Insights

#2: Social Contact Requires a Social Contract

by | July 1, 2020 0 Ideas

Welcome back to the SERA Workplace series! Have you thought much about social contracts? No? That makes all of us. Prior to this pandemic, it was (hopefully) understood that you shouldn’t take up two seats on a crowded train, trim your nails at the conference table, stand facing the back of the elevator, Reply All […]

#1: The Future of Workplace is Us

by | June 29, 2020 6 Ideas

Have you seen that feature on the Web about the new plastic dividers between desks and the new social-distancing-conscious layouts for conference rooms? So have we. All fifty-thousand versions of it. We would like to approach the question of our future workplace not from the perspective of furniture layouts, but from the point of view […]

Making Our ‘Sustainable Action Celebration’ An Online Success

by | May 15, 2020 4 Ideas, Sustainability

Every year near Earth Day, SERA hosts a firm-wide celebration in honor of our sustainable workplace culture and project accomplishments. As Chair of the Sustainable Action Committee (SAC), my vision for the celebration this year included a physical timeline of SAC’s 15-year history, an unveiling of our 2020 Sustainability Action Plan, and collaborative break-out sessions to […]

No Surprise Guests: Using Nature to Curb Contagions in Hotels

by | May 8, 2020 3 Ideas, Interior Design

In our previous entry, we talked about the pervasiveness of harmful chemicals in our environments, and how the practices of Green Chemistry are leading to creative, healthier solutions. In this entry, we’ll be sharing how another sustainable design movement, Biomimicry, can reduce the transmission of viruses and harmful bacteria in high-turnover spaces such as the […]

Taking Toxins Out of the Guest Experience

by | May 4, 2020 7 Ideas

With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on the hospitality industry, how will hotels encourage guests to return once shelter-in-place orders are lifted? While the obvious solution is touting the amount of bleach and cleaning agents used on every surface in the room, we see a long-term emphasis on guest health and safety. In the first […]