Two weeks ago, a new event – intending to find and celebrate the real-life outcomes of exceptional design projects – debuted at theMART in Chicago.
ASID hosted the inaugural ASID Outcome of Design Conference, in partnership with Herman Miller, NeoCon, and Metropolis, and it was a fantastic success. While it’s difficult to carve out time away from the office, this new event was incredibly well-executed and worthy of designers’ time. With a Thursday evening cocktail reception and awards presentation, followed by a one-day conference program on Friday, the event was a perfect length, packing in just the right amount of networking, project inspiration, and exceptional speakers.
In addition to offering programming intended to inform and inspire the pursuit of concrete design outcomes, the event’s primary purpose was to debut the new ASID Outcome of Design Awards.
While far too many design competitions accept project submissions along the lines of a few paragraphs of content describing the project accompanied by photos, the Outcome of Design Awards sets the bar significantly higher. According to ASID:
“The ASID Outcome of Design Awards celebrate the proof in the power of design. By highlighting new tools and processes in design, strategy, technology, and research, the awards seek to recognize projects that successfully illustrate that ‘Design Impacts Lives.’”
“The Outcome of Design Awards represent a first-of-its-kind initiative. Design extends beyond a space that is beautiful and comfortable; when thoughtfully executed, design has the power to change the lives of its inhabitants. By focusing on the measurable outcomes of design we believe we can improve the impact of design on people’s lives and enhance the practice and valuation of design service.”
“The Outcome of Design Awards seek to shed light on innovative designers and businesses that focus on the quantifiable effect of projects on people in spaces. Projects that measure the outcome of design on the human experience through sustainable, humancentric, and socially responsible design solutions are the future, and the Outcome of Design Awards recognize the innovators who are leading the charge.”
To submit a project, design teams were required to submit “metric-driven criterion including design solution and details, occupant experience, and research-based results (i.e. post-occupancy research) to determine the most successful projects:
>Design Solutions and Details. “Basic information on project goals, size, certifications, important design features, and more to provide insight on how the design team addressed the client’s initial needs. The award submissions should be a joint effort between the design team and client.”
>Occupant Experience.“Eligible projects must have been completed within the past five years, with at least six months of occupancy, and include the design’s measurable impact on occupants – all is key to the Outcome of Design Awards. How the occupants’ lives, experiences, emotional and physical well-being, productivity, and other specific goals have changed since occupying the transformed space are important in understanding the design’s success.”
>Research-Based Results.“Good design is much more than aesthetics – it is a measurable, concrete benefit to the human experience. By providing research-based results as part of the application, the project’s accomplishments and innovations are solidified and show the tangible positive impact of design.”
Thursday evening, the hosts welcomed attendees with a splashy cocktail hour at theMART’s Marshall’s Landing and Grand Stair. Following cocktail hour was a presentation of the winners of the first Outcome of Design (OOD) Awards. At the conclusion of the awards presentation, attendees headed up to third floor of theMART for a reception at the fashionable Herman Miller showroom.
“We lead with research more and more in our design work, and so it’s becoming more and more important to practice outcome-oriented design, and to help clients understand their ROI on research-led design,” noted Susan Chung, Director of Research & Knowledge at ASID, who emcee’d the conference.
The second day of the conference kicked off with a breakfast and an opening keynote by Doreen Lorenzo, Assistant Dean of the School of Design and Creative Technologies, Clinical Professor of Design and Future, and Director of the Center for Integrated Design at the University of Texas-Austin, who spoke on the topic of “Preparing Future Generations to Influence Corporate Culture.”
Following Ms. Lorenzo’s keynote was a series of three “Morning Explorations” – short 30-minute pop-up sessions intended to inform and inspire the pursuit of concrete design outcomes.
Kate Lister, President of Global Workplace Analytics, spoke on the topic of Professional Practice. Sandra Leigh Lester, Founder and CEO of Affecting Change, spoke about Technology. And Fred Marks, Visiting Scholar and Research Collaborator in the Regulatory Biology Laboratory at the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, spoke on the topic of Continuing Education.
The first half of the day concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Avinash Rajagopal, editor-in-chief of Metropolis magazine, connecting the concepts presented throughout the three morning sessions.
