The Agility of DESIGN Resilience and Innovation As We Adapt to the “New Normal”

As the Covid-19 pandemic reaches the two-year mark and threatens to continue indefinitely, the talk of returning to normal and nostalgia for the before times seems to be just as monotonous as the reporting on the pandemic itself. As it becomes more apparent that Covid will be a virus that we learn to live with and not one that will disappear one day, we can take this opportunity as designers to look at how this moment in time has changed and elevated interior design rather than biding our time until we can return to the status quo.

Many of us have heard the stories of how Florence Nightingale advocated for improved sanitation and ventilation in military field hospitals in the 1850s which led to decreased mortality due to exposure to secondary infections. Her statistical analyses of causes of death and the changes made based on this data can be traced to the modern field of Evidence-Based Design that informs current trends in healthcare design and modernized the field of nursing. Nightingale saw the tragedy before her and used it as an opportunity for innovation just as the current pandemic can provide us with a source of inspiration.

Some of the change stemming from our current situation is based on necessity and forcing us to revise long-held business practices. Just in time manufacturing has been the go-to model for American companies since Toyota adopted the system in the 1970s. This approach has allowed companies to work efficiently and economically while meeting the needs of their customers for many years. But as the supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic and its associated effects have upended the ability to receive supplies in a timely fashion, they have had to reevaluate the benefits of just in time and adjust their business models. For designers this has led to the need for creative thinking in how and when they order items for their customers and where they order these items from. Some have turned to local manufacturers who once could continued on page 20 continued from page 19 not compete with larger companies but have now become lifelines as a way to acquire goods quickly. Others have begun to look at resale and consignment shops not just as an affordable and green alternative but as a guaranteed way to meet client needs in a timely manner.

Global supply chain disruptions have also resulted in increased material costs which has caused designers and contractors to adjust and seek out alternative and reclaimed materials. This has not only been a source of innovation but also a move to more sustainable and local materials. The long-term benefits of these changes exist beyond the pandemic environment leading to smaller ecological footprints and revived local economies.

As designers we have the option to fight to maintain the status quo or to use this moment in history as a catalyst for positive change and revolution. Many interior design specialties are leading the way into the future including design education and healthcare designers. These two perspectives are just the beginning and hopefully inspire and remind us why continuing education has always been important to interior design and how it will become increasingly important moving forward in a rapidly changing global economy.

CHRISTINA DICKINSON, ASID Communications Director