As we recover from another phase of the pandemic, it’s impossible not to see our spaces differently than we did a few years ago. People are prioritizing their health and well-being more than ever before. They want offices that encourage healthy behaviors, support a sense of psychological well-being, open up to nature, and provide the mobility to sometimes work from home. They want residences that serve as a refuge, but also as a stimulating workspace. They want hospitals that promote healing for patients, and also support the emotional wellness of healthcare workers. Our discipline is about creating interiors that help people feel better and function at the upper level of their potential every day. It’s never been more clear that interior design is about the health, safety, and well-being of us all.   

Perhaps this is one reason the healthcare sector of the building and design industry is booming. There’s been a surge of interest in NYSID’s Master of Professional Studies in Healthcare Interior Design (MPSH). Last fall, we appointed a new program director of the MPSH, alumna Suzy Genzler ’12 (BFA). Genzler is a medical planner, healthcare researcher, and designer who is a healthcare design research specialist at EwingCole. Our cover story, Designing for Healthy Outcomes, is a conversation between Genzler and fellow alumna Maureen Carley-Vallejo ’95 (BFA), the principal and senior healthcare interiors leader at Perkins Eastman.

The healthcare sector has led the industry in its application of evidence to design decisions. Perhaps there is no one better equipped to discuss the ways in which biophilic design—design that takes its cues from nature—is based in a body of research than William Browning. We count ourselves lucky that Browning, a founder of the firm Terrapin Bright Green and an advisor to NYSID’s Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interiors (MPSS), has shared his deep expertise in Using Evidence to Bring Nature Inside.

If you want to understand how skilled NYSID students can be at creating spaces that enhance the happiness and well-being of their users, take a look at Designing for DeafBlind Clients. Through NYSID’s unique service learning studio, some of our MFA1 students created designs for DeafBlind residents and staff of the Helen Keller National Center. I was able to sit in on the student’s final presentations to their real clients, and I was moved by the clients’ response.

In this era of recovery, people are re-evaluating their relationships with work. I believe that the movement to find more fulfilling work is one reason NYSID is having a banner year for enrollment. Another is the way this College has evolved to create more flexibility and digital offerings during the pandemic. In the 2021-22 academic year, NYSID has had its highest enrollment in more than a decade.

NYSID is a college, but also a community constantly being improved by you. Please send comments and story leads to Atelier@NYSID.edu. We hope we’ll see you at NYSID’s Gala 2022 on Tuesday, May 3, when we honor Jamie Drake with the NYSID Centennial Medal, Young Huh with the Larry Kravet Design Industry Leadership Award, and alumna Laura Hodges ’09 (AAS) with the Rising Star Award (sponsored by The Shade Store). I’m looking forward to seeing you in person, at last.

DAVID SPROULS, PRESIDENT, NYSID