Contract - September 2011 - (Page 12)

editorial A Resilient Reality This past decade—the start of the 21st century—was remarkable on multiple counts. The impact of 9/11 marked paradigm shifts in our lives, our economy, and, frankly, our world. That world we live in seems to have become smaller. It has been—and is—a time of resilience, and we’ve all needed to become more resilient. In the architecture and design industry in this past decade, the growth and general cultural acceptance of sustainable design, however one defines it and for whatever reasons (the desire to build with care for the planet, generational shifts in preferences, economic pressures, etc.), has perhaps been the most significant movement. Today, beyond designing and building for sustainability, you really are designing for a timeless resilience. As Judith Heerwagen and Michael Bloom point out in their article on The Resilient Workplace (page 64), resilience is the capacity of a system to cope with disturbances without shifting into a qualitatively different state. A resilient ecosystem, for example, can withstand a disturbance to its system and, if damaged, rebuild and renew itself with innovation. Resilience itself is positive and it’s about the future. This month, as a nation and world, we stopped to recognize the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and saw the opening of the National 9/11 Memorial in New York. The memorial and the ongoing construction at the World Trade Center site are symbolic of our resilience to move forward and rebuild, while we remember. In this issue, Contract previews the interior being built underneath the plaza, the National 9/11 Memorial Museum (page 32), which is scheduled to open September 11, 2012. With a design orchestrated by Steven Davis, FAIA, design partner at Aedas (see interview, page 80), the museum is complex due to its completely below-grade constrained site as well as the gravitas of both its artifact collection and the story it will tell for generations. Also in this issue, key leaders in our industry remember a titan— Ray Anderson (page 14)—who instituted more resilient methods of manufacturing and doing business. The founder of Interface, Inc., died in August after a battle with cancer. Ray revolutionized his carpet company’s production process and he became a maverick in the sustainable design movement, inspiring architects, interior designers, product designers, and related professionals with a sense of urgency. Designing for sustainability is designing for resilience. Projects featured in this issue were all conceived with careful consideration for sustainability and the world around us. Readers attending Greenbuild in Toronto in early October should take note of the Enermodal office in Kitchener, Ontario (page 46), considered the most energy efficient office in Canada, and the Corus Entertainment office at Corus Quay in Toronto (page 36). Corus has a larger, broader story beyond the interior itself, and because of that it is the type of project that I admire. Corus’s interior, the building’s core and shell, and the neighborhood development that it is in have all achieved LEED® Gold certification. Urban design and policy decisions at the broader city and neighborhood level to redevelop a forelorn industrial lakefront had an impact on the building design, and the building’s structure and features had an influence on the innovative interiors. Thus, the interior is part of a larger system, and has a relationship with the success of the city and its resilient lakefront. It’s all connected. In this interconnected world, our efforts to thrive in this economy undoubtedly will make the difference as we adapt for the second decade of the 21st century. What does resilience mean to you? Sincerely, John Czarnecki, Editor in Chief Photo by Jay Suherwanto P.S. A reminder that, as you receive this issue, you have a few days left to enter your projects in our 33rd annual Interiors Awards. The deadline is Friday, September 30. Visit www.contractdesign.com for entry information. 12 contract september 2011 www.contractdesign.com http://www.contractdesign.com http://www.contractdesign.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - September 2011

Contract - September 2011
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Product Briefs: Sustainable
Product Focus: Here Comes the Sun
Product Focus: Cream of the Crop
Memory Museum
Triple Threat
Mission Sustainable
Model of Sustainability
Desert Oasis
LEED by Example
Cooking Light
Trends: The Resilient Workplace
Ideas: Chair History
Designers Select: Boardroom Furnishings
Sources
Ad Index
Perspectives: Steven M. Davis, Faia, Aedas

Contract - September 2011