While the rest of the economy continues a slow recovery, everything from established global corporations to entrepreneurial startups are flourishing in the tech sector. But let’s not forget where it all started. At the age of (almost) 27, Internet pioneer AOL is already “old” by techy standards. But that has not prevented the company from adopting a fresh, young attitude, as evidenced in the design of its new West Coast headquarters in Palo Alto, CA, by Primo Orpilla, Verda Alexander and team, of San Francisco-based Studio O+A

In an effort to reinvent itself following its merger with and eventual split from Time Warner, AOL launched a company-wide initiative to adapt to changes in online culture. Part of that strategy involved re-thinking its real estate. In particular, AOL’s West Coast operation needed a jump-start, according to Trent Herren, AOL’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. “We knew that in order to be successful in our turnaround, we would have to change the way we were doing business,” Herren says “We needed an open, collaborative, creative workplace. And we kind of figured that we would know it when we saw it.”

AOL's West Coast headquarters in Palo Alto, CA, was designed by Studio O+A to revitalize the company's entrepreneurial culture and create an office environment that would appeal to the next generation of collaborative workers. The design, defined by transparency, openness, and the use of simple, genuine materials, uses carpet to help define space and delineate transitions. Photography by Jasper Sanidad.

The company hired O+A—a firm with an excellent reputation for creating high-performance workplaces for Silicon Valley clients—to provide the necessary injection of energy.  “AOL needed to hit the reset button,” says Orpilla. “They had to rebrand their space if they wanted to compete for the best talent. This was an opportunity to get employees on board and energized. The workplace they had didn’t speak to that need.”

The existing space had a distinctly 1980s corporate aesthetic, including drop ceilings, high cubicle walls separating employees, dark finishes, and oblique lines. “The space had 12-to-15-year-old Silicon Valley details and functionality all over it,” says Orpilla. “The question became, how do we effectively remove those elements and get back to the basics.”

Some 80,000 sq. ft. on three floors were transformed into a clean white envelope with exposed ceilings and structure, 48-in. cubicle walls, expansive open space, and more shared areas, essentially creating the spatial equivalent of the transparency AOL was bringing to every aspect of its business. “Instead of five or six big conference rooms, we have 30 to 40 small conference rooms,” notes Herren. “It has encouraged our team to take a fresh look at their workspace. People are collaborating now.” Meeting spaces vary, from open lounge areas, platforms, and glass-walled conference spaces to a series of translucent, circular pods positioned throughout the main work areas and a common area that is part kitchen/part playroom, and even to corridors and tops of freestanding files. All are intended to encourage informal collaboration and spontaneous creativity.

“We also wanted to keep it real, with no frills, relating the space back to AOL’s new customer base,” says Alexander. “There is nothing overtly extravagant.” This pared down aesthetic is expressed with simple and genuine materials like concrete floors, oriented strand board, industrial lighting and detailing, and IdeaPaint (which turns vertical surfaces into white boards). Bold graphics and area rugs created from carpet tile help define space and add dimensionality.

“Space transitions were indicated by the ceiling systems above and the floors below,” says Orpilla. “We defined space via the flooring in many cases—for example, to delineate the change from corridors to work spaces. What’s underneath became very intuitive.”

How is AOL liking its new space? They know a good thing when they see it.

“Studio O+A’s work speaks for itself,” says Herren. “The space has a lot more energy. There is really something to be said for changing your physical environment.”

Construction Process, Butaro Hospital, Rwanda; Photography by MASS Design Group

Michael Murphy and Alan Ricks, co-founders of Boston-based MASS Design Group, are putting into action what other idealists of their generation may only dream about: The opportunity to change the world. Really. Unlike many of their recent architecture school graduate peers who go on to follow a more traditional career path, Murphy and Ricks are already turning the familiar model of design practice as we know it on its head–for a higher purpose.In 2007, while still in school at Harvard GSD, Murphy and Ricks founded MASS (an acronym for Model of Architecture Serving Society) in an inspired response to a lecture by Partners in Health (PIH) co-founder Dr. Paul Farmer, who talked about his own organization’s goal to deliver improved healthcare services to Third World populations impacted by the AIDS crisis. PIH’s mission to build better healthcare facilities in AIDS-ravaged countries—a challenge that is not without its need for creative architectural solutions—not only resonated with Murphy and Ricks, but called them to action.

