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 […]
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 […]
The wisdom of nature and its delicate beauty has long influenced art and design. It changes with the seasons, adapts to sunlight, temperature and rain, and has done so for thousands of years. Nature adapts to the earth’s cyclical processes, and so can our buildings. Enter Biomimicry, the concept of consciously emulating nature’s genius by […]
Covid-19 and social distancing requirements have changed how we engage outdoors, how we commute, travel and recreate — in many ways for the better! Earlier this month, we brought together a panel of active mobility experts in the Bay Area to help answer the question on many of our minds: How do we leverage this […]
In recent years, SERA’s Housing studio added many new faces to our team, including a new Oakland studio to serve clients in The Bay Area. With new talent and expanded geography, the time felt right to revisit some of the goals our studio set a few years back. I saw a unique opportunity for a […]
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 […]
Although nature doesn’t need an action plan to thrive, we’ve found that having a framework to articulate our vision and set a course of action, helps keep us vital. In 2011, SERA created its first Sustainability Action Plan, and we’re excited to announce the launch of our fourth update. Because sustainability plays such a central […]
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 […]
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 […]
