Culture

When organizations expand across multiple floors, one design question often takes center stage: should you invest in a feature stair? These architectural focal points can boost movement, spark collaboration, and make a strong brand statement—but they also come with budget, space, and design complexities. Drawing on our experience across industries, we outline the trade-offs and smart alternatives to help you decide if a stair is the right fit for your workplace vision.

Digital Classics

In an industry that’s historically been slow to adopt new technologies, the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) fields present incredible opportunities for tech investors and developers alike. Determined to drive innovative change from within, Thornton Tomasetti, SHoP Architects, Syska Hennessy, and STO Building Group formed AEC Angels, a venture capital fund focused specifically on assessing, testing, funding, and accelerating promising AEC technologies.

A Seattle Amazon Fresh location has received a Zero Carbon Certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), becoming the world’s first grocery store—and Amazon’s first building—to receive the certification. ILFI awarded the certification in September, and is currently evaluating four additional Amazon locations, which are on track to achieve this validation of their carbon-reduction efforts.

More and more organizations are beginning to understand the advantages of workplace diversity and are working to create an environment where everyone feels valued and part of the team. A new consideration in this discussion is neurodiversity—creating spaces that account for a range of differences in brain function. Here renowned expert Kay Sargent, senior principal and director of workplace at HOK, explains what it means to design for neurodiversity and the role it plays in an overall effort to foster truly inclusive environments.