An architecture project, at its core, isn’t about the built structure. It’s about caring for the people who’ll be affected by it, the place where it’s built, and the planet. “How can we really use design as social practice in the service of care for others and community?” says Royce Epstein, A&D design director at Mohawk Group.

In this Studio Session, ARCHITECT Editor-in-Chief Paul Makovsky talks with Patricia Gruits, senior principal and managing director at MASS Design Group; Jaclyn Moser, partner at Harken Interiors; and Epstein about the culture of caring in design. The panelists discuss design for aging in place, subtle design interventions that can make a big difference, what it means to practice care, focusing on resilience and regeneration, and more, with project examples that exemplify a culture of caring.

Patricia Gruits, AIA, is a senior principal and managing director at MASS Design Group, supporting MASS’s North American Studio. Working in both Boston and Kigali, Rwanda, since 2013, she has led design teams on critically acclaimed projects, including the African Leadership University and the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. As an architect and researcher, Patricia’s work is aimed at engaging and empowering stakeholders in the design process and translating research into design strategies and decision making.

Jaclyn Moser is a partner and co-founder at Harken Interiors, a Chicago-based interior design studio with a focus on senior living, multifamily residential, workplace, and hospitality design projects. Harken Interiors derives its name from “hearken,” meaning to listen, and places a premium on uncovering, developing, and delivering compelling client narratives, beautifully functional spaces, and outstanding user experiences. Founded in 2015, Harken Interiors has imagined from the ground up, completed complex renovations, and connected existing designs with new development.

Royce Epstein is both a Philadelphia-based historian and a futurist who shares her passion and vision for design, cultural trends, and the meaning of materials in a broad context. Trained in art history, she spent two decades working as an interior designer and materials specialist in architecture firms before working in product development for commercial textiles and carpet. Royce is currently the A&D design director for Mohawk Group. She is always on the watch for new trends in all aspects of culture, feeding this insight to our industry’s touch points as a strategic designer, trend forecaster, professor, lecturer, critical thinker, and writer.

Show Notes

This Studio Session is underwritten by Mohawk Group.
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