Turbulent times A big part of Dar’s strength lies in the close interaction between area and design offices. This has never been more valuable than during times of economic uncertainty, and the current slump is not the first Dar has encountered in 50 years of operation. And while the world collectively holds its breath waiting to determine the magnitude and extent of the current downturn, winning companies are re-evaluating strategies and crafting responses. A high number of companies are now taking action to suit revised longer-term plans; hiring highly talented people who have unexpectedly found themselves out of a job, re-evaluating markets where they operate, and fostering innovation within their enterprises; all indicators that companies view the slump as the new ‘normal’. One advantage Dar has is how well we know our industry, and our markets, to seize opportunities that arise during periods of change. How long it will take for the world to emerge from this latest crisis depends on how effective policy makers around the world are repairing the economic grid, and for the rest to reconfigure the rules of a new economic reality. But perhaps the best lessons we can learn are the importance of adaptability, the value of finding and keeping talent, and the virtues of sound strategic risk taking. landscape architect is working on improving the pavement color, stamping a pattern in the concrete during installation, or proposing a native green spin coordinated with utility and street lighting while keeping a wide-angle view on coastline roads, designing large boardwalks with a mix of coastal front systems that flow into public or semi-public beaches for activities and thrills, mixing parking zones, and managing natural reserves. View from the cubicle In the beginning there were desks inside offices, or in endless assembly line arrangements. Then in 1968, with a backdrop of social change, a new concept forever revolutionized the workplace; desks, offices and doors suddenly became a thing of the past. A new world was rising, one of open communication, open door policy, or no doors at all. First put into service by corporations such as Intel as a hip hybrid of private and public space, the cubicle exemplified a new relaxed and unassuming management style where open-plan panel system was regarded as a contributor for the unimpeded flow of ideas and innovations. The half-walled partitioned cubicles were not without their critics though, as they turn 40 this year, and their longevity has not been without hardships. Redefining public spaces Public space design is at the heart of urban development, and recently a new trend is emerging: private developers, not local agencies, are shaping them. Dar’s landscape architects, working on a number of large-scale master plan projects, are redefining public spaces to bring people together, reconnect with the outdoors, revive forgotten stretches of waterfront, and create healthy, thriving communities. in b rie f Landscape architecture is set by limits roads, natural edges, project boundaries and infrastructure constituents - but it is also holistic, requiring a top-down view on a main document: the plan. On a granular level, the Experts credit Herman Miller’s Action Office (AO2)as the first to break the barrier of a rigid and inefficient workspace (Pictured is George Nelson Action Office Tambour Desk and Perch Chair circa 1960). It was Robert Propst, the head of the new research team at Herman Miller, who first introduced the solution-minded space saving system of modules that could be combined and reconfigured to match the dynamics and flow of every workspace. Office partionning has since undergone a series of makeovers and has fashioned itself neatly into the psyche of the office life. And while 02