by Kelly Jahn, senior architect with Bergmann
There is a pattern to architectural and design styles emerging from political, economic, social and technological changes of the time—or as a reaction against them. After many discussions and exploration at the NeoCon show this summer, I believe we are currently in one of these historic shifts as designers react to our hectic, technology-saturated lives.
This was my fifth year as a Best of NeoCon judge. I am honored and excited to participate each year and spend time with the other 40 or so architects, designers and facilities managers from across the country. The teams spend three days prior to the opening of NeoCon visiting showrooms and listening to presentations from product designers who have traveled from all around the world to introduce products and compete in the Best of NeoCon, presented by
Contract magazine
and sponsored by NeoCon and The McMorrow Reports. NeoCon is an annual workplace interiors conference and showcase at The Mart in Chicago.
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Empowering Design
, an IIDA Educators Roundtable Report, is the result of a dialogue between educators, practitioners and students from across the country on how best to equip the next generation of designers for success.
To empower the design profession, educators and practitioners must embrace increasing diversity, expand established modes of thought, and champion education and research as invaluable, interlinked components—those are the primary outcomes presented in a nine-page report.
“Discussions were centered on two questions: Are emerging professionals adequately prepared and empowered to enter design practice in an increasingly challenging environment? What can be improved in the process of education, mentorship and the transition from student to practitioner?” said John Czarnecki, Hon. IIDA, Assoc. AIA, deputy director and senior vice president of IIDA.
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Privacy is critical to restroom occupants. In education facilities in particular—where design is trending toward more all-gender facilities—large gaps in toilet partitions are no longer acceptable. In regard to public and government facilities, several states have passed laws that protect those who wish to use the restroom of their choice.
With privacy partitions from
Bobrick
, doors are manufactured with interlocking edges to eliminate undesirable sightlines. For added privacy, choose Maximum Height partitions, which consist of full-height hardware with 72-inch high doors and panels with just over 4 inches of floor clearance. To meet your project needs, custom height doors and panels, with a substantial selection of colors and patterns, are also available.
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Thornton Tomasetti, the international engineering firm, provided structural engineering services to architect Solomon Cordwell Buenz for the Academic and Residential Complex at The University of Illinois, Chicago. The fast-tracked project broke ground in January 2018, and its completion was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 18, 2019. The project, designed by SCB, is a public-private partnership between UIC and American Campus Communities (ACC), the largest owner, manager and developer of high-quality student housing communities in the U.S. It is the first public-private partnership (P3) assignment for Thornton Tomasetti’s Chicago office.
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Co-working. Dispersed workplace. Healthier work environments. Reducing your facilities impact on climate change. Skills you need for the future and how to attract the next generation of FMs to your company are among the many topics that will be explored at IFMA’s World Workplace 2019. To be held Oct. 16 to 18 in Phoenix, FMs can follow their interests and add to their skill sets by choosing from more than
100 courses
at the conference.
You can register now
.
Here are some courses that The McMorrow Reports’ founder Eileen McMorrow is particularly excited about:
- DD2 Deeper Dive Tuesday: Oh, the Places your FM Career Can Go . . . Teena Shouse, Principal, FM Transitionst.
- EA 1.02 How Can You Engage the Next Generation Today & Be Future Ready Tomorrow? Experiences from Generations Y&Z. Wednesday, Yvet Brummelhuis, MSc, The World of YES.
- 1.14 Workplace Evolutionaries (WE) “Our Planet and Virtual Work” Presented by Chris Hood and Gervais Tompkin.
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Inscape’s
RockIt
bench has evolved to accept perpendicular work surfaces and support a wider range of applications. With linear and 90 degree planning options, RockIt creates workspaces for individual, collaborative and integrated work styles in open environments. It delivers convenient access to power, supports wellbeing through height adjustability and the addition of surface-mounted privacy screens addresses the need for acoustics and privacy.
Speaking about the upgrades, David Gerson, Chief Brand Officer at Inscape said: “We wanted RockIt to feature the most innovative technology that enhances productivity and comfort without sacrificing the simple, compact design that our users love. Both the 90-degree planning and SkyRockIt features enable flexibility, practicality and wellbeing in any office environment.”
