StudioLab xR, located at 201 Portage Avenue, is a significant component of New Media Manitoba’s contribution to the Province’s technology and innovation landscape. The mandate of this 5,550 sq ft facility is to support workforce development and innovation in the emerging field of Extended Reality (xR). StudioLab xR’s virtual production stage provides the advanced technology and expertise that production companies and filmmakers require to realize their creative visions. Furthermore, it is recognized as an Unreal Authorized Training Center. This partnership with Unreal Engine highlights StudioLab xR’s commitment to delivering top-tier training in the xR field.

The academic project required students to develop designs for a hypothetical relocation of StudioLab xR to 200 Princess Avenue, which would double the operational footprint. Students investigated the specialized requirements of Visual Effects (VFX) production environments, editing suites, and Unreal Engine training facilities. This involved rigorous research, analysis, spatial programming, and design development to propose engaging and functional new environments.

Jonathon Lê, StudioLab xR’s Senior Manager, collaborated closely with the students, providing guidance through the initial project kick-off, programming, and planning phases. This interaction allowed students to engage directly with client considerations within an emerging industry sector.

Final presentations were held over four sessions on April 8th and 9th within StudioLab xR’s facility at 201 Portage Avenue. Students presented their comprehensive design proposals utilizing their 24′ x 11′ LED volume wall, showcasing detailed presentation drawings, 3D renderings, and video walkthroughs.

This format enabled students to receive valuable insight and feedback directly from StudioLab xR Senior Manager, Jonathon Lê; New Media Manitoba’s Executive Director, Louie Ghiz, and Director of Operations, Taralee Turner; as well as attending industry professionals; and faculty members from the Faculty of Architecture.

Overall, the project provided students with invaluable experience in designing for complex, specialized technological environments. They benefited from direct engagement with an industry client and gained practice in developing and presenting professional-level design proposals tailored to an emerging sector.

The Department of Interior Design extends its appreciation to StudioLab xR and New Media Manitoba for this valuable collaborative opportunity and thanks all industry guests and faculty members who contributed their time and expertise to the student reviews.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Shelly Slobodzian (LM Architectural Group / Environmental Space Planning – Principal)
Thomas Langrell (Republic Architecture – Design Lead)
Laney Stewart (PIDIM – Executive Director)
Milan Code (Stantec – Interior Designer)
Jonathon Lê (StudioLab xR – Senior Manager)
Louie Ghiz (New Media Manitoba – Executive Director)
Taralee Turner (New Media Manitoba – Director of Operations)
Stacey Pediny (Teknion – PIDIM Industry Partner)
Jon Watts (University of Manitoba – FABLAB)
Ainsley Johnston (University of Manitoba – Environmental Design)
Raphael Ayambire (University of Manitoba – City Planning)
Umid Abdullaev (University of Manitoba – Interior Design)
Yuhao Lu (University of Manitoba – Landscape Architecture)
Tessa Horn (University of Manitoba – Teaching Assistant)
Danae McKennitt (University of Manitoba – Teaching Assistant)

Competing in IDES 7220 – Masters Studio 3: The Future of the Office, led by sessional instructor Kleighton Burns, MID3 students Oladejo and Goldberg explored the evolving nature of workspaces. Through their studio projects, they integrated critical research to propose solutions that address the needs of contemporary workplaces. Their competition project focuses on a new office space in Chicago, IL, designed to house an independent global creative advertising agency called “NEXT”. Both students planned and designed NEXT’s new Chicago office, which spans 2-levels and approximately 16,000 square feet.

Designing for Autonomy (Top 28)

Oladunsi Oladejo’s project envisions the workplace as a destination of choice, where autonomy and empowerment drive employee satisfaction and productivity. The design proposes a flexible work environment that allows employees to take control over how, when, and where they work. This adaptability ensures that individuals can shape their experiences to best support creativity, collaboration, focus, and well, being.

