Kimball International Launches Season 5 of Alternative Design Podcast

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

  • University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.

  • Fargo, N.D., Starts Construction on Consolidated Elementary School

    Fargo Public Schools in Fargo, N.D., recently announced the beginning of construction on a new elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with ICON Architectural Group and Kraus-Anderson Construction on the new Horace Mann Elementary School.