Insights
We have helped shape the spatial design industry with insightful, research-driven op-eds that challenge conventional thinking. Our forward-looking perspectives on designing meaningful spaces in a constantly changing world continue to influence professionals globally.
How should we design the workscape of the future?
FRAME’s editor-at-large Tracey Ingram explores the role of the future office with Robert Thiemann, cofounder and former director of FRAME and founder of strategic design consultancy BETTERNESS.
What luxury brands can learn from fast fashion’s bold moves
Fast fashion companies Inditex and H&M Group are rewriting the rules of retail. Robert Thiemann explains why luxury brands need to up their game or risk becoming even less relevant.
Aesthetics versus sustainability: why design needs to redefine beauty to clean up its act
While reducing, reusing and recycling have reached the top of our industry’s agenda, an effective jump towards truly sustainable design practices isn’t happening. Robert Thiemann argues that our perception of beauty is standing in the way.
Aesthetics versus sustainability: how can we design in a form-follows-footprint mindset?
Circular design shouldn’t mimic current non-sustainable practices. Designers should be clear about the circular nature of their output to make it widely accepted, argues Robert Thiemann on design’s need to redefine beauty to achieve its sustainability goals.
Why spatial ambiguity is the highest form of agility
In an age of uncertainty, being intentionally vague about the use of spaces and objects may be the best design strategy.
Inside Booking.com’s new HQ: how multi-studio design facilitates workplace diversity
By working with ten design agencies, online travel platform Booking.com deeply embedded inclusivity and diversity into its new headquarters. This is the first in a series of three articles on this much anticipated, state-of-the-art workplace in Amsterdam.
Inside Booking.com’s new HQ: how involving the workforce maximizes wellbeing and ownership
Employee wellbeing starts with the architecture of a building. Participation, testing and adjustment based on user data ensure optimization. This is the second in a series of three articles about online travel platform Booking.com’s much anticipated, state-of-the-art HQ.
Inside Booking.com’s new HQ: why full flexibility is the future of work
How will we work in the future? Booking.com believes in complete freedom for employees to choose where and when they want to work. But the office must act like a magnet. This is the last in a series of three articles about the Amsterdam-based online travel platform’s new HQ.
How zero-waste hospitality is becoming super circular
The zero-waste hospitality movement is beginning to make waves across continents and spaces. What started as a circular concept for restaurants to minimize food waste is spilling over from the kitchen into the guest environment.
The end of immersive retail, neurotypical malls and car communities
Robert Thiemann reports about a recent visit to Shenzhen, where some retail trends are coming to an end – and new ones are being born.
It’s B Corp month. Why your company should strive to become one
Although the numbers are still small, the design industry is slowly waking up to the idea of getting B Corp certifications, making social and environmental impact as important as profit. What exactly does the certification entail and why should design companies be interested? This is the first of two articles deep-diving into B Corp.
What’s the road to B Corp certification? Here’s what you need to know
A two-year-plus process involving a dedicated team, complemented by a consultant and lots of soul-searching: what does the certification journey look like and what does being a B Corp mean for business?