Competition.  We all know that word, whether in terms of projects we’re trying to win or our favorite basketball team.  And we can probably agree that a healthy amount of competition can be a good thing – drives us forward, causes us to focus, challenges us, and introduces us to new ideas.  Well, how about when one of your biggest competitors (ahem…SOM) wins a competition to design a new “Silicon Valley” in New York City?  How does THAT make you feel? 
In late 2011, Cornell University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology – with SOM and Field Operations (designed the High Line in NYC) – won a competition run by NYC’s administrative office under Michael Bloomberg to repurpose a portion of Roosevelt Island.  The winning proposal included 2.5 million square feet total, with technology focused on NYC-centric industries such as medicine, finance, and advertising, and endowments for start-up companies.  What is particularly attractive about the campus, however, is that the proposal centered the 2,500-student academic institution around central “hubs” (see Fast Company for the animations of the space) and expansive, open areas organized by interest, not by discipline, to foster the exchange of ideas.  Polish it off with interwoven public spaces to serve the academic and general population and a net-zero goal for each of the academic buildings, and you have a pretty great recipe.  Or, at least one good enough to garner the attention of Bloomberg anc Cornell alumni alike. 
Understanding how people work, how ideas are shared, and how environments affect the [...]

A few weeks ago (embarrassingly, over a month now…where does the time go?), I had the opportunity to attend WORKTECH 11 New York, sponsored by Unwired, a UK-based company that produces conferences and events bringing the latest in work, technology, and workplace.  It was a one-day seminar at the Time and Life Building, Rockefeller Center, full of mesmerizing British accents, great vendors and new products (though I never won the iPad2 I registered for a couple of times), and discussion on the intersection of knowledge, technology, and how people engage with the built environment.  We heard from a variety of speakers – from students to CEOs – and by the end of the day, my head was swimming with what is just around the corner for us.
One thing is very clear: we are living IN the future of connectedness – economical, social, global and individual, and environmental.  From the way that your home functions and communicates with you to the scale in which we see in entirely new communities, the nature of smart growth and smart cities is of paramount importance.  Take Songdo International Business District, a $35 billion, 100 million SF development in Korea (a project that was presented by the developer, Gale International, as an example of green growth at WORKTECH, and that HOK is currently working on) which is redefining the development of communities in one of the world’s most populous regions.  We have an ability to plan and build entire cities in a small amount of [...]

My group recently moved to a new area of the office (a previous post discussed the neighborhood feel of our previous set-up, with less square footage per person). While we gained larger desks with more work surface (which has come in handy, I’ve discovered) and have the joys of sitting near new colleagues (who love to walk and get cupcakes when you need an afternoon break and are always good for a laugh), we are in one of the busiest intersections of the office.  (The image is the view from my desk, when I turn around in my seat.  Right behind my desk is the main staircase used by anyone traveling between the two floors in our office.)

It seems that there are mixed reviews by people who work in open office environments and sit in areas that see a lot of traffic.  While it may be beneficial socially, is it good for productivity?  Is it harder to talk on the phone due to noise, or easier to talk to people in person as they pass by?  Are the distractions too much when trying to get heads down work done?  Are there other places in the office more conducive to getting work done when you need quiet (there were some great comments by readers in my previous discussion of the same)?
Studies across the board may have different results, and much of it depends on the work functions, styles, and needs within a unique group or office.  One study was recently reported [...]

We are all busy.  We have families and friends that need us and that we need; fast-paced jobs with demanding deadlines; daily routines and “life things” that need to be done; errands to run; and what about trying to stay healthy and exercising every once in a while?  By most standards, we can fill 24 hours a day easily with the things that keep us busy – without, especially for this blogger, much needed rest every once in a while – leading us to say “if I just had one more hour in my day…”
Fast Company conducted a poll of senior level executives, asking them what they would do with an extra hour in their day.  Overwhelmingly, the respondents (70%) said that they would prefer to spend time with family or friends or get in time with their favorite hobby or exercise.  Other top choices included shopping online or spending time with friends online.
We desire a work-life balance that allows us to enjoy our jobs and succeed at them, as well as feel like we are able to give attention to our lives outside of the office.  If you were able to carve out an extra hour of your day by increasing your work productivity/efficiency, commuting by train or bus rather than driving your car, or somehow making your day 25 hours, instead of 24, how would you spend that extra hour?  Let Work+Place know!
Graphic courtesy of www.fastcompany.com.

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My first job, after graduating from college, provided me with a large, corner office with a window and a large cherry wood desk and credenza.  I was a fresh-faced 22-year-old with an office that seasoned lawyers in Washington, DC would fight for.
I am now (just a little) older (but much wiser) and sit in a large, open office with my desk pushed up against three others to form a large table.  My colleague who sits behind me can watch every activity on my screen and is probably reading this over my shoulder.
And, yet, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My idea of a workplace, when I first graduated, meant a cube farm – though at the time I didn’t know any of it was like other than what I’d seen on “Alias” or .  When I moved straight to the “top” and had my own private office, I thought that’s where I would stay.  If I had only known then what I know now.  The interactions I had in my own office included phone calls to the colleague who sat on the other side of the wall or yelling out into the hall at the administrative assistant.  It was effort to walk down the hall, and our workspace was not conducive to any type of team activity.  It was a bother to bump into people.
But, I am typically considered more on the “people-person” end of the spectrum, so working in an open area should not have made me balk when [...]

To draw off of Vincent’s snow+place posting…
We had a lot of snow in DC this weekend.  A disproportionate amount, actually, in comparison to recent (read: the last 70) Decembers.  Perhaps we’re making up for lost time!?   All I know, is that I am thankful to say that, in 50 years, when my as of yet imaginary grandchildren ask me where I was during the Mid-Atlantic Blizzard of ‘09, I can say that I was in the middle of it.  Literally.  Loving all of it (I grew up in FL, after all).  I know that, to some of our more northern or midwestern counterparts, the 16″-20″ may seem routine.  But, there was nothing routine (or at least, in the last 6 years that I’ve lived here) about it.
Speaking of loving it, roaming around town in the midst of it became my favorite pastime of the weekend.  I live less than a mile from the office, so, in my roamings,  naturally traversed close to the HOK office, in Georgetown.  And, for blogging purposes, had to stop by the office to take a few pictures of our workplace.
This is what happens when your work(+)place becomes a winter(+)place:

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Following our current economic model, which is based on information and knowledge work, could the next economy emerge as one based largely on creativity? And if so, would we be able to cultivate creativity? Some say the ability to collaborate effectively with other creative types is key to business performance. Just how, then, could collaboration be maximized?