/24 | CALGARY

    Calgary Stampede

  • SAM CENTRE 2023/24 | CALGARY

    Calgary Stampede

  • SAM CENTRE 2023/24 | CALGARY

    Calgary Stampede

  • SAM CENTRE 2023/24 | CALGARY

    Calgary Stampede

  • SAM CENTRE 2023/24 | CALGARY

    Calgary Stampede

  • SAM CENTRE 2023/24 | CALGARY

    Calgary Stampede

  • SAM CENTRE 2023/24 | CALGARY

    Calgary Stampede

  • SAM CENTRE 2023/24 | CALGARY

    Calgary Stampede

  • N!ghtL!ight 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Kyle Riva

  • N!ghtL!ight 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Kyle Riva

  • N!ghtL!ight 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Kyle Riva

  • N!ghtL!ight 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Kyle Riva

  • N!ghtL!ight 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Kyle Riva

  • N!ghtL!ight 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Kyle Riva

  • N!ghtL!ight 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Kyle Riva

  • N!ghtL!ight 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Kyle Riva

  • N!ghtL!ight 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Kyle Riva

  • N!ghtL!ight 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Kyle Riva

  • Lobbyfest 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Stephanie Lanting

  • Lobbyfest 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Stephanie Lanting

  • Lobbyfest 2023 |Calgary

    Photo credit: Stephanie Lanting

  • Lobbyfest 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Stephanie Lanting

  • Lobbyfest 2023 | Calgary

    Photo credit: Stephanie Lanting

  • SAM CENTRE 2023/24 | CALGARY

    Calgary Stampede

Project Archive

  • Chic Geek’s Career Pathing and Peer Circles: program development

    Hanan helped build more leaders to support women in tech as Chic Geek’s Program Specialist.

    She beta tested and launched Chic Geek’s Career Pathing program which led to 400+ members and over 1000 connections made for women in tech to mentors (Career Guides).

    Career Pathing was created to address the challenge of the broken funnel of 2X more women in tech dropping out of the tech industry than their male counterparts.

  • Alberta Ballet: new product creation

    Alberta Ballet’s Set Assembly Kit

    Hanan led a team of experts consisting of architect/designer extraordinaire, Vlad Amiot, the company’s production crew, a metal fabricator and multiple industry leaders, in the development of a new product that addressed the waste, storage and transport of large-scale set pieces, called the Set Assembly Kit.

  • N!ght L!ght Festival 2023: Co-Producer

    Partnering with Victoria Park BIA and B!G ART to build amazing experiences.

    Night Light transformed Calgary’s Victoria Park community into an incredible display of light and art. Interactive art installations, projection-mapped architecture and live performances fostered a culture of "seeding" the next generation of local artists in new and exciting art forms.

    ~ Around 20 local and international artists were showcased at Night Light and all created art with light as a guiding theme.

    ~ Estimated turnout of 15,000-18,000 - despite the rainy weather!

    ~ Featured on multiple local news and radio channels with an estimated reach of 39.9 million viewers. 

    Co-produced with Victoria Park BIA and B!G ART. 

  • Lobbyfest 2023: Program Partner

    How to Delight Strangers - Presented by Teknion and Social Studies Lab.

    In collaboration with Laura Lee Ross of Teknion, we created an activation and workshop called "How to Delight Strangers".

    In a time when we are more wary of strangers than ever, how do you create a city where people open up themselves to new positive encounters and opportunities?

    Over 200+ attendees exercised their talking-to-strangers muscles, all with the intent to increase their own happiness and that of others. 

    They learned that simply observing someone having a moment of happiness makes you happier. Additionally, talking to someone you don't know throughout your day increases your happiness more than talking to those you do know.

    Thank you to LobbyFest and Brookfield Place for having us!