Is Sitting the New Smoking? Active Design and Well-Being in the Workplace, Part 2

5.13.13 | For many professionals working in the design community, the principles of active design may be new, but they are also critical in shaping the behaviors of building occupants. Interior designers, architects and urban designers can play a central role in addressing and improving the health and well-being of the country’s population. Part 2 of this article focuses on Joanna Frank’s work at the DDC and Joan Blumenfeld’s approach to integrating the guidelines into her interiors work at Perkins+Will.

Companies >>, Events >>, Healthcare >>, People >>, Research >>

Is Sitting the New Smoking? Active Design and Well-Being in the Workplace, Part 1

5.6.13 | Healthy buildings are a key component to sustainable design thinking, but having healthy people occupy those buildings is the intended goal of the Active Design Guidelines, a collaborative effort among several New York City agencies that was published in 2010. It’s time for USGBC to wake up and realize that human beings are a very important part of the environment, the focal point, according to some. Teknion and IIDA NYC sponsored a panel moderated by Susan Szenasy to help bring the message to a larger audience.

A&D Firms >>, Environment >>, Events >>, Healthcare >>, People >>, Research >>

Measuring Culture with Steelcase and Culture Code

4.22.13 | A recent panel discussion at Steelcase NYC was held in part to share the results of a study by the Steelcase WorkSpace Futures team of office culture in eleven countries. The discussion addressed a few related questions: If design has the power to shape human behavior, how does behavior, in turn, shape culture? Furthermore, how does culture shape performance? How do we account for meaningful cultural differences in various locations?

Companies >>, Education >>, Events >>, People >>, Research >>

3-form Hosts 2013 Pratt Career Night

4.22.13 | For some graduating students, the first steps in navigating a path into the world of professional design began in earnest last week at the 3-form showroom in New York. Diane Barnes has partnered with husband and Pratt Institute professor Jon Otis to make the 2013 Pratt Career Night a reality for the last ten years, this year with 3-form.

Companies >>, Education >>, Events >>

Concurrence: Open Architecture

4.22.13 | Guy Geier’s TEDx Manhattan presentation primarily addressed how Open Architecture is applied to architecture and urban design. But, this is an issue of pervasive importance and is at the center of commercial interior design. Moreover, his thoughts augment those of Frank C. Duffy and Thomas Vecchione who, over the past years, have stressed the need in the built environment for permeability and the integration of interior design with building architecture and the surrounding neighborhood.

A&D Firms >>, Events >>, People >>

The ASID Leadership Academy

4.15.13 | It’s time to give another nod of respect and gratitude to the ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) as it establishes The ASID Leadership Academy, thereby extending under its new executive leadership its now considerable list of solid contributions to the foundation of the interior design profession. The value of this ASID initiative is not just the fostering of better and more informed leadership in the design communities, but the possibility of producing more leaders whose training is in the human-oriented disciplines, rather than in the more competitive endeavors.

Events >>, Prof. Associations >>, Research >>

NeoCon Speakers: The Mart finally Gets It Right

4.8.13 | The Merchandise Mart has a history of offering sub-par speakers for the annual NeoCon shows. This year the Mart got it right, or at least nearly so. For all of the talk about what’s happening at the Mart – is it for sale, will NeoCon continue, etc. – it would be hard to be unhappy with the breakthrough that this year’s speakers represents for NeoCon 2013, June 10-12, at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. The four keynote speakers are

• Bjarke Ingels, Founder of BIG
• Michael Vanderbyl, Principal of Vanderbyl Design
• Holly Hunt, President & CEO of Holly Hunt
• Lauren Rottet, FAIA, FIIDA, interior architect and founder of Rottet Studio.

I may even attend a keynote or two or three for the first time in years.

Events >>, People >>

Visionary Technologies in Healthcare

4.1.13 | There is a pathway to making healthcare available to all, and in an affordable way. It’s through technology, and it is going to totally revolutionize healthcare delivery and economics, and, accordingly, healthcare design and furnishings. IIDA NY recently held a panel discussion outlining some of the significant technologies that will impact the healthcare area, and it seems the future is much brighter than one might expect reading the politicized debates often featured in the media.

Events >>, Healthcare >>, People >>, Research >>, Technology >>

Peabody Office Completes $1 Million Showroom

3.25.13 | Some dealerships struggle, while others thrive. Peabody Office, Boston, seems to fall in the latter category. The firm just completed renovations on a $1 million, 16,000 sq.-ft showroom and established the opening of a new office in Washington, D.C. The new showroom is not only a show of strength for Peabody, but its reflects significant progress in Inscape’s plan to strengthen its presence in a few select markets.

A&D Firms >>, Companies >>, Events >>

Innovant Opens In San Francisco

3.18.13 | Innovant continues its westward expansion. The company’s adjustable height benching line, which won Best of NeoCon 2012 Gold, will be center stage at the April opening of its new San Francisco showroom. The formal opening is scheduled for May 2013, and features a full display of Innovant’s latest benching, conference, and private office collections. 

Companies >>, Events >>, Product >>