The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2018 Transform Grants. Now in its seventh year, the grants exist to bridge critical gaps in industry knowledge, to advance design understanding, and to transform the practice of interior design for the benefit of all people. With support from the Donghia Foundation, the program awards up to $100,000 annually between two types of research studies: Grant A (up to $30,000) serves as seed/start-up funds for broader research initiatives, and Grant B (up to $70,000) to a research project to investigate how design impacts life.
“The diversity of research topics and quality of this year’s proposals exemplify the energy behind interior design research and its significance to practice. We are ecstatic to support these two projects which take innovative approaches to design applications that address both the needs projected for the future and the current gaps in research,” said chair of the ASID Foundation Board of Trustees BJ Miller, FASID, CCIM, ASID.
The 2018 awardees are:
Grant A
Principal Investigator: Dr. Emily Roberts, Assistant Professor of Interior Design
Department of Design, Housing, and Merchandising
Oklahoma State University
Convergence: Laying the Groundwork for Repurposing Distressed Urban Mall Environments for Mixed-Use Dementia-Friendly City Centers
Led by Dr. Emily Roberts, this study addresses the special challenge of creating sustainable communities that are focused on the diverse needs of a growing population of individuals with dementia. With input from community stakeholders, researchers will identify the convergence of factors necessary to transform distressed urban malls into re-purposed mixed-use Dementia-Friendly City Centers. A workshop for community stakeholders will take place, followed by a survey, and detailed information collected from focus groups to create input for the development of design tools and methods, identifying key design considerations for a replicable prototype.
Says Dr. Roberts, “Our team is grateful for the support of the ASID Foundation as we lay the groundwork for a replicable community place-type enhancing opportunities for autonomy and quality of life for individuals living with dementia. By working across multiple community sectors, we will simultaneously address numerous issues, including community revitalization, building sustainability, and the nurturing of innovation furthering a culture of dementia care which is inclusive, progressive, and convergent with the needs of an aging population.”
Grant B
Principal Investigator: Mr. Stacey Chang, Executive Director
Design Institute for Health
University of Texas at Austin
From Illness to Health -- New Venues for a Modern Care Model
This study will inform the design and planned deployment of new environments that combine medical care and social services under new innovative regional payment models. Using an iterative research and design process, “Community Health Hub” prototypes will be developed to explore evolving healthcare needs and firmly establish the services and overarching care model to serve as a learning laboratory and template for spread across the system.
Chang explains, “The challenges we face in society, especially in fields such as healthcare, are increasingly complex and indeterminate. Coordinated, multi-pronged efforts are required to effect real change. New business models, new services and capabilities, new technology, and new environments will all need to come together to realize true progress. The ASID Foundation Transform Grants enable the kind of courageous exploration necessary to challenge legacy norms, and we are grateful for the support in that pursuit.”
The ASIDF Transform Grant B funds will support the research and design of the built environment of this study along with state and local government and university funds supporting other study initiatives.
The ASID Foundation Research Committee selected the winning projects based on a range of qualifications, including relevance of research, potential impact of design, strength of research methods, and more. This year’s committee members include: Sally Augustin, Ph.D. – principal, Design With Science; Tamie Glass, ASID, RID – Interior Design Program director, The University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture (Grant A only); Lisa Henry, FASID, Allied AIA – CEO, Greenway Group; Denise Rush, ASID – interim dean, Boston Architectural College, School of Interior Architecture; Kay Sargent, ASID, LEED AP, MCR.w, WELL AP – senior principal and director of Workplace, HOK.