One designer examines ways workplace design can positively impact the health of its occupants
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Cultural differences in the Middle East inform design preferences in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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David J. Neuman, FAIA and Architect for the University of Virginia, examines how higher education institutions are using sustainability and collaboration, and branding and efficiency in the design of learning environments
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A Perkins + Will designer imagines the possibilities in healthcare delivery with a few department reconfigurations for greater efficiency
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Differences in healthcare design such as spacial allocation were found during collaboration on several projects in the U.K. for a U.S. health system client
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John Cary, the co-recipient of the 2009 Designer of the Year Award from Contract, describes the impact that 2012 Designer of the Year MASS Design Group has in the larger context of public interest design.
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Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital's Willson Hospice exemplifies the holistic model of well being in Georgia
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Local students get real world experience with The University Health System in San Antonio, Texas
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Perkins+Will designers discuss healthcare from the patient's perspective when one of their own shares a personal experience
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The leaders at Perkins+Will discuss in this month’s exclusive online column how these types of collaborative projects can result in a more rewarding experience and end product
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Editorial by Editor-in-Chief John Czarnecki introducing the October 2011 issue
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Two sustainability experts with the GSA’s Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings outline key aspects of the resilient workplace, which can be applied to any office
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The leaders at Perkins+Will discuss in this month’s exclusive online column the cultural challenges involved with designing state-of-the-art facilities in this rapidly growing region
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A current renovation by VOA Associates at one Washington, D.C.-based office building aims to preserve history while allowing for the evolution of design
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The leaders at Perkins+Will share in this month’s online column their best strategies for taking the intimidating Evidence-Based Design Accreditation Certification exam
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A letter from Contract Editor in Chief John Czarnecki (July/Aug 2011 issue)
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Small changes in design details and product selections now can help save you and the client money in the future
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An update on the largest hospital under construction in Colombia
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Art in public buildings must reflect both the vision of the artist and the mission of the architecture
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It’s a simple question, but there isn’t a clear answer
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Luckily, the design publishing industry is organic in the sense that there is change when necessary, and from that change there is growth
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While the actual settings are rich with potential pearls of wisdom, working analytically in the healthcare field also brings with it the perils doing just that.
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Antonio Larosa, chair of the Furniture Design Department at SCAD, discusses moving away from “shop-oriented” education in design schools to adopt a more European model of instruction
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LAIAD teaches aspiring design professionals to think like designers
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ROI-related decision-making takes hold as consumers demand data-driven-results, not obtuse claims
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"Designing for Health" is a monthly, Web-exclusive series from healthcare interior design leaders at Perkins+Will that focuses on the issues, trends, challenges, and research involved in crafting today's healing environment
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Six strategies to create successful temporary commercial spaces that engage new customers and, more importantly, create lifelong brand fanatics
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As some of you know, I really enjoy having the last word. So here it is.
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How should planners and designers determine size, configuration, shape and capacity of educational spaces to support student success?
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State budget woes mean that the 2011 construction outlook for the K-12 market continues to decline
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Learning is a lifelong experience—not confined to the classroom or a formal process of instruction...Such is the proposition to which we dedicate our March issue focused on Education, where our definition of “learning environments” includes varied spaces
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Failed retail establishments give way to successful spaces to house educational facilities
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Traditional and non-traditional places of worship are designed to engage and inspire
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Good for business, good for the community
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Sitting at Newark airport on a snowy Friday in January is as good a time as any to reflect on the year ahead.
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"Designing for Health" is a monthly, Web-exclusive series from healthcare interior design leaders at Perkins+Will that focuses on the issues, trends, challenges, and research involved in crafting today's healing environment
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As we look ahead to 2011, we see a more consistent warming of the market, with erratic economic growth on the foreseeable horizon
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How can designers do their part to ease the stress of flying?
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Contract asks two designers to name and explain their preferred lounge seating products
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In an age of mobility and digital communication, communal seating repeatedly is cropping up—and even being requested by clients—in today’s restaurant designs
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Six A&D professionals reflect on their top interior design product introductions from 2010
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In mid-November, members of Contract’s Editorial Advisory Board (see masthead) gathered in New Orleans along with a select group of commercial and institutional real estate executives, participating sponsors, and members of the Contract staff for a weekend of thought-provoking dialog about the leadership role of designers in society, particularly as it pertains to their ability—and some would say obligation—to influence positive social change.
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Commercial furnishings and finishes manufacturers are going the extra mile to offer relevance to the design community.
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"Designing for Health" is a monthly, Web-exclusive series from healthcare interior design leaders at Perkins+Will that focuses on the issues, trends, challenges, and research involved in crafting today's healing environments. This month's installment focuses on creating a healing garden oasis within a healthcare setting.
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With today’s conspicuous promotion of green building and sustainability,
it is easy to forget that most commercial buildings simply do what they
have always done: meet local building energy codes.
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Healthcare experts discuss the benefits of wellness centers in senior living communities
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Keeping pace with sustainable and alternative material trends, a series of products from Daniel Michalik showcases cork as the new ideal seating material.
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Woods Bagot and Buro Happold develop a model that delivers on the promise of zero carbon and zero emissions for large-scale development projects
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HOK’s Net Zero Co2urt may be the first-generation Prius of zero emissions office buildings
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Combining lean design with two emerging healthcare delivery models are changing the way healthcare is provided to its patients.
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Reinvention has never been so “in”—or so necessary—as it has been in the recent years of economic distress, and one shift for the A&D community has been the way design firms approach business development and marketing.
