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.
Dignified Design: A Multidisciplinary Design Approach Explored in Housing and Shelters
with Jennifer Wilson, PhD, MSW, EDAC, and Rachelle Macur, MCA, EDAC, of Shopworks Architecture
Jennifer Wilson, PhD, MSW, EDAC, and Rachelle Macur, MCA, EDAC, of Shopworks Architecture explore Dignified Design, formerly trauma-informed design, an evidence-based approach to creating environments that support mental, physical, and social well-being. Drawing on research, neuroscience, biophilia, and lived experience, they examine how design can reduce harm, strengthen health, and create places that protect and celebrate human dignity.
Color as a Catalyst for Equity and Belonging
with Laura Guido-Clark, Founder, Project Color Corps
For too long, vibrant color has been treated as a luxury rather than a necessity. In 2011, Laura Guido-Clark founded Project Color Corps with a radical premise: that every community deserves the dignity of beauty. In this talk, Laura shares a decade and a half of lessons learned from the front lines of transformation. Moving beyond mere aesthetics, she explores the intersection of neuroaesthetics and social justice, demonstrating how color can be leveraged to foster joy, safety, and a true sense of belonging. Through the human lens of those impacted, Laura reveals why one of the most powerful tools for community building and transformation is color.
What's Next for the Work World? Actionable Insights from WORKTECH Academy
with Kasia Maynard | Head of Research & Editorial, WORKTECH Academy
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.