2.22.10| Interior Design’s Best of Year Awards were announced on December 3rd
at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. The event, sponsored by Edelman
Leather and organized and hosted by Interior Design magazine,
and attended by over 750 from the design community. Obviously, we are
late in publishing these awards and we apologize to Interior
Design for this delay; the year end tends to get a bit clustered.
Nevertheless, if awards have any meaning, their glow should last beyond
the ceremony and we are happy, even relieved to finally catch up with
this.
Competitions and Awards >>
2.22.10 | There are many awards presented each year in the A&D and related
communities of dubious merit, but we can think of no greater tribute
than the creation by one's peers of a scholarship, endowed chair or
similar continuing enterprise to continue your work. One such
charitable endeavor is the Donald Brinkmann Scholarship competition
created by Gensler to honor, remember and thank one of its former partners and design leaders, Donald G. Brinkmann, who died
unexpectedly in 1999.
Competitions and Awards >>, People >>
2.22.10 | Anthony P. Schirripa, FAIA, chairman and CEO of Mancini•Duffy
has been elected to the College of Fellows of the AIA (American
Institute of Architects). He will receive his Fellowship medal during the
Investiture of Fellows Ceremony at the 2010 National AIA Convention and
Design Exposition in Miami on June 11, 2010.
People >>
2.22.10| Late last year, Material ConneXion, the global materials consultancy,
launched of its first annual MEDIUM Award for Material of the Year,
naming UK-based company Concrete Canvas's Concrete Cloth as the
inaugural winner.
Competitions and Awards >>
2.15.10 | The first thing that Jennifer Graham and Stephanie Chiuminatto wanted was
to keep in touch with their friends and work colleagues, not to start a
non-profit organization that has grown to over 160 members and offers
workshops and mentoring programs. It’s almost cliché to say that their
group, LMNOP (Leadership, Mentoring, Networking and Opportunity for
A&D Professionals), was born out of necessity, and yet there really
is no other way to describe how it happened.
People >>
2.15.10 | For all of its frustrations and follies, at times the
legal system manages to get something, if not right, at least better.
Such is the case – getting it better – with a couple of Federal court
decisions dealing with the subject of interior design legislation. The
most recent case in the U.S. Federal Court for the Northern District of
Florida was championed by the nemesis of interior design legislative
advocates, the Institute for Justice, which, in this case, helped the
profession get it . . . better. The result was a stunning victory for
interior design and interior designers: The court upheld the Florida
practice act.
Legislation >>, Random Walk >>
2.15.10 | Readers can get a better feel for the numbers in this issues business
section, but I wanted to add a few observations on the HNI results for
2009.The contract furniture segment, even at the top, is more diverse that one
might think. We pointed out last week that HNI is the second largest
contract furniture company, even considering only its furniture sector.
2.15.10 | The idea of cognitive ergonomics is relatively new, and one
that Kimball Office has spent years studying. However, in order to fully
understand how the mind works at work, we must first recognize the office
environment in which we work, and how such dynamics complement the mind.
This column aims to identify some of the variables in an office setting,
and the impact they might have on how the mind works.
Research >>
2.15.10 | Nearly 40 Leaders of the IIDA-Northern Californa Chapter gathered in
Sonoma, California to celebrate the early stages of an economic recovery,
share best practices, renew friendships, and plan for the coming year.
IIDA-NC includes Hawaii & the Pacific Rim, Northern California, and
Northern Nevada. [I think I want to join.]
Events >>, Prof. Associations >>
2.8.10 | IA Interior Architects, a multi-branch, international firm, is one
of just a few large firms that have made a world-class reputation based
largely on their work in interiors. Recently, the firm has been making
news because of its recognized projects, and because of the personnel
developments in its coastal offices, NYC and LA, both of which have had
stumbling points in the recent past.
A&D Firms >>, People >>
2.8.10 | For some designers, furniture may be an afterthought, but this appears to
be an artifact of process and inconsistent with the holistic approach
required for the best design. The same can be said for the artificial
separation between the many aspects of the built environment from urban
design through architecture, interior design, furniture design and the
integration of technology.
Competitions and Awards >>
2.8.10| Haworth announced last week that its 2009 global sales were $1.11
billion. What's really amazing is that we no longer question that Haworth
is among the industry leaders, not only in size, but in importance
(although it still has not solved the NYC problem).
Business and Finance >>, Manufacturing >>
2.8.10 | Location, location, location is still the rule in real estate
matters, even though no capital expenditures is what we have been
hearing most frequentlyfor the past 15 months. And for sure there is
nothing like a change of venue to mess up a good thing. Look what
happened to NeoCon West after it moved from its original
convention center location into the LA Mart. Sad or pathetic – pick your
adjective – but for sure, we miss a West coast show.
Events >>
