The Learning Objective
ThinkLab and SURROUND
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Welcome to The Learning Objective, the first podcast for the architecture and design community where you can receive credit for listening on the go, from ThinkLab and SANDOW DESIGN GROUP.
Available episodes
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Oldest first
Dec 13, 2022
On the Horizon: How Data can Empower Design
In this episode, presented by Delta Faucet Company, ThinkLab interviews Mike O’Neill, lead of data science research for the Gensler Research Institute, and Mitch Dalton, chief innovation officer at Core Spaces. O’Neill discusses shifts in how we currently use data, how that will change in the future, and which technologies will have the largest impact on the design industry. Dalton speaks about how to leverage data throughout the design and development process, and how designers’ inherent empathetic mindset can unlock data’s insights.
Accredited for: IDCEC, AIA | 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU
After listening, you will be able to:
Contrast how we currently use data with how that will change in the future.
Analyze the role of designer and researcher.
Evaluate the two main types of data.
Examine which technologies have the largest implications for our industry.
Our first interviewee, Mike O'Neill, is leader of data science research for the Gensler Research Institute. He talks in detail about powerful new tools that are providing opportunities to analyze the complex interplay between people and their spaces. He urges designers to seek to understand these technologies better and also explains how designers and researchers can learn to meet in the middle.
Our second interviewee, Mitch Dalton is chief innovation officer at Core Spaces, a national student housing developer, owner, and operator. He explains how the developer gathers data with the goal of building better places for people to live. By creating personas specific to their end users, the designers can understand more about who it is that they are actually designing for and map their day-to-day use of the space.
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz, and earn your certificate of completion.
How it works:
Step 1: Listen to the episode.
Step 2: Sign in at this link to take a short, 5-question quiz.
*Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU.
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion via email from CEU sponsor Delta Faucet Company.
Connect with our expert guests on LinkedIn:
Mike O’Neill
Mitch Dalton
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Oct 25, 2022
How Industrialized Construction Will Shape the Future of Design
In this episode, presented by DIRTT, ThinkLab interviews Daniel Hall, assistant professor at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands, and Amy Marks, VP at Autodesk, on what industrialized design means, how it works, and how it can help designers and manufacturers collaborate more closely.
Accredited for: IDCEC, AIA | 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU
After listening, you will be able to:
Summarize what industrialized construction encompasses.
Contrast how industrialized construction differs from conventional construction.
Analyze how industrialized construction changes the traditional design process.
Examine how industrialized construction enables new product and process innovation.
Our first guest, Daniel Hall, assistant professor at TU Delft, provides his own definition of industrialized construction. He also explains how designers who adopt this holistic approach and move away from the conventional design process will experience three mindset shifts. Hall also stresses how industrialized construction can enable more circular design in the built environment.
Amy Marks, vice president of industrialized construction at Autodesk, shares her vision for the future of industrialized construction — especially as a way to connect designers and manufacturers earlier in the design process. She describes how industrialized construction requires thinking of the built environment as a product rather than a project, and that finding a way to “productize” process development can lead to better business and sustainability outcomes.
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz, and earn your certificate of completion.
How it works:
Step 1: Listen to the episode.
Step 2: Sign in at this link to take a short, 5-question quiz. We recommend you take this on a desktop.
*Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU.
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion via email from CEU sponsor DIRTT.
Connect with our expert guests on LinkedIn:
Daniel Hall
Amy Marks
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Sep 27, 2022
Can Material Innovation Save Our World?
After listening, you will be able to:
Identify key themes in material innovation.
Contrast trends happening in the consumer goods space with those impacting the design industry.
Analyze how sustainability is impacting product design in interiors.
Examine how adaptability will be a key theme in the future.
Material ConneXion is a material insights company working to connect product designers with the right materials for whatever they’re creating. Jennifer Gumpert is Material ConneXion’s VP of business operations, and Dr. Andrew Dent is its EVP of material research. They give an insider’s look on the latest material innovations, as well as emerging trends both in and outside the design industry, including “material-minded design.”
Sustainability is becoming an ever-present concern, and Dent and Gumpert discuss the importance of working with both existing materials and simpler materials to keep environmental impact low. Gumpert also urges listeners to remember our shared responsibility around materials — as consumers, as specifiers, and as manufacturers.
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz, and earn your certificate of completion.
How it works:
Step 1: Listen to the episode.
Step 2: Sign in at this link to take a short, 5-question quiz.
*Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU.
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion via email from CEU sponsor Delta Faucet Company.
Connect with our expert guests on LinkedIn:
Andrew Dent
Jennifer Gumpert
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Aug 30, 2022
New Rules for Communication and Collaboration
In this episode, presented by Mannington Commercial, ThinkLab interviews author Gleb Tsipursky on best practices for adopting a hybrid-first model and how to guide clients no matter where they fall on the physical/virtual spectrum. We also share clips from a ThinkLab digital seminar with two leaders from top design firms: David Galullo, CEO of Rapt Studio, and Brett Shwery, senior vice president at AECOM. They discuss how their teams are staying connected regardless of distance.
