The Idea Lab: A Look at Stanford's d.school

The new home of Stanford University's d.school puts the institute's philosophy of creativity and collaboration into smart glass, steel, and concrete.

The glassy garage-door-style entrance telegraphs openness. It also alludes to the famous Silicon Valley garages where powerhouses such as HP and Apple began. "The competitive advantage that a place like Silicon Valley has is in creating the next thing," says James Plummer, dean of Stanford's engineering school. "The d.school is a place where...