The Fohlio Podcast

The Fohlio team, along with Tiffany & Co.'s Christina Wang, discussed trends, trials, and triumphs in retail design, focusing on the shift from transactional to experiential brick and mortar stores, engagement-driven concepts, storytelling through designs, omnichannel upgrades, and digital integrations. Also discussed are the challenges faced in managing expectations of different stakeholders in a global company with regional business units and central executive leadership team, and strategies to overcome these challenges and communicate effectively throughout cross-functional teams. Fohlio introduced new features, including product blocks and cross-project reporting, which can optimize the process of assigning products to stores in retail and hospitality industries.

For Earth Day 2021, our panelists discuss best practices for specifying sustainable and healthy materials.

In 2020, carbon in the atmosphere had reached 415 parts per million, up from 280 PPM in 1937. During the same period, the remaining wilderness has gone down to 35%, from 66%.

As designers, architects, and builders who help shape the world for future generations, specifying sustainable materials is one way we can do our part. Governments are also offering financial incentives for sustainable buildings -- a benefit owners are increasingly requiring.

You will learn:

How to build a healthier and more sustainable materials library
- Requirements for different levels of LEED certification
- How sustainable materials save money in the long run
- And much, much more!

Fohlio makes specification and collaboration at scale easy with intelligent data sharing and a centralized data library. Find out how we can help you grow your bottomline–schedule a demo today!

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We're honored to be joined by:

Jack Dinning, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, designer, researcher, and material-health and sustainability strategist working with Brightworks Sustainability and Harvard University’s Office for Sustainability. Having began in architectural practice and understanding the impacts that toxic materials can have on vulnerable populations, he now works to create tools and strategies that will empower fellow designers and drive collective progress in the industry. He has also led educational initiatives with the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design, and continues to co-lead the mindful MATERIALS Education Working Group. His work has earned recognitions including an invitation to the United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit, the Alpha Rho Chi Medal for leadership and professional merit, and election to the inaugural class of AIANY's Civic Leadership Program.

Kate Bachner, LEED GA, WELL AP helps builders and owners select sustainable, healthy materials. She holds an MA in Contemporary Art from the Sotheby’s Institute and a B.A. in Art History from Emory University. She has studied the principles of sustainable building and healthy materials at NYU and the Parsons School of Design. Kate is also a licensed real estate agent in the state of California.

Dejan Vrljic is a product expert at Mitrex, a solar cladding manufacturer. Dejan is passionate about renewable technology solutions and is thrilled to be a part of Mitrex, a company that will certainly be a part of the long-term solution to the sustainability problems of the 21st century.

Esteban Reichberg, AIA, Founder and Principal of EAR Architecture and Fohlio Board Adviser. Esteban earned his Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and his Master of Architecture from Columbia University. He is the recipient of the Latino Leaders of Tomorrow award from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the EPFL ThinkSwiss Scholars Grant from the U.S. Swiss Embassy and the Building Technology Honors Award from Columbia University’s GSAPP. As a founding member of AIANY’s Civic Leadership Program, he is committed to strengthening leadership roles for design professionals in the public realm.

After more than a decade of the open office, critics are convinced that it's the worst thing to ever have happened to management. Is the closed office making a comeback?

Actually, according to Noam Hazan, you're asking the wrong question. "It's all about offering a variety of spaces within the workplace where people have the flexibility to work." Areas for privacy, collaborative work, rest, and more, are doing a better job keeping employees happy, which means fewer sick days and more productivity.

Noam is a UK-trained Architect who has worked for critically acclaimed architecture practices in London, New York and Toronto.

Since moving to Toronto in 2014, Noam established Noam Hazan Design Studio, a boutique design firm focusing on Architecture and Interiors.

Applying his design and entrepreneurial skills, he co-founded Northspace, the first coworking company in North York, Toronto. Under Noam's leadership, Northspace was featured in Forbes magazine as one of the Top 10 coworking spaces in the world.

In 2017, Noam sold Northspace and merged his design studio with SDI Design where he is the creative director.

In his spare time, Noam runs InvestTO, an events based investment community of over 1000 members. He often writes about design and workplace strategy and has been published in various publications such as Toronto Life, Workplace Magazine, ThePointsGuy and the FarmSoho.

Differing site conditions is what happens when you’re working on a project and you encounter conditions in the field that differ from the drawings that you were provided, what was represented to you, and what you could have reasonably anticipated.

Unfortunately, no matter how well any project is thought out and arranged, it’s rarely the case that everything goes exactly according to plan. This is why you’re going to need agreements for how to deal with those unexpected situations and the changes that follow.

Of course, both parties have a lot at stake and this is where change clauses can become a really fertile ground for dispute — not just legally but emotionally, as well.

It’s important that those change orders get paid, from the contractor’s perspective, because it could be the difference between a profitable or unprofitable job.

On the other hand, there’s nothing a project owner hates more than having a contractor come to him and say, “I couldn’t have anticipated encountering these conditions and so it’s going to cost you 25% more to complete your project.”

So how do you avoid disputes? This is where clauses for differing site conditions and change orders come into play.

Friction in a project is inevitable and to be expected. With so many personalities working together, there’s bound to be some disagreements.

However, it becomes a problem when delays occur, pushing back your schedule and forcing you to spend more money and time than you had planned. This happens most commonly in situations where teams and individuals have to work together when they haven’t before.

Imagine how great it would feel if your business created and maintained great working relationships with professionals that make your projects go smoother. Smoother projects, of course, make for a happier client, which means more referrals, more money, fewer headaches, better efficiency, and on and on.