I Hear Design: the i+s podcast

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 representative for the American Academy of Healthcare Inter...

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 also shares some thoughts about her evolution...

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 and more. Owners and executives reflect on the pas...

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 to an entry aptly named “The Biophilic Portal.” I...

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 Specification," that appeared in our March/April issue of int...

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 World Industry 's Environmental Sustainability Ma...

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 this issue, but also the problems with product sampl...

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 Content Director Robert Nieminen to discuss an inn...

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 are both memorable and meaningful? In this episode...

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 Engineering, Jennifer Cordes, principal at Hord Coplan Mac...

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 footprints in the battle against climate change. Guests...

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 focusing on sustainability higher education and how a num...

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 experiences that will help accelerate their return. ---...

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 2023? In this episode, we sit down with Heather Bu...

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 they can help create dynamic experiences in the hos...

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 influencing the design of senior and assisted living enviro...

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, principal at Seattle-based MG2, sits down with chief co...

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, discuss some of the most common misconceptions aro...

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 simplify the process of using EPDs in sustainable d...

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 entries, their experiences of working with laminat...

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 partnership with Armstrong Flooring. --- Support...

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://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iandsdesign/support

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 display at NeoCon this year. --- Support this podcast...

Ceilings represent a significant amount of square footage and investment in design projects, which requires designers and specifiers to give careful consideration to what gets installed in the ceiling plane. In this episode of I Hear Design, we talk to Steve Udolph, national sales manager at CertainTeed, to find out how ceilings can contribute to issues like acoustics, wellness and biophilia, as w...

Health and wellness are top of mind for every designer and specifier, but what role can lighting and controls play in supporting occupant wellbeing? In this episode produced in partnership with Leviton, experts from the company's various brands share their insights into the ways in which lighting design can help improve health outcomes in healthcare facilities, the role UV lighting technology play...