This event spotlight and interview with c+s+s originally appeared in the Design Week Portland Festival website (April 2018).

Pollinator, an experiential workplace pop-up focusing on human-centered design in work environments, is popping up with its next iteration of a living lab. Located inside the newly renovated 1010 NW Flanders Building, Pollinator will give attendees an in-depth look at the use of anticipatory design, the evolution of the open office, the significance of place-making, while exploring areas dedicated to workplace wellness, virtual reality (VR), and more.

In addition to the interactive panel on April 16th, Pollinator will host an open house on April 17th, and drop-in hours from 11:00am–2:00pm each weekday during the festival.

In this Q&A, Allyson Strowbridge, Principal of ctrl+shift+space and Founder of Pollinator, gives insight on the importance of human-centric design and the event’s unique space.

DWP: Why is Pollinator involved in Design Week Portland? What are you looking forward to?

Allyson: An evident synergy exists between Pollinator’s initiative and Design Week. We both celebrate all things related to design and building awareness across various disciplines. Design Week allows us to gain insight on diverse topics by drawing from the biggest trends happening in design. We are looking forward to the opportunity to make connections with like-minded designers and artists, plus get a pulse on Portland’s design scene.

DWP: How is collaboration important to your business? Anything cool coming out of your collaboration?

Allyson: Pollinator wouldn’t be successful first and foremost without a strong leadership team. In partnership with co-founders, Jamie Willemse with Studio7 Design, and Cat Heyn with Hyphn, along with our collaboration with people across industries, markets, and companies—it truly is a cross-pollination of experts and like-minded individuals. Collaboration has created a network of unique and willing people who support our human-centric design initiative, providing an opportunity to intermix our initiative with our connections and community.

We truly appreciate our supportive team, partnerships, and sponsors. Together with a shared vision and ownership, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to address workplace challenges, collaborate authentically, and create genuine interactions. This form of collaboration allows us to learn about new businesses, provides insight into future work trends, and builds partnerships to push the preceding topics in the realm of design forward.

DWP: What will people feel once they step into Pollinator’s space?

Allyson: We want people to feel excited about exploring the different vignettes where they will be exposed to a non-traditional work environment. We also hope that it feels authentic and welcoming, which is why we have the AR/VR available to help with the visualization of workplaces. Unlike a trade show or sales environment, Pollinator is a safe space meant for participants to experience their physical surroundings in a way that enables them to move and touch objects, helping them visualize each item in their work lifestyle. This provides companies with the opportunity to find ways to solve their own workplace challenges in order to be more productive and engaged.

It is vital to collaborate with internal and external groups in a workspace—it is not just about the meeting rooms, desks, and computers. We want to encourage the conversation on how you create a workplace that is entirely human-centered.

Past Event Details

Where: 1010 NW Flanders St
Interactive Panel: Monday, April 16, 5:00–8:00pm
Open House: Tuesday, April 17, 2018 4:00–7:00pm
Organizer: Pollinator

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