The Learning Objective ThinkLab and SURROUND

In this episode of The Learning Objective presented by BlueScope Building, we focus on the challenges and opportunities in the commercial construction industry. Exploring topics such as trust-based team formation, early collaboration, off-site construction, the role of technology, and team dynamics in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) industry. This episode goes into how teams can adapt and work effectively together to achieve successful project outcomes. 
 
After listening, you will be able to: 

Learn about the importance of humanizing team members, creating a culture of trust and open communication in construction projects. 

Uncover how off-site construction is revolutionizing the building industry, with insights into its environmental benefits, cost efficiency, and more.  

Discover how architects can reframe problems and find innovative solutions, ultimately leading to more sustainable and cost-effective building projects. 

 
Connect with our guest Rex Miller 
Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz and earn your certificate of completion.  

In this episode of The Learning Objective presented by Delta Faucet Company, ThinkLab explores the profound impact of water on our mental and physical health within the built environment. Our guests help us uncover the remarkable connection between exposure to water and improved psychological health, sharing intriguing statistics about the positive effects of water on creativity and idea generation.  
We discuss the 15 patterns of biophilic design, ranging from nature in the space to natural analogs and nature of the space, and how architects and designers can apply them effectively to create environments that resonate with our innate connection to nature.  
After listening you will be able to: 

Learn why water in the built environment can have a more significant positive effect on mental well-being than green spaces. 

Explore the future possibilities of water-inspired designs and how they can contribute to a more sustainable and well-balanced built environment. 

Uncover practical strategies for incorporating water features, into architectural projects to enhance occupants' mental and emotional states. 


 Connect with our guests:


Dr. Wallace J. Nichols  

Catie Ryan Balagtas 


Accredited for: IDCEC, AIA | 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU 
Here's how to complete your entire CEU podcast process in 3 simple steps:
Step 1: Listen to the episode. 
Step 2: Visit this link to take a short quiz.
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion from the CEU provider
 

In this episode, presented by Teknion, ThinkLab interviews Dost Bardouille, Director of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility of Swinerton; and Nina Johnson, Senior Commercial Insights Manager at Armstrong Craven. They discuss the pitfalls of traditional mentorship and explore three additional solutions for career development and upskilling your talent in a modern era.   
 
Accredited for: IDCEC | 0.5 CEU 
 
After listening, you will be able to: 







Identify a key shift impacting career development today 







Compare three new methods used for engagement 







Assess the D.E.I. benefits of champions 







Summarize the 7 considerations needed in designing a shadow board. 







 
In part one, we sit down with Dost Bardouille of Swinerton to evaluate the pitfalls of traditional career development and compare two new methods of connection: sponsorship and champions. And in part two, we sit down with Nina Johnson of Armstrong Craven to identify how implementing a shadow board, a tactic that major fashion house Gucci used, can provide employees with high level engagement and in turn prove long-term success for a company's growth. 
 
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Take the quiz and earn your certificate of completion. 
How it works:  
Step 1: Listen to the episode. 
Step 2: Visit this link to take a short, 5-question quiz. 
*Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU 
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion from CEU provider Teknion. 
 
Connect with our expert guests on LinkedIn: 
Nina Johnson 
Dost Bardouille 

In this episode, ThinkLab interviews Amanda Schneider, president and founder of ThinkLab, and Jessica Jenkins, co-host of The Learning Objective and part of the research and development team at ThinkLab. Together, they discuss the findings of this year’s design hackathon, sharing their aha moments. They dismantle assumptions about what other generations think Gen Zers want from their workplace — and use data and interviews to uncover what Gen Zers actually want, what inspires them, and how to capture their loyalty.  
Accredited for: IDCEC | 0.5 CEU 
After listening, you will be able to: 

Analyze how Gen Z is an arrow to the future of the design industry. 

Contrast how the assumptions about Gen Z differ from what the data revealed. 

Identify the five challenge areas for connecting with Gen Z. 

Implement solutions for each of those five challenges. 


