The global company 3M might be best known for creating a wide range of indispensible adhesive and stationery products, but its latest endeavour goes back to the spirit of problem solving and innovative thinking that set it apart in the first place.
3M recently unveiled a new Design Center, which is focused on enhancing creativity for its in-house design team. ‘The 3M Design Center enables colocation of designers from multiple creative disciplines – ranging from graphics to products, to user experience, materials, and packaging – across the company,’ says chief design officer Eric Quint. ‘The inspirational workspace offers continued advancement of collaborative creativity and design leadership. This studio represents a hybrid model of workspaces to accommodate creative activities supporting the 3M Design mission. The engaging space is a catalyst for creative engagement and dialogue for our design talent.’
Spanning 38,000 sq ft within 3M’s headquarters in St Paul, Minnesota, the colourful design hub is a mix of independent meeting areas that can be turned into communal and collaborative work zones. The design centre also takes energy efficient measures, such as climate control, efficient lighting systems and the use of recycled materials to create an eco-friendly and forward-thinking environment.
Quint continues, ‘The 3M Design Center is not just about a new space, but also a broader platform to strengthen the focus and orchestration of design across the enterprise. Previously, much of our talent was fragmented in different areas of the company, exposing the need for a strong design culture and mission going forward. Now, we’re able to bring far more strategic focus in an open and creative space that is four times the area previously occupied by our creative team.’
He adds, ‘The design centre itself was created by our designers, for our designers. Here, we also applied an interdisciplinary approach in the creative direction and design of the studio space to realise an attractive and engaging environment. This includes a fast prototyping lab, materials library, brand labs and an interactive area known as the "Design Hive", all to ignite cross-functional collaboration among partners, customers and colleagues at 3M headquarters.’
Chief design officer Eric Quint says, 'The design centre itself was created by our designers, for our designers. Here, we applied an interdisciplinary approach in the creative direction and design of the studio space to realise an attractive and engaging environment'
The Design Center takes energy efficient measures, such as climate control, efficient lighting systems and the use of recycled materials, to create an eco-friendly and forward-thinking environment
Spanning 38,000 sq ft within 3M’s headquarters in St Paul, Minnesota, the colourful design hub is a mix of independent meeting areas that can be turned into communal and collaborative work areas
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressingPart of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationshipAnnouncing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craftThe heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
-
This minimalist Wyoming retreat is the perfect place to unplugThis woodland home that espouses the virtues of simplicity, containing barely any furniture and having used only three materials in its construction
-
We explore Franklin Israel’s lesser-known, progressive, deconstructivist architectureFranklin Israel, a progressive Californian architect whose life was cut short in 1996 at the age of 50, is celebrated in a new book that examines his work and legacy
-
A new hilltop California home is rooted in the landscape and celebrates views of natureWOJR's California home House of Horns is a meticulously planned modern villa that seeps into its surrounding landscape through a series of sculptural courtyards
-
The Frick Collection's expansion by Selldorf Architects is both surgical and delicateThe New York cultural institution gets a $220 million glow-up
-
Remembering architect David M Childs (1941-2025) and his New York skyline legacyDavid M Childs, a former chairman of architectural powerhouse SOM, has passed away. We celebrate his professional achievements
-
The upcoming Zaha Hadid Architects projects set to transform the horizonA peek at Zaha Hadid Architects’ future projects, which will comprise some of the most innovative and intriguing structures in the world
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s last house has finally been built – and you can stay thereFrank Lloyd Wright’s final residential commission, RiverRock, has come to life. But, constructed 66 years after his death, can it be considered a true ‘Wright’?
-
Heritage and conservation after the fires: what’s next for Los Angeles?In the second instalment of our 'Rebuilding LA' series, we explore a way forward for historical treasures under threat
