Many large employers are planning to increase their internship hiring by more than 22% in 2022, according to a new study from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Read more with Philadelphia Inquirer here.

The best offices don’t shoehorn employees into a cookie-cutter design. They embrace what makes their organizations special. Read more with Interiors + Sources.

MINNEAPOLIS – June 4, 2024—Award-winning architecture, design, and strategy firm NELSON Worldwide is thrilled to announce it has moved into its brand-new office space located at 901 S Marquette Avenue in Minneapolis, MN. This move underscores NELSON’s unwavering dedication to downtown Minneapolis, clients, and team members as well as its investment in a more flexible, innovative, and wellness-oriented workplace.

Leveraging their extensive workplace expertise, the team at NELSON Worldwide has designed a dynamic workplace that sets a new standard for modern offices. Leaving their previous office location of over 15 years, the team embraced the opportunity to create a space that reflected the current workplace landscape, its current needs, and future growth. Standing tall in Minneapolis, the 464-foot tower has undergone significant repositioning by the NELSON Worldwide team. Because of their connection and history with the building, NELSON strategically chose this development as the location for their new office. The team made use of a NELSON-designed customizable spec suite made available by the 901 Marquette Building client so they could devote 6-8 months to meticulously design and build the new offices located on the 28th floor – with outstanding views of downtown Minneapolis.

The new office, with its reduced footprint from 14,900 to 6,900 sq.ft., is designed to enhance employee collaboration and invigorate the work experience. An inviting welcoming zone greets teammates and guests upon arrival, an open area that combines residential comfort and hospitality elements to create a multipurpose front-of-house space that can accommodate one-on-one interactions as well as larger meetings. The new office seamlessly integrates spaces for chosen collaboration, including two Zoom rooms, a right-sized standard conference room, and a lounge-based corner conference room overlooking the Minnesota Twins Ballpark. The office also offers several central gathering areas for teamwork, emphasizing open, engaging environments for client and team interactions.

Central to the office’s design is its adaptability to NELSON’s forward-thinking hybrid work policy. With a focus on flexible furniture, enhanced technology infrastructure, and well-equipped individual workstations, the new office ensures that teammates can seamlessly transition between remote and in-office work, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration regardless of physical location.

“This relocation and downsizing of our Minneapolis office highlights our dedication to crafting a space that aligns with our present requirements and future aspirations,” says Scott Hierlinger, Principal and Market Leader at NELSON Worldwide. “The office embodies our hybrid work style and caters to our in-office employees and client engagements.”

NELSON’s Minneapolis office exemplifies the firm’s commitment to excellence and innovation. It pilots new design concepts and reinforces the firm’s presence as a leading architecture and design force in the vibrant Minneapolis community.

This pandemic is unlike anything we’ve seen before and has forced architects and designers to take a more critical eye to our projects in every industry, especially healthcare. The sad realization is, history repeats itself, but this is our chance to evaluate and make changes today that will have a significant impact in the future.

So how can we help?

According to U.S. Army researchers, harsh cleaners must be used every two hours to keep hospital surfaces free of bacteria such as MRSA and VRE. For many facilities, this frequency of environmental services is just improbable. Therefore, the critical decisions that go into interior solutions for hospitals must offer opportunities to minimize the effects of contagions. When selecting materials and fixtures, healthcare interior designers have the responsibility to uphold the most stringent infection control standards.

Here are a few smart and healthy interior design solutions for clinical spaces:

1. Paint Shield/Registered Anti-Microbial Paint kills 99.9 percent of Staph, MRSA, E. coli, VRE, and Enterobacter aerogenes within two hours of exposure on painted surfaces and continues fighting for up to four years post application.
2. Copper fixtures and copper-infused mesh or upholstery on furniture mitigates bacterial and viral transmissions, while copper-filled composite hard surfaces and linens have proven to reduce the number of hospital acquired infections.
3. Silver Ion Technology is integrated into many coatings, polymers, and textiles at the molecular level of the product and not susceptible to wash-offs. This antimicrobial technology can be specified for common hospital fixtures including light switches, door handles, water tanks, bed rails, storage containers, bedding, gowns, cubicle curtains and carpet.
4. Lighting Fixtures with Disinfection Technology should be used in high-acuity spaces. Fixture current’s disinfection capabilities are safe for human use and kill up to 99.7 percent of common surface pathogens over an eight-hour period.
5. The Three I’s: Integral, Impervious, Impermeable. Seal nooks and crannies to eliminate hard-to-reach contaminants in patient areas and specify integral sinks and wall bases. Mitigate the opportunities for surface-borne pathogens with impervious hard counter surfaces. And improve cleanability with impermeable upholstery on patient and family seating.

