Spacetime bending according to the Dream Team

Another semester is coming to the end, so it is small wonder that in last week of March the The Most Frequently Asked Question was not "How to do it?" but "When we can meet?".

Time management-wise, Dreamers has decided to distribute tasks to everyone on team's board and meet in smaller groups if needed. One of such low-profile meet-ups has taken place on sunny Thursday, March 31st.

Project go like clockwork and so do we!

Beside discussing best locations for carrying out our project and discussing its implementation (which motifs could be used in elements of small architecture? how architecture will hint at town history and its traditions?), we were approached by fellow team from Demola Spring 2016 - "The Best Weather in the World". Guys asked us if they could pitch their project in front of us. We have been more than eager to help and readily agreed. After giving feedback on their app, we have chatted for a while and conversation that ensued proved equally inspiring for us,

Moreover, this experience reminded us that Mid-Pitching is just around the corner... Better brace yourselves!

Blueprints in progress

After Dreamers has returned safely to Tampere from Sastamala, work pace visibly increased. We have scheduled meeting with project partner representative to show first visualizations of concepts we would like to apply in Sastamala as part of revitalization plan. Meeting was designed in order to assess their feasibility and select the most promising elements.

Official part was scheduled at 10 but Dreamers always take precautions. To do proper rehearsal and prevent any technology-related inconveniences, the Dream Team has met already at 9:30. As anticipated, some minor struggles between user and machine has occurred yet they were easily overcome. 

Official part was made up of PowerPoint presentation accompanied by extensive commentary on all Dreamers' side. The most valuable part to the team was following discussion during which Timo (Sastamala municipality representative and excellent urban planner) has expressed his opinions on team's proposals. He appreciated all presented ideas but his attention has caught one particular concept which was not yet heard of in context of Sastamala. Timo advised us that such outside-the-box idea is indeed a way to go and the Dream Team should focus on it in further proceedings.

Encouraged and without moment of hestitance, we took the next step in Demola adventure!

Last week(s) highlights

Time flies like an arrow and nobody is more aware of it than The Dream Team.

From a overwhelming multitude of proposals main concept has crystallized. At first we thought that first stage of project was insanely busy with all new ideas just bubbling beneath the surface and unleashed in hyperintensive branistorming sessions - now we have proof that we were SO wrong about it.

Ceaselessly and tirelessly Dreamers are meeting up, debating, gathering even more materials, learning to use new software, spending endless hours in front of PC... All of this to achieve one paramount goal - create coherent blueprints and architecture visualizations as well as mobile app.

But before presenting the details - what exactly was going on?

Episode 3 - Sastamala expedition

On March 3 The Dream Team has finally set out for Sastamala! Our schedule was quite tight - beside Playbook meeting with project partner we were about to do first field work. (And, hopefully, team official photo.)

Dreamers have found their way to town hall just on time of the meeting with city officials and Aino, our project facilitator. To make things easier, first part was structured as Q&A session. Every member of the team had to choose randomly few questions concerning the content of the Playbook and solution proposals. Answering those questions we were coming up with new ideas and remarks, so vivid discussion has naturally developed. It has helped to clarify project details and define main lines along which The Dream Team should work. Last but not least - team has gained data much needed to create coherent renewal plan.

After discussing Playbook, Dreamers has set out for a new adventure guided by Timo, one of town hall representatives. Beside paying attention to architecture and landscape features (we all have noticed how Sastamala shape reminds strongly of Tampere), we were approaching and interviewing people living in the town - shop assistants, shopping mall clients and walkers.

What's their favourite spot in town center?

What could be improved or built in the centre?

How they feel about our proposals?

In daring quest for answers Dreamers has even dropped by local newspaper's office. In result, we have heard three persons' opinions AND received an offer we could not refuse - one of Tyrvään Sanomat journalists has proposed to write a story about our project!

Beautiful landmark but we could not find open door.

Puistokatu, main business street in Sastamala.

Happy with press release prospect, we have decided to inspect more closely shopping mall and market square area. We have also walked to lake shore and discussed new facilities that could be build there.

Strong influence of Tampere could not escape Dreamers' attention.



After Timo has returned to his duties at the office, The Dream Team decided it is high time for afternoon coffee and snack. In addition to talking over all the invaluable information we have got during this trip and new exciting ideas it has invoked, we have also started to discuss how we can prepare some demo of solutions.  Everyone was thrilled by SketchUp software that Natalia has presented as very useful tool at the new stage of our project.

Episode 2 - JAM

There is no rest for the Dreamers - even on Saturday! All because of series of amazing workshops in Demola premises.

Thankfully, first Jam has started at 9.30 with cup of coffee to wake us from morning slumber. Before lunch time workshop were concentrated on - broadly speaking - presentation skills.We had to
try to sell the ordinary product which utility seems to be self-evident - like pen, for instance.

Even more challenging session has begun in the afternoon. The very name of opening workshop has been intriguing - "Sherlock Holmes". All participants were divided randomly into groups tasked with creating some out-of-box product prototype. After that each group had to move clock-wise to another group's stand and deduce what was the idea behind given prototype. Some projects posed a real challenge - one group was astonished to discover that object at hand was vampire detector!

Since we all have learned how quickly a prototype can be built, The Dream Team was reunited again. In the last part of the Jam every team was charged with building prototype of their own project. After completing this task, we had to pitch the result in front of audience.

Though Dreamers have found themselves in a little more difficult situation (city revitalization is a complex issue to be demonstrated in a form of e.g. simple tool) yet team has coped with it very well. Pitch has gone smoothly - our poster and map of renewed town center were received warmly.

Episode 1 - Pre-Playbook Meeting

If one wants to play it smart, it's good to have game rules. That's why pre-Playbook meeting was on the top of Dreamers' to-do list from the very beginning. With all this whirlwind of ideas produced on first brainstorming sessions, writing them down helped to sort things out.

Playbook does not serve only as solution filter, but it also helps to deal with technicalities - what responsibilities every member has in the project, what kind of data and tools are needed and how our schedules are going to look like.

However, The Dream Team was focused on discussing first ideas about city revitalization in greater detail. We were wondering which target group we should focus on. Young adults? 30-odd with kids? Or maybe kids only? We were also tackling business question. Will it be more reasonable to attract big investors from outside of the municipality or support the grassroots-level entreprises and different kind of start-ups?

Even the greatest dreamers must take on more down-to-earth approach from time to time - especially when question of fundraising arise. We only touched on this issue but in quite unconventional way. One of us has come up with crowdfunding idea which is proving successful in case of start-ups.

During the meeting team's trip to Sastamala was one of important issues. We have talked over its organization and main goals. In addition to meeting with officials and navigating city spaces, we decided that direct interaction with inhabitants and getting to know their opinion is crucial.

Icing on the cake was small presentation showed to us by Natalia (photo above). She has presented the ways in which we can demonstrate and visualize data we gathered to this date and future solutions concerning town center development.

Busy season

The Dream Team's project in in full flow right now! 

Over the course of last four weeks a lot of fascinating stuff has happened. We have moved on from gathering data and doing preliminary research to actually constructing first solutions and coming up with demos proposals. 

Still, how Dreamers has gone this long way from dreaming to making new stuff happen? This is a whole trilogy!