11.27.11 | In the 11.14.11 issue of officeinsight, in Part 1 of this article, we began describing the IIDEX/NeoCon Canada 2011 presentation, Creating Healthier Environments Through Active Design by Karen Lee, MD, and Gayle Nicoll, Ph.D. In this Part 2, we will cover Dr. Nicoll’s description of some of the developed strategies that address current health problems attributable, in part, to the built environment, and particularly the interiors. In considering the interplay that resulted in the study of the relationship between health and safety and the built environment, most of the research has been done by health professionals. A fundamental question for architecture and design education and practice is “How ready and receptive are these professions to following and implementing this type of knowledge?”
A&D Firms >>
11.27.11 | Earlier this year Knoll launched Full Circle, a resource recovery program developed with the non-profit organization, ANEW, founded by Rose Tourje and directed by Lila Grant. The program is dedicated to extending the life cycle of surplus furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E), architectural materials and building assets in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible way. Full Circle is also the first program of its kind to include the option to convert Energy-from-Waste (EfW).
Companies >>, Environment >>, Manufacturing >>
11.27.11 | Recent research supports earlier findings about the rate at which human brains mature and confirms that in any work environment there can be brains at different stages of physical development. During the most recent study, University of Alberta Department of Biomedical Engineering Researchers Prof. Christian Beaulieu and graduate student Catherine Lebel determined using MRI scans that human brain development “continues well into our 20s.”
RD Connections >>
11.21.11 | During the economic free-fall of early 2009, hundreds across the globe gathered in Teknion showrooms to hear Sholem Prasow speak, an hour a week for eight weeks, as they prepared for the LEED AP exam. Mr. Prasow, Teknion’s VP of Business Development and Strategic Planning, guided them through the logic, documentation and sustainable intent of the U.S. Green Building Council and its distinctive approach to making the built environment more sustainable. One of his messages: sustainability is subjective; the practicing green varies, depending on what is important to the individual or the organization.
A&D Firms >>, Environment >>, People >>
11.21.11 | The real head-turner last week was not Bob King’s substantial contributions to our work and our wildlife, but that his focus on human factors (the relationship of humans to their environment) has been officially recognized by an important segment of the design communities, the Museum of Arts and Design
A&D Firms >>, Competitions and Awards >>, People >>
11.21.11 | Denise A. Guerin, Ph.D., and Caren S. Martin, Ph.D., professors at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design, are at it again, trying to articulate in a meaningful way the value of interior design to the health, safety and welfare of humans. Their latest contribution is the research that is the basis of The Interior Design Profession’s Body of Knowledge and Its Relationship to People’s Health, Safety and Welfare, which is described by CIDA as “a seminal industry research report issued by six leading interior design organizations
A&D Firms >>, Prof. Associations >>
11.21.11 | Leland has an international network of dealers that recognize the value of partnering with a company oriented to good design. “Our dealers recognize that this strengthens their relationships with their client base and also adds A&D support by reinforcing the right product” said Leland’s NYC rep Mario Riservato. Supporting both interior designers and dealers has broadened Leland’s overall industry support and aided in recent company growth.
A&D Firms >>, Companies >>, Product >>
11.21.11 | The British Council for Offices (BCO) polled 1,000 office workers in the United Kingdom to learn more about their workplace experiences. Researchers determined that “employees greatly valued the social benefits of working in a communal space…" (but read on for the counterpoint)
A&D Firms >>, Research >>, RD Connections >>
11.14.11 | The built environment was created to intervene in otherwise prevailing and threatening circumstances, natural or man made. It is an act of audacious ignorance, however, to assume that our built environment would not bear its own potential hazards. Now, through the illuminating work of Karen Lee, MD, and Gayle Nicoll, Ph.D., we can see that the environment in which we live and the environments that we design are key determinants of the health conditions and the health epidemics that affect us.
A&D Firms >>, Events >>, Healthcare >>
11.14.11 | This is Designtex’s 50th year. “Moving forward,” said Tom Hamilton, president and CEO, “we are a design, marketing, sales and distribution business focused on providing insight-led environment enhancement through the application of premium surfaces . . . to enhance seating, walls, work stations, floors and ceilings. We focus on providing the right solution, not just products.”
A&D Firms >>, Companies >>
11.14.11 | We know that this industry practically lives by its rumors, most of which prove to have little merit despite the odd grain of truth. In any event, Mark Falanga, Ph.D., Chris Kennedy’s successor as president, of the Merchandise Mart Properties was prompted to rebut the rampant buzz about a possible sale of the Merchandise Mart by publishing a letter expressing MMPI’s unwavering commitment to the NeoCon shows.
Companies >>, Events >>
11.14.11 | LED lighting is in the first part of the early adopter phase and could quickly move to the next phase since it offers energy savings and long lamp life. Yet, with any evolving technology, change can happen quickly and this can increase risk. No topic has created more interest than LEDs in the educational programs given by SquareFootage.net and its partners in 2011. Here are some insights to help sort out the playing field, or answer that famous Abbott & Costello question: Who’s on first?
Lighting >>, Technology >>
11.14.11 | Marco Costa investigated the tendency of people to sit in the same seat each time they are in a public space. His research was conducted in academic buildings, but it is applicable in a range of other settings such as workplace conference rooms. As Costa states, “students choose the same seat over time in university classrooms. This territorial behavior emerges also if people do not have the possibility to personalize ‘their’ space and to defend it against the invasion of other users when they are absent.”
A&D Firms >>, RD Connections >>
