11.30.09| Every holiday it pays to take a moment to ask once again, “What’s this all about.” Thanksgiving is, of course, a favorite holiday, what with no worry about presents and the day off for just family and food. The “family” aspect can be a mixed bag, what with the void caused absent members who are not there and the usual hassle with the ones that are, or perhaps would be if they weren’t late.
11.30.09 | The benefits of eliminating waste in process are inestimable and, while it won't win any LEED points, it might do a lot for the planet and the people on it. One of the watershed events in the past decades was the formation of mindshift, a corporate real estate industry consortium studying the waste that is generated as buildings are currently designed and built.
Environment >>, Manufacturing >>
11.23.09 | Teknion is a class act, and fun to boot. Long before others in the industry began focusing on bringing a great experience to the customer and the A&D community, to say nothing of your humble trade press, the relative new comer to the contract furniture industry, Teknion was spot on, right from its very humble beginnings.
Events >>, Manufacturing >>
11.23.09 | LED lighting is a technically demanding category that many manufacturers have yet to get right. Two companies that have mastered the finer points of LED – Humanscale and Artemide – are building on this success with a strategic partnership for product development and joint marketing efforts.
11.23.09 | While, it may be a gift for us to see ourselves as other see us, quite often it is an unwelcome one. Every time I sit down to write a few observations, I am reminded that it is extremely hard to change a way of thinking, particularly regarding oneself or one’s traditional way of doing business. Past success leads down the same path, even as events suggest that the future no longer lies in that direction.
11.23.09 | A&D firms must become more business savvy. Such is the received wisdom of this year’s State of the Industry Panel at NeoCon East 09. (See officeinsight issues 11.9.09 and 11.16.09.) To this not-so-welcome news, we are compelled to add that, business savvy requires a certain level of legal savvy for, after all, it is the law that sets the rules of the game
Random Walk >>
11.23.09 | Ah. A certain slant of light, varying with the season. And varying in intensity from the objects – leaves and windows and eyes – through which it passes. This Thanksgiving-time-of-year light is slanting into the angle that caught and clouded the poet’s mood back in nineteenth century Amherst, Massachusetts. Well, in Manhattan recently, Fabbian lighting experts hosted a show celebrating the work of New York and New Jersey designers. And in its pages Metropolis Magazine boxed little photos of the show.
Ira Joe >>
11.16.09 | This is the second installment of the annual State of the Industry Panel that was held at NeoCon East 2009. In addition to the remainder of the panel discussion, this installment contains some of the ending Q&A exchange. We apologize that some of the speakers are not identified, but we couldn’t chance incorrect attribution where the speaker’s identity was unclear.
Events >>
11.16.09 | Herman Miller's subsidiary, Convia, continues to astonish. A few weeks ago we focused on the product and its range of abilities, but when we visited the exhibit floor at Greenbuild we were amazed at the impact it has made on other manufacturers who are clamoring to bring products on board that interface with Convia's platform. Convia was also named by the editors of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec as a BuildingGreen Top-10 Product for 2009.
11.16.09 | This past week Phoenix welcomed the attendees of Greenbuild 2009 with her usual warmth and near constant sunshine. During the opening statements and keynote addresses on November 11, the mayor of Phoenix, Phil Gordon, announced the kick-off of a remarkable pilot program that has been made possible by a consortium composed of a solar technology provider (Solar City), the regional power company (Arizona Power Supply) and a local bank (Arizona Federal).
Environment >>, Events >>
11.16.09 | Competition in the mid-market is increasing as companies such as Knoll and Herman Miller are bringing lower cost systems and other products to their traditional products. The traditional mid-markets still have the edge with their multi-layered distribution networks, but they are noticing the moves and responding. The HON Company, while still catering to its traditional conservative and value-oriented base, has been moving upward aesthetically.
Project >>
