A Q&A with KCAD Professor Gayle DeBruyn, who received the inaugural Legacy Award from the U.S. Green Building Council of West Michigan for her efforts to advance sustainability in the region.
Up and coming swim and sunwear line Saint Andro was co-founded by two Michigan natives. Officially launched Dec. 1, the brand seeks to address changing consumer demands, leverage ethical design practices and create products that are innovative, inclusive and empowering.
The acclaimed Grand Rapids designer is cool with being asked about his source of creativity. Just don’t expect a quick answer.
In order to address the housing shortage in Grand Rapids, the city and surrounding entities are looking carefully at increasing accessibility and affordability of housing. One local company, InnovaLab is quickly adding to the number of housing units, with cost-efficient, quick-build modular homes.
Through a statewide design collaboration, an aged half-mile stretch of a once-bustling Auburn Road received a new life with a recent streetscape redesign. The city of Rochester Hill’s tagline ‘innovative by nature’ is reflected in the project, which features rain gardens, lush flowers, shrubs, tree-lined median, benches and vibrant sculptural designs.
A substantial renovation and redesign took place at the Ford Motor Company’s corporate campus in Dearborn. In partnership with Landscape Forms, Ghafari Associates and Zaremba & Company worked on transforming the indoor space to be modern, welcoming and timeless, while tying it together with the cohesive, multi-functional outdoor space.
The design scene has grown organically in West Michigan over the past decade. Design industry contributors have continued to help in the rise of the design scene since the COVID pandemic, and more social events for designers in the region are coming up.
Throughout our region, supporting STEAM’D (science, technology, engineering, art, math and design) is the focus of organizations and programs that are working to encourage the next generation to pursue opportunities within these industries.
The 2023 Wege Prize provided an opportunity for students worldwide to create solutions to challenging social and environmental issues. Looking ahead, additional opportunities are available to continue the momentum and develop a more sustainable future.
Emily Carbonell-Ferguson, Julie Lang and Bob Armbrister are local design leaders. They discuss how research, strategy and West Michigan influences their design work.
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