Contract Magazine Seeks Fall 2010 Interns

Calling all students. Contract magazine is still looking for last minute intern applicants for its Fall 2010 internship. Accepted interns will work hands on with Contract staff editors to produce daily editorial coverage for ContractDesign.com and TalkContract.com, with a possibility for additional print coverage, as they gain first-hand exposure to the latest A&D industry news and design product releases. Interns will be located in our New York City office.

While editorial internships are open to college students who have a strong interest in pursuing a career in journalism, we also consider qualified design students that demonstrate a clear writing talent and style.

>> Read more about internships at Contract magazine

Hope Floats

While creating a spectacular visual design might not by itself be a life-saving endeavor, it can be when artful inspiration meets practical safety. Morely Builders recently announced that it has teamed up with Portraits of Hope, an organization that utilizes public art projects as therapy for hospitalized children, in an effort to adorn 30 miles of lifeguard towers (38 in total) along the Los Angeles County Coast with colorful artwork. Each piece created by adults and children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and socio-economic challenges.

The exhibit will be on display through October 1. The recyclable boards and vinyl roofing will then be sent to aid rebuilding in Haiti and Chile.

--Stacy Straczynski

Inspiration is Only a Chair Away

Herman Miller is taking a ‘seat’ on the need to show the next generation that a little imagination—plus a little application—can go a long way. In collaboration with Operation Design, an organization that works to put students in direct contact with design professionals to put their creative juices flowing, the office furniture solutions company is sponsoring Eames Inspiration, an online auction.
 
From May 11 through June 1, a collection of Herman Miller Eames Moulded Plywood Lounge Chairs that have been decorated by famous street and graffiti artists will be featured in Barneys New York (Madison and 61st Street) storefronts. The one-of-a-kind chairs will then be auctioned online. Visit www.opdesign.org for more info and images of these artistic chairs.

--Stacy Straczynski

   

The Real World: Design

Each year, ASID holds its RealWorld DesignWeek (RWDW), an annual nationwide student mentoring program, and this November is no exception. RWDW pairs ASID student members with ASID interior designers and industry partners for one-on-one experiences over the course of a week. Registration for practicing interior designers to sign up as mentors for this year's spin, scheduled for Nov. 1–7, 2009, is now open. Last year more than 1,500 people participated. For more info, visit http://www.asid.org/RWDW

ICFF at a glance

 

 

PS: Can you play Spot Starck at the Conran Shop below? (Here's a hint on how to find him)

Take a bow...and then take a seat

While here at Contract, associate editor AnnMarie Marano's been wrapping up latest Materials column for the May 2009 issue, focusing on new uses of corrugated board, comes news of the finalists of the 2009 corrugated board chair design competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF).

Launched during the Spring 2009 academic semester, the two-phase competition invited students to explore the issues related to using corrugated board in design, construction, and production. Made from a naturally renewable resource, corrugated board is largely manufacturer using high percentages of secondary fiber like old corrugated container, old newspapers, or straw, diverting these additional materials from the usual waste stream. 

Entrants could work individually or in teams and had to be architecture an design students in North America. All entrants were challenged to design a chair—meaning anything that elevates a user of undetermined size off of the ground, comfortable, for an extended period of time. Use of previously used corrugated board was strongly encourage, no non-paper mechanical fasteners were permitted, and any type of glue could be used.

The first batch of entries were narrowed down to a mere six finalists, all of which were displayed and judged at the AIA National Convention recently in San Francisco. The judging panel—Oscar Fitzgerald of Corcoran School of Art and Design; William Hooper of Gensler; Don Pruitt of Quinn Evans; and Professor Isaac Williams of the University of Maryland—review entries with an eye on the following: clear and easily comprehendible design; originality; ergonomic comfort; aesthetics; cleverness of craft and detail; and the accompanying essays.

What is at stake? First prize garners $1,500; second takes $1,000; third wins $750; three honorable mentions pocket $350; and four merit awards win $50. Plus, the winning entries will be published in Crit, Journal of the AIAS this fall. The first and second place winners also will officially receive their prizes in Las Vegas during the annual meeting of ICPF and the Association of Independent Corrugated Converters this summer.

Now enough chit-chat. Bring on the eye candy:

More info on the finalists can be found here.

Hardly child's play

While we normally focus solely on commercial design, we couldn't pass this by: The PBS show Design Squad recently held a competition called Trash to Treasure. Co-sponsored by Intel, the competition challenged kids to design entirely new products from discarded items and materials. The entries had to move things or people, protect the environment, or be played with inside or outdoors. 

Here's the part us social responsibility nuts love: The winner was 12-year-old Max Wallack, who crafted The Home Dome, temporary housing for those in need of shelter, out of packing peanuts and plastic bags. The dome is anchored by a built-in bed that uses the weight of the dome's occupant to anchor the structure. 

Even more fun, as part of his prize, he got a trip to the Newton, Mass. offices of Continuum (the minds behind a bevy of products, including Allsteel's Acuity Chair), to build a prototype. Check it out:

What advice do you have for students or those entering the A&D field?

In anticipation of the 30^th Annual Interiors Awards Breakfast THIS FRIDAY(!) (get last-minute tickets here), Contract asked past Designers of the Year (or, as we affectionately dub them, our DOYs) for their thoughts on a selection of industry-related questions. Each Thursday leading up to the Interiors Awards, check back in for their thoughts on the latest topic and give us your thoughts on the question of the week.

