I Hear Design: the i+s podcast

In the third and final installment of the Foundations of Community series, I Hear Design host Robert Nieminen speaks with Joshua Zinder, managing partner of JZA+D and co-founder of Landau | Zinder Architecture , about the evolving role of worship spaces in contemporary community life. Zinder shares how growing up in a Percival Goodman-designed synagogue helped shape both his faith and his path int...

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Product Talk explores the enduring impact of American manufacturing on commercial design. Lauren Brant sits down with Joseph Namyst of Davis Furniture and Casey Baxter of HBF + HBF Textiles to discuss craftsmanship, domestic manufacturing, sustainability, and the partnerships shaping the future of American-made furniture and textiles. Discover how herit...

In this In Case You Missed It episode of I Hear Design, we revisit a recent interiors+sources article on Unilever’s newly reimagined North American headquarters in Hoboken, New Jersey. Designed by Perkins&Will, the 111,000-square-foot workplace consolidates Unilever’s former 350,000-square-foot suburban headquarters into a more compact urban campus built for discovery, testing, collaboration,...

In this episode of I Hear Design, Robert Nieminen continues the three-part Designing the Foundations of Community series with a look at K-12 school design and what it takes to create better learning environments for students and communities today. Joining the show are Albert Aronov, principal at RKTB Architects and head of the firm’s educational studio, and Nelya Sachakova, who leads RKTB’s new sc...

In this special sponsored bonus episode of the I Hear Design podcast, host Robert Nieminen speaks with Oxana Dallas, principal designer of commercial at AHF Products , about how Armstrong Flooring®’s Kaleido™ Color Lab is reimagining the flooring specification process as a more creative, flexible, and digitally driven design experience. Rather than treating flooring as a finish selected near the e...

In this In Case You Missed It episode of the I Hear Design podcast, we revisit an interiors+sources article exploring how performance-based fire modeling can help architects and designers resolve one of the most difficult tensions in adaptive reuse and renovation work: preserving design intent while meeting life safety and egress requirements. The article explains how prescriptive code requirement...

Affordable multifamily housing is one of the most urgent design and development challenges in the U.S., but the reasons it remains so difficult to build go far beyond simple supply and demand. In this episode of I Hear Design, Robert Nieminen speaks with Peter Bafitis, managing principal at RKTB Architects , and Alex Brito, principal and leader of the firm’s affordable housing studio, about the fo...

Today’s commercial products are being asked to do more than ever before. Joined by Steve Kooy and Anthony Serge from BIFMA, Lauren Brant explores how wellness, modularity, emotional performance, and experiential lighting are shaping Chicago Design Week 2026. Key Moments in This Episode 1:12 — Why Chicago Design Week 2026 feels different Lauren Brant introduces the major themes shaping this year’s...

Immersive experiences are no longer limited to entertainment venues, museums, or high-profile attractions. In commercial interiors, designers are increasingly using experience-driven strategies to create stronger brand identity, deeper engagement, and more memorable places. In this In Case You Missed It episode of the I Hear Design podcast, we revisit “ The Business Case for Immersive Experiences...

What keeps people coming back to physical spaces in an increasingly digital world? In this episode of I Hear Design, Robert Nieminen speaks with Greg Lyon, chairman and president of Nadel Architects , about how retail and mixed-use environments are being reimagined as places for connection, culture, and community. Lyon explores why brick-and-mortar retail continues to evolve rather than disappear,...

In this In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) episode of the I Hear Design podcast, we revisit an article by Nicholas McWhirter , AIA, NCARB, design principal and studio head at SHM Architects , on what it means for architecture to truly listen. Through projects at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society and in Crested Butte, Colorado, McWhirter examines how community spaces can be shaped by history, l...

As Chicago Design Week 2026 approaches, the conversation around commercial interiors is expanding beyond product launches and showroom trends at NeoCon and Design Days to focus more deeply on the materials that shape our built environments. In this episode of I Hear Design, host Robert Nieminen welcomes back Kenn Busch of Material Intelligenc e and welcomes Jon Strassner, founder of ReWritten and...

