Aligning Equity - Our Trip to AIS Headquarters
As we close out the year 2021, we are reflecting on our projects and partnerships that have come into alignment with our values. As a firm that is committed to upholding high standards of social and environmental equity, we are very happy to have had many opportunities to meet and collaborate with others that align with the same values.
One of the companies we met with this year is AIS (Affordable Interior Systems); a Massachusetts-based office furniture manufacturer whose commitment to the environment drives their impact. Urban Design Perspectives had the opportunity to tour the AIS headquarters and manufacturing facility in September 2021. Along with other Minnesota-based companies, Ideal Commercial Interiors and Design by Melo, UDP was able to meet with the product reps, engineers and manufacturers to learn about AIS’s quality standards and commitment to environmentally conscious manufacturing.
As we toured the showroom, we learned how AIS utilizes multifunctionality in it’s office furniture arrangements. This not only creates more flexibility for the clients in office setup, but it also minimizes the amount of items that AIS needs to manufacture, thus, reducing their overall carbon footprint. This design ingenuity comes from their team of advanced designers and engineers who have both the customer and the environment in mind. The goal of AIS is to not only provide quality office furniture, but to also make it available at an affordable price point. In doing so, the company is able to naturally build in a strong sense of environmental sustainability through it’s manufacturing process.
As we toured the factory, we learned just how sustainable AIS’s process is. We were amazed to see just how little material waste the factory produced. AIS has a seamless system of cutting down on wasted product by incorporating the excess material from cut items into the fabric of new items. For instance, the remaining wood that was cut from a specific wall system is then finely cut down, laminated in layers and pressurized to create a new wood laminate that can be used for other wall partitions and desk systems in the future. This is a system we can all learn from and adapt to our respective practices.
This tour with AIS was an enlightening one, and will continue to shape how we think of sustainability. One of our biggest takeaways was how design ingenuity can ultimately result in a seamless process of sustainability if we are mindful and design with intention. We are thankful to have met some of the AIS team who has such an alignment with UDP’s values, and are looking forward to new and exciting alignments and collaborations as we step into the new year.
See you in 2022!