8.30.10 | Inscape, redoubling it’s efforts to create a strong presence in the NYC market, has acquired the intellectual property – including the trademarks, designs and proprietary tooling – of Acme Architectural Walls and has entered into a contract with Acme Sales Group, recently formed by the former owners of Acme.
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8.30.10 | Skyline Glass is founded on the desire to find new ways to push creativity. “When we started, through naiveté we discovered new qualities about this material. We were a group of artists looking beyond the normal way of thinking, and we discovered new things.”
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8.30.10 | In the public mind there is no understanding about what interior design is, not even confusion. So, at one end of the definitional spectrum we have the know-nothings. At the other end, we find the regulators and qualifiers, NCIDQ, the know-too-muchers or kitchen-sinkers.
Random Walk >>
8.30.10 | Who said that LEED certification points for energy saving aren’t worth a plugged nickel without yearly commissioning? Half of new buildings fail to realize their full energy savings potential. But, Convia has technology that makes it easy to commission a space on an ongoing basis.
8.30.10 | The visual and audible distance between team members is critical in fostering communication required for solid interaction. The old adage of “out of sight, out of mind” holds true in collaboration.
8.30.10 | Na Wang’s exquisitely thorough and thoughtful dissertation research investigates our emotional, attitudinal, and cognitive responses to sunlight, window views, privacy, and control. Her findings have important repercussions for workplace design.
8.23.10 | The design community has to choose how it wants its work presented and it must realize that this is an 80/20 industry with the 20% deciding where the media investments go. The editorial pages follow the advertising dollars. Contract is the only magazine that relies strictly on the commercial design industry for its revenue and, accordingly, has always presented the value of design in terms of a business return on investment.
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8.23.10 | Far from following the herd of manufacturers rushing to release yet another “me too” product, Canadian furniture company Inscape held an A&D launch event for their latest system named Tisch. Taking place at the prestigious New York event space The Glass Houses, the gathering of notable designers and industry influencers was invited to inspect the new system thoroughly, see its capabilities, and interact with Inscape’s management on the practical uses for this system.
Aesthetics in architecture and design should be, and is being, studied. A recent study found that participants had highly consistent individual preferences for particular rectangle shapes. Overall results, however, provide little or no support for the special status of the Golden Section/Ratio; few participants showed preferences that could be said to be at the Golden Section.
Herman Miller is no “Johnny come lately” to the furnishing of healthcare facilities; in fact they have been at it for about 40 years. With the launch of the Compass Healthcare System, it demonstrated once again that it is a leader among those that do rigorous, real, honest-to-goodness research to inform their new product efforts.
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Pictorials of interiors fall grievously short in characterizing a space, or reminding us all of the multiplicity of factors that architects and designers must take into account in their designs. Cerami & Associates is a firm that specializes in acoustics and other mechanical vibrations that can make a big difference in the performance of any space.
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In order for designers and office managers to create effective and flexible work environments, they must recognize three zones of organization – now, soon and later – and that the user traditionally personalizes them.
A great new body of must-know knowledge for interior designers – Space syntax – is a highly ordered system for assessing or predicting occupant behavior following from particular space plans. Its tenets can be directly applied, or can be used to inspire easier to implement research programs.
Designtex has set the bar for our industry,” said the company, touting its position as “the first company to change from the traditional fabric binder card sampling to a 100% digital format. And it’s not just sustainable and cost-efficient. ”Our new digital sampling gives us opportunities we have never had to really market and sell our products in a number of different ways.”
Technology >>
What’s the most fun you’ve had in your chosen profession, be it an A&D firm, manufacturer or a dealership? I’ll bet it’s not responding to RFPs. The ever-resourceful Evan Morris has just announced the formation of RFP Specialists, LLC, which can enable you to efficiently and systematically take advantage of RFP opportunities without interfering with your normal operations.
Companies >>
Known throughout Europe for its high-quality products, Italian lighting manufacturer iGuzzini has been able to enlist architects such as Renzo Piano, Norman Foster, Daniel Libeskind, Steven Holl and Zaha Hadid. In late June, iGuzzini opened its very first showroom in the United States.
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For Gary Lee Partners, a distinct perspective is the foundation of everything they create. In the words of founding partner Gary Lee: “Our standpoint as a design firm – not just an interiors or a furniture design firm – is that we try to bring to market things that we feel are of value but are not yet present.”
Product >>
8.2.10 | D. J. DePree founded Herman Miller in 1923, when he bought and then renamed the Star Furniture Company in honor of his father-in-law. The company has since brought valuable innovation to the world at large. In this difficult economic period, perhaps it is timely to reflect on his perspective.
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8.2.10 | One of the many things that make Amy Bearss of Tobron Office Furniture unique is that she has chosen not to move on, but to move up through the ranks of the firm for whom she has worked, Tobron Office Furniture in New York City.
People >>
LEED EBOM is the USGBC’s fastest growing product because it gives savvy building owners a competitive advantage. It’s a common misconception among tenants, real estate brokers and building owners that LEED EBOM Certification guarantees LEED CI certification. But, there is little overlap between the two Rating Systems – they are structured differently.
When planning an office or workspace, creating zones where similar information can be compiled for easy recall and recognition is critical. The practice of dividing numbers or items into easily understood groups is called visual chunking, which takes place in one of two modes: perceptual and goal-oriented.
