What does office furniture and self-driving cars have in common? Plenty if you mention the name Jim Hackett.
Former Steelcase CEO to Lead Ford into the Future
“The future is not a fantasy,” says Ford’s new CEO Jim Hackett, in his first comments since taking over
Artificial intelligence, 3D printing, robotics—"We need to have a point of view on all these things," said Ford executive chairman Bill Ford in a press conference this morning to introduce new CEO Jim Hackett, who abruptly replaced Mark Fields at the company. During Fields' tenure at the top, Ford has been criticized for not moving that far beyond its core auto business. Likewise, its stock has dropped 37% over the last three years. Though Ford has invested substantially in autonomous car technology—most recently through a deal with Argo AI—the company has been quiet about how it plans to monetize its boldest bets.
BREAKING: Former Steelcase CEO Jim Hackett to become CEO of Ford Motor
Ford Motor Co. has fired CEO Mark Fields and will replace him with James Hackett, head of the automaker’s Smart Mobility arm, as part of a broad management shakeup, according to reports by Forbes and other news organizations.
Tom Marquardt Joins HOK’s Chicago Practice as Director of Interiors
Tom Marquardt, IIDA, SBID, an established designer with more than 30 years of experience, brings a design philosophy rooted in interdisciplinary collaboration and mentorship.
Atmosphere Commercial Interiors Promotes Carlene Wilson to President
Minneapolis, MN-based Atmosphere Commercial Interiors, a contract furniture and services dealership, announced that Carlene Wilson has been promoted to President, and has accepted the invitation to join the board of directors as well as acquire an equity stake in Omni Workspace, the holding company of Atmosphere.
David Adjaye named world's most influential architect by Time magazine
"Architectural visionary" David Adjaye has been named among Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2017 – and is the only architect to make the list.
New Bjarke Ingels documentary has a suspenseful trailer
Danish architect Bjarke Ingels is not one to fear attention—just look at his parade of magazine profiles, many a splashy video teaser for his designs, and, more recently, his own episode in Abstract, Netflix’s new documentary series on design. And now, a trailer for a new Ingels documentary titled Big Time, to be released at the Copenhagen Architecture Festival later this month, teases a more intimate way into the architect’s head, literally.
Remembering design industry veteran Jeffrey Osborne
A remembrance by Pilar Viladas on archpaper.com
Jeffrey Osborne and I were friends for more than three decades. So when I learned that he had died (on March 24th at age 72), the memories came rushing back, but in such a jumble that it’s still hard to untangle them. And there’s a lot to remember.
Jeff Osborne, former Knoll VP of Design, Dies at 72
Jeffrey J. Osborne, a force in the furniture and design industry for decades and long time Manhattan resident passed away suddenly on Friday, March 24.
Most recently Osborne was a design and marketing consultant based in New York City specializing in international marketing, product design, interior design, merchandising, and exhibitions.
Q+A: How Designers Do Inspiration
Work spaces need to provide inspiration without compromising performance. Inspiring moments within a space can engage the mind, allow for respite from the rigors of the workday or allow people to see a problem from a new perspective.
As president of Designtex for the last five years, Susan Lyons leads a team of innovators who are relied upon to inspire others with an evolving collection of textiles, wallcoverings and other applied materials with reduced environmental impact. Designtex, a Steelcase company, is the leading company in the design and manufacturing of applied materials for the built environment.
On International Women's Day, 50 inspirational women in architecture and design
To celebrate International Women's Day, the Dezeen editorial team has nominated 50 women and female-led studios from the architecture and design industry who inspire us. In no particular order... Via dezeen.com
As a child, HOK's Hunvey Chen was told she couldn't play hockey.
Hunvey Chen, AIA, remembers her mom discouraging her from playing hockey as a child. Still, she never stopped dreaming about the game.
Decades later, at the age of 34, Chen learned that her hometown team — the Los Angeles Kings — was offering a hockey clinic for fans. She signed up for her first-ever lessons. Now Chen, a project architect in HOK’s Los Angeles studio, plays a few times a week in two hockey leagues and recently starred in a PowerBar video about inspirational athletes.
"Simplicity is the key to excellence" says Dieter Rams
In a rare interview, German designer Dieter Rams has called for a return to well-made, long-lasting products, even if it comes at the expense of design innovation. In the interview, published in the latest issue of Kinfolk, Rams said that restrained aesthetics and optimised functionality are key to creating products that will endure, even if these qualities "act as a constraint upon innovation".
"I have always tended to steer well clear from this discussion about beauty and argued instead for a design that is as reduced, clear and user-oriented as possible, and simply more bearable for a longer period of time," he said.
HNI Corporation Announces the Retirement of Kevin Stark, Vice President of Design
HNI Monday announced the retirement of Kevin Stark, Vice President of Design for HNI Contract Furniture Group, which includes Allsteel, Gunlocke, Paoli and HBF. For the last three years, Stark has acted as design consultant on all four brands. Prior to that, he had spent 30 years with HBF, serving as President of the brand from 2011 until 2014, when he assumed his present position. HBF was acquired by HNI Corporation in 2008.
David Rockwell is Taking on NYC’s Restaurants, Theater and Airports
When David Rockwell was 12 he crossed the Hudson River with his family, ate at Schrafft’s, saw Fiddler on the Roof at the Majestic and fell in love with New York City—all in one day.
Today, so many of us who share the sentiment have Rockwell himself to thank.
The designer’s handprint is everywhere from The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx to JetBlue’s JFK Terminal 5 marketplace in Queens to Imagination Playground at Betsy Head Park in Brooklyn to FAO Schwarz to Broadway theater (did you know he won a Tony?) to, most recently, the new Union Square Cafe.
David Adjaye "embarrassed as a male" that women still need to fight for gender equality
The architecture and design industry still doesn't provide the same opportunities for both sexes said architect David Adjaye, on the day that hundreds of thousands of women worldwide marched for equal rights.
Asked whether his sector was at the forefront of gender equality, the recently knighted British architect replied: "I don't think we're leading it at all."
He was speaking to Dezeen during the Interior Design Show in Toronto, one of many cities internationally where huge demonstrations – spurred by the inauguration of US president Donald Trump the day before – took place on Saturday to highlight women's rights.
"I find it exhausting that women are still fighting for gender parity," said Adjaye. "I find it embarrassing to be really honest."
Bill Bouchey Named Design Director of HOK
Bill Bouchey has joined global architecture firm HOK’s New York office as a principal and director of design for interiors. In his new role, Bouchey will oversee brand-focused commissions that adhere to the firm’s longstanding experiential design approach. Bouchey most recently served as design director for VOA Associates and has worked for M Moser Associates and Mancini Duffy, where he contributed to projects for high-profile clients such as Canon USA, Christie’s, and Viacom.
HOK’s firm-wide director of interiors Tom Polucci, AIA, IIDA, heralds Bouchey’s creativity and concept-based design approach. “[Bouchey] will play a pivotal role in our ability to deliver … forward-thinking designs that guide our practice to transformative and empowering solutions,” says Polucci. Currently, HOK’s New York office is contributing to LaGuardia Airport’s $4 billion reconstruction and recently completed the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel and the Teach for America headquarters.
The firm also named Mara Baum its sustainable design leader of health and wellness in the San Francisco office, where she will leverage 18 years of experience in the intersection of healthcare design and ecology. Additionally, the firm named James Stawniczy the senior consultant of wellness in the New York office. Stawniczy joins HOK after heading the sustainability division at Lendlease.
Hatton Leads CannonDesign's Education Practice
David Hatton, AIA, NCARB, takes the helm of CannonDesign’s firmwide education practice. A recognized thought leader and speaker within the market, David takes over a well-respected and growing area within the firm.
“David’s perspective and approach will support the education team in further exploring what’s looming within the market,” says CEO Brad Lukanic, and the firm’s former education leader. “I’m excited to witness how he will further advance our collective education resources and the resulting design solutions.”
David comes to CannonDesign as a partner from VSBA LLC (Venturi Scott Brown Associates), where he specialized in higher education, healthcare and museums, while leading business development initiatives. He’s also held senior leadership roles at Stantec and Burt Hill.
“I’m intrigued and passionate about the educational evolution and our ability to create environments that enhance learning opportunities,” says David. “The convergence of technology, pedagogy and design is currently in an exciting transformational state. The concept of “learning is everywhere” allows CannonDesign to exploit our services not only in education, but also in healthcare, workplace and other institutional markets.”
Lella Vignelli, a Designer With a Spare, Elegant Style, Dies at 82
Lella Vignelli, a designer who, with her husband, Massimo Vignelli, introduced a spare, elegant style to a wide range of products and corporate brands, attracting an international clientele, died on Dec. 22 at her home in Manhattan. She was 82.
The cause was dementia, her son, Luca, said.
Ms. Vignelli, an architect by training, brought a three-dimensional imagination to her husband’s graphic-design sensibility. Together, they were a two-person design army with a shared aesthetic — sleek and intelligent — that appealed to clients eager to express a new identity or to develop products with bold, modernist lines.
After working with Italian companies like Pirelli and Olivetti in the early 1960s, the Vignellis established an American base of operations through Unimark, their corporate branding company, and, later, Vignelli Associates, which they founded in 1971, and a sister company, Vignelli Designs, which began in 1978.
Women in Business Q&A: Mabel Casey, Global Vice President of Marketing & Sales Support, Haworth
Mabel Casey has served as the Vice President of Global Marketing and Sales Support at Haworth, Inc. since September 2006. Responsibilities in her current role include global brand strategy and execution, public relations, advertising, and sales and design training. Casey previously held a wide range of leadership positions in the industry, including marketing outreach, sales operations, customer care, training and distribution. Casey received her B.S. in interpersonal communications and psychology from Central Michigan. She later completed an Executive Certificate in Marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.