I recently returned from a visit to Idaho. Yes, Idaho. Funny, until last year I never really gave that state a second thought.  I knew they grew potatoes, but that was about it. However, something changed in my life and encouraged me to look at Idaho in a different way.*

Sometimes things happen like that. Life progresses in a predictable pattern and then for some reason (insight, fluke, tip, whim, decision etc.) things change and you end up looking at the familiar in a different way.

For example, a friend told me about a house made of hay bales and a chapel created with old tires. He then pointed me in the direction of Samuel Mockbee. Mockbee, co-founder of the Rural Studio and posthumous winner of the American Institute of Architect’s Gold Medal Award, was known for saying, “We have to challenge the status quo in order to allow for a better future.” Read how he saw opportunity in the familiar in the 360 article, "Samuel Mockbee’s Shelters for the Soul."

"Feng Shui: A Practice for the Office," has a similar “look at things differently” theme. Now, more than ever, North American companies are looking at this age-old, traditional,  Eastern practice and examining its merit in the workplace. Read the article by John Southerst to learn more about what Feng Shui is and how it works. Finally, decide for yourself if American workplaces are ready for this “something different.”

Please welcome a new 360 writer this month - Mary Greene and check out her article “Products designed with users in mind.” Her contribution shares how Metro (a Steelcase Company) designed a new product (Topo) by using the research practice of observation and literally “saw things from the users perspective.”         

Warmest regards,
Pamela (Brenner) Hamp, Steelcase Inc.
Editor, 360 e-zine

* I was recently married to a wonderful man from Idaho. After a short “transition” my married name will be Pamela Hamp.