29th June 2018 | IN DESIGN EVENTS | BY SBID ShareTweetPinterestLinkedInAn overview of some of the most essential interior design events of the past month. 1st – 30th June London Festival of Architecture – London, UK The world’s largest annual architecture festival. Occupying the month of June, the London Festival of Architecture has been hosting over 500 events across the city. Exhibitions, family events, walking tours, debates and stunning architectural installations were designed to explore the theme of ‘identity’. Nadia Broccardo, Team London Bridge Chief Executive, commented on this year’s thought-provoking theme. “Becoming a hub for the London Festival of Architecture 2018 provides the perfect opportunity for the city to reflect on the identity of this important, historic area and celebrate the capital’s ability to interpret local character and contexts..” APE Architecture and Design hosted a tour for ‘A Case of Mistaken Identity‘ as they explore iconic London buildings that have appeared in film as buildings in other cities including Moscow, New York, Milan, Gotham City, and Hong Kong. Through a series of conversations, debates and workshops, ‘Decolonizing Architecture‘ by The 204 Design Collective confronted societal conflicts of identity. Exploring new and alternate forms of urbanisms that challenge the direct and indirect effects of colonialism to help to “reconstruct/restructure conventional approaches to urbanisation, in an effort to dismantle inequality in our cities, and promote cultural integration and social cohesion.” 11th – 13th June NeoCon – Chicago, USA The world’s largest and most important event for the commercial interiors industry was brimming with captivating events, activations, and cutting-edge displays to mark the milestone 50th edition. NeoCon 50 was a particularly vibrant, featuring a week of dynamic experiences and festivities, dozens of engaging installations, and stunning lounges in celebration of presenting half a century of commercial design. The annual event, held at The Mart in Chicago, has served as a launchpad for innovations that have influenced how we live and work. When NeoCon started back in 1969, the U.S. office furniture industry was roughly $830 million. In 2017, it was estimated at $13.4 billion. (U.S. Dept of Commerce, Bureau of the Census and BIFMA). This year saw a host of textile and workplace design offerings which indicated essential new directions in commercial designs from noise reduction and privacy, to comfort and aesthetics, with an emphasis on ergonomics to encourage wellbeing and efficiency in workplace environments. For example, furniture specifically designed to anticipate and accommodate users needs – acknowledging the coexistence comfort, relaxation and productivity. To find out more about next year’s 51st edition on 10th – 12th June 2019, click here. 21st – 23rd June AIA Conference – Orlando FL, USA With the theme of ‘Blueprint for Better Cities’, the AIA Conference 2018 attracted 23,000+ attendees and harnessed some of the most creative architects, designers, and firms, all sharing how they’re creating their own blueprint and making a difference in cities all over the world. With the discourse leading to more critical thought regarding health and resilience, and about taking care of each other and the environment, the event was designed to deliver actionable insights designers can use on their next project or to make a difference in to communities, by covering core contemporary topics: Diversity, equity, & inclusion; everything designers create should be for everyone. Affordable housing, green spaces, healthy places, and safe neighbourhoods can all contribute to the creation of access and opportunities. Materials; every material has an impact. Knowing where materials come from, what’s in them, and their life expectancy gives us greater control over projects and product decisions. Energy & carbon; buildings are the biggest carbon polluters, but what if they weren’t? If designers can work together, new buildings, developments, and major renovations can become carbon neutral. Resilience; rapid population growth, climate change, intentional attacks, and natural and manmade disasters require new design approaches. Design & health; forward-looking design can profoundly impact the health of people and communities. It’s time to move past the “do no harm” design ethos to focus on holistic health, by design. 26th June Design + Wellness – Scotland, UK In an event supported by Interface and Orangebox, the SBID Education Council hosts a discussion about how improving wellness in learning environments can improve attainment. The Head of Design and Wellbeing at Orangebox, Jim Taylour, talked about the findings from his recent publication, ‘Mobile Generations’, exploring Agile Smartworking and the emerging health and productivity challenges affecting the workplace. Discussing the ‘wireless well working’ initiative, a workplace strategic design tool to help organisations shape their environments to support their own wellbeing and collaborative initiatives, Jim shared his recommendations and basic rules for selecting furniture for classroom environments to improve the quality of interior design in education. Interface Partner and Biophilic Design expert, Oliver Heath, focused on the human’s innate attraction to nature and natural processes. Biophilic Design uses these ideas as principles to create a human centred approach that when applied improves many of the spaces that we live and work in today, with numerous benefits to our health and well-being. Oliver spoke about studies which demonstrate the benefits of Biophilic designs and how Biophilic educational spaces have the ability to improve performance and the wellbeing of both staff members and students.