ICYMI: Why Interior Architects Belong at the Start of the Project

ICYMI: Why Interior Architects Belong at the Start of the Project

When should interior architects join a project team? According to this article [https://www.iands.design/design-innovation/design/article/55366876/why-interior-architects-belong-at-the-start-of-the-project], the answer is simple: at the very beginning. In this In Case You Missed It episode of I Hear Design, we revisit an interiors+sources feature exploring why interior architects should be involved from the earliest planning stages rather than after key architectural decisions have already been made. The article examines how early collaboration improves space planning, user experience, coordination among project teams, and long-term project value while helping avoid costly redesigns later in the process. It also challenges the misconception that interior architecture is primarily about finishes, highlighting its strategic role in shaping the built environment from day one. Whether you're an architect, interior designer, or design professional working across disciplines, this episode offers a timely reminder that the best projects are often the result of integrated thinking from the very start.

Foundations of Community (Pt. 3): How Worship Design Builds Faith, Belonging, and Community with Joshua Zinder

In the third and final installment of the Foundations of Community series, I Hear Design host Robert Nieminen speaks with Joshua Zinder, managing partner of JZA+D [https://joshuazinder.com/] and co-founder of Landau | Zinder Architecture [https://www.landauzinder.com/], about the evolving role of worship spaces in contemporary community life. Zinder shares how growing up in a Percival Goodman-designed synagogue helped shape both his faith and his path into architecture, and explains why worship facilities today must do far more than provide a sanctuary for weekly services. As congregations face changing attendance patterns, aging buildings, accessibility needs, financial pressures, and new expectations for education and community engagement, architects are being asked to help faith communities rethink how their facilities can support both spiritual connection and long-term resilience. The conversation explores how design can create awe and transcendence without cathedral-sized budgets, what may be lost (and gained) when worship environments are driven primarily by technology and production, and how sacred spaces can balance ritual, storytelling, flexibility and practical use. Zinder also discusses universal accessibility as a matter of dignity and belonging, strategies for right-sizing older facilities, and the emerging role of faith-based redevelopment, including mixed-use projects that may incorporate housing, healthcare, retail, or other community-serving uses. For architects, designers and anyone interested in the relationship between faith, place, and community, this episode considers how worship spaces can continue to inspire connection to the divine while also serving the very real needs of the people who gather there. Connect with Our Guest: Joshua Zinder Architecture + Design (JZA+D) Website: https://joshuazinder.com/ [https://joshuazinder.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jzad.architecture/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joshua-zinder-architecture-design [https://www.linkedin.com/company/joshua-zinder-architecture-design] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jzad.architecture/ [https://www.facebook.com/jzad.architecture/]   Landau | Zinder Architecture (LZ) Website: https://www.landauzinder.com/ [https://www.landauzinder.com/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/landauzinder/ [https://www.facebook.com/landauzinder/]

Product Talk: America 250—Heritage, Craftsmanship, and the Next Generation of American Design

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Product Talk explores the enduring impact of American manufacturing on commercial design. Lauren Brant sits down with Joseph Namyst of Davis Furniture and Casey Baxter of HBF + HBF Textiles to discuss craftsmanship, domestic manufacturing, sustainability, and the partnerships shaping the future of American-made furniture and textiles. Discover how heritage and innovation continue to define lasting design.

ICYMI: Unilever’s Hoboken HQ Becomes a Hands-On Innovation Campus

In this In Case You Missed It episode of I Hear Design, we revisit a recent interiors+sources article on Unilever’s newly reimagined North American headquarters [https://www.iands.design/people-and-projects/workplace/article/55358323/unilevers-hoboken-hq-becomes-a-hands-on-innovation-campus] in Hoboken, New Jersey. Designed by Perkins&Will, the 111,000-square-foot workplace consolidates Unilever’s former 350,000-square-foot suburban headquarters into a more compact urban campus built for discovery, testing, collaboration, and brand experience. Rather than functioning as a traditional corporate office, the new HQ is organized around Unilever’s product development process—Discover, Define, Test, and Deliver—with spaces that support everything from hands-on experimentation to consumer feedback and storytelling. Listeners will hear how features such as a professional-grade kitchen, full-service salon, retail lab, company store, modular partitions, mobile furnishings, and flexible work zones help Unilever teams experience products the way consumers do. The episode also explores the project’s broader workplace implications, including how urban location, right-sizing, reuse, and adaptable design can help companies rethink the role of the office in a hybrid era. Tune in for a closer look at how workplace design can become a platform for innovation, sustainability, employee engagement, and brand connection.

Foundations of Community (Pt. 2): Designing Better K-12 Schools with Albert Aronov and Nelya Sachakova

In this episode of I Hear Design, Robert Nieminen continues the three-part Designing the Foundations of Community series with a look at K-12 school design and what it takes to create better learning environments for students and communities today. Joining the show are Albert Aronov, principal at RKTB Architects [https://rktb.com/] and head of the firm’s educational studio, and Nelya Sachakova, who leads RKTB’s new school buildings and additions team. Together, they explore how much of today’s school work, especially in dense urban settings like New York City, is less about building from scratch and more about expanding, modernizing, and rethinking existing schools. The conversation covers what it means to design additions that feel seamlessly integrated with existing buildings while campuses remain fully operational, how accessibility can reshape the experience and dignity of a school, and why public schools must often function as both educational environments and civic infrastructure. Albert and Nelya also discuss art integration, indoor air quality, sustainability, and the challenge of delivering durable, inspiring public schools that are accountable to taxpayers and built to last for generations.