Do you know what healthy materials are and why they are important in design? 

Every architect and interior designer likely has a tale to share about that moment of revelation when they realized their potential to craft not only beautiful spaces but healthier living environments too. Maybe it was while standing amid an exquisitely designed project where the space was visually breathtaking, but the newly installed carpets were off-gassing harmful VOCs. It’s not hard to realize that the materials specified in projects can significantly influence people's health.

Ten percent. That’s the average amount of time we spend outside.

Did you know that we breathe a concentration of indoor pollutants that can be two to five times higher, if not more, than outside?It’s true and, obviously, not so good for our health.

Frequently, ventilation is side-lined when it is, in fact, a crucial aspect of all healthy buildings. While the need for proper indoor ventilation is not new, the impact of the pandemic increased our focus on good ventilation.  The result is upcoming changes to building code standards and enhanced indoor air quality guidelines. 

As architects and designers, you know the importance of incorporating natural light as a sculptural and architectural element in your work. However, did you know that daylight can also provide good health and wellbeing for building occupants?

Reasons for optimism are all around. And many are deeply embedded in the work that Architects and Designers do every day. If nothing else, the past 25 years working with design professionals have taught me that you find ways to solve problems. To elevate the human experience. I have experienced it. 

Reasons for optimism can be found in conversations with our elders and our teenagers - both equally baffling yet grounding in the wisdom they hold - albeit for different reasons. 

As I update our Architecture and Design Threads, one stands out as gaining momentum: #13 Rethinking Cities.

Sail too far into the ocean, and you might fall off the face of the Earth - or so the tale goes about how early explorers bravely sailed toward the horizon, not knowing what awaited beyond.

Today, the conversation has mostly moved on, but the shift from a flat view of the world to a circular view of the world rages on. Some argue - I am one of them - that our ancestors understood the cycles of Nature and Earth better than we do, or at least they designed and built with those cycles in mind. Today, we certainly know more, but we don't always know better.

As a kid, I loved taking things apart. Once reassembled - with all the same parts - they never worked the same way. 

If you took your car apart, none of its parts - on its own - would take you from point A to point B. Now, tweak one of the parts, and you might get there faster or more reliably. But, once again, on its own, the "improved" part still wouldn't get you anywhere. 

"Have you ever heard of thin places?" Amy asked me at a meeting with local artists. I replied that I had not.

Are there windows in the room where you work? 

As I write this, I'm sitting in my home office with two large windows. Each faces a different direction, which means different types of daylight at various times. I've never given much thought to which is better for my productivity and my overall health and well-being, but I know someone who does.

Decanthropy. I like the name, but that's not why I was on a second call with Ian Rolston, NCIDQ, IDC, ARIDO, LEED GA. Ian is Founder and Lead Decanthropist at Decanthropy. We discussed logistical details for his Change by Design presentation but mostly we talked about the change we see unfolding in the architecture & design industry. We talked about the great work we see happening and the less inspiring as well.   

As the conversation unfolded, a pattern emerged as to what was getting in the way of positive change. The familiar pattern goes something like this: Stakeholders on a project get very excited about the potential of a particular solution. And, just as quickly, find a seemingly compelling reason (often something to do with clients) why it could not be implemented. At least not now… 

This is a prevalent and straightforward pattern. And we, humans, are very good at this. We even do it with our own ideas. We quickly find a reason why an idea won't work. It takes no effort. I should know :-)