“The curated work environment features warm wood tones and bold colours, reflecting the company’s values of approachability and expressiveness,” Oladejo explained during her studio presentation. A podcast studio wildcard space further enhances the office by providing a platform for storytelling, knowledge, sharing, and fostering community engagement. More than just a workspace, the design transforms the office into a dynamic hub for innovation and collaboration, a workplace that inspires both employees and clients alike.

Authenticity in the Workplace (Top 5 – Finalist)

Noa Goldberg’s project takes inspiration from Chicago’s reputation as the “City of Neighbourhoods” and applies this principle to the office environment. The concept focuses on transparency, experience, and pathos, three key elements that contribute to an inclusive and authentic workplace culture.

Goldberg’s design prioritizes open communication and accountability through strategic spatial planning, balancing public and private work areas to reinforce a culture of trust. The Music Lounge and Recording Studio wildcard space further enriches the office experience, allowing employees to connect on a deeper level through shared storytelling, music, and creative expression. Additionally, elements reminiscent of home, such as a communal kitchen and living room, inspired areas, foster a sense of belonging and comfort, reinforcing the workplace as a “second place” where employees feel valued and engaged.

_____________________________

Shaping the Future of Workplace Design

The Steelcase NEXT Student Design Competition is a platform for emerging designers to challenge conventional workplace solutions and push the boundaries of design thinking. Both Oladejo’s and Goldberg’s projects reflect the goals of IDES 7220 – Masters Studio 3, which encourages students to critically engage with workplace programming, including corporate culture, global trends, and evolving user-experience needs.

Their success in the Steelcase NEXT competition highlights the strength of UM’s Interior Design program in equipping students with the skills and vision necessary to redefine the future of the workplace.

Update: Noa Goldberg has been selected as one of the Top 5 Finalists for the design competition and will be traveling to Grand Rapids, Michigan in the coming days. They will have the opportunity to present their project to a panel of professional designers and industry leads from across North America. We are proud that Noa will represent Canada as the only Canadian design student selected as a finalist.

Congratulations to both Oladunsi Oladejo and Noa Goldberg for their outstanding achievements!

“The device itself will actually shoot lasers out of it, and those lasers will create distance measurements, and will allow us to replicate ‘The Wall’ itself,” Shields said.

The assistant professor in the department of interior design said these scans will allow “The Wall” to be digitally re-created in various mediums such as virtual reality.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CTV Winnipeg.

Read the full article here: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/2024/11/12/toronto-show-big-huge-affirmation

“Reading and writing and academic work has a beauty of itself. But actually using your hands and creating something from scratch is a valuable piece that nurtures the soul, makes you more happy with the world and in tune with the world.” – Tijen Roshko

To read the fully story, please visit the Winnipeg Free Press

Heidi Painchaud.

On a quiet afternoon in January, the second floor of a Midtown Toronto studio is buzzing with activity just a few days into the new year. While some concentrate on their flat screens, others in the pantry catch up on holiday accounts with impromptu discussions about projects. It is clear that iN STUDIO Creative walks the walk, operating by letting inspiration ebb and flow, similar to how the team collaborates on corporate design projects. It is no wonder that some of its clients include the biggest and most progressive household names.

In 2022, partners Heidi Painchaud, Guy Painchaud, and Anthony Orasi broke out the champagne when the 35-strong Canadian firm ranked 49th on Interior Design’s Rising Giants list. Not bad for a company established seven years ago with a handful of people and an internet connection.

 

I must give credit to UofM for the passion it instilled. I love that I learned about design under the umbrella of design for the built environment. When I graduated, I had an underlying respect for the craft of architecture and that we, as designers, are not in it alone.

ID: You got your start in the States. What were some of the biggest lessons learned there?

