The Harmony Exchange: Creating Great Places is IA's speaker series exploring the science, strategy, and human insight behind environments that truly resonate. Bringing together leading voices from industry and academia, this monthly forum examines how design influences stress, creativity, wellbeing, belonging, engagement, performance, and brand impact across workplace and beyond. Hosted by IA's Managing Director of Strategy, Valerie Jardon and environmental psychologist, Dr. Sally Augustin.
What's Next for the Work World? Actionable Insights from WORKTECH Academy
with Kasia Maynard | Head of Research & Editorial, WORKTECH Academy
As organizations navigate AI disruption, hybrid work schedules, and some of the lowest rates of employee engagement on record, the workplace has become an increasingly important strategic lever for organizations looking to bolster connection, innovation, and performance. This presentation will highlight key priorities and considerations for organizations in the year ahead, as outlined in WORKTECH Academy's World of Work in 2026 report.
The trends explored center around four core themes set to define the year ahead — from enhanced human performance and sustainable growth to innovative design and a renewed focus on fundamental human needs — illustrated with best-in-class examples of how they are manifesting in practice.
The Economics of Biophilia
with Bill Browning | Founding & Managing Partner Terrapin Bright Green
Biophilic experiences offer measurable physiological and psychological benefits — from faster healing and better learning outcomes to stronger cognitive performance and improved moods. These responses translate directly into economic indicators: shorter hospital stays, higher hotel room rates, and greater workplace productivity. This session explores the science, introduces patterns of biophilic design, and examines economic outcomes across healthcare, education, hospitality, and workplace environments.
Performance by Design
with Ryan Picarella | Executive Director, Wellness Alliance
Discover how integrating evidence-based design principles with strategic wellness initiatives creates cultures that support mental, physical, and social thriving. The session offers practical frameworks for transforming workplaces into environments where well-being is not programmed occasionally, but embedded intentionally into the spaces people inhabit every day.