Perspective: Moving UP

Oct 20, 2022 By IIDA HQ

Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, introduces Perspective: Moving UP, an issue that looks fearlessly into the future

By IIDA HQ Oct 20, 2022

Published in Perspective

The early 20th-century British explorer Ernest Shackleton once noted: “Optimism is true moral courage.” If we know one thing for certain is that a hundred years from now, our world will look quite different: design, after all, is an ever-evolving practice. But those two qualities—optimism and courage—will still be needed more than ever as we make the decisions that will shape the future.

Design’s optimism is evergreen: designers create something from nothing—better physical and mental spaces, better work environments, and ultimately a better world. Great design doesn’t lack courage, either: today’s design leaders confidently and fearlessly point the way, while making space for future generations to learn, grow, and have a seat at the table. Designers are embracing cutting-edge technologies that have reshaped our lives in unimaginable ways—think: art installation-like interiors designed to provide a hyper-personalized experience, or Augmented Reality as a collaboration tool across states, countries, and timezones. Most importantly, we’re actively cultivating a courageous vision of the future as a safe, sustainable, just place for all.

This is where IIDA comes in—to help foster that vision of what’s next and bolster our collective courage to create it. To listen, to share, and to create opportunities and entry points into the design industry that are more accessible, more inclusive, and that find people exactly where they are. We provide resources and insight from our industry’s leading thinkers and doers. We mentor and guide with honesty, integrity, self-awareness, and wholeheartedness. And we reinforce the sense of community within IIDA, design, and the world.

This issue of IIDA’s Perspective, our third and last one of the year, is titled “Moving UP.” We’re looking into the future through the lens of award-winning architectural and environmental designer, Little Wing Lee; we host an inspiring conversation with leading educators; and we take a deep dive into sustainability in product and in practice. Together we explore some of the challenges and opportunities for architecture and design, and what the future might look like—from people, to place, and at project level.

As we consider the rapid changes in our world, it might be tempting to simply respond and react. But design’s optimistic view of the future gives us the courage to create our reality. We look to you—a rich community of idea-generators, problem-solvers, and next-level thinkers, as we work collectively, creating what’s next.

Onward and upward!

Photo by Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA | Executive Vice President and CEO, IIDA

Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA
IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO

Moving UP | Table of Contents

This issue will be published through December 2022, check back biweekly for new articles!

How to X

David Staley discusses futurism and the possibilities it opens up for the design profession at a practical level. He also responds to the most pressing question of all: can we really predict the future? Read more

Sustainable Futures: Julia Watson

Author, designer, and researcher Julia Watson shares how nature-based technologies developed by indigenous cultures from around the world can provide building blocks for designing more resilient, sustainable futures. Read more

Cover Story

Award-winning designer Little Wing Lee reflects on her unlikely path to design, art and nature as sources of inspiration, and Black Folks in Design (BFD), a platform she founded to showcase Black excellence across disciplines and the world. Read more

Sustainable Futures: Jennifer Languell

A conversation with green building and sustainability expert Dr. Jennifer Languell on the importance of urban planning and the built environment for resiliency in the face of climate change; and Babcock Ranch, the Florida community designed to withstand hurricanes that was just put to the test. Read more

Scratch Pad

Where to go, what to do, what to read, and what to consider. For this issue, we look at exhibitions, films, and books that explore what the future looks and feels like, with a lens to the past, to inform a sustainable, equitable future. Read more

A Day in the Life

We join business owner and 2022 Anna Hernandez/Luna Textiles Visionary Fund Awardee Christie Porter, IIDA as she takes us behind the scenes for a look at what it really looks like to run a successful firm, non-profit, and make time for fun. Read more

High 5

In this future-forward High 5, we look at five ways we can navigate new realities as designers. Considering how the future could be collective, nature-inclusive, empathy-driven, re-centering social services, and incorporating natural elements. Read more

IIDA Perspective Team: