by Laura Platt, LEED AP
Project Designer
Not every company gets recognized by leaders from two of the world’s superpowers in the same year. In 2010, just prior to his election as British prime minister, David Cameron acknowledged Opower in an address at the London TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) conference. A month later, President Obama made a personal appearance at Opower’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia to deliver a speech and to praise the organization’s achievements in the clean-tech industry. The following year, Opower received recognition from the New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN for its leadership in promoting energy efficiency through software. Opower ended 2011 on Forbes’ top 20 list of America’s Most Promising Companies. Not bad for a company that hasn’t even hit its five year anniversary.
Founded in 2007, Opower develops software
by Bob Fox, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP
Principal
Coworking has gained significant momentum in the modern workplace and will very soon be a mainstream real estate option for large and small companies alike. If you are in a traditional office environment now - you have probably noticed that at any given point during the week half of your coworkers are missing, or taking advantage of “mobile workforce” technology. If you are the CFO, you realize that you are still paying for the unused space in one form or another, whether it is lighting, air conditioning, or other recurrent costs that affect your bottom line.
Coworking centers are popping up all over metropolitan areas, and they come in a variety of sizes, shapes and styles. Theses Coworking facilities essentially represent a variable cost, or a “pay as you go” option; not unlike a parking space. These facilities already
A New Dawn AYITI
Apr 26
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By: Sabrina Adewumi, Assoc. IIDA, PMP | Posted in: Culture, Design
On April 8th and 9th I volunteered to participate in a marathon, weekend-long charrette alongside close to 50 interior design students and professionals from the A/E industry. Opening with a reception at the Haitian embassy, the weekend was a collaborative effort on the part of the “A New Dawn AYITI” initiative based out of GW University Interior Design Program, along with partners from Project Medishare/University of Miami, Architecture for Humanity, non-profit organizations and local A/E firms.
The goal of the weekend was to produce a model for a new medical clinic and education center in Marmont Haiti where the existing community health care facility was damaged by the 2010 earthquake. One of the sponsors of the weekend, Project Medishare, will actually implement and operate the clinic in Haiti. The product of
by Bob Fox, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP
Principal
Office space is an expensive proposition for any company. It is generally one of the largest expenses after people and technology. So why do so many organizations treat it as an overhead expense? The return on that investment will increase exponentially if the space is planned and implemented as a tool to increase employee productivity. To do this, the design must begin with an understanding about what the people working in the space need to do their jobs. You probably move between a variety of spaces, from your private office to the conference room to a collaboration area and back. Most people require different types and amounts of space depending on what they are doing. Perhaps there is unused square footage in your private office but your meeting and collaboration areas are always booked.
Take a typical 10x15, 150 square foot
by Jeremy Roither
Senior Project Designer
Too often we find ourselves with our heads down at our desks, working feverishly on a massive deadline. In these situations, it is easy to shut out the outside world and just crank the work out. But, the best design is done collaboratively, not alone at our computers.
Dialogue is critical to the process – even the greatest designers bounce ideas off of other people and actively engage others in discussion. Encouraging this dialogue does not need to be difficult or time consuming. Here are some simple ways that you can encourage design dialogue in your work day:
- If you see a design you like, share it. Were you looking at a magazine and came across a space that just blew you away? Did you have dinner over the weekend at a fabulously designed restaurant? Tell your coworker about it. Likewise, did you see a space that was