MICHEL LAUZON SHARES HIS MOTIVATIONS BEHIND THE FOUNDING OF THE STRATEGIC DESIGN COLLECTIVE
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Years from now, I know that I will look back and wonder at the fact that I re-launched LAAB on February 12th in 2020, a month before the COVID-19 outbreak.
Honestly, despite the crisis and the upheaval it incurs in the real estate market and in the design industry, I am still extremely excited to have re-started its operations after a 3-year hiatus.
I can’t help but feel that LAAB is the right firm, at the right time.
APPETITE FOR DISRUPTION
After more than a decade of top executive management in established firms (Senior Partner at Lemay then President & CEO of AEdifica) and 25 years of creative leadership in major projects here and abroad, it was high time for a reboot on the design industry’s underlying paradigms. Indeed, the opportunity for disruption, the appetite for innovation and the stakes for survival have never been higher, at every level: developers, owners, tenants and consumers across all markets, especially in the current upheaval due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The underlying intent of LAAB is to propose an alternative design approach adapted to today’s extremely demanding and volatile contexts. LAAB will be a proving ground for applied creative thinking and my very own approach - simmering for over 20 years - and finally maturing into « STRATEGIC DESIGN » : a singular combination of design, strategic consulting, and « Brandscaping»- my brainchild.
LAAB will be agile, totally paperless and a digital native born into the new remote working reality.
FOCUS ON MAKING A DIFFERENCE
One thing my last decade of executive management has imprinted on me is that TIME is the most precious resource. Therefore, you need to focus if you want to have an impact; as such, you cannot be everything for everyone. LAAB will all be about focus. And the focus will be on the impact of design and creativity on the well-being of clients, of their constituents, and their community.
The last few years of top management had somewhat estranged me from the things I love to do and from doing what I love: design, innovation and creating projects with clients and friends.
DESIGN AS A COLLECTIVE ENDEAVOR
A great takeaway from fifteen years in large firms is definitely the people: I met so many endearing and passionate individuals. I thank each and everyone of them as I have learned immensely from working alongside them, in all kinds of situations and ventures.
The other great takeaway is kinship with clients who are passionate about what they do and creative to always do better and deliver more value to their own clients.
Thanks to them I have also discovered that design is not a solo endeavor (as movies and literature will sometimes wrongfully portray the architect) and that it can be immersive and fun: an inclusive and empowering experience for all.
Lastly, I thank each and everyone of you for the enormous support and enthusiasm you have manifested since restarting LAAB and I look forward to all your creative endeavors, moonshots and wicked problems in the future.
LONG LIVE LAAB.
Michel Lauzon
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