Architect/Designer

December 15, 2016

Attracting New Talent and Maintaining a Happy Workforce

The era of nomadic working is shifting. Recent studies, including Peldon Rose’s Summer 2016 Happy Office survey, have found that working remotely can leave employees feeling increasing disconnected from colleagues and community. 66% of people found that their productivity decreased outside the connectivity of the workplace. With the return of an office-based culture; how can…

December 8, 2016

Simulated Nature Research Gets Real, Part II

This two-part article is a collaboration between Bill Witherspoon, founder, Skye Witherspoon, CEO, and myself in my role as Director of Research Initiatives at The Sky Factory. It was inspired by Bill Browning’s Real vs. Simulated Nature section in The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace report, and its timely review to how…

November 22, 2016

Simulated Nature Research Gets Real, Part I

This article is a collaboration between Bill Witherspoon, founder, Skye Witherspoon, CEO, and myself in my role as Director of Research Initiatives at The Sky Factory. It was inspired by Bill Browning’s Real vs. Simulated Nature section in The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace report, and its timely review to how past…

November 14, 2016

Inspired by the Art of Handcrafting

Even when craftspeople are working to a pattern, handspun or woven textiles are one-of-a-kind items — small variations make each one unique. Saori weaving, created by Misao Jo in 1968, celebrates this idea of random beauty. Unlike other handweaving techniques, Saori is completely freestyle with no rules, restrictions, or samples to follow, and where a…

November 10, 2016

ANF Architects Creates Dynamic Workspace

When Teacher Town Commons desired a dynamic, invigorating space for its new offices, they partnered with ANF Architects/Interior Design to convert two floors of a 1930’s narrow, concrete, column-filled freight warehouse into a modern workspace. A think tank and incubator for 15 to 25 small education-related nonprofit organizations, Teacher Town USA sought an energizing design to initiate person-to-person work…

October 3, 2016

Feeling Good, Working Well: Meridian Credit Union’s Biophilic Office

In the relocation of its Toronto corporate office, Meridian Credit Union’s transition team worked closely with designers Bullock + Wood and Interface to craft new offices that emphasize and support the well-being of its employees. As Ontario’s largest credit union, Meridian knows well what it takes to help its members grow. And in the process…

September 15, 2016

Building Biomimetic Cities: An Interview with Melissa Sterry

Melissa Sterry is a design scientist and systems theorist. We interviewed her on biodesign, biomimetic cities, and more. Melissa is recognised as a world leading authority on the science, technology and thinking that could help build a better world. We tend to focus on the macrocosm of the city but you’ve shown there’s much to…

September 12, 2016

TransferWise Transforms Office Design

Welcome to the era of a new “Googlefied” office. Tech start-ups have challenged conceptions of the modern working environment since companies such as Google and Facebook created their sought after workspaces, akin to playgrounds, for the professional generation Y. Now, scientific studies, including our Human Spaces report, have proven that worker’s concentration and productivity levels…

September 9, 2016

Top Trends for the Future of Workspaces

These are the big trends we’re seeing regarding the future of workspaces. 1. Co-Working A proliferation of co-working venues with sophisticated and comprehensive amenities previously only found in high-end corporate fitouts. Internationally renowned British designer, Tom Dixon, has recently designed Interchange, a purpose-built co-working space in Camden, London – three shiny glass and metal buildings…