MASS Design, a pending 501(c) (3) not for profit firm, is focused on designing, building, and advocating for buildings that improve health and strengthen communities in some of the most marginalized regions of the world. It’s first project, Butaro Hospital in Rwanda, completed mostly pro-bono, has been the recipient of numerous design awards, has caught the attention of such dignitaries as President Bill Clinton, and serves as the young firm’s successful model for the transformative power of design.

Other projects include Butaro Doctor’s Housing in Rwanda (currently under construction); Girubuntu School, a non-profit school committed to the education of vulnerable and orphaned children in Rwanda; and GHESKIO Tuberculosis Hospital in Port Au Prince, Haiti (currently under construction). In all its work, MASS embraces holistic design solutions that result in job creation and training in sustainable building practices, creating models that can be used to inform building projects elsewhere.

Alan Ricks, Founding Partner and Chief Operating Officer. MASS Design Group (right) and Michael Murphy, Founding Partner and Executive Director, MASS Design Group, in a window at Butaro Hospital, Rwanda; Photography by Karen Conway

InterfaceFLOR caught up with Michael Murphy and Alan Ricks for a Q+A, shortly after MASS Design Group was honored as 2012 Designer of the Year by Contract magazine.

IF: Describe the mission of MASS Design Group.

MASS: We design, build, and advocate for buildings that heal. We address not only immediate infrastructural needs, but also the construction of dignity and the development of systems to address the social determinants of failure. We build capacity at all levels—from training unskilled laborers, to teaching the next generation of impact-focused architects, to assisting government ministries in writing better policies.

IF: How did you first become interested in public interest design? Do you see this career path as an alternative to or an enhancement to traditional practice? 

MASS: We would first posit the question: “What architect is against design for the public interest?” What has become apparent with the current economic climate is that as a discipline we need to fight for our relevance. In 2007, when we discovered that the lack of design or poor design was literally killing people by contributing to the spread of airborne disease, we recognized an opportunity to demonstrate the powerful instrumentality of architecture to affect positive change.

IF: What lessons did you take away from your experience designing and building Butaro Hospital, and how will you apply these to your other work? 

MASS: We discovered the power of partnership. By joining the project early on, and working alongside interdisciplinary partners through the entirety of the project, allowed us to not only develop innovative solutions to global health challenges, but also produce a larger, more profound impact in the community at a range of scales. Using local materials and expertise, training and employing the community, and focusing on design strategies that actually facilitate the healing process are lessons that we have carried forward to our other work.

IF: In your opinion, what larger role can architecture and design play in society? 

MASS: Architecture and design have significant power for affecting change when it is seen not only as the object produced, but also as the processes that produced it. Constructing Butaro stimulated local construction markets, trained 4,000 skilled craftsmen and employed a total of 12,000 members of the community. The boost to the economy, accompanied by the pride and ownership experienced by those who helped build the state-of-the-art hospital eclipses the impact that only architecture-as-an-object can produce. The project also opened the doors to partnership with the government to rethink the standards of health facilities, the opportunity teach the first generation of Rwandan educated architects, and design strategies that can inform better health solutions globally.

IF: At the end of January, MASS Design was named Designer of the Year by Contract magazine. What does this award represent to you?

MASS: This award is a testament to the large team that have been a part of MASS and made the choice to support his work and fought to prove that our profession has the capacity to radically improve lives.

IF: What inspires you? 

MASS: This quote from Paul Farmer, founder of Partners In Health, well articulates a call to action and the opportunity we have as architects.

