As we near the end of June and look forward to fully enjoying summer, we look back at a robust, fulfilling number of events in the design profession from our IIDA-related activities to NeoCon to the AIA conference, A’18.

I just returned to Chicago after attending the national AIA Conference on Architecture, A’18 in New York, where more than 26,000 architecture professionals, including many IIDA members, made it the largest AIA national gathering ever. There, I represented IIDA in the AIA Interior Knowledge Community Forum in a discussion focused on the various impacts on interiors today, such as technology, coworking, place and geography, cultural and generational change, wellness, human-centered design, and healthy materials. I was pleased to join IIDA international board member Annie Chu, IIDA, FAIA, Susan Szenasy, Mark Strauss, Hon. IIDA, and Kate Simonen in the enlightening discussion, which led to thought-provoking group conversations on the same topics.

IIDA Activities and a Celebratory Annual Meeting

Earlier this month, I joined my IIDA headquarters colleagues in hosting the IIDA Chapter Leadership Council gathering, a special awards program for chapters, our IIDA Annual Meeting, and IIDA COOL black-tie awards program. All of this activity was before the whirlwind of NeoCon, and the IIDA pulled it all off with great finesse!

 

At the IIDA Annual Meeting, the association welcomed new international board members Angie Lee, IIDA, AIA, of FX Collaborative in New York; Jon Otis, IIDA, of Object Agency in New York; and Sascha Wagner, FIIDA, AIA, of Huntsman Architectural Group headquartered in San Francisco. Gabrielle Bullock, IIDA, FAIA, NOMA, principal at Perkins+Will Los Angeles, gave her inaugural address as the 2018-2019 International President of IIDA. The first African-American woman to serve as IIDA International President, Bullock described her personal path to leadership and how her focus on creating a more diverse design profession will guide her presidency.

Also at the IIDA Annual Meeting, I was honored to present the IIDA Educator of the Year Award to Dr. Pamela Evans, IIDA, who has been a leading voice in design education excellence while teaching at Kent State University for nearly three decades.

Our 2018 Member of the Year, Patricia Rotondo, IIDA, embodies the ethos of a committed IIDA member, leading the interior practice within the Chicago-based Antunovich Associates, serving on juries and industry discussions, while remaining engaged with the community of interiors professionals in her home country of Colombia.

Dina Griffin, IIDA, FAIA, was honored with the Star Award for her career and leadership as the president of the Chicago-based firm Interactive Design, Inc., which is currently collaborating with Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners (TWBTA) on the design of the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

In addition, four new Fellows of IIDA were celebrated at the Annual Meeting: Nila Leiserowitz, FIIDA, FASID, of Gensler in Chicago, Frederick Schmidt, FIIDA, of Perkins+Will in Chicago, Sascha Wagner, FIIDA, AIA, president of Huntsman Architectural Group, and Clive Wilkinson, FIIDA, FAIA, of the eponymous Clive Wilkinson Architects in Los Angeles.

An Entertaining Dialogue with Clive Wilkinson

On the Monday of NeoCon, Wilkinson and I enjoyed a lengthy conversation in the Ligne Roset Chicago showroom in front of a packed audience of more than 100 attentive design professionals. Wilkinson described the rise of his career, from being a young man in Apartheid-era South Africa to attending the Architectural Association (AA) in London to working for Terry Farrell and Frank Gehry to ultimately starting and growing his own practice more than 25 years ago.

Wilkinson’s description of his own path, delivered with his wit, charm, and uncanny ability to tell a story, allowed for a thoroughly engaging, conversational session. One of less than 20 architects nationwide who are Fellows of both IIDA and AIA, Wilkinson is an iconoclast and design star, and his story offered multiple lessons. His first several years as a sole practitioner were without much work at all, he readily noted, but after many lean years he continued to seek his own path that eventually led to his own signature projects. Read more about my conversation with Wilkinson here, in this coverage by Interiors & Sources.

Engagement and the Human Factor Highlighted at NeoCon

At this year’s NeoCon, the design industry witnessed a further evolution in workplace interiors with innovative product introductions within updated showrooms. The prevailing concept in most showrooms was one of flexible, relaxed collaboration, showcasing a range of seating and desk options that consider engagement, productivity, wellness, and the need for moments of privacy within an open office.

For its expanded and highly curated showroom, Steelcase won Best of Competition in the IIDA/Contract Magazine Showroom & Booth Design Awards. Here, Steelcase showcased the breadth of its offerings from technology-rich enclosed conference room settings to new seating options highlighting beauty in simplicity. With its space designed by Shimoda Design Group, Steelcase won in the large showroom (4,000 square feet or larger) category. Other winners were Scandinavian Spaces in the small showroom (under 4,000 square feet) category with an interior designed by Ghislaine Viñas, Stance Healthcare in the large booth category for its space by Suzanne Frawley, and Meadows Technology Group in the small booth category.

Finally, enjoy your summer! I look forward to seeing IIDA members at many events throughout the coming months.