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The 6th annual New York City Hospital, Outpatient Facilities and Medical Office Building Summit will be held Wednesday, Sept. 25, in the Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital. It will run from 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with half-day or full-day attendance available. It includes breakfast and lunch and attendees can earn up to 5 CEUs from AIA, AHA, IFMA and Engineers. The conference is presented by the Corporate Realty, Design & Management Institute.
Registration for the event is open.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Aaron Mauck, Senior Director, Advisory Board Company (highest rated speaker at recent Summit in Washington, D.C.).
- Kimberly McMurray, AIA, MBA, Ligature and Patient/Staff Safety Risk Assessment Expert (clients include NYC Health+Hospitals, Kingsbrook Medical Center, and Hackensack University Medical Center.
- Edward LaPine and Richard Kelly of Jensen Hughes, combined 32 years of experience guiding health systems and designers on life safety, accessibility, and specialty codes for healthcare projects in large campus, retail, MOB, and outpatient settings.
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by Eileen McMorrow
Good workplace design forms a base for success, according to the 2019 Capital One Workplace Environment Survey released July 30. This year’s data shows that thoughtfully designed office spaces are still top-of-mind for employees: Nearly all employees (90%) see that they perform better in well-designed workplaces. Further, employees continue to say that good workplace design drives them to be more innovative and productive. Millennials put an even stronger emphasis on well-designed workplaces with 35% agreeing strongly, compared to 32% of Boomers and 28% of Gen Xers.
The 2019 Capital One Workplace Environment Survey asked 3,500 full-time office professionals, 18 and over, to share their thoughts about the impact of workplace design and employee experience on their satisfaction, creativity and productivity at work. The responses are comprised of 1,000 nationwide + 2,500 combined designated markets (500 per market) for 3,500 total responses.
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Armstrong Fluid Technology has announced an ECM Pump-Less-Volute, a new variable-speed version of the popular Gold Series Pump-Less-Volute. The new ECM Pump-Less-Volute uses a permanent magnet motor that is up to 40% more efficient than a standard induction motor.
Armstrong Pump-Less-Volute kits (PLV) are a complete repair solution for Armstrong dry rotor S&H and 1050 & 1060 Series. Armstrong standard and ECM PLVs can also be used to re-build or upgrade select B&G or Taco circulator models. The new ECM solution provides a very effective energy upgrade and is ideal for contractors who want to install a more energy-efficient pump without making changes to the pipe or the casing.
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Bentley Mills
urges us to stop sorting – and start celebrating what makes each of us different, unique, special and distinct. “Globally, we’re seeing a defiant shift away from divisive individuals and organizations. There is a powerful desire to reverse hatred, separation and disconnection, and to champion freedom and respect for all,” said Ginger Gilbert, vice president of creative for Bentley. “Most of us understand we must live harmoniously together, yet we also realize there’s nothing wrong with standing out, and we should feel free to do so without judgment. This is why we created ‘Sorted.’ ”
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The NLC from
Nightingale
is ahead of the curve, featuring innovative features that will spark change in the whole contract seating industry as other companies shift to keep up. Winner of the Best of NeoCon Silver Award 2019 for Seating: Ergonomic Desk/Task, Nightingale’s holistic design approach to the NLC reflects its desire to create “a piece of furniture, not just a chair.” The NLC is a stylish, design-forward chair that will elevate the aesthetic of any space and match the sensibilities of the user.
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Registration is open for
ISSA Show North America 2019
,
Las Vegas, Nov. 18–21. The worldwide cleaning industry association, ISSA expects more than 16,000 cleaning and facility solutions professionals and 700-plus exhibits.
ISSA is offering special early-bird pricing on the All-Access Pass through Sept. 17.
Cleaning-industry professionals of all levels gather at the event annually to conduct business, sharpen their skills, learn the newest industry trends, discover the latest products and services, and uncover fresh solutions to the day-to-day challenges they face.
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