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Each September, a small group of students begins a nine-month program in Interdisciplinary Design Strategy at the Brookfield Sustainability Institute (BSI), where they work as a team to research, design and realize a real-world project.

The Brookfield Sustainability Institute (BSI) has pioneered its Interdisciplinary Design Strategy Program (IDSP) postgraduate-level curriculum using a design-based educational model that fosters learning across disciplines, integrating specialized knowledge and breaking down geographic, cultural and social barriers. The institute offers students the demands of a real project and the intellectual and creative rigour required to undertake it. Each September, a small group of students begins a nine-month graduate certificate program, IDSP, where they work as a team to research, design and realize a real-world project. Initiated in 2003 under the BSI's predecessor, the Institute Without Boundaries (IwB), this program delves into the methods and practices of design research, strategy and social innovation. It is a unique educational experience and is offered by George Brown College in partnership with leading designers and industry.

Transform the world
Our vision at the BSI is to create smart sustainable solutions for a better future. We foster partnerships with government, businesses and non-profits, to develop applied solutions that tackle industry challenges in the fight against climate change. We believe design is a tool that can affect positive change. This ideology encourages values and design outcomes that are intelligent, ethical, sustainable, inclusive and universally accessible. We see the designer as a problem solver, with the ability to affect positive change for humanity. Our aim for IDSP graduates is a new breed of designer who can articulate possibilities – one who is, in the words of Buckminster Fuller, a "synthesis of artist, inventor, mechanic, objective economist and evolutionary strategist."

Cross-boundary, Interdisciplinary
This program will accept strong candidates representing different fields – for example, a geographer, an economist, an artist, an architect, a journalist and others – all of whom see the potential for design to change the world. Students will collaborate within an interdisciplinary team, to tackle real-world challenges within an overarching research project, create comprehensive proposals and present recommendations to key stakeholders. Through collaborative practices, this program provides a systemic and in-depth knowledge of integrated design strategies, critical awareness and advanced design methodologies to solve the most pressing global challenges.

Broaden horizons
Projects at the Brookfield Sustainability Institute focus on learning through participation in every aspect of a project, assuming a variety of roles, and actively engaging with project partners. Project work may involve travel to collaborate with communities outside of GBC. Some examples of the places we’ve been include Matapalo (Costa Rica), Lota (Chile), Milan (Italy), Dublin (Ireland), New York City and Chicago. Students are responsible for some additional travel expenses for projects like these.

Real World Ready
The IDSP's major project acts as a thread that connects all IDS courses, giving students a unique research and design process, that provides a basis for researching, framing, solving problems and communicating design outcomes.

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Apply universal and sustainable design principles to complex global problems in order to create intelligent solutions that address environmental, social and economic challenges.
• Manage an Integrated Design Process to deliver human-centred design strategy projects for government, corporations and nonprofit organizations.
• Design collaboratively in an interdisciplinary studio environment to complete environmental, communication, product, service and system design projects.
• Apply primary and secondary research methodologies to the design process using a think/make practice model to achieve project outcomes that meet user needs.
• Adhere to the professional practices of a design studio in order to facilitate the success of design teams in achieving project results.
• Participate in a multiphase design process in order to create a holistic, integrated and realistic design project.
• Liaise and manage the design process to provide solutions for clients, including design, documentation, tendering, fabrication and delivery.
• Present research results and design solutions to a diverse audience utilizing effective communication strategies.