Have you wondered, as a designer, how to commit to sustainable interior design practice with the processes and tools that you have at your disposal?
Everything from the materials and products available for selection, to standard practice, originates from a design ecosystem that is not sustainable. So, when you can make positive changes, does it feel as though they are too small to have a real impact on the hospitality industry’s role in the climate crisis?
Here are some of the biggest roadblocks to progress on sustainable outcomes in interior design, when using conventional tools and practices. Which ones do you recognise in your own career?
Bells and whistles vs baked-in features
By targeting the easy wins, the most sustainable facets to your design are the nice-to-haves. These little extras may boost the customer experience, but they don’t provide the scale of change required.
Budget conversations
You and your team have spent a serious number of hours creating a design that fits the brief and is sustainable. However, come decision time your client picks the cheapest solution – again!
Outdated business models
Are you trying to squeeze forward-thinking design concepts such as the circular economy into your company’s outdated business models? No wonder things don’t add up when you present your case to the key stakeholders.
Measuring, not learning
You have a healthy company practice of analysing lessons learned from each project, but there never seems to be time to apply these lessons to create new processes.
Breaking down roadblocks
Drastic action is required to meet sustainable goals across all design industries. The speakers from Boeing Commercial Airplanes and design consultancy Teague will be discussing how to break down roadblocks, rebuild your perspective, rework your process and bring fresh concepts to your clients. Is it possible to create a radically different future without radically shifting our mindset? The attendees of the upcoming Sustainable Design Summit online event, Designing with Radical Thinking, will be challenged to rethink their perspective.
The speakers are:
Elise Valoe: Director of Strategy and Research, Teague
Sarah Kelly: Sr. Director, Program Management, Teague
Karen Hills: Payloads Sustainability Leader Product Development Engineer, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Did any of those roadblocks relate to you? Do you foresee any of these being potential issues in future projects? The upcoming Sustainable Design Summit online session dives into how to break with current thinking to bring about the change that’s needed, changing the customer experience and holding the budget parameters conversation.
The session will be hosted on the interactive roundtable events platform, Remo, on Wednesday 25 September, 10 – 11 AM EDT. Sign up today and reframe your thinking.
Interested in attending an in-person event? The next Sustainable Design Summit event will be located at Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe, 4 – 5 December at the London ExCeL. Register today to attend Circular resilience: Closing the loop of critical raw materials.