Design has the power to influence the community, but what happens when you’re designing at the intersection of cultural institutions? For more than five years, BHDP and Playhouse in the Park have been collaborating on a new theater and lobby renovation. From the artists’ community at Playhouse to Eden Park to Cincinnati’s historic Mount Adams neighborhood, we dive into BHDP’s approach that flipped the script on design by bringing the park to the Playhouse. Hear from Blake Robison, Producing Artistic Director of the Tony Award-winning Playhouse in the Park, and Tom Arends, Design Leader and Partner at BHDP, just days before the unveiling of this exciting project.

Flipping the Script on Design

In September of 2017, construction of the new Messer Construction Headquarters was completed, updating the previous outdated repurposed data center space that lacked daylight and collaboration and breakout spaces. Tim Steigerwald from Messer, and Tom Arends and Barry Bayer from BHDP discuss how Messer’s workplace transformation design was driven by Messer’s culture through creating a lean, productive office environment that instills pride, reflects Messer’s heritage and reputation, encourages collaboration, allows for anticipated growth, and enables employees to best fulfill Messer’s mission. The new headquarters reinforced Messer’s work culture, specifically the branding elements that speaks Messer’s identity and story.

Messer Construction Headquarters: Part 1

Andrew McQuilkin, Retail Market Leader and Declan McCormack Retail Client Leader at BHDP Architecture sit down to discuss the evolution of retail. Despite predictions of an impending retail apocalypse, Andrew and Declan discuss the history of retail trends and how stores are not dying, they are opening differently with the new challenges retailers are facing with the internet as a shopping platform and millennials moving from the suburbs back to the city.&nbsp; With tensions arising between shoppers and retailers with the conflict in shopper demands and retail locations, stores need to find ways to keep shoppers engaged despite the convenience of online shopping.

Future of Retail: Part 1

With shoppers, especially millennials, desiring individuality and personal choice in retail, a trend of mass customization can be seen. Andrew and Declan explain how BHDP develops an understanding of the shopper and their habits in order to cater to them without overwhelming them with too many choices and causing analysis paralysis.&nbsp;It’s no longer expected that we see innovation in retail in cycles, it’s a constant.

Future of Retail: Part 2

In this episode, we take on the hottest topic in workplace design: the open office. Our own Dominic Iacobucci, Drew Suszco, and host Brian Trainer throw their hat into the ring, looking back at the history of office design and taking a deep dive into the literature, specifically the study done by the Harvard Business School, which came to the conclusion that despite the best intentions, the Open Office may actually decrease the desired spontaneous collaboration. Check out our blog at bhdp.com/blog for a few posts with some of the images mentioned in this episode.

The Great Open Office Debate: Part 1

In Part 2 of The Great Open Office Debate, we discuss what we think Good design is, and why there is no "One size fits all" approach. Instead, each space should be based on the organization, the work they do, their culture, and the activities that make that organization successful. What works for Google may not work for you.&nbsp;

The Great Open Office Debate: Part 2

Eric Puryear and Dominic Iacobucci of BHDP Architecture discuss and define Universal Design. While the ADA requires minimum requirements to be met to accommodate people of various disabilities, Eric and Dominic posit that a good designer would go beyond the minimum requirements and look at other solutions to provide the best for all people.

Universal Design: Part 1

We focus on how Universal Design can benefit all users of a space, not just those the accommodations are made with initial thought towards. Since what needs to be accounted for in Universal Design is not always visible or easily understood, Universal Design can also help create a better experience for individuals with anxiety, internal sicknesses, or mental handicaps. By engaging with the users and designing with them as opposed to just for them, you can develop the best design solutions and the perspective that can you can utilize in the next project.

Universal Design: Part 2

Holly O'Driscoll of Ampersand Innovation (former Global Design Thinking Leader at P&amp;G) joins Drew Suszko of BHDP to discuss Design Thinking—what it is, and how to do it. "Shamelessly human-centered design" takes experience to a new level in this conversation that stretches beyond architecture and crosses into all levels and types of design.

Design Thinking: Part 1

Holly O'Driscoll and Drew Suszko continue their conversation on Design Thinking, an approach to design that places emphasis on humans and their experiences. In part 2, they discuss empathy and some real-life examples where design thinking can make a huge impact on our lives.

Design Thinking: Part 2

Jenna Geigerman and Amy Haworth of Citrix join Chris Lapata and Brian Trainer of BHDP to discuss how they prepared and led the HR and Real Estate teams through the process of a major office renovation and why it was essential to the success of the project.&nbsp;