I Hear Design: the i+s podcast

Budget-Conscious Workplace Design: Fewer Surprises & Better Decisions with Sophie Bidek

When clients say they need a project to be “budget-conscious,” what do they actually mean—and how can design teams respond without sacrificing creativity? In this episode of I Hear Design, host Robert Nieminen sits down with Sophie Bidek, Studio Director of Vocon, a Chicago-based design leader whose work spans multifamily, mixed-use, workplace, boutique hospitality, and placemaking.
Sophie shares how today’s clients are approaching workplace projects with more intention and why that shift is changing how we plan, prioritize, and design for experience. You’ll hear her unpack why “budget-conscious” isn’t always about drastically smaller budgets: it’s about fewer surprises, a smaller margin for error, and earlier, real-time clarity around cost drivers and trade-offs.
She also explains a simple way to keep spaces from feeling overly value engineered: a strategy every architects and designer will want to tune in for.  

ICYMI: Designing Workplace Amenities: Create Experiences That Attract and Retain Talent

With hybrid work raising expectations for the office, which is now judged against the comfort and convenience of home, organizations are increasingly prioritizing better amenities and services for their workplaces. In this In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) article-read episode of I Hear Design, based on the article, "Designing Workplace Amenities: Create Experiences That Attract and Retain Talent," we explore why amenities have become a defining factor in the competition for talent and why the real differentiator isn’t simply adding a coffee bar, rooftop deck, or game room, but designing the experience around it. 
You’ll hear a practical framework for amenity planning that goes beyond trends starting with site, climate, and infrastructure; designing around user demographics and community synergies; planning for programming, operations, and partnerships;, and clarifying design intent and functionality. Whether you’re a designer, owner, or workplace leader, this episode offers actionable questions to help amenities deliver lasting value, rather than simply another box to check on your workplace offerings.

Mentorship in the AI Era: How IIDA NY Is Building Stronger Pathways for Emerging Designers With Elisabeth Mejia and Paridhi Chawla

Emerging designers are stepping into a profession that looks nothing like what many were trained for—hybrid work has changed studio culture, and AI is accelerating everything from ideation to expectations. In this episode of I Hear Design, host Robert Nieminen sits down with Elisabeth Mejia, IIDA NY Chapter President and Office Design Leader, Interiors at HKS, and Paridhi Chawla, VP of Student Development for IIDA NY and a designer at TPG Architecture, to rethink what mentorship needs to be right now.
Together, they explore mentorship as a two-way partnership and a safe space for honest questions, as well as highlight the real difference between a mentor and a sponsor who advocates for you when you’re not in the room. They also discuss “listening-first” leadership, transparency around expectations, and how mentors can support diverse, early-career talent with empathy and clarity.
You’ll also hear how IIDA NY is turning mentorship into action through Career Night, the Student Uplift Program, and the upcoming Listening Lounge—initiatives designed to connect students, emerging professionals, and industry partners in more intentional ways.

Product Talk | From Clicks to Specs: What Product Engagement Data Tells Us About 2026

In this episode of Product Talk, host Lauren Brant explores what product engagement data reveals about the way designers are thinking, clicking, and ultimately specifying for the year ahead. Drawing on real behavior from the interiors+sources audience, the conversation uncovers the categories and qualities that held attention longest—and what those patterns suggest about evolving priorities in commercial design. It’s an insightful look at how analytics can translate into smarter, more purposeful design decisions for 2026.

ICYMI: The Art and Science of Acoustics: Enhancing Space Functionality and Privacy

As both a science and an art, acoustics can make or break the way a space functions. In this ICYMI article-read episode based on "The Art and Science of Acoustics," by Armstrong's Kenneth Wood, published on the interiors+sources website on Oct. 16, 2025, we break down the fundamentals of how sound behaves in interiors, why ceilings and plenums matter more than many teams realize, and how designers can align performance goals with real occupant expectations. You’ll get a clear, designer-friendly tour of common acoustic metrics and a breakdown of how these numbers work together in the real world.
The episode also outlines the four levels of speech privacy (from confidential to none) and offers a simple, best-practice framework—Absorb, Block, Cover (ABCs)—including a “good/better/best” approach to specifying ceiling and wall systems. If you design workplaces, healthcare, education, or any environment where focus and privacy matter, this one’s a must-save.
What you'll learn in this episode:
The four ways sound moves through a space and why material choices drive outcomes
Why ceilings are often the highest-leverage acoustic surface (and how plenums become sound highways)
What NRC, CAC, STC, NIC, RT, PI, and SPC actually tell you (and what they don’t)
How to set the right speech privacy target for open plan vs. enclosed rooms
The ABC strategy (Absorb/Block/Cover) and a “good/better/best” spec mindset

Future-Fitting Cities: Inside Gensler’s 2026 Design Forecast With Jordan Goldstein and Elizabeth Brink

