In this episode of I Hear Design, we're diving into the dynamic world of urban design and mass transit projects. Our guests, Ana Francisca de la Mora and Donald Verbanac from Arcadis, explore the intricate challenges of creating vibrant, functional urban spaces with an eye toward of placemaking. We also discuss how urban planners and architects can…

In this In Case You Missed It episode, we recap an article written by Barbara Horwitz-Bennett that was originally published on the interiors+sources website on April 5, 2024, that explores some unlikely markets that provide a snapshot of a few projects getting it right in developing cities attracting tourists and locals alike.…

Well, folks, that's a wrap! We just returned from NeoCon and Design Days in Chicago, and the energy at The MART and Fulton Market was palpable. In this extended episode of I Hear Design, i+s Chief Content Director Robert Nieminen sits down with NeoCon movers and shakers, including IIDA's CEO Cheryl Durst, Hightower's co-founder and CEO, Natalie Har…

In this episode of I Hear Design, we talk to interiors+sources' long-time partner, journalist and educator Kenn Busch, about the launch of the new Climate Positive Solutions Gallery at NeoCon 2024. As the founder of Material Intelligence, Kenn is a go-to expert about educational messaging around architectural materials, informed by years of researc…

In this episode of the "I Hear Design" podcast, host Robert Nieminen discusses the topic of specifying sustainable and healthy furniture, focusing on understanding various sustainability standards. He is joined by Steve Kooy, technical director for health and sustainability at BIFMA, who provides insights into the development and integration of the…

In this In Case You Missed It episode, we recap an article written by ASID's Lindsey Koren that was originally published on the interiors+sources website on April 9, 2024, that uncovers highlights from ASID's 2024 Trends Outlook Report on refreshing trends emerging in the design of hospitality environments.…

Workplace design has seen significant shifts over the years, from the dreaded cubicle farms of decades passed to open plan offices and the hybrid model we’ve been hearing in the wake of the global pandemic. But where is workplace design now and where is it headed in the future? In this episode, Bethanne Mikkelsen, senior principal at Ankrom Moisan’…

In this In Case You Missed It Episode, we’re featuring a popular article from the interiors+sources website titled, “How Today’s Retail Design Influences E-Commerce” written by Nicki Gitlin, the owner and founder of Dang Design and Architecture, originally published online on March 26, 2024. Join us as we dive in to how customers today are familiar…

Technology has been the focal point of conversation across every industry in the past year, not the least of which has been the field of architecture. In this episode, Jack Chaffin, architect and principal at Seattle-based Johnston Architects, talks about how the firm is leveraging new technologies to enhance their designs and bring a greater level…

In this "In Case You Missed It" episode of I Hear Design, Chief Content Director Robert Nieminen reviews two recent articles from the i+s website that explore The Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator, better known as EC3. The first is titled, “3 Designers Talk 3 Ways to Utilize EC3,” by Lona Rerick, sustainable design leader and architect at …

As the architecture and design industry becomes increasingly familiar with digital design tools and pre-construction services, knowing how they work and what to look for is paramount. How can tools like 3D Revit and digital twins address pain points for project teams, for example? Listen in as Armstrong's Nate Baxter answers this questions (among o…

In this In Case You Missed It Episode, we’ll be revisiting a popular article from the interiors+sources website titled, “9 Pillars of Thoughtful Project Management,” written by Kimberly M. Zeiser, senior associate in Gensler’s Chicago studio, originally published online on Feb. 1, 2024. Join us as we explore the strategies, tools, and best practice…

In its annual Design Forecast, global architecture and design firm Gensler identifies eight key trends at play that will help move the industry forward in 2024 and beyond. Stranded assets like offices are being re-thought and re-tooled into residential spaces to help with the housing crisis, for example, and leveraging technologies like AI and crea…

In this “In Case You Missed It Episode,” we highlight a recent article titled, "Perkins&Will Launches Open-Source Tool for Healthier Environments," that was originally published online on Dec. 11th, 2023 by the i+s staff. Listen in as we describe this new resource for architects and designers that leverages public health data to help better inform …

What is circularity? That’s a question that we posed to international interior architect and product designer Laurence Carr in this episode of I Hear Design. As the founder and CEO of her eponymous and regenerative design firm in New York, Carr shares her passion and perspectives on upcycling, healthy materials and bio-based materials, and zero-was…

What do hand sketching, creating custom furniture and adaptive reuse have in common? They’re all in a day’s work for architect Rachel Robinson, co-founder of New York City based durodeco. In this episode, she sits down with i+s Editor in Chief, AnnMarie Martin, to discuss how her firm got its start, where the design industry seems to be heading in …