“The architecture here (Butaro) responds to real problems, and does so in creative and efficient ways. Why are there so few examples of this kind of thoughtful generous-spirited design? The most honest answer to this question turns on the ‘political economy’ of design: those who have the resources determine who will design what, when, and where…One of the unusual strengths of Butaro Hospital is that it made the unusual leap from concept to construction through an exchange that pushed designers and engineers to listen to us, the health care providers; and, with us, to our patients.”

IF: What would advice would you give to young architects and designers just starting out?

MASS: Training in architecture and design provides you with a skillset and way of thinking that has the potential to go beyond the creation of beautiful objects. It teaches you a different way to think about problems, digesting information from an array of fields, to distill opportunities to improve the mission of the project. This is powerful.

I have a deep passion for biomimicry as it is one of the most hopeful approaches to achieving sustainability that I have encountered.  Nature has thrived on this planet for 3.8 billion years, and we too can learn to sustain ourselves if we quiet our cleverness and learn from nature (and remember that we, too, are nature).  Biomimicry puts sustainability within reach for our species, and that is why I enrolled in the intensive two-year, master’s equivalent biomimicry certification program offered by Biomimicry 3.8.

In our in-person sessions, which are held in seven different ecosystems around the world, we seek to learn about the “genius of place” within each system.  One key tenet in nature is that life adapts and evolves in context – meaning that life develops strategies for survival that are specific and dependent on the environmental conditions of the local ecosystem.  By studying the natural history of each location, we develop a deep understanding of this principle and an appreciation for the genius found in nature.

While in Montana’s montane forest ecosystem, I took a particular interest in the ponderosa pine’s adaptations to fire disturbances and researched this species for my Genius of Place exercise.  Ponderosa pines are well-adapted to resist the potentially damaging impacts of fire through a variety of mechanisms.  There are four mechanisms that confer fire resistance to this conifer:

1) the ponderosa sheds its lower, more vulnerable branches as it matures, so there are no branches in the “fire zone”; 2) a thick, corky, fire-resistant bark insulates the tree’s inner cambium from killing temperatures; 3) a deep taproot provides access to water during and after a fire and therefore provides protection against fire desiccation; and 4) in the event of a more intense fire that reaches the ponderosa’s branches, the lengthy needles (up to 7 inches long) provide protection for the pine’s growth buds – the critical resource for future growth.

So what can we learn from the ponderosa’s spectacular suite of adaptations?  In biomimicry we practice abstracting design principles to translate biological wisdom into tangible guidance for human problems.  In this case, I abstracted the following design principles: Utilize a diversity of strategies to gain resistance to disturbance, including: 1) maintain separation between vulnerable resources and the likely disturbance zone; 2) for elements that will be exposed to the disturbance zone, invest in ample protection of the most critical aspects of the system; 3) provide reliable access to critical resources during and immediately following the disturbance; and 4) have a less costly (multi functional) backup mechanism in place for resources that typically are not exposed to the disturbance zone but could be during an atypical event.

The next step in biomimicry is to apply the abstracted design principle to a human challenge in order to create design application ideas.  I believe there is room to explore specific applications of these disturbance strategies in supply chain management.  How many businesses are affected by unanticipated disturbances in their upstream flow of raw materials?  How could we apply the strategies found in nature to improve the resilience of our business systems?  These are the questions that I will continue to explore in my biomimicry studies, and I look forward to sharing more of this journey with you through the InterfaceFLOR blog.

What other critical lessons can business learn from nature? Share with us in the comments.

For stores that use carpet tile, the colors used in the floor are the foundation for the rest of the interior.

“We want to make things fun and exciting and with all the colors available, the carpet tiles certainly do that. I build from the floor up with fabrics and paint colors. I can tone any paint and I can go through the warehouse and pick out fabrics from J. McLaughlin’s line to work with your carpet tiles.”

But it wasn’t just the breadth of color that attracted Larson to InterfaceFLOR tiles. He also saw their inherent design potential. By using multiple colors to create distinct patterns, (even cutting tiles into quarters for smaller scale designs) Larson further incorporates the look of J. McLaughlin’s clothing and accessories. “I realized right away that I could make plaids out of them,” he says. “Being able to take two colors a shade apart and get four tiles to make a plaid or gingham design is really cool. I like that because J. McLaughlin has gingham shirts. They have plaids. It’s kind of a preppy thing, which is their market niche, and it also speaks to weaving and textiles.”