In this episode, we dig into the findings of this year’s design hackathon, which included a survey of more than 1,800 designers, as well as more than 20 hours of focus groups on these topics. 
Specifically, we focus on the following challenge areas: culture, creativity, relationships, loyalty, and learning. Each area revealed crucial ways in which Gen Zers differs from previous generations. This ranged from the practical, such as which way they prefer to communicate (no calls, please!) to the more profound: Gen Zers consider both physical and digital to be part of one unbroken experience, instead of two distinct and separate ways to work. Alongside these insights, Schneider and Jenkins describe concrete actions that firms can take to integrate Gen Zers and take advantage of their fresh perspective. 
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz, and earn your certificate of completion.  
How it works:   
Step 1: Listen to the episode.  
Step 2: Visit this link to take a short, 5-question quiz.  
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion. Look out for this at the end of the quiz. 
Step 4: No need to self-report, the provider of this episode will do so for you.

A huge thank you to our Design Hackathon CEU partners who made this episode possible: Mannington, 3form, Allsteel, Material Bank, and Milliken. 
Visit here if you want them to bring these insights directly to your firm or if you want to take the digital on-demand CEU course.  

Connect with our expert guests on LinkedIn: 
Amanda Schneider 
Jessica Jenkins 

In this episode, presented by Panolam, ThinkLab interviews Amanda Schneider, president and founder of ThinkLab; Mardi Najafi, vice president of retail strategy and design at Figure3; and Kari Anderson, an interior designer–turned–UX designer. They discuss the blending of physical and digital and how to take the best of both worlds to supercharge projects, processes, and relationships with clients and customers. 
Accredited for: IDCEC, AIA | 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU 
After listening, you will be able to: 

Interpret what “phygital” means. 

Analyze the shifts happening in the specification process. 

Examine the customer journey in retail for inspiration. 

Relate phygital thinking to interior design. 


Our first interviewee, Amanda Schneider, is president and founder of ThinkLab. She describes shifts in five key areas at the intersection of design and product: showrooms, libraries, events, product presentations and product discovery, and the role of the local rep. 
Our second interviewee, Mardi Najafi, is vice president of retail strategy and design at Figure3. He discusses major changes to the B2B consumer experience from before, during, and after the pandemic and why interest in physical retail has bounced back. And he shares which B2B brands he considers cutting-edge in providing a harmonized buying experience. 
Our third interviewee, Kari Anderson, is an interior designer–turned–UX designer. She shares three learnings from effective UX design that interior designers can use to optimize physical spaces, and she explains why AR and visualizers are the digital technologies most empowering designers today. 
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz, and earn your certificate of completion. 
How it works:  
Step 1: Listen to the episode. 
Step 2: Visit this link to take a short, 5-question quiz. 
*Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU. 
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion from CEU provider Panolam. 
Connect with our expert guests on LinkedIn: 
Amanda Schneider 
Mardi Najafi 
Kari Anderson 

In this episode, presented by Delta Faucet Company, ThinkLab interviews Mike O’Neill, lead of data science research for the Gensler Research Institute, and Mitch Dalton, chief innovation officer at Core Spaces. O’Neill discusses shifts in how we currently use data, how that will change in the future, and which technologies will have the largest impact on the design industry. Dalton speaks about how to leverage data throughout the design and development process, and how designers’ inherent empathetic mindset can unlock data’s insights. 
 
Accredited for: IDCEC, AIA | 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU 
 After listening, you will be able to: 

Contrast how we currently use data with how that will change in the future. 

Analyze the role of designer and researcher. 

Evaluate the two main types of data. 

Examine which technologies have the largest implications for our industry. 

 
Our first interviewee, Mike O'Neill, is leader of data science research for the Gensler Research Institute. He talks in detail about powerful new tools that are providing opportunities to analyze the complex interplay between people and their spaces. He urges designers to seek to understand these technologies better and also explains how designers and researchers can learn to meet in the middle.  
Our second interviewee, Mitch Dalton is chief innovation officer at Core Spaces, a national student housing developer, owner, and operator. He explains how the developer gathers data with the goal of building better places for people to live. By creating personas specific to their end users, the designers can understand more about who it is that they are actually designing for and map their day-to-day use of the space. 
Quiz: Want CEU credit for listening? Click here to take the quiz, and earn your certificate of completion. 
 
How it works:    
Step 1: Listen to the episode.   
Step 2: Sign in at this link to take a short, 5-question quiz.   
*Scoring an 80% or above on the quiz will earn you 0.5 CEU/0.5 LU.  
Step 3: Upon passing the quiz, receive your certificate of completion via email from CEU sponsor Delta Faucet Company.  
  
Connect with our expert guests on LinkedIn: 
Mike O’Neill 
Mitch Dalton