07-23-2012
Future Fabulous
Edie Weiner, keynote speaker
When I received Sylvia Smith's invite to attend a forum hosted by the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation I immediately RSVP'd – even without knowing anything about the "famed guest speaker." I thought, "free breakfast and the opportunity to bond with my female colleagues at FXFOWLE? YES!"
This year the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation marks its tenth anniversary of "expanding knowledge about women's contributions to the built environment." Rather than wax nostalgic on all the Foundation has accomplished, the theme of A View from the Future focused on recognizing areas of growth, identifying new technologies, and targeting key consumer groups. The event, held at the CUNY Graduate Center, was attended by over 250 AEC professionals. Edie Weiner, Futurist and President of Weiner, Edrich, Brown Inc. delivered the keynote address. At first I thought she was borrowing lines from George Clooney's character Ryan Bingham, from Up in the Air, when she recast his speech, "What's in your Backpack?" By the end of her presentation I realized that his speech was more likely borrowing from Edie's. Ms. Weiner used Louis Vuitton luggage as a way of explaining educated incapacity -- that which hinders forward movement. Are we going to hold on to the Louis Vuitton that weighs us down, or pack a light backpack and leap nimbly into the future? If you ask me, I would definitely take the Louis Vuitton, but I get her point.
Here are her Eight Major Growth Areas:
1. Inner space: mapping of the human brain
2. Micro space: nanotechnology
3. Cyberspace: such as learning via video-game applications
4. Outer space: satellite use, exploration for materials, and tourism
5. Green space: products designed to be "green" from the outset
6. Design space: crafting products based on what the human brain likes
7. Storage space: storage solutions for private property and data
8. Time space: the concept of time is changing; people want products delivered instantly
While Edie's presentation was packed with great information, it was also overwhelming. What struck me was the use of "space" as the common thread. As design professionals we are acutely aware of the role space plays in our daily lives.
The real focus of Edie's presentation was to activate participants – to use her strategies as a method of introspection. Topics further discussed included the difference between the male and female brain, as well as identifying target audiences for consumer spending and growth. Her explanation of female brain function as represented by a pinball machine definitely got me thinking – I do approach problem-solving from 10 different directions at once! As did her strong assessment that my generation, sandwiched between aging baby boomers and teenagers, is not important, either as a consumer group or as future innovators of the built environment. My view was beginning to look a bit less rosy than what I had envisioned when signing up for the free breakfast.
When it was time to head back to the office, Edie's provocative ideas and predictions left me informed, but also confused. Annie must have sensed my uneasiness, so she suggested we walk back to the office on such a beautiful day. Somewhere during our stroll we decided we needed to take a group picture; it's not very often that women from different studios come together outside of the office. We could've stopped at Madison Square Park, or outside a storefront, but Heidi had a different suggestion. Grabbing a nearby tourist, we stopped to record and celebrate our gathering with a photo op under the marquis for the Museum of Sex. The memory of laughing together for this shot snapped by a complete stranger in the middle of Manhattan is what made the picture so great.
While I'm not sure how much insight I extracted about the future of the building industry, I did get a great snap shot into my future at FXFOWLE as I journey into my new career. The picture expresses 1000 words – I have great role models/mentors who can guide me through that journey, and great colleagues/friends to laugh with along the way. Just like the picture – with this amazing group of women, the future is going to be provocative, fabulous, and fun!
Women of FXFOWLE
This year the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation marks its tenth anniversary of "expanding knowledge about women's contributions to the built environment." Rather than wax nostalgic on all the Foundation has accomplished, the theme of A View from the Future focused on recognizing areas of growth, identifying new technologies, and targeting key consumer groups. The event, held at the CUNY Graduate Center, was attended by over 250 AEC professionals. Edie Weiner, Futurist and President of Weiner, Edrich, Brown Inc. delivered the keynote address. At first I thought she was borrowing lines from George Clooney's character Ryan Bingham, from Up in the Air, when she recast his speech, "What's in your Backpack?" By the end of her presentation I realized that his speech was more likely borrowing from Edie's. Ms. Weiner used Louis Vuitton luggage as a way of explaining educated incapacity -- that which hinders forward movement. Are we going to hold on to the Louis Vuitton that weighs us down, or pack a light backpack and leap nimbly into the future? If you ask me, I would definitely take the Louis Vuitton, but I get her point.
Here are her Eight Major Growth Areas:
1. Inner space: mapping of the human brain
2. Micro space: nanotechnology
3. Cyberspace: such as learning via video-game applications
4. Outer space: satellite use, exploration for materials, and tourism
5. Green space: products designed to be "green" from the outset
6. Design space: crafting products based on what the human brain likes
7. Storage space: storage solutions for private property and data
8. Time space: the concept of time is changing; people want products delivered instantly
While Edie's presentation was packed with great information, it was also overwhelming. What struck me was the use of "space" as the common thread. As design professionals we are acutely aware of the role space plays in our daily lives.
The real focus of Edie's presentation was to activate participants – to use her strategies as a method of introspection. Topics further discussed included the difference between the male and female brain, as well as identifying target audiences for consumer spending and growth. Her explanation of female brain function as represented by a pinball machine definitely got me thinking – I do approach problem-solving from 10 different directions at once! As did her strong assessment that my generation, sandwiched between aging baby boomers and teenagers, is not important, either as a consumer group or as future innovators of the built environment. My view was beginning to look a bit less rosy than what I had envisioned when signing up for the free breakfast.
When it was time to head back to the office, Edie's provocative ideas and predictions left me informed, but also confused. Annie must have sensed my uneasiness, so she suggested we walk back to the office on such a beautiful day. Somewhere during our stroll we decided we needed to take a group picture; it's not very often that women from different studios come together outside of the office. We could've stopped at Madison Square Park, or outside a storefront, but Heidi had a different suggestion. Grabbing a nearby tourist, we stopped to record and celebrate our gathering with a photo op under the marquis for the Museum of Sex. The memory of laughing together for this shot snapped by a complete stranger in the middle of Manhattan is what made the picture so great.
While I'm not sure how much insight I extracted about the future of the building industry, I did get a great snap shot into my future at FXFOWLE as I journey into my new career. The picture expresses 1000 words – I have great role models/mentors who can guide me through that journey, and great colleagues/friends to laugh with along the way. Just like the picture – with this amazing group of women, the future is going to be provocative, fabulous, and fun!
Women of FXFOWLE