Program
CAC Live: The Future of the Office
Part of the CAC’s “What’s Next” series • The office environment, collaborative by nature, presents distinct challenges in a world still recovering from a pandemic. Hear how architects, designers and their clients are exploring creative solutions.
This program will be hosted on Zoom. You will receive an email directly from Zoom on the day of the program with details about how to access and view it.
If you don’t receive the Zoom link three hours before the program please contact tickets@architecture.org.
To instill confidence and ensure public health, it will take imaginative redesign to reopen many workplaces under spatial distancing restrictions. Our expert panel moderated by Cheryl Durst, CEO of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), will share research and design prescriptions helping to quickly retrofit offices to welcome workers back safely.
Are we headed toward a “touchless” workplace? What familiar aspects of office life can we keep, and which ones may have to go?
Program Moderator: Cheryl Durst
As the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Cheryl Durst oversees the strategic direction of IIDA, curates and publishes Perspective, the Association’s thought-leadership journal, leads the Association’s International Board of Directors and manages the IIDA professional staff. In recognition of her contributions to IIDA and the profession of design, Cheryl was awarded Honorary IIDA Fellowship by the International Board of Directors in 2009. In 2015 and 2017, she was named one of Newcity’s Design 50, an annual list of influencers who promote and present design in Chicago. She was inducted into the prestigious Interior Design magazine Hall of Fame in 2016, as the first recipient of its Leadership Award.
Program Speaker: James Ludwig
James Ludwig is vice president, global design and product engineering for Steelcase Inc., the global leader in the office furniture industry. Ludwig was named to this role in 2008, overseeing teams in Europe, Asia and the United States. Additionally, he is responsible for the design direction of all Steelcase showrooms and WorkLife Centers. An architect and industrial designer, Ludwig joined Steelcase in 1999 as director of integrated architectural products design. Prior to this, he was a founding partner of bold:architects.designers., an interdisciplinary design consultancy in Berlin, Germany. In this role, he promoted teams of architects and designers to realize diverse projects such as furniture and office products, graphic programs and new buildings and renovations in the reconstruction of a reunited Berlin. Ludwig earned a bachelor of fine arts in industrial design from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor of architecture from The Cooper Union in New York City. In 1992, he was the recipient of a Fulbright Grant, which allowed him to move to Berlin to continue the research he had begun in New York.
Program Speaker: Todd Heiser
Heiser is a Co-Managing Director of Gensler’s Chicago office. His leadership showcases more than 20 years of experience in next-generation design at the cutting edge of workplace strategies, and his commitment to conceptual and technical development transforms spaces for clients around the globe. Heiser’s design process champions partnership with his clients, which include Matter, Google, Kohler, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Le Meridien Hotels, and Nickelodeon. He is also a major design voice in reimagining Chicago’s Willis Tower. Heiser was named Contract magazine’s 2016 Designer of the Year and Interior Design magazine’s 2015 HiP Leader for Workplace. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture and a bachelor’s degree in interior design. He also received the Henry Adams Medal from the AIA.
Program Speaker: Debra Moritz
Debra Moritz is the Head of Strategic Consulting for Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. She oversees an integrated delivery platform designed to improve client business performance by reducing cost, increasing revenue and mitigating risk. With more than 25 years of experience and a successful track record of advising business clients on the strategic management of their assets and portfolios, Ms. Moritz has developed an in-depth understanding of the complex and unique challenges businesses face in ensuring that major real estate decisions are aligned with and support core business objectives. Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, Ms. Moritz served as an International Director/Managing Director with Jones Lang LaSalle from 1999 to 2011.
Notes:
- All online transactions will be charged a $3 convenience fee.
- Ticket sales for CAC Live end three hours prior to the event.
- Events are Central Daylight Time.
