Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Kimball International Launches Season 5 of Alternative Design Podcast

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/20/25

Commercial furnishings manufacturer Kimball International recently premiered the fifth season of its Alternative Design podcast, according to a news release. The first episode was released on March 17, and new episodes will launch monthly. The podcast discusses forces that shape built environments, from work to housing to healthcare to human wellness.

Hosted by Kaelynn Reid, the podcast’s first episode discusses shifts in healthcare environments that have granted more power to patients. As wearable and smart technology has expanded to allow ordinary people to track their own health, expanding healthcare beyond the hospital setting, should other built environments keep pace?

The episode’s two guests offer a dialogue circling that central question. Dr. Upali Nanda, Global Sector Director for Innovation at HKS; and Dr. Andrew Boozary, primary care physician, policy practitioner, researcher, and executive director of the Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine. Nanda discusses how design, policy, and technology can be used to transform homes into healing spaces. Boozary, meanwhile, discusses Dunn House, a hospital campus with a dedicated space for permanent social housing.

Season 5 will come at the concept of design thinking from multiple angles, discussing the impact of environments on health, human potential, and behavior, according to the news release.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Porter Family Center

    Porter Family Center for Innovation and Academics

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Porter Family Center for Innovation and Academics has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Designing the Bridge Between Inclusivity and Independence in K–12 Schools

    Fostering independence is fundamental to learning and development for K–12 students. It offers many proven benefits, such as enhanced confidence, problem-solving, decision-making, and social skills. However, this foundational objective loses its impact if it’s not accessible and adaptable to all students. Inclusivity plays a critical role in cultivating independence and healthy autonomy for students, fostering positive student learning outcomes by uniting pedagogy with the physical learning environment.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.