The British Institute of Interior Design held its annual conference at RIBA in London on 19th June and 5 National Design Academy students were lucky enough to attend as guests of the Professional Pathway Director who happens to be our own Director of Quality and Business; Helen Keighley.
The theme of the conference was Life-Changing Design and it was a truly inspirational day. The line-up of speakers was impressive including Charles Jencks, founder of the Maggie’s Centres for Cancer Care, who provided an emotional journey into the development and architecture of these centres. Lee Penson, CEO of Pesnon who have designed offices for Google, You Tube and a host of other companies developed the theme of providing workspace that inspires rather than constrains. He demonstrated that even on a low budget, good design can have a significant impact on staff well- being and can reduce attrition rate providing economic benefits for businesses. Tim Mutton from Blacksheep concluded the conference with a look at designing for the food industry in a less conventional way.
There were many other excellent speakers, all of whom followed the theme of person-centred design having an impact on lives which was both informative and thought provoking. Those who didn’t go missed a fantastic day and would be well advised to look out for next year’s event in June 2015.