Accredited for: IDCEC, AIA | 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU
After listening, you will be able to:
1. Point out the four cognitive biases that exist around hybrid work.
2. Identify how virtual brainstorming can enhance innovation.
3. Examine methods for successful mentoring in a hybrid or remote environment.
4. Evaluate how to enhance communication with internal teams and with clients.
Gleb Tsipursky is the author of Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams and an expert at guiding large organizations on how to implement hybrid work. He describes four mental blind spots that are hindering firms from realizing the full potential of a hybrid work model. He also explains the advantages of virtual “asynchronous” brainstorming, a process in which participants come up with ideas at their own pace, rather than at the same time.
This episode also includes thoughts from two leaders at Interior Design Giants of Design firms on how their teams are staying connected, regardless of distance. David Galullo, CEO and chief creative director of Rapt Studio, stresses that organizations will need to experiment with new hybrid policies, such as virtual “office hours.” Brett Shwery, senior vice president and director of interiors at AECOM, mentions how his firm tested out taking a walk during a weekly hybrid call; instead of a PowerPoint presentation, participants shared photos of their walks as a way to introduce an interactive element.
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz, and earn your certificate of completion.
How it works:
Step 1: Listen to the episode.
Step 2: Click this link to take a short, 5-question quiz.
* Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU.
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion via email from CEU sponsor Mannington Commercial.
Connect with our expert guests on LinkedIn:
Gleb Tsipursky
David Galullo
Brett Shwery
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Jul 26, 2022
Cultivating Creativity
In this episode, presented by Keilhauer, ThinkLab interviews designer Alanna Call and creativity researcher Keith Sawyer on how to foster the superpower of creativity and combat constraints on creative output.
Accredited for: IDCEC, AIA | 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU
After listening, you will be able to:
1. Identify the constraints happening in the world around us that are impacting creativity.
2. Assess how design teams can find creativity and innovation despite outside pressures.
3. Examine real-life examples of harnessing creativity “on demand” in projects.
4. Evaluate ways that groups can have the greatest creative output.
Alanna Call is the creative lead and storyteller at CID Design Group. She identifies the external pressures that are making it difficult for creativity to flourish in the design industry. And she shares the unique ways in which how her hospitality and branding firm is cultivating creativity — including placing a special importance on research and future-proofing.
Keith Sawyer is a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a creativity researcher who has spent the past 10 years studying how people become designers and architects at universities. He describes common features of creative groups across disciplines and explains how four elements — technology, expectations, expertise, and deadlines — are currently constraining creativity.
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz, and earn your certificate of completion.
How it works:
Step 1: Listen to the episode.
Step 2: Sign in at this link to take a short, 5-question quiz.
* Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU.
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion via email from CEU sponsor Keilhauer.
Connect with our expert guests on LinkedIn:
Alanna Call
Keith Sawyer
Special thanks to our CEU episode sponsor, Keilhauer, for partnering with us to provide valuable insights on compelling topics for the design industry.
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Jun 28, 2022
Designing for Equity and Belonging
In this episode, presented by Delta Faucet Company, ThinkLab interviews designers Sequoyah Hunter-Cuyjet and Susie Wise on how to reimagine current design practices to be more inclusive and to redefine what makes good design.
Accredited for: IDCEC, AIA | 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU
After listening, you will be able to:
1. Identify principles of designing for equity.
2. Evaluate how current design practices can be reimagined to design with equity in mind.
3. Define belonging, othering, and inclusion, and examine their importance.
4. Assess how to design with belonging as the main goal for projects.
Sequoyah Hunter-Cuyjet is vice president of Determined by Design, a firm which developed a framework of seven key principles for achieving design equity. She walks us through each of those principles and how they differ from the typical design process you might be used to.
Susie Wise is an educator at Stanford’s d.school and author of Design for Belonging. She describes how to consider belonging as the end point of a design — and how encouraging belonging is also a crucial part of helping your team members show up and contribute their best work.
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz, and earn your certificate of completion.
How it works:
Step 1: Listen to the episode.
Step 2: Sign in at this link to take a short, 5-question quiz.
* Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU.
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion via email from CEU sponsor Delta Faucet Company.
Connect with our expert guests on LinkedIn:
Sequoyah Hunter-Cuyjet
Susie Wise
Special thanks to our CEU episode sponsor, Delta Faucet Company, for partnering with us to provide valuable insights on compelling topics for the design industry.
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Jun 7, 2022
The Art & Science of Experience
In this episode, presented by Mannington Commercial, ThinkLab interviews two experts in the emerging field of neuroaesthetics: Susan Magsamen, the director of Johns Hopkins’ International Arts + Mind Lab, and Suchi Reddy, architect and founder of Reddymade. They explain how neuroaesthetics can provide clues about how our bodies respond to design on a biological level. ThinkLab also speaks with David Rockwell, founder of Rockwell Group, who discusses his multidisciplinary approach to design, creating memorable experiences blending both theater and architecture.
