We at IA Interior Architects have been fielding many questions as of late from all parts of the world about the right strategy to employ when returning to work. Clients, partners, and other stakeholders are all concerned about their people. They want our advice on what changes need to be made in the workplace in order to prepare for a return to it, and what can be done now to make that transition as successful as possible. We view this safe return to work for our employees and clients as our highest priority, and as such, we have repurposed our Executive Committee to lead and guide IA’s COVID-19 response. This group of experts has a global perspective. It is made up of professionals with different areas of focus that collectively provide our design teams and clients with meaningful and practical information.
This IA COVID-19 Recovery Team will work across the IA portfolio in analyzing data gathered at the local level to establish global guidelines that inform how those we work with will make the post-Coronavirus workplace a safe, effective, and dynamic place to be. “At the end of the day, we’re a global organization, and things are changing rapidly. We felt it was important to have a group of people that could be that sounding board and that voice that people would look to.” says David Bourke (IA Co-CEO and President) of the newly formed group. This team brings together IA leaders from across several practices that have operational, strategic, and design expertise that will make them invaluable in mining IA resources to develop guidelines.
When asked about the urgent need to establish such a team, IA Co-CEO and President Tom Powers pointed to IA Interior Architects' reliance on data. “IA is a data-bound organization, and while we have our strategic group that obviously relies on analytics, we’ve also established a culture among our design teams where everything becomes informed by the data we collect, and I think that because of that system, having a central team to coordinate how we collect and redistribute that knowledge is critical.”
Thus far, the team has worked to establish an information architecture within IA that is specific to the questions surrounding COVID-19. The task force is also meeting regularly to identify research goals and develop relationships outside of the firm to aid in collecting and analyzing that research. IA has already made important headway in partnering with user groups, engineers, health experts, and other strategic partners around the globe. Most importantly, our stakeholders can expect to see a significant amount of thought leadership and research that looks at how we’re getting back to work, what the change management process will look like, and how this research will inform long-term innovations and best practices.
IA is a global firm of architects, designers, strategists, and specialists. We focus exclusively on environments through the lens of interior architecture—a radical idea in 1984, when IA was founded. We are highly connected agents of change, committed to creativity, innovation, growth, and community.
IA is a global firm of architects, designers, strategists, and specialists. We focus exclusively on environments through the lens of interior architecture—a radical idea in 1984, when IA was founded. We are highly connected agents of change, committed to creativity, innovation, growth, and community.