The Big Rethink
Blaze new trails
We know the future will be radically different. To thrive, organizations of all types need to challenge norms, leave the status quo in the past and flip the tables on convention.
We embrace the opportunity to reach outside our comfort zones. Doing so requires creative courage, which is something we have in endless supply.
Our courageous work establishes new paradigms. What if a bus could be a mobile museum? What if hospitals were exciting, comforting community epicenters? What if we designed schools like children’s museums? What if we reimagined workplaces as destinations for community activation? What if? It’s a burning question that never stops pushing us to rewrite what’s possible.
Explore the ideas, people and projects reshaping design possibilities across our firm.
Testimonials
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In contrast to traditional or technically driven approaches, architecture that employs Living-Centered Design principles present a special opportunity to shape people’s lives and influence outcomes.
Kevin Nyhoff Design Principal -
Research and innovation are like two sides of the same coin. Research digs deep to uncover new insights and understand complex problems, while innovation takes those insights and turns them into groundbreaking solutions. They constantly fuel each other, creating a dynamic cycle of discovery and progress.
Felix Kabo, Ph.D., M.Arch., M.S. Research Director -
The rate of change is accelerating at a crazy pace. I think we need to stop thinking of ourselves as experts at anything really. We really should be freeing ourselves from the trappings of our respective higher degrees and admit that the only real superpower amidst all this change is curiosity and the audacity to take on big hairy problems.
Marijke Smit Blue Cottage of CannonDesign -
One way we develop new ideas and transformative solutions is through Amp, which is our firmwide innovation incubator. It’s where big ideas go to grow, adapt, iterate, implement and hopefully flourish. It’s a way to crowdsource innovative ideas from every corner of our firm.
Ben Bassin, MD Innovation Fellow
Matters of the future
2 million+
There are currently over 1 million minimally invasive robotic surgeries each year worldwide and that number is expected to double by 2025.
The UIC Surgical and Innovation Training Lab creates a first-of-its-kind testing ground for surgeons to train with the latest in robotic and minimally invasive surgical tools.
55%
That's how many Americans age 18 and older surveyed by New America believe online education has become just as effective as in-person learning.
This opens new possibilities for learning, but can lead to less in-person collaboration and socialization, as well as social isolation and accessibility challenges. Here's what we're doing about it.
1 in 5
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year.
Our team has been at the forefront of rethinking mental healthcare facilities. Today, we're creating spaces that offer deep resources, reduce stigma and even spur economic development.
Our actions
We're always pushing to develop solutions that set new precedent and unlock hidden potential. That attitude carries over into our own firm where we've created an entirely unique design firm model and structure that breaks precedent.
