The influx of women in the workplace starting in the 1960s was partly attributable to the development of infant formula. Formula gave mothers of newborns added freedom to return to work after childbirth. However, in the last few decades, research findings overwhelmingly in favor of breast milk over formula have… Read More →
Coworking is sweeping the globe. According to the Global Coworking Survey 2015-2016, coworking spaces have increased globally from 3 to 7,800 between 2005 and 2015. The projection for 2016 is approximately 16,000 spaces; 25,000 spaces by 2017; and 37,000 spaces by 2018. Three main factors drive this explosive growth. First,… Read More →
I was invited to attend the 2016 Washington Ideas Forum last week and was somewhat overwhelmed (and quite entertained) with the political talk that took up most of the conversations. Granted, it was just a couple of days after the first presidential debate, so there was lots to talk about… Read More →
Consider this common scenario: An interior designer is designing a busy healthcare clinic. The clinic’s lobby needs to accommodate many anxious clients waiting for their appointments. The designer understands that the patients will likely be stressed and anxious. However, he is unaware of research on how to diminish stressors in… Read More →
Interior environments that support users’ resilience are an emerging topic among designers. A person with resilience is able to recover from problems quickly. We all have problems, but people who have experienced past traumas such as physical abuse, mental abuse, or homelessness need to preserve and rebuild their resilience in… Read More →
It’s complicated. It’s dynamic. It’s constantly changing, and at an accelerating rate, too. This is the world we live in. It’s a world comprised of many elements and factors which are intricately woven into a complex system where changes in one area impact the factors related to it. It’s an… Read More →
The workplace setting has become a key target for innovative wellness programs to encourage healthier and happier lifestyles. With the increase of sedentary behavior, encouraged by our televisions, phones, and computers, it is ever more important to find creative ways to incorporate physical activity into everyday tasks. For desk-based jobs in… Read More →
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation awards up to $100,000 annually for research through the Transform Grant. This year, a multidisciplinary team from the Center for Advanced Design Research and Evaluation, HKS, Inc., Dallas Independent School District, Herman Miller, and recently, USG, was awarded $30,000 to build a… Read More →
Millennial brains are just wired differently. This fact quickly became apparent when I started my new position in August as an assistant professor in the Department of Interior Design at the University of Florida. I decided early on that rather than ban the use of mobile devices in my classroom,… Read More →
Interdisciplinary design helps solve complex design problems by bringing together various players in the built environment and other disciplines to create designs for the total human experience (see “A Beautiful Symphony,” page 26, in the Winter 2015 issue of ICON). Another approach to interdisciplinary design is taking lessons learned from… Read More →