HP: I first worked in Minneapolis at The Wheeler Group before it joined Perkins&Will. Gary Wheeler was and is still my mentor. Then I moved out to NBBJ in Los Angeles. Perkins&Will was very diverse and excellent in executing designs, while NBBJ was a big global firm that provided great groundwork for the design process. I learned to listen first before I drew. I then worked for Wirt Design Group (WDG), a small L.A. firm that concentrated on corporate design. I found that I liked the structure of corporate design, and wanted it to be more adventurous. I saw the ramp to get us there.

For big firms to survive, they have to offer a lot of different design disciplines and services. In the States, the relationship between architecture and interior design is a much closer marriage than in Canada. In Toronto, we can sign drawings, for example. I also saw how important project managers were in the States, when that role was still in its infancy in Canada in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Project managers have really evolved here—they are like snow plows that allow designers to do our best work.

ID: Why return to Canada and start from scratch?

HP: Although I loved living in L.A., Guy and I are Canadian and we knew it was time to come home by the mid-2000s. We opened Habitar, our first practice, and a major client wanted us to move our studio across the border. We relocated to Calgary in 2006 and landed in a boom. B+H Architects took notice and acquired our practice. We moved to Toronto in 2008 and started iN STUDIO in 2015.

To operate a creative studio, you have to be brave. We are always reinventing ourselves. While we know how to navigate the details of delivering something completely bespoke every time, the hardest part is staying inspired. I think that comes from knowing a client well enough so that inspiration flows naturally.

ID: Biggest challenges and rewards of working with your spouse?

HP: When we both first graduated from UofM, it was unacceptable for a married couple to be employed at the same firm. Guy also interviewed at Perkins&Will but he decided to take a job at Ellerbe Becket. Now, after nearly three decades together, we know how we complement each other. It is instinctive since we are partners. Guy is the fearless creative while I interpret client needs and make sure we meet at the finish line.

Though we try to avoid shop talk at home, sometimes our dinner table conversation revolves around plumbing fixtures. Our home is like a lab where we explore new materials and experiment on design details.

ID: How has workplace design evolved, particularly during and post pandemic?

HP: When COVID first hit, working from home made people develop habits that we are still feeling the effects of. The biggest change on this side of the pandemic is how lonely everyone is for human contact, and how it impacts collaborations. Water cooler conversations got lost. And a lot of unplanned learning also got lost without those accidental collisions. We are an action-reaction business; we need to read face and body language to understand people.

I see comfort coming back in a big way. There is less formality in the workplace. There is a lot of analysis on how to better utilize real estate, while balancing that with the on-going staff members’ fear that if they lose their desk, they will lose their job. There are a lot of delicate conversations going on.

Resi-mercial—or residential/commercial hybrid spaces—are more interesting post-COVID. People realize that they don’t need a meeting table to connect, or work at a formal desk or cubicle. One of our clients admitted that their most popular meeting space is a corner with living room furniture. Our job is to understand what our client’s staff members are doing while they are in the office and how to best use that space. It does not necessarily mean pool tables. Instead, we are getting more requests for quiet spaces. We are incorporating more tech and more tech-enabled rooms.

ID: How did you end up contributing to Designing Your Business, a textbook for professional interior designers?

HP: Author Gordon Kendall approached me to co-author the second edition of his book. He was a terrific coach and gave me a lot of guidance. I worked with an outline of topics that I then shared on-the-ground experience stories to help flesh them out. Until I wrote about them, I didn’t realize that 20 years of accumulated good stories made for a book. It was cathartic.

ID: Could you share more about your house in France and its artist-in-residence program?

HP: After 9/11, Guy and I put together a list of things that we wanted to do in this lifetime. The first thing was to restore a discarded property. We found a six-century-old villa in Provence when Roene was three. We sold everything we owned, bought the place, and it became our labor of love.

We now spend between six to eight weeks there every year, working remotely. Our internet connection in Provence is better than in Toronto! We just ask our clients to ignore the clinking of glasses filled with rosé.

