At
ThinkLab,
our
passion
exists
at
the
intersection
of
specification
and
design,
where
we
use
research
to
improve
communications
between
designers
and
manufacturers.
Over
the
past
15
weeks,
we
have
been
tracking
the
impact
of
the
COVID-19
pandemic
on
the
design
industry—looking
at
metrics
like
bid
activity,
employment,
and
project
continuation.
These
results
have
been
shared
freely
with
anyone
who
participates
in
our
weekly
Industry
Impact
Survey—which
we
invite
you
to
take!While
the
feedback
to
this
type
of
data
was
positive,
the
response
was
crystal
clear:
“This
is
great,
but
we
want
MORE.”
As
a
result,
our
most
recent
deep
...
Healthy
People/Healthy
Planet
Like
most
architects,
planners
and
urbanist
in
general,
we
have
been
thinking
about
the
lasting
effect
COVID-19
will
have
on
the
built
environment...especially
cities.
Until
March,
it
seemed
that
the
21st
century
was
going
to
be
an
age
lead
not
by
empires
or
countries
but
by
powerful
cities.
Rapidly
growing
urban
areas
produced
over
80%
of
the
World’s
Gross
Economic
Product
and
housed
over
50%
of
its
population.
People
living
together
inspire
each
other.
Along
with
density
comes
intellectual
innovation
and
economic
energy.
And
now
just
a
few
short
months
later,
we
are
being
forced
to
rethink
...
Design
for
me
is
about
making
space
that
provides
beauty
and
utility
in
equal
measure.
It
is
a
celebration
of
life,
a
veiled
tool
that
supports
the
way
we
live
and
work.
As
designers
we
juggle
many
complicated
tasks
in
order
to
successfully
deliver
to
our
clients
a
solution
that
appears
both
simple
and
seamless,
and
ideally,
is
flexible
enough
to
accommodate
most
future
scenarios.
During
this
strange
time
of
disruption,
the
landscape
in
which
we
design
is
transforming
radically
and
quickly.
The
process
by
which
we
carry
out
our
jobs
is
changing
constantly
to
meet
these
shifting
demands.
The
...
The
current
crisis
reveals
once
again
that
our
society
is
facing
some
major
challenges
that
come
along
with
globalization,
digitalization,
urbanization,
climate
change
and
social
inequality.
We
hope
that
this
situation
leads
to
a
higher
awareness
and
willingness
to
work
globally
together
as
a
team
on
relevant
issues.
As
the
search
for
answers
and
solutions
regarding
those
topics
accompanied
us
for
many
years,
we
would
like
to
introduce
our
working
philosophy,
called
“New
Holism
–
transdisciplinary
approach
to
human-centered
design.”Inspired
to
work
not
only
on
aesthetically
pleasing
or
functional
entities,
our
firm
turned
its
attention
to
pondering
global
shifts
in
...
How
do
you
know
how
your
employees,
colleagues,
and
clients
are
coping
with
COVID?
The
answer
to
this
daunting
question
is
actually
simpler
than
you
think:
you
ask.
However,
what
you
ask
may
be
different
than
you
think.
The
power
of
asking
the
right
questions
to
guide
our
design
decision-making
is
one
that
cannot
be
undervalued,
especially
through
a
world-shaking
event
like
COVID-19.
At
the
American
Society
of
Interior
Designers
(ASID),
we
have
long
proclaimed
the
value
of
research
and
its
importance
to
the
design
process,
with
a
focus
on
the
benefits
of
conducting
pre-
and
post-occupancy
research
to
make
...
If
architects
are
meant
to
“design
a
better
world,”
they
may
or
may
not
be
succeeding,
depending
on
your
perspective.
But,
if
architects
can
be
a
beacon
for
equity
and
decency,
then
we
have
no
choice
but
to
succeed--or
evolve
through
trying.
Architects
must
begin
with
their
ranks
to
identify
privilege,
understand
its
dimensions,
and
use
it
to
lead
within
our
sphere
of
influence
and
beyond.
Architects
must
embrace
divergent
voices
and
disruptive
ideas,
and
in
doing
so,
create
spaces
for
fairness
and
justice
to
exist,
unfettered.Design
justice
has
come
to
mean
community-led
intervention.
It
has
come
to
mean
people-focused
...
Jun 17, 2020 by Carolyn Ames Noble, ASID, WELL AP, WELL Faculty
COVID-19
forever
changed
the
world.
After
a
period
of
extreme
isolation
and
social
distancing,
people
are
eager
to
reconnect.
My
hope
is
that
many
communities,
families,
friends
and
colleagues
will
come
together
stronger
as
they
seek
purposeful
connection.
In
the
workplace,
there
will
be
a
shift
away
from
typical
office
plans
into
spaces
that
are
meaningful
and
intentional,
and
the
greatest
value
will
be
placed
on
time.
The
workplace
in
the
2020’s
will
become
a
hub
for
connection
and
exchange.Many
of
us
already
worked
remotely
prior
to
the
pandemic.
In
fact,
according
to
a
recent
study,
some
14.6%
worked
from
...
The
question
posed
for
this
blog
post
is,
“How
might
the
current
COVID
crisis
impact
design
for
the
better?”
But,
because
I
have
infinite
belief
in
the
power
of
design
to
create
positive
change,
I
prefer
to
turn
the
question
around
and
ask,
“How
might
design
impact
the
current
crisis
for
the
better?”Since
the
world
stayed
home,
there
has
been
a
proliferation
of
thoughtful
industry
dialog
and
brainstorming
about
what
comes
next
for
the
office
environment.
What
will
the
workplace
look
like
in
the
post-COVID-19
world?
How
will
it
need
to
function
in
order
to
be
successful
in
the
“new
...
Events
of
the
past
centuries,
the
past
decades,
and
most
recently
the
past
weeks
and
days,
have
painfully
and
plainly
illuminated
the
disparities
in
our
culture
and
society.
It’s
become
abundantly
clear
that
facing
these
challenges
can’t
be
done
alone
and
a
widespread
collective
effort
is
necessary
for
great
societal
change
to
take
place.
The
current
protests
and
dialogue
around
racial
injustice
have
exposed
how
much
work
really
needs
to
be
done
for
us
to
all
“be
in
this
together”—truly
confronting
racism,
injustice,
and
inequity
is
critical.
We
know
that
design
is
but
one
small
part
of
that
larger
equation—so
...
The
pandemic
has
forced
us
to
rethink
the
way
we
work
and
given
us
a
lesson
in
what
is
really
important.
It
has
been
an
interesting
experiment
that
we
could
never
have
imagined
before:
could
we,
in
this
age
of
untethered
technology,
work
remotely
all
the
time?
The
answer
is
a
resounding
“yes
we
can,”
but
it
is
not
quite
the
same
and
it
is
not
good
for
us
in
the
long
term.
It
is
interesting
that
video
conferencing
has
replaced
not
only
in-person
meetings
but
telephone
calls
as
well.
I
find
myself
doing
video
calls
for
everything
these
days
...
Do you have any industry insights or an original thought piece you would like to share with the greater NeoCon audience? Email us to submit it for potential inclusion.
