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 FRIDAY APRIL 23, 2021

The Upfront

A new study finds the commercial design industry in recovery mode

Last year was a tough one for commercial interior designers. As bars, restaurants, hotels and workplaces were abandoned almost overnight, the future looked shaky for those whose livelihood relies on creating those spaces. But according to a new report released by the International Interior Design Association this week, things may be looking up.

The IIDA’s annual compensation report surveys more than 2,000 commercial interior design professionals on salaries and benefits, using demographics like education, firm type, location and accreditation to gauge the industry’s health and general direction. This year’s average annual base salary was $78,300—only a slight tick upward, considering that number jumped from $73,300 in 2016 to $78,100 in 2018. According to the report, this could be the sign of a plateau, caused by the pandemic and its effect on the economy, or by managers who seek to retain employees rather than bring in new talent.

Naturally, this year’s report also came with an entire bonus section focused on the effects of the pandemic. According to Cheryl Durst, IIDA’s executive vice president and CEO, understanding the survey’s methodology is key to making sense of its findings.

Since participants were surveyed in September 2020, Durst explains, the results are a snapshot from that moment in time. The study found that one in 25 respondents had been furloughed or laid off in the spring or summer due to the pandemic, but 7 percent of that group had already returned to work or found new employment at the time the survey was conducted. Dispatches from earlier in the pandemic projected a much worse state of affairs—a ThinkLab survey from mid-April found that 50 percent of respondents in A&D, manufacturing and distribution businesses had enacted some form of layoffs, furloughs or pay cuts. According to Durst, the IIDA report caught the industry at the beginning of an upward curve.

“In the recovery phase—post-recession, [after] any kind of major chaotic event where the economy is disrupted—typically, the trajectory is upward,” says Durst. “All of the economic indicators are pointing to the rehiring of folks who have been laid off, and furloughs for the most part in our industry have been discontinued.”

Teknion The Latest to Bid Farewell to the Merchandise Mart

You can now count Teknion among those contract furniture manufacturers departing the Merchandise Mart. Teknion will move from their 10th floor, Michael Vanderbyl designed space to a 22,000 sq ft space in the new SOM-designed building at 800 West Fulton Market, in Chicago’s hot Fulton Market District. The 19-story mixed-use building was developed with joint venture partners QuadReal and Thor Equities Group.

Aspen Dental will occupy nearly half of the building with 197,000 square feet of office space. The property will serve as Aspen Dental’s new national headquarters.

Knoll recently opened a new 24,000 sq ft showroom across the street in the new 811 West Fulton building. And, Herman Miller’s newly opened 45,000 sq ft showcase is at 1100 West Fulton Market, just a few blocks West.

Office Environments Expands with New South Carolina Showroom

Office Environments will expand their footprint into South Carolina with a new Rock Hill showroom. This second showroom will serve as a hub for their South Carolina anchored clients.

“We’ve been providing workplace solutions to clients in South Carolina for over 30 years,” said Office Environments President Barry Bale, “so investing in a second showroom in Rock Hill is an extension of Office Environments’ commitment to our South Carolina based clients.”

The 1,300 square foot Rock Hill showroom is located at Fountain Park Place at the corner of Main St. and Elizabeth Lane in downtown Rock Hill.

Work From Anywhere? Salesforce Calls it “Success From Anywhere”

If you're reading this in North America, you may be surprised to hear that Salesforce has already opened 22 of its global offices.

The reopening of Salesforce Tower, its San Francisco HQ, is slated for May 2021.

As the pandemic plays out, the $17 billion software giant has already revealed its plans for the future of work, called “Success From Anywhere.” As the name suggests, Salesforce is planning to build more flexibility into employee work schedules for its nearly 50,000 employees worldwide.

JLL Launches New Service To Capitalize On Hybrid Office Schedules

Trendsetting tech companies believe that the post-pandemic future of office work will be a hybrid model of days in a central office and days at home, according to a new survey of over 120 companies by Savills. The forecast trend has prompted one real estate giant to launch a service that aims to capitalize on it.

Seventy-three percent of the respondent companies said that their employees will be in centralized offices at least three days a week, while very few (4%) expect all their workers to be required to show up in person five days a week.

