Visiting NeoCon

Highlights from the Student Winner of the 2020 IIDA Design Awards

This year, Mya Mosher, the 2020 IIDA Design Awards Student Winner, got the chance to attend NeoCon as part of her prize package from last year. She visited Chicago and has recapped some of her favorite highlights below.

I was honored to have the opportunity to travel to Chicago this year and to attend NeoCon on behalf of IIDA NE as their student design challenge winner. By the time that NeoCon 2021 was able to take place in person, I had been working in the residential design field for ten months and was eager to learn more about the commercial side of design. Going into the show, there was a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar showrooms each with unique and innovative products. Here’s some of my favorite products and showrooms from NeoCon 2021!


(R)3form(ing) the Environment 
Flek by 3form
3form was one of the first showrooms that I entered and was familiar with. Their showroom was centered around its sustainability movement – align. A dozen or so pedestals were placed in a circle around the room, each pedestal was a different step in the manufacturing process of their latest line, Flek. A very informative rep took me through and explained how they turn old product samples and cutoffs into new Flek panels which are ninety two to one hundred percent recyclable. Sustainability was a prominent focus of many showrooms this year and I think that 3form really nailed it. 



A Pavilion Reasons to Love Where You Work
Pavilion O by Kettal
Kettal is a company that I was not familiar with prior to NeoCon. I was drawn to their showroom by this large teal structure which happened to be their new custom modular workspace line, Pavilion O. Fourteen different work hub units can be mixed and matched to create destination spaces in open layout offices to provide employees with private individual and collaborative spaces. I have seen products like this before but was really impressed with the aesthetic of this brand. The ability for multiple types of work zones combined with the structure’s resi-mercial vibe is welcoming and enjoyable. Offices have been taking on a residential approach for years and with the onset of working from home, this trend is here to stay. 



Don’t mind me, I’ll be at the spa… 
Mindspa by Synctuition 
This was by far the coolest product that I stumbled upon at NeoCon. Mindspa is a relaxation booth that allows users to find a bit of tranquility in their hectic days. The booth is visually and acoustically private, giving the user a peaceful twenty-five-minute refresh. It is also synced with an app that has hundreds of guided relaxation meditations that users listen to through noise cancelling headphones while sitting in a zero-gravity massage chair. I was lucky enough to give this product a try for a quick five-minute demo. At this point in the week, I had already been exploring Chicago for four days and those five minutes really helped me recharge! Mindspa presents so many benefits to workplaces and universities. Having the ability to take a break and refresh is proven to boost performance, moral, and over all wellbeing. I think most people think of the environment when it comes to sustainability but the focus on human wellness is equally important. 

NeoCon was such an amazing experience for me as a recent graduate and it was the perfect opportunity to get a sense of the passionate and dedicated design community that we have. I’d like to thank IIDA NE for offering this amazing opportunity to students and for coordinating this trip for me through a pandemic!



- MYA MOSHER
2020 IIDA Design Awards Student Winner

 

 

 


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