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\u201cI love the idea of merging workplace, residential and hospitality design \u2013 seeing residential space typologies showing up in the workplace with a hospitality twist on them through the material and furniture selections,\u201d Magee says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were really able to go right into the room with you,\u201d SmithGroup Vice President Bob Varga told Magee during the competition held recently at the Steelcase campus in Grand Rapids, Mich. \u201cWe were blown away by the womb wall. You had the poise, were able to articulate the vision and rise through every part of this process \u2013 from design into presentation. Exceptional job.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,dpr_auto,q_70,h_656,w_1166\/v1680617001\/23-0196947.jpg\")
NEXT Student Design Competition winner Madeline Magee\u2019s NEXT design features a rejuvenating \u201cwomb wall\u201d where people can seek respite during the workday. Her design also ensured every space was adjacent to a different type of work mode, creating a neighborhood of connected solutions.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t
Sustainability<\/h2>\n
All the students embrace eco-friendly designs through the use of sustainable furniture, circular materials and natural lighting, but Arizona State University\u2019s Sarah Cobb takes the idea of sustainability even further with an inventive design feature she calls a \u201chappy accident.\u201d Since many employees commute to work and flex between remote and in-person, Cobb included a mudroom that people could use to transition into the office. An umbrella rack detailed into the framing of the room allows water drip from umbrellas to fall into built-in plant boxes.<\/p>\n
Chloe Cobb \u2013 Arizona State<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is a fun, sustainable aspect of the design that also gives a moment of individuality and expression,\u201d Cobb says. She also features reclaimed wood from other structures around Boston to create a connection to the past in the new facility.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are really able to bridge the gap between the neighborhood and what this company is about,\u201d Stantec Principal Diana Pisone told Cobb during the presentation. \u201cIt is a very beautiful celebration of iterative design.\u201d<\/p>\n Judges appreciated the inventiveness of the umbrella drying racks which double to water the plant life in Chloe Cobb\u2019s design.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t Student designer Addison Cameron from the University of Minnesota believes the most impactful aspect of her design was her unique concept of \u2018hidden passages\u2019 in the office. The space is designed to give people choice and control over both where they get their best work done throughout the day and how they get there. Cameron accomplishes this by using bold, contrasting colors and materiality (lighter, wood wall coverings and darker, concrete floors) as wayfinding elements so people can find different pathways from point A to point B. Cameron also made the space flexible to let people adjust based on the work they need to get done. This is evident in the temporary walls Cameron included in a team space which let it flex to accommodate more people or be redesigned for future use.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for discovery for different ways you\u2019re working,\u201d Cameron said during her presentation. \u201cThis is important because it resembles the NEXT philosophy of designing for an equitable experience that empowers employees.\u201d<\/p>\n Addison Cameron \u2013 University of Minnesota<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe space planning is brilliant,\u201d IA Interior Architects Design Director Matt LoPresto told Cameron. \u201cThis really feels like a high-end, cutting-edge robotics company \u2013 from the design to materiality \u2013 every aspect of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Addison Cameron\u2019s design features a rotating wall and \u2018hidden passageway concept that allows people to navigate the office in different ways.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t Hybrid work calls for a wide range of flexible spaces to serve different ways people work \u2013 from meeting rooms to collaborative areas to private spaces. While every NEXT design plan features abundant flexibility in the floor plan and furniture, University of Minnesota student designer Sarah Olney keys in on flexibility in a unique way. Her design optimizes spaces and technology to accomplish what she dubs \u201cstreamlined connectivity.\u201d This idea is most prominently featured in a meeting space surrounded by louvered slats, which are easily turned to make the space open and visible or closed for more privacy, depending on the need. Olney believes it is important for the office to be as flexible and dynamic as possible and owes that view to her experience through the pandemic.<\/p>\n Sarah Olney \u2013 University of Minnesota<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOne of the biggest societal impacts unique to my generation is how we view the workplace post-pandemic. Those of us who were in college or high school spent years with limited or no in-person connection and spent all our time in our homes and on video calls,\u201d Olney says. \u201cI think my generation values coming into the office, the social interaction, and more collaborative touchdown spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou walked us through the plans in a very calm, descriptive way,\u201d Perkins&Will Senior Associate Laura Due\u00f1as told Olney. \u201cYou thought about all of our needs as the client, and you included that all beautifully.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah Olney\u2019s design features an inventive louvered wall that allows team spaces to easily go from sheltered to open.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/c_limit,dpr_auto,q_70,h_300,w_300\/v1680619452\/23-0196859_1x1.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
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Equity<\/h2>\n
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Flexibility<\/h2>\n
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