In this episode, Mannington Commercial's Roby Isaac discusses what informs his design thinking and guides the design process for the company’s newest introductions; the role of technology in experiential design, including how AI can be leveraged as a design tool; the incredible work Mannington is doing around sustainability and purpose-driven desig…

Research has demonstrated that unwanted noise in the workplace negatively impacts 70% of employees' concentration levels, productivity, and creativity, with similar results across education, healthcare, and hospitality environments. In this episode, i+s sits down with Slavi Younger, founder and partner of acoustical product manufacturer Fräsch, to …

The Cersaie International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile in Bologna, Italy this past September highlighted the amazing trends and technologies happening in the world of tile around the world. In this episode, Chief Content Director Robert Nieminen sat down with several of his fellow delegates from North America who traveled across the pond to attend th…

In this “In Case You Missed It Episode,” we highlight a recent article titled, “Optimizing the Hybrid Learning Experience” written by staff writer Barbara Horwitz-Bennett that appeared in our September/October issue of interiors+sources and that was originally published online on Sept. 29th, 2023. Experts sound off on the best in layout and A/V cho…

This is it! The fourth and final installment in our Women in Design series. Our very own Editor in Chief of i+s, AnnMarie Martin, sits down for an honest and encouraging conversation with Amber Pickett Wernick of Perkins&Will's Dallas studio to learn more about her story of coming up through the interior design and architecture industry and the les…

Times are changing in the interior design industry as more women are taking up positions of leadership in architecture and design firms, like our guest for Part 3 of our Women in Design series, Abby Shehan, senior design director at Premier in Dallas. In this episode, Shehan talks about how her internship as a student led to her first job in a desi…

As we continue our Women in Design series, we recently sat down with Libby Sims Patrick, founding principal and CEO of the Sims Patrick Studio based in Atlanta to discuss her journey to leading the successful hospitality design firm of her namesake. She also talks about the importance of narrative and storytelling and how it has informed her firm's…

Women make up the majority of the more than 80,000 interior designer positions in the industry today, yet only a fraction occupy positions of leadership. Why is that, and what challenges do female designers face in an industry that's still male dominated, especially in the commercial segment? In this episode, Managing Principal Jill Cole of Cole Ma…

This month, HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams announced its 2024 Color of the Year: Persimmon. In this mini-episode, host Robert Nieminen discusses the power of color on occupants in the built environment, citing an unusual phenomenon better known as "Drunk Tank Pink." Listen in as he cites a series of articles that explore the role that color psycholo…

In this “In Case You Missed It Episode,” we highlight a recent article titled, “San Francisco’s LUMA Hotel Celebrates Community and History” written by staff writer Barbara Horwitz-Bennett that appeared in the July/August issue of interiors+sources and that was originally published online on July 24th, 2023. As Mission Bay’s very first hotel and Sa…

In this episode, Chief Content Director Robert Nieminen sat down to chat with classroom furniture manufacturer Artcobell’s Patricia Cadigan, Vice President of Learning Environments, who recently immersed herself in the design and construction process of Grandview Heights Secondary School in Surrey, British Columbia. She worked directly with school …

Health and wellness may appear to be a trend in recent years, particularly in the face of a pandemic, but many product manufacturers and experts in the healthcare space have understood the importance of proper cleaning and maintenance to avoid the spread of bacteria and viruses. In this episode, Jane Rohde, principal of JSR Associates and represent…

NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days in Chicago are right around the corner. Listen in to this episode as i+s Chief Content Director Robert Nieminen and Editor-in-Chief AnnMarie Martin discuss the magazine's upcoming NeoCon Preview in the May/June issue and the most-anticipated stops they'll be making at THE MART and Fulton Market this year. Martin…

As the dust settles after the pandemic, small to mid-size design and architecture firms are now able to stop and take a proper look around to determine their position. Where it’s finding many of them is on a new playing field with their clients and colleagues alike, with lots of unfamiliar implications for material selection, work hours, financing …

It should come as no surprise that there is a movement to redefine and promote wellness across the landscape of the built environment—from our cities, schools, workplaces, homes and just about every space between. It’s fitting then that the winner of this year’s second annual “Space to Be You” pod design contest, produced by SnapCab and i+s, goes t…

Overwhelmed by carbon neutrality? It can feel like a hydra that has too many heads to conquer. But one strategy to target your carbon reduction goals is by specifying products with low embodied carbon. In our first In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) series, we present an article by Jennie Morton titled, "Tackle Carbon Neutrality with Product Specificati…

The theme of this year's Earth Day is "Invest in Our Planet," and you don't need to don't need to have the budget of a multinational corporation to make a difference. Architects and designers can have a measurable impact on the environment through the projects they design and the products they specify. In this episode, we sit down with Armstrong Wo…