One of our gallery friends in Canada suggested loaning the house to an artist. We love that we can give something back to the art community. Now we host three or four artists a year for a few weeks at a time. In exchange, we get a painting. My most prized possession is a 700-page guest book filled with stories from the artists who have lived in our house. Many have stayed in touch. And I now have a terrific art collection.

 

ID: Why do you think design matters more than ever?

HP: During the pandemic, people alone at home stopped solving problems and communicating the same way. Design helps to reignite basic human functions. It helps companies define what they stand for. Why staff members want to work for them. It allows clients to ask how they can supercharge staff members’ understanding. If people work in a vanilla box, they may not want to go into the office every day.

ID: What is next for iN STUDIO?

HP: We opened our Calgary office in 2022 at the invitation of our clients. Calgary used to be a very traditional city but it is evolving rapidly. It is really inspirational to see such a huge appetite for change there. Our clients there include an energy company, a law firm and a real estate office. Guy and I fly back and forth between Calgary and Toronto, and we have a senior staff member based there. All our Calgary staff members are local hires, which we strongly support.

ID: And Roene will become your family’s third generation of designers?

HP: Yes—they are 18 now and considering their university options in the States and Canada. I must admit: I asked if they really wanted to pursue a career in design after seeing what their parents go through. They are on a gap year right now and helping our marketing department. Having them here, I really think that the next generation will do a much better job at sustainability, inclusivity, and gender neutrality.

The 11th Annual Steelcase NEXT Student Design Competition received over 1400 submissions, and challenged students to design a workplace model of approximately 11 000 square feet that prioritizes hybrid work, supporting diverse types of collaboration.

As a semi-finalist, Irena won a trip to the Steelcase headquarters where she, along with fellow semi-finalists from universities across North America, worked collaboratively with and presented to their peers and professional judges.

“During this experience, the Steelcase staff, including Jerry, Denise, and Mckalea, along with the judges, provided valuable guidance and insights that helped us grow both personally and professionally. They were not just observers in this process but were mentors who were genuinely invested in each participant’s journey.

One of the unique things about this experience was the collaborative environment created by the judges and staff. Everyone was rooting for us to succeed, and the portfolio reviews, presentations, and conversations that followed provided opportunities for us to connect with professionals from the industry. The camaraderie, mutual support, and the celebration of every participant’s efforts were some of the main highlights of this experience.”

– Irena Tonnu

“Irena’s entry, “Humanizing the Workplace,” for the 11th Annual Steelcase Next Student Design Competition, stands out for its embrace of a hybrid work model, recognizing the increasingly blurred boundaries between physical and digital spaces. Her project incorporates biophilic design principles by introducing an office garden, seamlessly integrating elements of nature into the workspace. With ample greenery, natural patterns, and organic textures, Irena’s design creates a calming and inspiring atmosphere – conducive to both individual wellness and the dynamics of the modern office.

Being selected as a semi-finalist and to present in Grand Rapids, Irena showcased not only her creativity and innovation but also her commitment to excellence, reflecting the values of our design community here at the University of Manitoba. We couldn’t be prouder of her achievements within our master’s program.”

– Kleighton Thomas Burns, Sessional Instructor – Master of Interior Design 3 Studio

To learn more about the Steelcase NEXT Student Design Competiton, and to check out Irena’s full submission, visit the Steelcase website.

For many women, this abrupt adjustment meant a shift in their performance expectations, as their household roles – as a wife, as a mother – were now irrevocably entangled with their workplace roles.

Joanne Crozier [BID/91] is a UM Interior Design graduate and instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her master’s thesis “Mothers of Invention: How Women Working at Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic are Reshaping the Domestic Environment” explores how this sudden household restructuring has reshaped the domestic environment for women.

While Crozier found that the specific experiences and challenges women faced during the pandemic were varied between the different households she interviewed, she also found a lot of experiential commonalities as well.

“Everybody had a different story, but there were common themes,” says Crozier.

