Gary E. Wheeler, FASID, is a renowned professional with more than 30 years design experience and a passion for creative excellence. He has led practices at Perkins&Will, Gensler, and most recently, HDR. He is distinguished for his strategic approach to workplace design, Gary began his career as co-founder of the Wheeler Group in 1978. When Perkins&Will acquired the company in 1996, he became National Director of Interiors and later Managing Partner of the firm’s headquarter office in Chicago. He joined Gensler’s London office as Director of WorkPlace Europe in 2004, and was Interior Design+Workplace Strategy Global Leader, HDR before joining ASID. Over the years, Gary has worked with companies in a variety of industries, including Apple, JPMorgan Chase, Time Warner, Bates Advertising, Leo Burnett Worldwide, and Marsh.
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) has released its 2021 Outlook and State of Interior Design Report, aimed to enlightening interior design practitioners and professionals on relevant changes within the new year as related to global trends, economic indicators, and beyond.
Firms have lost work, and collaboration is faltering; climate change, racial injustice, and a deadly pandemic loom large. Where do we go from here?
The Virtual Conference will provide programming, resources, networking, and a virtual exhibit hall to connect designers and design partners, promote wellness and wellbeing, and demonstrate the impact of design.
As the professionals most responsible for human experience in structures, interior designers take seriously their role in finding safe, functional and healthy solutions for building use during and after this pandemic. These task forces will provide valuable information, data, research, best practices and more for all stakeholders to improve our built environment in light of this international crisis, and ASID is here to support their critical work.
Being able to share the mission of ‘design impacts lives’ with designers from around the country truly demonstrates the far-reaching power of design. We are thrilled to bring the entire community together through a packed line-up of enlightening events and interactive engagements, all thoughtfully curated to spark inspiration and push our industry forward.
I see this pandemic, as horrible as it is, as a huge opportunity for the profession. What it’s doing for interior designers especially is showing others that interiors are the core to moving forward. The biggest challenge is going to be ensuring that individuals feel secure and safe. We can tell them that the [public] spaces they’re going [to return] to are clean and safe and have proper air systems. But getting the individual to go back into the office or hotel or restaurant and feel safe—that’s a mental thing. We can lead that transition, especially across disciplines.