Accredited for: IDCEC, AIA | 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU
After listening, you will be able to:
1. Identify what neuroaesthetics is and how it can be used in architecture and interiors.
2. Examine projects where neuroaesthetics and biometric data were used to inform participants’ unique experiences.
3. Evaluate how you can use data and technology in projects to measure experience and influence outcomes.
4. Point out the six ways that architecture can draw from theater in creating experience.
Tune in as Magsamen and Reddy describe their unique exhibit, “A Space for Being,” hosted at Milan’s Salone del Mobile design fair. Their team designed three separate spaces, each evoking a different emotional experience by using contrasting visuals, sounds, and smells. Visitors wore a custom wristband that recorded their biometric data to see where they felt most at ease — with surprising results. Magsamen and Reddy discuss how these sorts of insights can influence design thinking and how to use new technology to innovate.
Then, Rockwell shares his own perspective on what matters most when creating an engaging experience, whether in designing interiors or theater set design. His focus is on how stories are told and places are formed, and for great design in both fields, he recommends asking how you want the audience to feel. He also looks to the future and discusses his expectations for new forms of public spaces that will appear after the pandemic.
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz, and earn your certificate of completion.
How it works:
Step 1: Listen to the episode.
Step 2: Sign in at this link to take a short, 5-question quiz.
* Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU.
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion via email from CEU sponsor Mannington Commercial.
Connect with our expert guests on LinkedIn:
Susan Magsamen
Suchi Reddy
David Rockwell
Special thanks to our CEU episode sponsor, Mannington Commercial, for partnering with us to provide valuable insights on compelling topics for the design industry.
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May 10, 2022
The Possibilities of Acoustics
In this episode, presented by 3form,ThinkLab digs into interviews Zackery Belanger, an expert in acoustic architecture and founder of Arcgeometer, to demystify how acoustics work in the built environment with an engaging discussion on how acoustics work in a space, how to measure them, and why there’s a limit to how precise we can get – as well as what’s next for the future of acoustics and the built environment.
Accredited for: IDCEC, AIA | 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU
After listening, you will be able to:
1. Point out the “blurry” aspects of acoustics, such as the human perception of sound.
2. Identify the precise tools and measurements available in acoustics.
3. Outline when to bring in an expert and how to incorporate acoustic products.
4. Evaluate how you can “design in the right direction” for the times you don’t have access to an expert.
Tune in as Belanger explains the three main parameters for measuring sound: reverberation, level, and noise reduction coefficient (NRC). But just as importantly, he stresses that designers should consider the array of tools we have available as helpful guides, keeping in mind that there is no precise target to hit for a room to be successful.
Balenger also describes how auralization simulations work and how they can help designers before a room is even complete, talking listeners through clips of three simulations. And he encourages designers with recommendations on how to navigate the gray areas of acoustics and when to do so in the process.
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz, and earn your certificate of completion.
How it works:
Step 1: Listen to the episode.
Step 2: Sign in at this link to take a short, 5-question quiz.
* Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU.
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion via email from CEU sponsor 3form.
Connect with our speakers on LinkedIn:
Cory Lesueur
Zackery Belanger
Special thanks to our CEU episode sponsor, 3form, for partnering with us to provide valuable insights on compelling topics for the design industry.
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Apr 5, 2022
Designing Against Burnout
Passion-driven people + a culture of overwork = the perfect recipe for burnout. ThinkLab’s Meredith Campbell interviews workplace and culture experts to share how you can reduce the risk of burnout, unlock creative problem solving and improve your work rhythm in this accredited CEU podcast episode.
Accredited for: IDCEC, AIA | 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU
After listening, you will be able to:
• Analyze the six root causes of burnout
• Identify the personality types and groups that tend to be most prone to burnout
• Assess how leaders and organizations can combat burnout
• Design your own performance cycles to work in harmony with creativity
Jennifer Moss, author of the book The Burnout Epidemic, explores how a culture and legacy of overwork contribute to major burnout in the interior design industry. She describes how leaders need to recognize the standards they’re modeling for their employees, and shares findings from her research.
Finally, Rahaf Harfoush, author of Humane Productivity, spells out the four stages of the creative process and gives her recommendations for countering “productivity propaganda.” She stresses the importance of protecting yourself from burnout by prioritizing rest, which is especially crucial for creatives.
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz and earn your certificate of completion.
How it works:
Step 1: Listen to the episode
Step 2: Sign in at this link to take a short, 5 question quiz
* Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion via email from CEU sponsor Delta Faucets
Connect with our speakers on LinkedIn:
Faye Adams
Jennifer Moss
Rahaf Harfoush
Special thanks to our CEU episode sponsor, Delta Faucet Company, for partnering with us to provide valuable insights on compelling topics for the design industry.
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Mar 8, 2022
The Learning Objective Trailer
Welcome to The Learning Objective, the first podcast for the architecture and design community where you can receive CEU credit for listening on the go.
Hosted by Meredith Campbell, Research and Content Developer at ThinkLab, the research division of SANDOW Design Group, this podcast brings you the most compelling topics that are top of mind for the design community in an audio-CEU format eligible for credits from IDCEC & AIA.
Curiosity is inherent to creativity. Tune in each month as we satisfy design curiosities and CEU requirements – all in just half an hour.
Want to stay up to speed while staying away from the screen? Subscribe Now!
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