As we enter the post-COVID-19 world, it is clear that we must harmonize design with infection control standards. These are a few easy-to-implement strategies that can be used in a wide array of solutions without ever compromising patient safety or design.

The FRCH NELSON Creative Culture Committee took some lucky FRCH-ers on a field trip last week to the Cincinnati Art Museum to experience the art of Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha. The exhibit entitled, All the Flowers Are for Me (Red), was created using laser-cut steel and light. Light emanates from the red lacquered cube, enveloping the gallery in intricate shadows that ripple and change as visitors move through the space. A few FRCH-ers share their reactions to the stunning display:

“I was surrounded by only light and shadow…It was one of most magnificent installation that can calm the agitations of our soul.” ~ Heesun Kim

“For something so out of its element, amazed how the exhibition seemed to fit the space so perfectly; simply poetic. Wonder if this is how the others viewed the artist considering her description of the two different worlds she felt she was living in.” ~ Elizabeth Birkenhauer

“A stunning display of light and shadow. It created a completely immersive yet out of this world experience.” ~ Allison Schmid

“Light lands on all surfaces, reflecting what it’s gone through.” ~ Lawrence Song

“The object floated weightlessly in the air, casting a mesmerizing effect onto every surface.The guests became entwined with the art. Light and shadow danced across each passerby, the intricacies manipulated differently onto each form.” ~ Liz Baverman

If you have not already, we highly recommend checking out this uniquely beautiful exhibit. The exhibition is free to the public and runs until October 15th.

On a recent business trip I had the fortunate (and rare) encounter to have a few brief minutes to walk around between meetings. My first opportunity took me between Robertson Boulevard. I have to admit it’s been a while since I have made it to this area of LA…and at first I was disheartened…Robertson Boulevard, my how you have changed! While my beloved Chanel store still stands with its beautiful open air courtyard, it is flanked by endless “available” storefronts. The good news is that a short walk down Melrose, produced pockets of wonderful new retail and restaurants. And in true West Hollywood style, they vary from the refined design district with beautiful modern California architecture and storefronts, to the lush Marc Jacobs and Bookmarc’s buildings at Melrose Avenue, to the individual gritty and artful boutiques which remind us of the individual spirit and art that is inherently LA. And thankfully after cruising up Roberston Boulevard, I now instantly felt “in LA”. I had lunch in this area at a great little restaurant called Au Fudge – where fresh food meets creativity and if you are up for it, craft. The style is old meets new, white space met with brilliant accents that brought a refined touch to this little artsy niche, area of LA.

The following day took me along Abbot Kinney and Venice Boulevard….again, the richness of individuality, the crafted nature of the storefronts, interiors and boutiques, juxtaposed with a few refined restaurants reinforced the creative and laid-back side that LA has to offer. It’s refreshing to see both start-up boutiques as well as more established brands embrace a more laissez-faire attitude. When one thinks of LA, the formality and luxury definitely come to mind, but these artful pockets remind one instantly of the free spirit and creative entrepreneurship that exists here as well…how refreshing!

Recently, I had an opportunity to take in Amsterdam, a city that has somehow eluded me in my travels. Free time was limited so my exploration was fast and furious. It would have been tragic if I were to have made my way back home without gleaning something meaningful in the form of inspiration. I had long heard the stories and the tourist-y trappings of what makes the city world-famous, but I remained determined to sneak in an opportunity to develop an enlightened perspective on the city, it’s culture and of course, it’s design. 

Peep the slideshows for a blurred peek at some of what inspired me along the way. Highlights include simply walking the neighborhoods avoiding bicycles, soaking in the charm of the cities many canals, deciphering the quirky architecture, foraging into hotels for hospitality and sustenance, dipping into record shops, a trip to the MOCO for a street art exhibit, a random neighborhood art fair/ street festival, window shopping antiques, and a long-anticipated peruse through the Droog experience. I can’t wait to get back!

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