Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)’s Post

Katharina Johanna Oetken is working on her PhD at the Real Estate Management Institute at EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht.  She has just published a paper on co-creation dynamics in urban design, together with three other authors. We were a major part of the research with our co-creative idea mastery concept. The results of the study have now been published in the Urban Design Journal. They encourage us to further apply and deepen our own processes and methods for co-creation, based on our Socialtecture principles. In the summary, the authors state: "However, the study underscores the necessity of addressing power imbalances, particularly in relation to the underrepresentation of young people's voices, to foster more inclusive and equitable co-creation processes in urban design." https://lnkd.in/dcjW9rpp Katharina Johanna Oetken, Kerstin Hennig, Sven Henkel & Katrin Merfeld (14 May 2024): A psychoanalytical approach in urban design: exploring dynamics of co-creation through theme-centred interaction, Journal of Urban Design.

Planning and designing space in the Public Sector comes with unique challenges. Here is an idea of how public policy influences space planning and design, and where to find more information - #publicsector #spaceplanning #capitalplanning #builtenvironment #education #educationsector #humanservices #washingtonstate

Interested in our Field Building and Collective Impact work? Read our latest Learn Center article, “Why Field Building is Central to The Kelsey’s Approach.” From engaging housing and design stakeholders to fostering cross-sector relationships, learn how these strategies help us build a disability-forward housing future. Plus, find out how you can stay connected and contribute to our ongoing Field Building efforts. Access the article at https://lnkd.in/exTuCW8r. . . . Image description: Text on image reads, “Why Field Building is Central to The Kelsey’s Approach.” To the right of the text, three people are pictured sitting in armchairs, talking around a coffee table with floor plans on it. The Kelsey logo is visible in the lower right corner.

The latest read: “The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative” by Florence Williams. What does that have to do with architecture or design? In addition to referencing biophilia, the works of Wilson and Ulrich, ART (Attention Restoration Theory) and SRT (Stress Reduction Theory), it explores current research happening all around the globe. “With more clues about what makes our brains happy and keeps them running smoothly, that information can be fed into public policy decisions, urban planning and architectural design. The research has profound implications for schools, hospitals, prisons and public housing. Imagine bigger windows, more urban trees, mandated lie-on-the-grass sessions, minute-long birdsong breaks… it might even be possible to construct doses of nature so palatable and efficient that we hardly notice them. This approach, of course, is classically Western. Manipulate the environment. Feel nature without even trying.” I’m intrigued not only by the stress reduction and physically healing power being researched, but the marked increase in creativity and problem solving when surrounded by nature. In an ideal world, architects, designers, and urban planners would strive to integrate nature in their designs, and also preserve (or rebuild) as much of the natural environment as possible.

Conversations around the dire need to update the now 30-year-old Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS) - fieldwork completed 1994, published in 1996 - have been going on for years. Since we use this important tool daily at JLK, we are also often discussing its shortcomings. Historic Modern and Postmodern buildings across the city are not captured by CHRS, which only reviewed properties built through 1940. There are also major gaps throughout neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West sides. Most recently I was struck by the impending demolition of two properties at 720 N Wells and 207 W Superior in River North, neither of which are recognized for potential historic or architectural significance by the survey. The properties anchor the corner along adjacent blocks where late nineteenth and early twentieth century commercial properties remain intact, an increasingly rare condition in the neighborhood which has seen a surge in new development over the last few decades. It will require significant funding and effort to update CHRS, but investing in the protection of the diverse architectural heritage that conveys the city’s cultural significance also plays an important role in building a more equitable and sustainable Chicago. https://lnkd.in/g2jz2Hps

Congratulations to the National Capital Planning Commission as it celebrates a centennial of existence! I was honored to enter into dialogue with Julia Koster, Zachary Schrag, and Mencer Donahue "Don" Edwards to explore the significance of this historic milestone at the opening of a new exhibition exploring NCPC's history in the reading room of Mies van der Rohe's Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. My remarks explored the impact that the NCPC has had on the evolution of urban planning practice through their work to coordinate, influence, and shape the nation's capital. NCPC's work embodies extraordinary responsibility to advance the common good from the perspective of the federal government's interest. The work of NCPC has repeatedly set national standards of urban planning and urban design practice -- at times seeking to do so intentionally -- and has indirectly influenced capital cities across the country and around the world. We stand at a critical moment in time, where we can readily assess that NCPC's impact has not always produced fair or catalytic urban outcomes. Our dialogue included critical reflections on the enduring legacy of urban renewal in Washington, D.C., highway planning and the impacts of recent efforts to weave federal security measures throughout the fabric of the city. I underscored the importance of planning and designing public buildings and spaces in Washington, D.C. to appropriately introduce a monumentality worthy of our nation's project in democracy AND to support and encourage place-based interaction between people in casual and contemporary ways. This duality is a challenging design objective and difficult to achieve. Delivering monumentality in the built environment is remarkably easy; concurrently delivering life-sustaining urban places that support thriving and inclusive human interaction remains the exception, not the rule. Happy 100th birthday NCPC! Let's see what the second 100 years can achieve.

"MacArthur Park and Pershing Square are intended for people to use as communal environments, but those intentions, upon observation, appear to fall short. The question arises: What does good investment in the public realm look like?" writes Perkins&Will LA's Richard Marshall in his latest essay for Urban Land Institute's Magazine. Check out the full piece below for more of Richard's thoughts on Los Angeles' public realm and it's hopeful potential.

The planning skill set is useful in leading communities too

Thanks Richard Florida for your kind words "Carlos Moreno has done cities and society a great service by showing us the vital importance of the 15-minute city, where we can work, send our children to school, shop, and carry out all of life’s crucial activities in close proximity to where we live" Discover what leading international experts in urban development are saying about my upcoming book, 'In The 15-Minute City: A Solution for Saving Our Time and Our Planet' (Wiley, releasing on May 7). Click here for all the editorial reviews!" https://lnkd.in/edRkVrUu

In January, Sno-Isle Libraries welcomed the Edmonds community back into their beloved library - completely reimagined after an irrigation pipe burst, sending 60,000 gallons of water into the 17,000 SF library and closing it for 18 months. The library used this opportunity to work with JA to design a more flexible, inclusive facility that celebrates interactive learning and equitable access to knowledge and technology, all with an emphasis on strengthening community connections. A focus of the renovation was the children's area, which includes this JA-designed "pebble" which was fabricated by Haskett Works using digital files we created in-house. In the back of the children's area, a wall lit with 3,220 LED bulbs displays colorful designs and is programmed for interactive and collaborative play. JA team members designed, built, and programmed the entire "peg wall" as part of our project scope. You can learn more about how we combined these special features in an article by JA Partner Jack Chaffin for the SEATTLE DAILY JOURNAL OF COMMERCE, linked below: https://lnkd.in/gcJp4uY8 #librarydesign #libraryarchitecture #librarydesigner #libraryarchitect #childrenslibrary #earlyliteracy #earlychildhooddevelopment #earlyreaders #loveofreading #welovelibraries #interactivelearning #technology #parametricdesign #fabrication #customfabrication #edmondswashington #librarydistrict #snohomishcounty #islandcounty #snoisle #publiclibrary #communitylibrary #washingtonlibrary #interiordesign #interiorarchitecture