There isn't a consensus yet on whether companies or their employees will formulate the new hybrid schedules. Some 61% of respondents said that the decision is still under consideration.

A vast majority of companies (79%) are allowing some employees to relocate permanently away from their previously assigned office while 67% said that hoteling will be more important than it was before 2020. Still, common space isn't dead: 45% told Savills that collaboration spaces will be more important than they were pre-pandemic.

As companies devise their new normal schedules, the impact of the hybridization of work on office leasing patterns isn't clear yet. 

JLL is seeking to capitalize on the hybridization trend by rolling out a new service it calls Experience/Anywhere, which the company bills as a way for office users to optimize their new hybrid work models. 

"The shift to the hybrid workplace changes more than the form and function of offices; it also changes how employees experience work," JLL Technologies Chief Product Officer Sharad Rastogi said in a statement. "... [O]ur clients need to navigate this shift and transform the way organizations foster culture, collaboration and innovation — no matter where work takes place."

Experience/Anywhere has two central components, according to JLL. One is the Program Management Office, which helps companies formulate hybrid workplace strategies and provisioning policies. The other is The Hub, which offers employees well-being resources and practical conveniences, such as help in obtaining home office furniture and supplies.

Smart Buildings Set To Be A Staple In Post-Pandemic World

March 2021 marked a year since the pandemic forced many of us to work from home and has fundamentally changed how people will want to work going forward. According to a recent survey, 66 percent of employees want to alternate between different places of work after the pandemic. While work from home will not become a permanent fixture for most going forward, it will certainly be a weekly experience for many. As such, we anticipate work from home time to double post-pandemic to an average of 2.4 days.

This flexible and hybrid work model will mean our offices serve a different purpose than they did just one year ago – they will need to be revamped to be more conscious of the health and wellbeing of employees, as well as becoming places of greater collaboration for when people do make the commute into the office. As more employees return to the office, the shift toward a worker-centric model will be top of mind and with it, considerations for what the post-pandemic office will look like.

HSBC Scraps Executive Offices; CEO, Top Managers Will Hot Desk

Banking giant HSBC is scrapping its executive offices in East London and instead its top managers, including CEO Noel Quinn, will be hot desking on a floor two stories below the firm’s former executive office suite, according to The Financial Times. 

The move is the latest in a string of bold office shifts by top global companies who are rethinking their occupancy strategies post-COVID.

“Our offices were empty half the time because we were travelling around the world. That was a waste of real estate,” Quinn told the Financial Times in an interview this week. 

The trend is already being embraced by large law firms. A recent report from Savills shows that many global firms have taken up what Savills calls “day-officing,” a term that encompasses hoteling, agile or remote working policies. The firm’s research shows that 41% of law firms are either already day-officing or are planning to, with another 48% exploring alternative-type of workplace strategies. A mere 10% of law firms aren’t.

The Shape-Shifting Workplace

As institutions around the world adopted remote work with varying levels of success, a large number of them made it clear that they intend to make it a part of their work model beyond 2021. The challenge these organizations face, however, is balancing the efficiency and creativity inherent in in-person collaboration, with the benefits that large swathes of the population are finding in remote work.

IA’s Sarah Bird and Erik Lucken collaborate with teams from TIAA, McDonald’s, and Salesforce in this whitepaper that looks at how industry-leading teams are planning to incorporate this new model into their long-term strategies, and what they’re doing to prepare. They discuss benching strategies, virtual technologies, inter-departmental partnerships, and a wide variety of space types all through the lens of shaping the future of work.

Who wants to work remote ≠ who will work remote

The argument about the mass switch to a remote working work is still raging. Often times this involves two opposing sides, the employees and the owners. A new report from McKinsey tries to quantify just how far off the desires of the workers are from the expectations of the people writing the schedules. It turns out that the vast majority of employees, 89 percent to be exact, say that they want the ability to work remotely at least part of the time. But whether they will or not depends a lot on the industry they are in. Around 75 percent of industries like IT and consulting were able to work remotely during the pandemic while only around 45 percent of industries like engineering and administration were able to do the same.

