Via Collective

Bring Change Home: Reenvisioning a Presidential Center

Katie Osborn — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:59:22 +0000

On June 19, the Obama Presidential Center will officially open, bringing years of planning, design, and collaboration to life. Located in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park, the 19.3-acre campus reimagines what a presidential center can be—not simply a place that preserves history, but one that encourages civic engagement, learning, and community connection. The choice to open on Juneteenth…

Source

AAM 2026: Finding Our Space in Time and Place

Katie Osborn — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:58:35 +0000

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro delivered welcoming and opening remarks at the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, emphasizing museums as essential civic infrastructure. He positioned museums as vital community spaces that strengthen civic life, build stronger communities, and help preserve shared cultural heritage. He pledged ongoing state support for cultural…

Source

The Emotional Experience of Wayfinding

Katie Osborn — Thu, 21 May 2026 15:32:59 +0000

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to increasing understanding around the many factors that influence emotional well-being. While conversations about mental health often center on healthcare, relationships, or workplace pressures, the built environment also plays a powerful role in shaping how people feel as they move through daily life. The experience of navigating a space…

Source

The Gap Between Our Concepts and Our Senses

James Tupling — Wed, 13 May 2026 11:15:44 +0000

Hosted at Antfood in Brooklyn, the event brought together sound and built-environment professionals including Emilie Baltz, James Cathcart, Léonard Roussel, and Steve Keller. Their discussion highlighted how heavily design presentations rely on visualization as the primary method of communicating intent. In a discipline that is inherently visual, this reliance makes sense.

Source

Building Accessibility through Experience: Inside SEGD’s First Accessible Design Bootcamp

Jess Schrader — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:59:36 +0000

April marked a major milestone for the design community as the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) Accessible Design Task Force launched its first certificate-based Professional Development Bootcamp at the 2026 ISA International Sign Expo in Orlando, Florida. Focused on accessible design and evolving building code requirements, the program set out to move beyond theory and immerse…

Source

NJTransAction Conference: Rethinking How We Build and Connect

Katie Osborn — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:35:16 +0000

This year’s NJTransAction Conference brought together leaders across transportation, infrastructure, and design to discuss some of the industry’s most pressing challenges. Across sessions, three themes stood out: the rapid rise of AI in construction, the deep coordination required for the success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the ongoing effort to deliver major infrastructure in dense…

Source

AI and Design: Expanding Capacity, Not Replacing It

James Tupling — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:41:52 +0000

AI and Design: Expanding Capacity, Not Replacing It In the age of AI, conversations about its impact on design often swing between extremes. A common narrative suggests that AI will replace designers entirely, reducing creative work to a prompt. It’s a compelling idea, but it overlooks something fundamental. Design is not just output– it is judgment, empathy, and interpretation.

Source

Wayfinding: More Than Just Signage

Katie Osborn — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:15:19 +0000

Wayfinding is often reduced to signs and symbols—but it’s far more than that. In Wayfinding: More Than Just Signage for Transform Magazine, I challenge this narrow perception, emphasizing that plaques and arrows are only a small part of a much broader, more nuanced experience. True wayfinding begins earlier than most realize—long before they ever encounter a physical sign.

Source

Shaping the Future: How Women-Led Networks are Transforming AEC

Katie Osborn — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:30:27 +0000

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what it truly takes to build in this city. Beyond the technical feats of engineering, New York is a landscape being reshaped by women who refuse to accept the status quo. In the AEC world, professional organizations are far more than networking hubs—they are the strategic engines providing the visibility and mentorship necessary to…

Source

Reflections from New York Build Expo

Jess Schrader — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 16:26:47 +0000

Last week at the New York Build Expo, one theme resonated across every conversation: the built environment is shifting from isolated “objects” to integrated systems. Architecture is no longer just about the building—it’s about how design influences how we move through and connect within the city. Discussions focused on how architectural and experience design are expanding beyond individual…

Source