EXPLORATION : THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

This exercise illustrates the importance of graphic communication.  Each infographic below touches on a singular topic:  Design & Diversity, Universal Design, Empathy Design, Participatory Design, and Affordable Housing Market.  Each topic illustrates the need for quality and thoughtful design, regardless of demographics.  

The following letter is an example sent to an ideal client, Hotel X, who is a luxury hotel corporation with multiple locations worldwide.     Dear client, We are thrilled to partner with you on your next adventure.  As we moved forward with the new design and "2020-GO", the new branding initiative, we would like to take the opportunity to revisit building and sustainability strategies.  As we begin, let us look at a few statistics.  Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, people were spending more time than ever indoors.  That includes hotels and other non-residences.  Corporations, design professionals, and others are more aware than ever for providing healthy environments, being accountable to the user, and responsible to the environment. According to Katie Brandt, a sustainability officer at Google, we only have 12 years (as of 2018) before facing irreversible damage to our planet.  We have a real opportunity to be a part of creating a ...

Building safety and accessiblity have been changing incrementally over the last several hundred years. Building codes have been developing for centuries. In the 1660s, massive fires in London forced the British government to enact the "1666 Act for rebuilding the City of London". This act attempted to mitigate risk by enforcing the use of certain building materials which were safer options. Two hundred years later, the cities of Seattle and Chicago saw similar devastation and followed by enacting similar regulations. In the early 20th century, due to the cholera pandemic, building owners were forced to rethink living conditions in their overfilled tenant buildings. The list goes on and on, but one common denominator is that something terrible had to happen before there was any action, not to mention the lengthy time it takes to pass such laws. Regardless, when the time comes to implement such legislation, only the minimum effort can be enforced. One of the biggest changes in ...

Have you ever wondered about the difference between integrated and clinical medicine?  Up until recently, I did not.  I assumed that integrated was a more in-depth approach to clinical medicine.  My understanding was that clinical medicine was only making an appointment and visiting a doctor for a sore throat, and he breaks out his/her handy note pad and writes you a prescription.  I call this "spot treatment."  My understanding of integrated medicine was more like case management.  A case manager would be assigned to you and assist in ensuring you received proper, all-around treatment. It is a dedication to your whole health.  But I have learned this week; integrated medicine is the same as alternative medicine, and frankly sounds better.  Plenty of people identify with the label; however, most would be considered health extremists who use garlic instead of chemotherapy, says article author Jennie Rothenberg Gritz.  But is this a fair assess...