After a lengthy networking lunch, the afternoon consisted of three panel sessions wherein attendees got to hear from each winner of the Outcome of Design Award. The conference provided the unique experience of having some of the winning projects’ clients in attendance; being able to hear directly from the clients of these projects during the conference was insightful and energizing, and elevated the entire competition to be more meaningful.
“The Outcome of Design Awards are remarkable for their inclusion of clients in the competition process,” noted Mr. Rajagopal. “And how exciting it was to find that the applicants were able and willing to share and discuss the areas where they weren’t so successful. Design has become much more about research and evaluation, in addition to concept and creation.”
“With the awards and with conference, we really wanted to create something that is meaningful, and I think we did that,” said Susan Wiggins, COO of ASID. “We hope to grow the event next year.”
Judging from the success of this year’s event, that will be hopefully an easy task. Congrats to the ASID team, and we hope they will continue to develop this important resource for design firms and their clients.
It is well worth your time to head to the ASID websiteto read through each winning project’s “Key Outcomes.” But to get a taste of what these projects entailed, we’ve included their descriptions below. Without further ado, the 2019 Outcome of Design Award Winners…
Unity Health Care Brentwood
Project Team: Gensler (Design and Research), Unity Health Care Brentwood, Sunbrella, Wray Ward Communications, Artisan, Rand Construction
Project Type: Healthcare
Construction Type: Retro-fit/Renovation
Completion Date: October 2017
Location: Washington, D.C.
Project Size: 2,200 SF (1 Floor)
“One out of six Washington, D.C. residents receive medical, behavioral, dental, or social services from Unity Health Care, a local network of federally-qualified health centers that promote healthier communities, regardless of ability to pay. As a patient-centered medical home (PCMH), Unity offers a team-based approach that encourages patients to become active participants in their own health care.
Unity’s goal was to use design as a tool to help better serve patients and visitors, enhance the staff experience, strengthen bonds with the Brentwood community, and ultimately improve community health. Partnering with global design firm Gensler and fabrics company Sunbrella Contract, the three organizations initiated research on the registration and waiting experience.”
University of Utah, Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute
Project Team: CannonDesign (Architecture), EDA Architects (Architecture and Design), University of Utah (Research)
Project Type: Education
Construction Type: New Construction
Completion Date: August 2016
Location: Salt Lake City
Project Size: 161,000 SF (5 Floors)
Certifications: LEED Gold (August 2018)
“The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is a nationally-ranked hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Utah, and an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. The institute provides opportunities for thousands of students to learn about entrepreneurship and innovation through workshops, networking events, business plan competitions, and more. Seeking to accelerate and expand its impact, the university recognized the need to create an entirely new type of learning facility for a new paradigm of entrepreneurial learning that could better connect students to each other, to bold ideas, and to exciting new futures. The collaborative team engaged in extensive design experimentation and exploration as they sought to create a truly unique and unrivaled learning space.”
studioIDS, Perkins+Will
Project Team: Perkins+Will (Design and Research), Dunham Associates (MEP Engineer), Gardner Builders (General Contractor)
Project Type: Corporate Office
Construction Type: Retro-fit/Renovation
Completion Date: February 2016
Location: Minneapolis
Project Size: 9,800 SF (1 Floor)
Certifications: Fitwel (2 out of 3 Stars; August 2017); LEED CI Gold/Platinum, pending
“StudioIDS is the new self- designed home of the Minneapolis office of international architecture and design firm Perkins+Will (P+W). With 65 professionals on staff, the Minneapolis office is consistently ranked among the top design firms in the city and has become a recognized leader in campus planning, sustainable design innovation, workplace strategies, healthcare design and change management – both throughout the region and nationally. Starting as a workplace pilot project in 2014, the studio needed to be 100 percent mobile, flexible, and technologically supported so project teams could easily move around the studio to collaborate. The new studio design also needed to support P+W’s local purpose of design excellence, sustainable stewardship, and social responsibility. Conscious, deliberate care was necessary in material selection and indoor environmental design. Challenging conventional workplace models, P+W set out to do less – less walls, less fixed furniture, simpler materials, less energy use, no assigned seating – offering more opportunity for choice, creativity, and collaboration.”