“Mental health, for example, took a hit during COVID, for women in particular because of the responsibilities that they had, not just regarding their paid labour, but potentially to be taking care of a house, taking care of a family, or taking care of a parent. The social expectation that they take care of the domestic labour created a lot of stress and anxiety, especially when combined with trying to perform paid employment at home too.”

Another common challenge that women experienced during the pandemic was that their homes were not set up to be a place of paid work. For many, this lack of space created tension in their relationships, especially for those living in tight quarters to begin with, causing arguments between partners over whose work was more ‘valuable’ to the household. These debates often came down to which household member’s paid labour was seen to be the most financially lucrative, a debate which, because of gender pay disparities, often favoured the husband or father, who would then claim the limited private space available in the home.

Many of the women Crozier interviewed expressed frustration at how frequently they would set up a place to work, only to be forced to change locations throughout the day to accommodate other activities of their household members. For mothers, this disruption was often compounded with regular interruptions from their children, making it difficult to stay focused on their paid work.

“It’s incredibly disruptive and mentally exhausting to not have that sense of personal territory and privacy,” says Crozier.

But while this transition to remote work has presented unique obstacles for many women, Crozier says she is encouraged by how many did successfully adapt to remote work while maintaining or even increasing their productivity, and how the perception of women working from home has shifted since the pandemic.

“Things have really changed. It’s not the same socially and professionally isolating experience that it used to be,” says Crozier.

Further, the desire to work from home isn’t limited to women. My husband also worked from home during the pandemic, and he loved the flexibility. I believe that the remote-work labour model can benefit everybody.”

“In business, most AI projects fail. I see a lot of challenges now. The technology is important, but it is even more important to understand how it can affect business outcomes. We need to know what we want and how we can get there,” said Briana Brownell of Pure Strategy, one of three speakers at Extended Education’s Rise of the Machine Age: Act II webinar on Nov. 18. Brownell is also a content provider for Extended Education’s new Artificial Intelligence: Machine Learning Solutions program.

Strategic approach
Jason Shields, Assistant Professor, Interior Design, agreed. “We need to understand what we want. We have to use the tools accurately.” Shields is also a consultant on Extended Education’s upcoming Building Information Modeling program.

Kari Kumar, Associate Dean (Academic), Extended Education noted that the role of a university is not changing. It is still to develop a skilled workforce and a critical society. “We want our grads to be both skilled and critically reflective,” Kumar said.

Extended Education Acting Dean, Rod Lastra moderated the discussion. Lastra set the stage by reminding us how when the machine age arrived 250 years ago, it changed everything – supplanting metabolic energy with steam power. And now, with the second machine age, he says, “Human cognitive power is being extended by machines, and it is hard to understand what the immediate future will hold.”

To make us more human
Brownell challenged stereotypical assumptions about AI. “My mom still thinks I develop killer robots but I want to challenge that. We need to think about ways AI can make us more human, not less human.”

She started her career in data science and Machine Learning 15 years ago. “Things were exciting back then and now we are seeing faster developments and new capabilities. AI can do things we once thought were exclusively the domain of humans.”

For example, she says, people doubted AI could play chess, but as soon as it could do so competitively, she says, “We moved the goal posts. AI created art and music. We moved the goal posts again. AI is encroaching on the domains of humans. This is the perfect moment to think of what we want the future to be. I am excited to see where it goes.”

Shields says technology has changed how industry and research works. For example, he says,  “Design programs can now relay a 3-D virtual reality so we can engage with a space not yet created. Integrated mixed reality headsets overlay digital information on reality. I can walk around with a device on my chest, scanning in every direction.”

Design has gone from sketching to AutoCAD to Building Information Modeling, allowing for a holistic approach to design. “I am looking forward to seeing 3-D environments generated. Of course, we have to understand the fundamentals before we use the tools. We will use AI to augment our previous existing knowledge.”

Responding to the skills gap
In university continuing education and lifelong learning, it is essential to respond to the skills gap, says Kumar. “We are synergists. We try to create conditions for synergy to happen, with our expertise and subject matter experts.”