Co-founder Kevin McLaughlin adds, “We’re not just selling sweaters; we’re selling a lifestyle. The setting in which it’s sold is important and Doug understands our clothing and how to create the right environment. The carpet tile is fun and versatile and brings out that aspect of our brand.”

More Than Just a Pretty Face

The switch from broadloom to carpet tile was not only because of its aesthetic capabilities, but also because it’s a very practical solution for many of J. McLaughlin’s busy stores. Unhappy with the difficulty of installing and maintaining commercial broadloom and bored with the color options, the flexibility of InterfaceFLOR carpet tile was a welcome change.

Carpet tile installs faster than traditional roll carpet and with much less waste. And unlike broadloom, soiling or damage doesn’t require professional attention. Larson says that in-house staff can easily handle issues that arise. “We always have attic stock at each store but we clean the tiles first. When they don’t come clean, the staff can just pick up the damaged one and replace it.”

Beyond selective replacement, the ability to simply move carpet tiles from one location to another is immensely beneficial – both for efficiency and cost. Larson explains that occasionally J. McLaughlin will open a “pop-up” store to see how it will perform in a certain town. If it doesn’t work out, they remove everything, including the carpet tile, cabinets and light fixtures for use elsewhere.

“Moving and changing carpet tiles is a distinct advantage. We don’t need to keep making new capital investments every time we open a store. These carpet tiles are an inexpensive way to have reusable carpeting that’s aligned with the brand and available in fun, exciting colors. And you know, we could just never do this with commercial broadloom carpeting. It’s been a great product. It’s a lot of fun to work with.”

Project Details
Facilities J. McLaughlin

Locations Shown
Brooklyn Heights and New York, NY; Nashville, TN

Architect/Design Firm
Larson and Paul Architects

InterfaceFLOR Products Shown
Viva Colores™ in Verde Jade, Azul Verdoso, Verde, Verde Amarillo, Berilo, Esmeralda and Prado
Flor® in Anthracite
Super Flor™ in Seville Passion, Pine, Forest and Primavera
Paint Box™ in Marigold and Cayenne
Menagerie™ in Pumpkin

Photography Credits
All photos by Patrick Mulcahy

New Product Launches
We’ll start the year strong with several bold new products. In March, be on the lookout for new styles that will change the shape of our design aesthetic – literally!

Industry Events

• January 30 – February 3 : Join us in San Diego, California for the Professional Housing Management Association trade expo
• February 29 – March 2: Join us in beautiful Palm Beach, Florida for HD Summit.
• March 4-6: Meet us in Las Vegas for the Restaurant Facility Management Association trade show.
• March 14-15: Talk sustainability with us at GLOBE 2012 in Vancouver, Canada.

Special Events

• March 22: Celebrate through conservation on World Water Day.

Speaking Engagements
We’ll also be out and about speaking at several events throughout the first quarter. While this list changes frequently, here’s a look at the current calendar. Be sure to check out the Speaker’s Bureau at http://www.interfaceglobal.com/Company/Speakers-Bureau.aspx for updates.

Who: Claude Ouimet, Sr. VP & General Manager, InterfaceFLOR Canada & Latin America
When: Thursday, January 26
What: Green Building & Remodeling Panel
Where: MiaGreen 2012, Miami, Florida

Who: Nadine Gudz, Director, Sustainability Strategy, InteraceFlor Canada 
When: Thursday, January 26
What: Sustainable Hamilton Breakfast Learning Forum “Journey to Zero”
Where: Ontario, Canada

Who: George Bandy, Vice President for Sustainability Strategy and Diversity                                    
When: Friday, February 24
What: Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference
Where: Atlanta, GA

So don’t be a stranger! Tell us if you’ll be attending any of the events above and we’ll keep an eye out for you.

