NeoConversations

As sustainability becomes a defining challenge for the architecture and design industry, designers are being asked to think beyond aesthetics and performance to consider the lasting implications of every material, every specification, and every decision.

Host Nubia Henderson is joined by Jonce Walker and Katia Lucuy of Beyond at HLW to explore embodied carbon, material transparency, circularity, and the growing responsibility designers have to shape healthier buildings and a healthier planet.

Together, they challenge common misconceptions about sustainable design and explore why accountability, curiosity and informed decision making may be the most important design tool of all.

Find out more: gobeyondwithus.com/projects/grant-thornton  

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In this episode of NeoConversations, host Nubia Henderson sits down with polymath David Shing, known as Shingy, for a conversation on what it means to design for creativity in a culture shaped by constant consumption.

Recorded during NeoCon, the conversation explores how workplaces, learning environments, and digital spaces can better support active creation, human connection, and more expansive ways of thinking. From tactile tools like doodling and LEGO’s to post-COVID workplace expectations, Shingy challenges us to rethink the environments we build and ask whether they truly help people create, collaborate, and bring their full selves to work.

This episode was recorded in the NeoCon Podcast Lounge Powered by SURROUND. Thank you to our Lounge sponsor, Unika Vaev, and partners: B+N, DARRAN, Framery, Momentum, and UpSpring.

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On this episode of NeoConversations, host Nubia Henderson sits down with futures designer, author and Royal Designer of Industry Nick Foster RDI to explore how designers can navigate a world increasingly shaped by AI, automation and rapid technological change.

Drawing from his book Could, Should, Might, Don’t: How We Think About the Future, Foster reflects on the cultural, ethical, and deeply human dimensions of design. From his work leading speculative projects at Google X to his belief in what he calls “the future mundane,” the conversation examines how design moves beyond artifacts and outputs to focus on process, responsibility, and the ways people experience technology in everyday life.

Together, they discuss the evolving role of craft in the age of AI, the tension between what technology can do versus what it should do, and why the future must remain grounded in humanity, reflection, and care. The episode also explores mentorship, representation, and Foster’s perspective on using design to open pathways for the next generation of creative thinkers.

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What happens when curation becomes the point of view?

On this episode of NeoConversations, host Nubia Henderson sits down with Chris Force of SixtySix Magazine to discuss Paved States, the exhibition presented with Haworth and co-curated alongside Patricia Urquiola. 

Together, they explore the evolving relationship between design, culture, publishing, and experimentation through the lens of emerging designers working beyond traditional industry constraints. The conversation also examines how blurred boundaries between living and working are influencing new approaches to materials, storytelling and creative practice.

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What if innovation isn’t a moment of breakthrough but a practice shaped by community, lived experience, and responsibility?

In this episode of NeoConversations, Jessica O. Matthews offers a powerful reframing of innovation not as an individual act, but as a collective one.

Drawing from her experience building ideas into real-world impact, Jessica introduces her approach to innovation through a pattern-based framework, one that challenges how we identify opportunity, assess risk, and move from concept to execution.

Rather than offering a formula, she invites listeners into a way of thinking, one grounded in discipline, context, and the belief that the most meaningful ideas are shaped in relationship to the communities they serve.

She closes with a clear call to action, urging designers and leaders to rethink not just what they build but how and for whom they build it.

Find out more about Lived Labs: http://www.livedlabs.co

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After trucking school, Burning Man, caffeine-fueled NeoCon planning, a new TDEC showroom, and designing a home in Vermont, Ella and Faraz catch up on life and all of their adventures from the past year.

You can find all episodes of Sense of Space at SURROUNDpodcasts.com

Sense of Space music provided by: Black Light Smoke ( Instagram , Spotify )

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SURROUND Senior Producer Rob Schulte sits down with hosts Bobby Bonnet, Andrew Lane, and Amanda Schneider at the NeoCon Podcast Lounge to discuss the essential ingredients for creating a successful podcast. The panel touches on audience insight, strategic alignment, and internal collaboration, while also sharing personal experiences and pitfalls to avoid. The talk offers an exploration into the workflow of podcast production, from pre-production to guest selection, and the importance of internal collaboration for business success.

This season of NeoConversations is sponsored by Material Bank, Pallas Textiles, and Turf.

This episode was recorded live in the NeoCon Podcast Lounge Powered by SURROUND, sponsored by Material Bank, and in partnership with HÅG, Stylex, KI Wall, and Turf.

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Rebecca Best, EVP of Sustainability at Material Bank, is joined by three sustainability leaders from the design industry: Ethan Barbour of IA Interior Architects, Malisa Maynard of Mohawk, and Julia Gillespie of Momentum. Together at NeoCon 2025, they discuss the concepts of fractal-based design and its impact on wellness, plus collaborative innovations between Material Bank and its brand partners.

This season of NeoConversations is sponsored by Material Bank, Pallas Textiles, and Turf.

This episode was recorded live in the NeoCon Podcast Lounge Powered by SURROUND, sponsored by Material Bank, and in partnership with HÅG, Stylex, KI Wall, and Turf.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Francisco Brown, senior editor and engagement manager at Metropolis Magazine, interviews Steve Kooy, Technical Director of Health and Sustainability at BIFMA, live from the NeoCon Podcast Lounge. They discuss BIFMA's longstanding support for the furniture manufacturing industry, the evolution of sustainability certifications, and the importance of industry standards now more than ever.

Learn more about LEVEL: level.bifma.org

This season of NeoConversations is sponsored by Material Bank, Pallas Textiles, and Turf.

This episode was produced in partnership with BIFMA and recorded live in the NeoCon Podcast Lounge Powered by SURROUND, sponsored by Material Bank, and in partnership with HÅG, Stylex, KI Wall, and Turf.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Host AJ Paron explores the innovative and sustainable work of Pallas Textiles with Dean Lindsley, Vice President of Pallas Textiles, and Geraldine Blanchot Fortier, Lead Textile Designer and owner of Limn & Loom. Together they delve into their newest collection, Reve. Hear how sustainability and design come together to shape the future of textiles and why NeoCon is the best place to showcase new products.

This season of NeoConversations is sponsored by Material Bank, Pallas Textiles, and Turf.

This episode was recorded live in the NeoCon Podcast Lounge Powered by SURROUND, sponsored by Material Bank, and in partnership with HÅG, Stylex, KI Wall, and Turf.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.