Kimberly Dowdell will become AIA’s first Black woman president in 2024, pilots strike as summer travel sizzles, and Los Angeles mandates daily hotel cleanings. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Artist Daniel Arsham launches fashion brand
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Multidisciplinary artist and designer Daniel Arsham, known for collaborating with fashion behemoths including Dior, Tiffany, and Rimowa, will take his own star turn in the industry, with the launch of his own brand, Objects IV Life. Created in partnership with London-based brand accelerator Tomorrow, the Objects IV Life team also includes former Acne Studios design director Matthew Grant and Burberry’s former chief merchandising officer Judy Collison. According to Business of Fashion, the first “chapter” of the brand will be available online and in select stores, including Selfridges, Ssense, and Kith.
BIG completes world’s most ecofriendly furniture factory
Photo by Einar Aslaksen
Nestled within the Norwegian forest, the Plus is the world’s most environmentally friendly furniture factory—generating 55 percent lower emissions from energy and materials than comparable facilities. Commissioned by Scandinavian outdoor furniture manufacturer Vestre and designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the groundbreaking 75,000-square-foot timber project took just 18 months to complete, according to DesignWell. Although it falls short of achieving status for net-zero emissions, the structure is on track to become the first industrial building to achieve BREEAM Outstanding Certification.
Los Angeles becomes first city to mandate daily hotel cleanings
To cut costs, many hotels across the U.S. have scaled back daily guestroom cleanings, causing workers to lose significant wages and hours. Skift reports that in a move to protect workers amid mounting pressure from targeted ad campaigns by Unite Here, the largest hotel union in the U.S., the Los Angeles City Council has passed a resolution to mandate daily hotel cleanings, becoming the first city in the U.S. to adopt such measures. In addition to the guaranteed hours and wages of a regular schedule, additional protections will be required by many hotels in LA including paying overtime wages and providing panic buttons to workers to ensure their safety.
Pilots picket as summer travel woes worsen
Although summer travel continues to rebound since the onset of the pandemic, predicted to be down just 5 percent from 2019 levels, pilots from several major airlines have been striking across the country. On Tuesday, according to AP, approximately 1,300 Southwest pilots protested at Dallas Love Field in a bid for new contracts and higher pay. This comes on the heels of a recent open letter from the Air Line Pilots Association, written to Delta Air Lines customers, stating that they empathized with travelers who are experiencing delays or cancellations, alleging pilots are working record overtime, and Delta is scheduling more flights than they have crew for.
Kimberly Dowdell to become 100th president of AIA
Kimberly Dowdell, architect and marketing principal at Chicago-based firm HOK, has been appointed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to become its next president in 2024. The Detroit native will begin her tenure in 2023 as the First Vice President. Succeeding Emily Grandstaff-Rice, Dowdell will be both the 100th AIA president as well as the first Black woman to hold the position. “As the 295th living Black woman to earn an architectural license in the U.S., I am keen to help young women and people of color,” she said in a statement. Listen to Dowdell’s interview on Hospitality Design’s What I’ve Learned podcast.