In this In Case You Missed It episode of the I Hear Design podcast, we revisit an interiors+sources article by Janelle Penny on Relish Food Hall + Pickleball, an 88,000-square-foot adaptive reuse project in Louisville, Colorado, designed by Swan Dive Design Studio . Once a former Sam’s Club (and briefly used as a community center after the 2021 Marshall Fire), the building has been reimagined as a...

Textiles are no longer just a finishing touch—they’re a high-performance design solution. In this episode of Product Talk, Lauren Brant explores how textiles are shaping acoustics, wellness, and sustainability while influencing how people feel and interact within a space. From antimicrobial and acoustic fabrics to the rise of tactility and wellness-driven trends like “soft-clubbing,” this episode...

What does sustainable design actually look like when you strip away the rhetoric? In this Earth Month episode of I Hear Design, host Robert Nieminen takes a thoughtful (and at times provocative) look at the state of the sustainability conversation in architecture and design. Drawing on reporting from interiors+sources, BUILDINGS, Architectural Products, and Building Design+Construction, he explore...

In this In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) episode, we revisit an interiors+sources article titled, " From Classroom to Career: The People Who Shape a Designer's Path ," about the vital role mentorship plays in shaping the next generation of designers. While formal education builds technical knowledge, this conversation highlights why soft skills like communication, teamwork, and time management are of...

What does it take to build an interiors team from scratch and make it a true strategic partner to architecture, not a “finishes at the end” function? In this episode of I Hear Design, we sit down with Christina Franklin, Partner and Director of Interior Design at Generator Studio in Kansas City. Christina shares what it was like joining as a team of one and how she established the foundations that...

Behavioral health facility design requires more than durable materials and safety protocols—it calls for spaces that actively support healing, dignity, and positive patient experiences. In this In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) episode, we revisit a recent interiors+sources article exploring the foundational principles designers need to understand before planning these complex environments. This episo...

In this episode of Product Talk, host Lauren Brant speaks with sustainability journalist and material expert Kenn Busch about the growing importance of material intelligence in product specification. As more architecture and design firms begin collecting materials data through initiatives like the American Institute of Architects Materials Pledge, designers are gaining new insight into how product...

What does it mean to design for place in a desert city shaped by rapid growth, rising heat, and shifting expectations around how people live and move? In Part 2 of I Hear Design’s Mobility + Place mini-series, Robert Nieminen speaks with Hannah Hackathorn and Benjamin Ayers of Mancini ’s Phoenix office about the realities of designing in and for the desert. In this conversation, we explore how arc...

What does AIA’s latest Materials Pledge report reveal about the future of material selection in design? In this In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) article-read episode, we revisit an article recently published on the interiors+sources website titled, " AIA's Materials Pledge Report Reveals Progress—and What Comes Next ." Listen in as we explore where firms are making measurable progress in human and cl...

Airports are among the most complex public environments designers have to shape—high-traffic, high-stress spaces where operational efficiency and human experience must work together seamlessly. In this episode of I Hear Design, we kick off the first installment of the two-part "Mobility + Place" mini-series with John Anthal, who leads Mancini ’s aviation sector. Anthal discusses how airport design...

In this ICYMI article-read episode of I Hear Design, we revisit an article titled, “ ASID’s 2026 Trends Outlook: Designing for Resilience, Dignity, and Long-Term Impact ” written by staff writer and editor Lauren Brant, originally published by interiors+sources. Based on ASID’s 2026 Trends Outlook Report, the article explores how interior designers are being called to lead through disruption by cr...

To commemorate Women’s History Month , in this episode of I Hear Design, host Robert Nieminen speaks with Studio RYS principals Lisa Haude and Bhavini Hardev about what women’s leadership looks like in today’s AEC industry—and what still needs to change. Lisa and Bhavini discuss progress worth celebrating, including more women stepping into leadership and reshaping collaboration, while also naming...

The Anatomy of a Spec-Worthy Product dives into what really makes a product worthy of specification—beyond surface-level aesthetics and marketing claims. Host Lauren Brant breaks down the essential elements designers and architects need to evaluate today’s products, from certifications and documentation to material transparency, digital spec tools, and embodied carbon. Drawing on reporting from in...