In the past two weeks we asked about the most exhilarating and disturbing trends in design. For this week's question, we look forward and ask: What advice do you have for students or those just entering the A&D field?

Carol Groh
Carol A. Groh Design; Greenwich, Conn.; DOY 1987

It is critical that all students MUST be educated in the business practices of design. All schools should include programs and practices of business in their curriculum, as this is ESSENTIAL for being successful in the fields of design.

 

Karen Daroff
Daroff Design Inc., Philadelphia; DOY 1990

A recessionary period is a both a good time and a difficult time to be entering the profession, so the challenge for a graduating student is how to distinguish themselves from the flood of job applicants. It is a good time, because firms are looking for opportunities to reduce overhead. The addition of talented (lower salary) recent graduates might a creative way for a firm to lower its average cost per billable employee.
Recent graduating students should keep in mind that a positive first impression is essential. Candidates should wear business attire, be well groomed and have a well-designed, graphically refined portfolio, illustrating a cross section of their professional capabilities.A positive attitude, flexibility and a wide range of computer skills such as Photoshop, AutoCAD and competence in 3-D visualization programs such as Sketch-up, in addition to good space planning, a keen eye for colors and finishes and a working knowledge of sources and codes is highly desirable. Candidates should be willing to embrace the internship process or take entry-level positions and salaries just to get their feet in the door. Once hired, interns have the opportunity to distinguish themselves by thinking ahead, being flexible and demonstrating motivation to pitch-in whenever possible. 
A designer’s education is on-going, so I would also encourage students to read design magazines, attend office “lunch and learns’ and embrace every opportunity they have to broaden their knowledge base. Additionally, I believe, that to get ahead, it is essential to be a good communicator. My own interior design college academic course work did not adequately prepare me for the rigors of writing proposals and contracts, the critical reading comprehension skills needed to understand the client's goals and objectives and the codes and ordinances governing interior design projects.  My college education also did not adequately prepare me for the presentation skills I quickly learned were needed for me to successfully lead a marketing presentation.

Debra Lehman Smith
Founding Partner, Lehman Smith McLeish; Washington, DC; DOY 1995

More than ever, we are practicing in a global, multi-dimensional environment where interior architecture is fully integrated with associated fields.  I’d encourage young professionals to get a variety of different work experiences, including planning, development, landscape or industrial design, art and graphics, broadening their perspective of the profession.  Experiences outside of the traditional work setting, through volunteer or professional organizations, can be equally valuable.

 

Neville Lewis, FIIDA
Consultant/educator; New York; DOY 1997

Study,study, study, observe and listen.

David Rockwell
Founder and CEO, Rockwell Group; New York, 
with satellite offices in Madrid and Dubai; DOY 1998

In order to be innovative, experimental, and to really push boundaries, you have to be willing to fail sometimes. So, the rules I stand by are to always make sure I am taking on new challenges, strive to make sure projects stand out; find unique design opportunities; and continually keep ideas fresh and relevant.

 

William McDonough
Principal, William McDonough + Partners and MBDC; Charlottesville, VA; 
DOY 1999

Travel widely as soon as you can.

 

Shashi Caan
Principal, The Collective; New York City; DOY 2004

Our current economic concerns can be viewed as an extraordinary opportunity for defining the deeper meaning and value of design. This period is a moment in our history for mass human catharsis—a shedding of our wasteful ways and a constant want for more—and a strive for a broad global balance.
This next decade heralds a new beginning and ushers a new era. It is a time for embracing and testing the classic dictums such as “necessity is the mother of invention”…It is a phenomenal time seeking great creativity, intelligence, learning, experimenting and understanding. This is your day and a time to truly define the empathetic and the innovative in design

Ken Wilson
Principal, Envision; Washington, DC; DOY 2005

You have to love the profession and be willing to work exceptionally hard.

Mark Harbick, AIA, IIDA 
Vice President / Director of Design, Huntsman Architectural Group; New York; 
DOY 2006

Diversify. Obtain practical experience in all aspects of the profession and project types. Become as well-rounded as possible.

 

Making the grade? Not quite.

Just in time for Greenbuild, RMJM  released its "Education Revolution" study which, among other things, found that only six percent of design leaders believe recent graduates from U.S. design schools are very well prepared to address sustainable design. Not a good response, given that 88 percent of firm leaders surveyed believe that knowledge of sustainable design will significantly affect a young person's advancement.

Are design school failing us all—firms, students and clients—when it comes to teaching sustainability? The study showed wide differences between graduates' aptitude on different areas of sustainable design as identified by LEED ratings. And the outlook from students and faculty, while better than six percent, was still well below passing: Only 23 percent of students and 32 percent of faculty think graduates are well prepared to go green. What's more, it was students who gave the highest negative ratings to their peers, with 17 percent saying recent grads are poorly or very poorly prepared.

The question becomes whose responsibility it is to teach sustainability. It is 

a) The responsibility of the individual student to seek out answers and new technologies? 

b) That of the individual professor to take the initiative of integrating it and actively promoting it in coursework? 

c) The responsibility of learning institutions to engage faculty and students in a constant dialogue through coursework, campus activities and industry outreach? 

d) The firm owners to institute in-house programming that can get new hires and old veterans alike up to speed on the latest sustainable options? 

or

e) all of the above and then some? 

No matter what the answer, with the built environment responsible for 35-45 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and one third of all energy use in the United States, it's a problem that should not be ignored.