For education providers, creativity and innovation are very important, she says. “It’s essential to respond to the skills gap, which has been exasperated by digital transformation. It’s important to weave new tech skills and human-focused skills into our programming, to provide access to learners with programming including shorter, micro-credentials (like our AI program).”

In design, Shields says people did not want AI at first but now they realize its strengths. For example, using BIM to build and share models with stakeholders conveniently brings them together in a virtual space, reducing their carbon footprint. Machine Learning for material selection provides data to look at materials used and understand the impact on forestry, for example. Physical building sensors can tell a digital model what is happening, gathering appropriate data before a person is sent in to respond. Mixed reality can offer a disabled person access to engage in a space they could not access physically.

We must remain adaptable, flexible and competitive for the future, says Kumar. At the university, data can be a strategic asset. Learning management systems, multi-media tools, synchronous and collaborative technology are here and new and exciting things are likely to come. “AI can help us to better understand how students are engaging with materials, support adaptive learning, and detect plagiarism. It would have been great to have it when I taught anatomy and physiology.”

With technology comes responsibility, she adds. “Let’s be very careful to create equitable learning opportunities, not creating barriers for some.”

Watch the webinar

The November 18 webinar, Rise of the Machine Age: Act II, Transformative Global Impacts of Machine Learning and Digital Transformation looks at Artificial Intelligence and the future of work, sustainable urban spaces, and higher education. Registration is required.

Algorithms and the new business model
As the title indicates, technology is changing rapidly in the early half of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), the second machine age. “The Rise of the Machine Age: Act II is not a science fiction movie title. It is where we are heading as a society,” says Rod Lastra, Acting Dean, Extended Education, and moderator of the webinar. “Algorithms and data sets are becoming part of the new business model. They require new skills and new ways of learning.”

Machine learning algorithms can now determine solutions much faster and more efficiently than humans, Extended Education’s new Micro-Certificate in Artificial Intelligence: Machine Learning Solutions is even more timely than ever, says Lastra.

In addition to Lastra, three more experts will contribute to the webinar. One is a content provider for the new AI micro-certificate, another is a program consultant for Extended Education’s upcoming Business Information Modeling (BIM) program that will teach digital construction process management, and the third is the associate dean of Extended Education.

Experts from industry and UM
AI program content provider Briana Brownell is founder and CEO of Pure Strategy Inc. She will share industry trends. “AI has really transformed how businesses run. Pure Strategy Inc. is at the forefront of what industry is doing with AI and machine learning,” says Lastra.

BIM program consultant Jason Shields, UM assistant professor in the Department of Interior Design, has a great deal of experience in virtual reality aspects of technology and research. “He understands how research is influencing what we do. The Faculty of Architecture is redefining urban spaces. Technology needs to serve a purpose and answer the problems of the day. He will share positive aspects of digital transformation looking at urban design and sustainability.”

Kari Kumar, Associate Dean (Academic), Extended Education is knowledgeable about learning technologies and how they may inform the frontier of an evolving credentialling ecosystem. “She understands how technology has influenced the modern sphere of higher education and how we are adapting and continuing to adapt,” says Lastra. “We are looking at how higher education will respond, reassessing what we mean by credentials, skills and competencies. We look at the trends and the role higher education can play.”

Looking to the future
Overall, the webinar will remind everyone to remain humble and open to learning, and to do our best to understand the digital transformation even when we can’t possibly know its full potential. “We will look at what is happening today, to determine what are the skills of tomorrow, in the short term. Deep learning, and machine learning have enormous potential benefits for research and innovation. The time it takes to carry out complex analytical processes has been significantly reduced. It is truly astonishing. By 2050, our planet will have over 9 billion people and food, water, energy, and green solutions will be more important than ever.”

But for now, he says, “While the long-term future is uncertain, one thing is certain. The immediate future holds promise. We must understand our responsibilities and how to find our roles in that.”

Register for the webinar