Architects and designers don't need to be reminded how frustrating supply chain issues and the extended lead times and delays they have caused. The ongoing challenge seems to have no end in sight, with new materials becoming seemingly more difficult to sort each week. What if emerging technologies like the metaverse could help alleviate not only th…

According to a recent Gensler forecast report, the design of living spaces ranging from retirement communities to multigenerational urban high rises are evolving to offer more choice and physical-digital integration for seniors, and that ageism can be eliminated through design. In this episode, JSR Associates' Jane Rohde sits down with i+s Chief Co…

A recent Harvard Business Review article noted that “From now on, leading-edge companies—whether they sell to consumers or businesses—will find that the next competitive battleground lies in staging experiences." What does that mean for architects and designers who are helping their clients utilize technology and even artwork to create spaces that …

In this third and final episode in our three-part series on sustainable design, we hone in on the higher education market to learn how colleges and universities, both public and private, are setting (and achieving) aggressive sustainability targets on their journey to reach net zero. Guests Martha Larson, director of Sustainability for RMF Engineer…

There is a myriad of ecolabels, third-party certification programs and green building rating systems on the market—enough to make an architect's or designer's head spin. In this episode, we sit down with a few industry experts to discuss the tools and programs that are available to design professionals to help them reduce their environmental footpr…

We are kicking off the new year with a three-part series on sustainability and design, in which we explore a variety of topics ranging from how to design for the new climate reality we’re facing to the most current tools and resources that architects and designers can use to reduce the carbon footprints of their projects, and wrapping up by focusin…

In this episode, guest Janet Pogue, Global Director of Workplace Research and a Principal at Gensler, joins i+s Chief Content Director Robert Nieminen to unpack the results of their 2022 U.S. Workplace Survey and learn about the reasons employees are returning to the office; how the workplace can more effectively support them, and the mix of experi…

As employers struggle to attract employees back to the workplace, questions around the purpose of the office and its role in supporting not only environmental but also human health are top of mind. What role do textiles play in the design of healthy, engaging offices and what are the drivers behind the design trends we can expect to see going into …

What are NFTs and why should interior designers be paying attention to what's happening in the metaverse? In this episode, Artistic Design Works founder David Cohen sits down for a conversation with i+s Chief Content Director Robert Nieminen about how digital art in the form of NFTs is intersecting with the design of commercial interiors, and how t…

Senior living and assisted living were hit hard by the pandemic, but now that the proverbial dust has settled, do what interior designers need to consider when designing and specifying for this market? In this episode of I Hear Design, guests Allison Wolfe and Phoebe Stein offer some valuable insights on the trends and typologies that are influenci…

It’s getting more and more difficult to remember a time before rideshare apps like Über and Lyft ever existed, essentially putting a taxi service in our back pockets. Hotel properties receiving these guests are beginning to feel the impact that this ubiquitous technology is having on the design of their spaces. In this episode, Shannon Suess, princ…

With so much being written about the positive effects of biophilia on the design of interiors, it’s easy to get lost in all the buzz around biophilic design and see the forest for the trees. In this episode, Rachel Robinson, studio design principal at Ted Moudis Associates (TMA), and Michelle Beganskas, senior manager of workplace strategy at TMA, …

Most architects and interior designers would agree that environmental product declarations (EPDs) are anything but simplistic. While they are valuable tools in these professionals’ hands, EPDs are complex and require in-depth knowledge to apply them to product specification. In this episode, we sit down with Jane Rohde with JSR Associates to help s…

As part of its ongoing commitment to celebrate up-and-coming design professionals, Formica Corporation recently announced the winners of the 2022 FORM Student Innovation Competition. In this episode of I Hear Design, we talk to the first- and third-place winners of the 2022 Formica FORM Student Design Competition about the inspiration behind their …

In this episode, we talk to Armstrong Flooring's Sandra Soraci about how evidence-based design can support and inform the design of healing environments, which begins at the ground level with the floor. Find out how to leverage research to make better design decisions that help facilitate improved outcomes for patients. This podcast was produced in…

In this episode, Jessica Mann-Amato, principal and co-owner of Mancini Duffy in New York, shares her journey of rising to a leadership role as a woman in an industry that’s still very much male dominated, as well as how the firm is using technology to innovate and inform the design process for their clients. --- Support this podcast: https://podcas…

In this episode of I Hear Design, we sit down with the winner of the inaugural Space to Be You pod design contest, Emma Franceschina, and Carla Bostock, SnapCab’s Art Director and Product Aesthetics Designer, to talk about the contest and the inspiration behind Emma’s winning entry, which will be on display at NeoCon this year, which will be on dis…