Some jobs are just better done at the workplace but the report also stated that there was also a cultural reason for it as certain industries like law and finance still reward being at the office for long hours. The analysis estimated that between 20 and 25 percent of the workforce could work from home between three to five days a week without much loss of productivity. Companies looking for the best of both world are looking to a 3-2-2 workweek which would have significant impacts on how much office space is needed and what is required of office

Cities Look To Coworking To Accelerate Return To Work, Downtown Recovery

For more than a year, city governments encouraged people to stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus. 

But that message has shifted, and cities are now pushing to bring people back to offices to help revive their downtown areas, and they see coworking spaces as a way to accelerate that effort. 

Over the last three months, Miami, New York and D.C. have announced partnerships with WeWork to offer discounts to companies bringing people back to the office. The coworking company finances the discounts without city subsidies, but the cities are using their promotion and marketing power to push people toward the WeWork spaces. 

WeWork Head of Public Affairs and Communications Christina Ferzli told Bisnow she joined the company in January and immediately began pushing to grow WeWork's relationships with local governments by meeting with officials and hearing their priorities, and that quickly turned into this new partnership model. 

Claudio Luti resigns as Salone del Mobile president

Plans to hold Salone del Mobile this September have been thrown into fresh doubt following the resignation of the fair's president, Claudio Luti.

According to reports in the Italian press, Luti stepped down amid fears that this year's fair would be diminished due to an expected fall in the numbers of exhibitors and attendees.

Common purpose "has failed"

Luti, pictured above at the press conference for the 2020 fair which was later cancelled, reportedly cited a lack of agreement on how to host the show amid the ongoing pandemic.

"The common will of purpose [...] has failed," he said.

The furniture fair is due to be held in Milan from 5 to 10 September, after it was moved from its traditional April slot due to Covid-19.

However, doubts have been swirling in recent weeks over whether the fair would be forced to cancel for a second year in succession.

Resignation "a painful choice"

"Leaving the Presidency of the Salone in such a delicate and complex moment is a painful [..] choice," La Reppublica reported Luti as saying.

"Over the years I have worked hard to affirm the event as a representation of the system at an international level, but there are no longer the conditions to pursue my vision of compactness in the sector for the common good."

Luti resigned ahead of a board meeting of FederlegnoArredo, the Italian timber-trade body that owns the Salone del Mobile brand.

His departure comes just a few days after the Italian government announced plans to lift some Covid-19 restrictions and allow trade fairs to take place once again from 1 July.

Government had provided assurances

On the surface, this seemed to satisfy the demands of the Salone del Mobile, which had been pressing the government for reassurances that would allow it to push on with plans for its September event.

However, Luti's resignation makes it clear that there were disagreements behind the scenes about the form this year's fair should take.

Bookings from exhibitors are thought to have been down and overseas visitors seem unlikely to travel to Italy in large numbers, leading to tensions among key partners.

Ep. 143: Industrial Designer Edward Barber — Clever: A Podcast About Design

Designer Edward Barber grew up in a small UK village running around with his brothers, making tree houses, bows and arrows, and drawing. As a teenager, he fell in love with sailing, fixing boats, and photography. He eventually landed in the architecture program at Royal College of Art where in the first week he met Jay Osgerby. The two became fast friends, collaborators and founding partners of Barber Osgerby. In the early years, with some “engineered luck” in the form of Giulio Cappellini, Edward and Jay were fast-tracked in the world of international furniture design. Since then, they’ve gone on to found Universal, an architecture and interior design studio, and Map, focused on tech and industrial design. Having designed everything from stacking chairs with a dynamic tilt aimed at improved learning in schools, to experiential sound installations... carving out his own path has worked out just fine!

JPMorgan Taking On Lessons From Pandemic Year In New HQ Design

JPMorgan Chase will go with a flexible design for its new, enormous headquarters on Manhattan's Park Avenue as the world's largest bank looks to adapt to the workplace of the future.

The company is building a $3B office skyscraper in Midtown East for its global headquarters, and will be using a “universal design” for the 70-story-tall property, meaning the plans are flexible and able to be shifted into different setups, according to a construction document JPMorgan Chase released to find a construction manager, Business Insider reported.