In this episode of I Hear Design, Gensler’s co-CEO’s Jordan Goldstein and Elizabeth Brink sit down with host Robert Nieminen to explore the firm’s 2026 Design Forecast and what it means for the future of the built environment. They discuss how the “6 in ’26” meta trends emerged from research across 33 practice areas and 57 offices, and why design agility and creativity are now strategic imperatives in an era of volatility and rapid technological change.
Jordan and Elizabeth share how clients are redefining real estate value around experience and data using metrics like dwell time, emotional response, and behavioral patterns to shape workplaces, campuses, and mixed-use districts. They dive into predictive cost intelligence, digital twins, and AI as a creative partner, illustrating how these tools are helping owners minimize risk in projects, optimize conversions like office-to-residential, and even imagine buildings designed to adapt over centuries rather than decades.
The conversation also covers “future fitting” existing assets, the mash-up of uses transforming cities, and why climate resilience and carbon performance have become critical business issues rather than purely sustainability aspirations. Finally, they talk about the skills emerging designers will need, such as data literacy, curiosity, and comfort with AI, and how firms of any size can start applying the insights from the report today.
Listeners will come away with a clearer view of where architecture and design are headed next, as well as some concrete ideas for turning complexity into opportunity in their own practices.

ICYMI: Microbiome Architecture: A New Frontier in Commercial and Institutional Interior Design

In this ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) article-read episode of I Hear Design, we explore “microbiome architecture,” a next-step evolution of biophilic design that intentionally integrates plants and their microbiomes into commercial and institutional interiors. Based on the article by Rose Morrison published on the interiors+sources website, you’ll hear how plant systems can be designed to support indoor air quality, occupant well-being, and sustainability goals, as well as a practical framework for integrating living walls, soil-based planting media, low-tox materials, multisensory accessibility, and HVAC collaboration.
We also unpack real-world hurdles such as scientific uncertainty, maintenance demands, and upfront cost, and discuss how design teams can minimize risks of adoption through early cross-disciplinary partnerships, pilot installations, and performance tracking. The episode includes a case study spotlight on Phipps Conservatory’s Center for Sustainable Landscapes and closes with a roadmap for firms ready to move from “plants as décor” to living systems as measurable building infrastructure.

Stewardship in Action: What “Values-Driven” Design Really Means With Phil Harrison and Lindsey Peckinpaugh

What does it really look like when a design firm leads with values, not simply as a slogan, but as an operating system? In this episode of I Hear Design, host Robert Nieminen talks with Perkins&Will Principal and CEO, Phil Harrison, and Lindsey Peckinpaugh, Principal and President, about their impact report, “Stewardship in Action: A Values-Driven Approach to Design.”
Together, they explore how “values-driven” design shows up in the lived experience of a place in things like human-centered spaces, biophilic connection, and design that serves communities for the long haul. They also break down Perkins&Will’s Living Design framework and spotlight Toronto’s Dawes Library, a net-zero-carbon branch library and community hub shaped through Indigenous partnership and co-creation developed in collaboration with Smoke Architecture.
Additional highlights include:
Why energy modeling should be treated as an ethical responsibility and how firms of any size can act now
Perkins&Will’s publicly shared “Switch List” for advanced material health
Designing for biodiversity, including ecological literacy and habitat restoration
A candid look at client satisfaction vs. staff well-being—and the push to bring joy back to practice
A pragmatic take on AI: reduce repetitive work, boost creativity, and keep design a human art

Editors' Cut: interiors+sources Staff Break Down 2025’s People’s Choice Project Winners

What do interiors+sources readers value most right now, and what does that reveal about where commercial interiors are heading next? In this year-end Editors’ Cut episode of I Hear Design, host Robert Nieminen is joined by interiors+sources Editor-in-Chief Carrie Meadows and Editor Lauren Brant for a behind-the-scenes look at the People’s Choice Projects of 2025, including what stood out across the broader mix of projects published this year and why certain spaces rose to the top.
The team digs into the year’s biggest through lines—adaptive reuse and reinvention, community-centered/co-created design, and human health and biophilic strategies—then explores the deeper “why” behind audience favorites: storytelling, identity, and “impact over opulence.”
You’ll also hear candid reflections on designing for healing, what truly inclusive design looks like in practice, and what the editors hope to see more of in 2026, from trauma-informed thinking to community impact that extends beyond a building’s four walls.

Product Talk | Lauren Brant’s Most-Viewed Product Picks of 2025

Welcome to the debut of Product Talk, a new monthly series on the I Hear Design podcast hosted by Lauren Brant. In this first annual roundup episode, Lauren shares the top five most-viewed Product Picks of 2025, chosen by your clicks on the interiors+sources website, and unpacks why these products rose to the top of the year’s analytics.
You’ll hear what made each pick stand out for real-world specification and storytelling in commercial interiors, including innovative products from:
Luum Textiles
Lumicor
Rosemary Hallgarten
Rockfon
Una Malan
If you’re a designer, specifier, or product-obsessed creative, this episode is your fast, inspiring snapshot of what defined design in 2025—and what those signals suggest about where specification is heading next.