Observations from Mart Trip

Observations from Mart Trip | Week 8

The purpose of the trip to the Merchandise Mart last Monday, October 8^th, was to learn a little more about connecting electrical and gain some insight into office workspaces. The presentation of Knoll’s history, and the tour around the showroom, were both fantastic. I found it fascinating to learn more about the life and work of Florence Knoll and also the history of Knoll in general. The tour was very helpful in understanding some approaches to electrical, especially in workspaces, and helped me visualize how I might set up mine in my space plan. My interest was sparked multiple times with inspiration for my project. Although the presentation from Herman Miller was a little less exciting and interesting to me, I found it interesting to learn about the Eames connection to Herman Miller, as I did a precedent research project on the Eames House and Charles and Ray Eames my freshman year. The tour of the second showroom added to my understanding of electrical and workspaces. I had never seen the Herman Miller showroom before so it was a great way for me to start to get familiar with some of their products and their design methods. Here are a few of my favorite pieces I saw in the showrooms:

Acoustical Paneling System "Filz Felt" at Knoll

Conference Room Table (Custom made) - Herman Miller

Custom made ceiling - Herman Miller

Comments

Hospitality Design Trends | Week 12

Hospitality design trends are all centered around the comfort and convenience of the guests. There is also an essence of "escapism" that designers are trying to evoke within a hospitality space. Guests want to get away from real life and want to have many amenities that will allow them to relax. In this hotel reception area, a massive green wall is the focal point. Green walls have become a trend in all areas of design, not just hospitality, as they create a feeling of being in a tropical area no matter the geographical location. In this hotel dining area, the gold metals and bright blue leather make a statement. This high end, classic looking dining room is another example of escaping the ordinary to give the guests a phenomenal experience. This is an example of incorporating technology into hospitality design, which seems to be an increasingly more apparent trend. From making conference calls and meeting rooms both more accessible and high tech within hotels, to cutt...

Museum and Display Specialty Design Trends | Week 14

In the last century, museums have evolved. According to "Building Design + Construction" magazine, museums are no longer just for the "upper levels of society". The museum itself, including the architecture and display design, has become an art. Major components in the design of museums are retail and restaurants. People want well designed places to shop, along with interesting items to purchase. They also want attractive places to stop and eat. This restaurant uses unique ceiling pieces and a gallery wall to welcome hungry museum goers at the San Francisco museum of modern art. The main lobby and entrance are the most important design element as they greet the visitors first. An excellent example of this is the main lobby at Milwaukee Museum of Art. Flexible gallery spaces allow for versatile uses of the building and create possibilities for new and unique exhibits. " In the MoG, the HVAC is a continuous linear system, which enables a room to be properly...

Steelcase: "Stand to Work" Study | Week 3

The "Stand to Work" study was done by Perkins+Will and Steelcase to see how standing desks would change the overall office experience for employees. After the study was completed, it was observed that by implementing the standing desks, employees were in fact both feeling and working better. Among the key findings were improvements such as: reduced sitting, feeling better, easy to use, increased productivity, and improvements outside of work. This study was conducted over an extended period of time of 12 months. This enabled the study to gather a lot of data and truly express how the employees felt and experienced their new workspaces. I think this study was incredibly interesting and important to office design as a whole. I already see standing desks being implemented in offices. I know of one staff member at Judson who transitioned to a standing desk and it has done wonders to his energy levels and productivity. A close friend of mine recently entered the work force at a m...

INT351OM

Search This Blog