“We are learning from this year, and always design our spaces to be flexible to adapt to any business or market changes,” a spokesperson for the bank told Business Insider. The spokesperson added the approach at the workplace is in response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as working habits that were already happening before the crisis.

Arcadia Debuts 2020-2021 Lookbook

Arcadia releases the premiere edition of their Lookbook, encapsulating a breadth of products in a compact, visually engaging presentation.

At just over one-hundred pages, the book is divided into sections by product category and also includes an index for reference ease. Arranged from newest introductions to the long-established, it’s designed to offer a glimpse of their product design library, and with that, the invitation to learn more.

Available for instant viewing on the Arcadia website via an interactive flip-book platform, the digital version also includes embedded links on each page for immediate access to additional product information. For those preferring a more tactile experience, the printed book features a soft matte cover with textured graphics, silk text paper that optimizes colors for imagery that pops off the page, and painted edges that add the finishing touch. Physical books can be requested online as well as through Arcadia’s network of independent sales representatives.

3form Elevates Shared Spaces with New Textiles in Varia and Design-Forward Markerboard

3form introduces their latest edition of Varia featuring three classic textiles, all designed to bring texture, color, and diffused natural light into communal spaces. The translucent panels provide relevant design solutions for space division, and their timeless aesthetic will remain a commercial design staple for years to come.

New Classic Textiles

An extension of 3form’s textile offerings, this capsule collection envelopes three new woven textiles—Villa, Vera, and Vita—in Varia’s translucent panels. Combined with colors from 3form’s earth-toned 2021 Design Collection palette, the textiles add richness and dimension to Varia while diffusing natural light to leverage privacy and togetherness all at once.

Design-Forward Makerboards

3form Elements—a collection of thoughtfully designed products to accommodate the modern workspace—has expanded their wall-mounted glass markerboard offerings with new patterns and customizable imagery that raise collaboration and organization to the next level. Specifiable in FF&E packages, 3form Elements invites more opportunities for designers to bring 3form products into workspaces.

Available in numerous patterns and design options, the magnetic writable surfaces are ready for everyday use in corporate, healthcare, and higher education spaces. Single panel markerboards inspire ideas in conference rooms and personal workspaces while continuous glass markerboards create a broad canvas for collaboration in lecture halls and auditoriums.

To complement the new markerboards’ design and functionality, 3form Elements introduces a sleek Accessory Shelf to keep markers and erasers handy. The shelf installs seamlessly underneath the wall-mounted markerboards and is available in multiple sizes and hardware finishes to blend into any design aesthetic.

Via Seating Awarded Patent for Proprietary Copper-Infused Mesh

Via Seating (Via, Inc.) reports that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. Patent Number; 10,986,938 to Via Seating for its innovative products. This patent protects Via Seating products that utilize a Proprietary Copper-Infused Mesh system.

“The patent represents extensive research and development which began in 2016. I couldn’t be more-proud of our product development team,” Chas Hepler, President & CEO, Via Seating. Via Seating believes that the best way to innovate in the rapidly changing marketplace is to listen to its customers, understand the challenges being presented and invest in research and development to find the solution.

Via Seating began working on the copper-infused mesh concept when a healthcare customer pointed out the challenges of meeting requirements for infectious disease control areas and the desire to support the caregivers who work there. As this customer pointed out, “Happy nurses lead to happy patients.” Taking the approach of caring for the caregiver, Via Seating developed this safe solution for destroying harmful microorganisms naturally in their seating. As recognition of this valuable contribution to healthcare design, Via Seating received the Nightingale Award at the Healthcare Design Exposition and the Best of NeoCon Award for Innovation for healthcare textiles in 2017. Both were awarded for Via Seating’s Copper Infused Mesh system used on the Genie Copper Mesh® chair.

Copper has been shown to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and has been proven to kill bacteria within 20 minutes of contact without the use of harmful chemicals. It is naturally biocidal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial & anti-odor. As a part of a holistic approach to Public Health and Safety, Via Seating offers this proprietary Copper-Infused Mesh material in all its mesh seating products (task, conference, guest and multi-use).