The refreshed cabin features recyclable InterfaceFLOR carpet, a brighter color-scheme and a more durable, eco-friendly, and comfortable low-profile seat that weighs less than before. The new design also provides the unique opportunity of greater revenue potential by increasing the number of seats onboard from 137 to 143, all without sacrificing customer comfort and personal space, while simultaneously increasing under-seat room for carry-on luggage.

The aircrafts increased economy and reduction in weight is achieved by using the lightest and highest performing components for the interior, including improved seat filling, cover and frames. By switching from plastic to a recyclable aluminum throughout the cabin, weight is kept to a minimum, while increasing durability. The aircraft’s floor will be covered with InterfaceFLOR carpet-tiles that have been specifically designed for aircraft interiors to decrease weight and maximize durability and performance. And naturally, as an InterfaceFLOR product, the carpet is manufactured in a closed loop recycled process, dedicated to being completely carbon neutral.

Southwest is calling EVOLVE: The New Spirit Experience a win for each aspect of the triple bottom line: Performance, for increased durability, improved fuel burn, and additional revenue opportunity; People, with a new interior that emphasizes comfort and personal space; and Planet, for featuring sustainable, recyclable materials. Watch the video below to see the plane’s interior transform!

This comes on top of InterfaceFLOR’s own donation of $2,500, meaning that the InterfaceFLOR community has personally provided $4,704 to MASS Design Group’s philanthropic mission.

To thank us, Michael Murphy, co-founder of MASS Design Group penned a guest blog post showing how your hard work will help advance MASS Design Group’s mission.

What if architecture could boost local economies? What if design could heal sick patients? Could buildings have the power to empower?

In this day in age, Quality architecture can no longer be determined by a photograph alone. Instead, buildings must be considered in terms of how society uses them over time; an extensive range of social, environmental, economic, and political implications must govern its success.

This broad range of criteria fuels the decision-making for MASS Design Group’s holistic designs, from the 140-bed Butaro Hospital and the 9-classroom Girubuntu School in Rwanda, to designing the policy initiative for Liberia’s new Health Infrastructure Standards. We collaborate with governments, NGOs, private sector firms, and health care experts to advocate for the most underserved and to provide scalable models of community-based development and training.

What’s the inevitable goal? The Butaro Hospital brought 400,000 Rwandans access to health care when it opened in January, but we were equally excited that through the hospital’s construction process, new local markets were stimulated and over 12,000 local community members were trained and employed. We believe that innovation, driven by interdisciplinary research and local immersion, can deliver well-built environments that are efficient, effective, and empowering—and thus have the capacity to break the cycle of poverty.

As we enter 2012, we are launching into similar projects for fostering effective, efficient, and dignified health care, that couple with opportunities for education, creative new markets, and job creation.

Butaro Doctors’ Housing, Butaro, Rwanda

We broke ground last fall on the housing for the doctors at Butaro—a project designed to attract and retain skilled physicians in the area as well as train over 100 community members in sustainable construction methods.

GHESKIO MDRTB Facility, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

To replace the original MDRTB facility that was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake, we’ve been designing a new state-of-the-art tuberculosis facility that implements effective ventilation methods for infection control as well as renewable technologies to maximize the use of available resources, decrease operating costs, and offset long-term environmental impacts. The 30 isolation rooms will provide patients with an effective and dignified place to stay for long-term treatment; construction is slated to begin in March.

Meanwhile, we are continuing to run our CSEB (compressed stabilized earth block) Workshop and Training Center in Port-au-Prince, providing local Haitian builders and architects with the expertise to create and use a locally produced construction material, and we continue to train a new generation of architects in Kigali, working to empower communities not only through access to resources but also through education.

Visit our website at www.mass-group.org or check out our blog at http://massdesigngroup.blogspot.com/ in order to learn more.  We hope you will join our community by liking MASS Design Group on Facebook, following us on Twitter or joining our newsletter list where you can stay up to date on our latest happenings and job opportunities.