Perspective: State of Being

Apr 12, 2022 By IIDA HQ

Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, introduces "Perspective: State of Being" the first edition of our members-only digital magazine with insights on navigating a new world.

By IIDA HQ Apr 12, 2022

(Above, Meilan Music and Small Symphony Recording Studio, photo by Vincent Wu)

Table of contents below.

As we make our way through 2022, this period of re-entry is akin to navigating a remarkably new reality. In our hybrid worlds, our personal and professional lives are more interwoven than ever. In this moment we are seeking out inspiring ideas and forms of design that expand our flexibility, creativity, and ability to live multifaceted lives. At the same time, we are exploring an enormous amount of innovation in industry and sustainability, spurred on by the pandemic. Now, we begin venturing back out in our lives and in design — to events, gatherings, conferences, and trade shows— hopeful and eager for contact and new information, but also cautious and pragmatic. And we are prioritizing and actively working towards inclusivity and justice in our broader communities—beyond our design ones. During this time of change, we are exploring what IS — where our understanding of the current State of Being is necessary in order to keep us moving forward.

For the first digital issue of the IIDA member magazine Perspective, we explore what that state is—from career journeys to product innovation, to shifting technology, and exploring the meaning of design democracy and equity in our worlds. We convene strong voices to share their thoughts and stories—people whose hard work and invaluable experiences are an incredible testament to the resilience of design.

This conversation is about you. About us. About our industry. Join us as we share stories, insights, and tools in State of Being through IIDA.org. We are optimistic about the future and strengthened by our common passion for design and our celebration of humanity. Most importantly, we are heartened by the strength of our shared design community and the commitment to supporting each other. We look forward to sharing this moment with you.

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

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

State of Being | Table of Contents

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

Cover Story

The President of Walt Disney Imagineering Barbara Bouza speaks with us on creating authentic impactful experiences, and using challenges as the fuel that powers greatness. She discusses designing for inclusivity and accessibility and how she got to where she is today. Read more

We explore workplace solutions and products from NeoCon that embrace the new ways that we are thinking about workplace design. While we are in a liminal, and likely hybrid state of work, we examine how people want to feel in the office after spending the better part of two years or more working from home. Read more

Steelcase Flex Collection offers flexible, hybrid workplace design. Image courtesy of Steelcase.

Renew

Built in 1923, the newly renovated Shanghai Soap Factory now serves as a multi-purpose space featuring a museum, an indoor/outdoor cafe, and imaginative green space. Rebranded as the Fantasy Babble Factory, this adaptive reuse project tells the story of industrialization for a modern audience. Read more

Quick-Fire Questions With Barbara Bouza

Members Only - You must log into your IIDA Member account to read this article. Get to know the President of Walt Disney Imagineering as she answers 10+1 quick-fire questions. Read more

Member Picks

We hear from IIDA Chapter presidents who share what's been keeping them entertained, and inspired from books and music to TV, podcasts, art, and guilty pleasures. Read more

Scratch Pad

We've rounded up the best of May: Where to go, and what to do, read, and watch. Including an exhibit looking at what happened to architecture in South Asia after gaining independence from British colonial rule; an exhibit surveying French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle’s transformative decade of the 1960s; a multi-media, interactive guide to Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr landscapes across America; and more. Read more

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Municipal Stadium (1959–66), Ahmedabad, by Charles Correa and Mahendra Raj. Photo courtesy of MoMA.

How to X

How To: Look to the Future. Interior Architects' (IA) Digital Design Application Specialist, Design Intelligence Team Kat Schneider, IIDA, looks to the future with us, rethinking space, workplace culture, and the rules of implementing cutting-edge technologies in design. She talks adapting transformative technologies like VR and AR into the design process, and the client experience. Read more

Image courtesy of Interior Architects

Emerging

We introduce you to designers emerging as the new thought leaders and innovators of our industry— Mike Goetz, IIDA, AIA, ASID; Courtnei Maxwell, IIDA; Caroline Riley, IIDA; Adelia Schleusz, IIDA; and Diana Stanisic, IIDA. Their have diverse and technical backgrounds have uniquely prepared them to design truly transformative, client-driven spaces across sectors including workplace, education, entertainment, and hospitality. Read more

Image courtesy of Caroline Riley, IIDA

High 5

Five concepts, designs, and projects that embody "States of Being"—from rethinking how memorializing loved ones can be an act of conservation to considering how architecture can be harnessed to track the effects of man-made cloud structures. We also look at designing with chaos as inspiration, a life-saving emergency shelter, and reusing neglected waste materials. Read more

Internally illuminated fishing container turned chair. Image courtesy of Ohta's Common Neglect Material project.

Talk Talk

In part one of this two-part conversation, Sarah Clair, IIDA, of HKS and Rolando Mendoza of Gensler discuss how the pandemic and the quick shift to working from home forced teams to embrace technologies for long-distance collaboration in ways they haven't before. By embracing this disruption in how we work designers gained valuable insights in equity and access. Read more