Integrated design firm joins Autodesk, Canva, Roblox and others in demonstrating “real investments in building a strong, innovative culture at every level.”
[Irvine, Calif.] September 10, 2024 – LPA Design Studios was recognized today on Fast Company’s sixth annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list, which honors organizations and businesses that “improve processes, create new products, or invent new ways of doing business.”
LPA was one of a handful of arts and design firms honored for developing a culture that encourages and develops innovation. The integrated design firm’s submission focused on the development of a card deck that “gamifies” the process of setting sustainability goals on building projects, addressing a persistent and well-documented communication gap that exists between designers and clients.
“Winning this award means … you’re making real investments in building a strong, innovative culture at every level of your organization,” said Brendan Vaughan, Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company.
Fast Company editors evaluated nearly 1,000 applications and conducted additional research to generate a score for each company, focusing on notable projects, programs and investments.
“Our chief project as a design firm is building a culture where innovation happens continuously,” LPA CEO Wendy Rogers said. “The card deck is the perfect representation of that — a firmwide effort led by a multi-discipline team, guided by research, directed at solving a chronic problem, and resulting in something delightful and universally useful.”
Our chief project as a design firm is building a culture where innovation happens continuously. The card deck is the perfect representation of that — a firmwide effort led by a multi-discipline team, guided by research, directed at solving a chronic problem, and resulting in something delightful and universally useful." — Wendy Rogers, LPA CEO
The LPA Goal-Setting Card Deck™ established a common language for LPA designers and stakeholders to discuss the often-abstract concepts surrounding sustainability and human health, derive actionable strategies and make consensus decisions. Gamifying the process makes it easier for stakeholders who struggle to articulate their vision in a technical design environment. The cards are not only versatile in their use but provide a tactile experience by getting marked up, passed around and arranged to demonstrate meaningful relationships.
“This has the tremendous potential for making high performance and low impact design more accessible to more people,” said LPA Director of Sustainability + Applied Research Ellen Mitchell. “It’s a tool that can help break down barriers to clear communication early in the design process.”
The Best Workplaces for Innovators list recognizes firms that “demonstrate an infrastructure that captures and cultivates great ideas, wherever they originate.” Originally conceived by Senior Design Researcher, Rachel Nasland, the card deck was a collaborative effort among the sustainability and the applied research professionals at LPA. Over the course of a year, Nasland worked with architects, engineers, landscape architects and interior designers to develop the cards and organize them according to LPA’s four pillars of sustainability: wellness, user experience, building performance, and community outcomes.
The firm gave us the time and resources to develop and test the product until it was robust, resilient and effective.” — Rachel Nasland, Senior Design Researcher
“The firm gave us the time and resources to develop and test the product until it was robust, resilient and effective,” Nasland says. “It was essential that it be relatable to all people at the basic human level and easily adaptable to each discipline in the firm.”
So far, 30 copies of the deck have been professionally manufactured and distributed to LPA’s six studios, along with game boards and support materials. In the six months since it was introduced, the deck has been used on more than a dozen projects, helping diverse user groups cut through assumptions, add value and align project goals with organizational principles.
To see the complete Fast Company Best Workplaces for Innovators list, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/best-workplaces-for-innovators/list.
About LPA Design Studios
LPA is a multi-discipline firm focused on collaboration, inclusion and an integrated design process that connects building performance and design excellence. Founded in 1965, the firm’s mission is to deliver timeless, sustainable designs that benefit the environment, generate lasting value, enrich the human experience, and ensure a better future. With six studios in California and Texas, LPA’s team includes more than 400 in-house architects, master planners, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects and research analysts, working across a wide array of sectors. In 2021, LPA was honored as AIA California’s Firm of the Year, the organization’s highest annual honor for an architectural firm. For more information, visit lpadesignstudios.com.