"Oper46" – a set of flexible workspaces in the center of Frankfurt/Main

TOG’s new location in Frankfurt which the provider of flex offices recently opened strikes one as bright and inviting. Its name “Oper46” is already a clear indication of its central and exclusive location next to the Alte Oper concert hall, rebuilt in a neo-Renaissance style, and Rothschildpark. Together with London architecture practice dMFK Architects, TOG has infused new life into the office building at 46 Bockenheimer Anlage: Plans were needed for a total of 6,700 square meters spread across six floors. In order to underscore the expansiveness of the area some walls in the spacious entrance lobby were removed; from here your gaze can now travel as far as the nearby park. A reception of greenish black marble makes for an eye-catching element in the entrance area that otherwise (like most of the rest of the interior design) boasts in light, neutral tones in nude and sand shades, complemented by objects and wall colors in matt black and dark gray. Moreover, custom-made fitted wooden sections provide somewhat secluded seating and a pleasant warm touch. Similarly, for the central atrium dMFK Architects rely on light wood and have created a so-called “breakout-area” styled on the Spanish Steps, a central meeting place lit by daylight entering the glass roof and with direct access to the other floors. Thanks to greenery installed at the edges of some of the steps the space also has an invigorating air about it.

Adrian Parra Joins HBF as Textiles Director

HBF Contract announced Adrian Parra has joined HBF + HBF Textiles as Director, Creative and Marketing. He brings over 16 years of combined experience in contract furniture and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. During his tenure with global design brands based in the U.S., Switzerland, and Finland, Adrian honed his skills in design storytelling, integrated marketing, and experiential selling. Adrian will drive the holistic brand vision for HBF + HBF Textiles, ensuring their continued evolution as inspired design arbiters through the development of exciting collaborations with a diverse, inclusive roster of international talent.

Configura’s 2021 CET Awards open for submissions

Designers, companies and students who use CET to design, specify and visualize spaces are invited to enter the 2021 CET Awards, Configura announced.

“Each year, the CET Awards bring together our talented community to showcase the latest trends, innovation, impact and creativity happening in design,” Kelsey DeBruin, Configura’s global head of user community and events, said. “Our CET community continues to set the bar high for designing spaces that make a difference and we are thrilled to unveil a refreshed look for the CET Awards that honors the extraordinary work of our community.”

Formerly known as the CET Designer Awards, the CET Awards highlight work from designers, kitchen specialists, engineers, dealerships, manufacturers and talented students across the commercial interiors, kitchen and bath and material handling industries who use CET to design, specify and visualize spaces. Since its launch in 2008, the CET Awards have attracted hundreds of submissions from CET users around the globe.

The deadline for submissions is Oct. 4.

The awards take place in conjunction with CET Experience, Configura’s annual user and developer conference, where winners will be announced. This year’s CET Experience will take place Nov. 15-17 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

5 tips on creating a dog-friendly workplace

One the most significant social outcomes of the Covid-19 pandemic is a rise in dog ownership. Many benefit from having pets keep them company while working from home, but what happens when more employees start to return to the office?

Prior to the pandemic, ‘bring your dog to work day’ was a regular occurrence for companies such as Amazon and pet subscription company BARK. Now with the vaccine roll-out underway and an expected increase in companies trying to accommodate new pets, we outline five design ideas to help with this transition.

1. Scale

First and foremost, it’s important to consider height. Workplaces that prioritise amenities for employees can also do so for dogs, just placed a bit lower. Looking at a kitchenette, for example, one strategy is to design integrated water bowls into islands at ‘dog-drinking’ levels. This designates a specific, contained area for water bowls that is easy for four-legged friends to use.

Respite, collaboration, and informal meeting spaces are now a staple in workplaces. It is important to design these areas with dogs in mind. An example is the ‘amenity bar’ at BARK’s Columbus, Ohio, office. This feature allows employees to curl up in a nook and work on their laptop, with lower lounge areas for their dog to climb in nearby.

For meeting rooms with glass partitions, it’s easy for dogs to get distracted by movement and other activity happening outside. One design strategy is to add a frosted or opaque film at ground or dog height to alleviate pup distractions. This film is normally specified at human seated eye height but by extending this to be lower, both humans and dogs are accounted for.

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