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There are a significant number of buildings in the repositioning market today, and an ever-increasing interest from developers to create highly marketable and financially viable building assets.
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Renovating existing buildings might just be the new “new” for colleges and universities.
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Big box retailers are seeking different approaches to store environments
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The future of our design disciplines and service philosophies should bring a demand for increased ingenuity in design, flexibility, durability, and longevity in our buildings.
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As the pace of change in modern life accelerates, library design is changing too.
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Even during the darkest days of the current economic recession, school and university construction continued, albeit at a slower pace, thus representing one of the few “bright” spots of opportunity—relatively—for architects and interior designers.
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The University of Chicago Law School entrusts OWP/P/Cannon Design with the task of modernizing its original Saarinen structure while respecting the building's heritage.
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What office design characteristics are needed for today’s challenging corporate environment?
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Some of today’s mixed-use projects are using public libraries as anchors—with good results.
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The U.S. vice president of
Colebrook Bosson Saunders died on May 10 at 35 years of age.
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How can you navigate coding and permit snafus?
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A student product design competition offers new perspectives for the participants and judges alike
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A LEED expert offers a step by step guide for avoiding lost credits
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Design specialists are uniquely positioned to help navigate the process of change in the workplace
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The interior designer today is concerned not only with determining furniture, furnishings, colors, materials, and finishes, but also with organizing and predicting basic concepts of work organization and traffic flow for large corporate or institutional entities.
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Perkins+Will interior design director and principal Joan Blumenfeld, FAIA, LEED AP ID+C, debates the similarities of interior and urban design.
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Contract asks eight designers to name and explain their preferred commercial interior products from the past five decades.
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A visionary rethinks the way we work and offers insight on managing people and technology. (January 1989)
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What the pencil did for communications, the microprocessor will do for the office in the ’80s.
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These 11 new materials and technologies offer a glimpse into where innovation is taking us.
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How virtual work is changing the modern workplace
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Research has become a hot topic lately in interior design especially in the arenas of sustainability,
healthcare, and workplace environments.
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From June 1990: Architects and interior designers would have much more to gain by
educating society about the true value of design in our lives.
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"Designing for Health" is a monthly, Web-exclusive series from healthcare interior design leaders at Perkins+Will that focuses on the issues, trends, challenges, and research involved in crafting today's healing environments. This month's article focuses on connecting a healthcare facility with its urban community.
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I tend to think of Contract as a part of the design industry, but actually it is more accurately part of another industry—print publishing—which is experiencing tremendous change to the point of upheaval.
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For more meaningful progress on green building, sustainable design and sustainable operation must become more intertwined
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As alliances and collaborations combine with more frequency, and technological possibilities accelerate, how designers work and what the profession will look like will change profoundly.
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From smartphones to Google, technology is changing the way designers approach the very practice of design.
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Female Designers Comment (1970): While they acknowledge that desks designed exclusively for females are economically unsound, four top female designers think that desk designs should take into account distinctive feminine needs.
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From June 1970: Robert Propst, president, Herman Miller Research Corporation, Ann Arbor, Mich., explores many of the psychological and physiological considerations of workplace functions and how they affect workplace design.
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After a devastating year of layoffs, furloughs, and closures, businesses
are repositioning for the post-great recession economy. What will this
new economic landscape look like?
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From 1963: Although the image of the space planner has begun to come into focus, there are still a good many blurry physiognomic details.
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What is an anniversary? Certainly it is an opportunity to celebrate the past, as we have done in spades in this commemorative issue marking Contract’s 50 years in publication.
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More happiness, less stuff. It’s the conclusion I’ve been drawing lately on the speaking circuit, as I describe my reworking of a famous equation by Paul and Anne Ehrlich from their book The Population Bomb—the environmental impact equation.
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At this fateful juncture in our social and economic history, when everything from personal values to business processes is up for reevaluation, there is renewed talk of the potential for design thinking to chart a more enlightened future for corporate America and beyond.
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This article addresses itself to a dilemma facing the contract and interior design field and particularly as it affects the final client—the business firm or corporation. The dilemma is not of anyone’s particular making but it causes serious enough headache to warrant attention and, it is hoped, clarification.
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Generational differences and sustainability play a major role today in workplace design.
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This month's installation of Perkins+Will “Designing for Health" series
focuses on safety in behavioral health facilities.
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This month's “Designing for Health" article focuses on the challenges of renovating existing healthcare facilities.
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What Designers Need To Know About Lighting
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2010 will
bring great jubilation here at Contract as we celebrate our 50th year in
publication.
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Today’s multipurpose hotel lobby functions as living room, meeting room, dining
room, and art gallery to provide the complete guest experience
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A manufacturing CEO gains insights by earning his LEED accreditation
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One of the biggest trends to sweep guestrooms around the world is the open, New
York loft-style aesthetic.
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Colleges
are now adapting the integrated design approach to their own campus dining
facilities.
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As we rush headlong toward the holidays and a new year (whew!) it is probably
safe to say that many of us have given up on 2009 and are looking forward to
what 2010 will bring.
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In the case of LEED for Schools (with LEED Healthcare
on the horizon), there are no LEED credits for acoustics.
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In the
last several years, Emergency Departments have finally begun to get the right kind of treatment.
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After decades of relegating staff and patients to the glare of
artificial light, many hospitals now are aggressively pursuing daylighting
strategies that have long been the accepted as the norm in Europe.
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