150 Attend 2nd Annual Tech + Design Conference

Interior Design

‘s second annual

Tech + Design conference

yesterday in San Francisco was attended by about 150 designers interested in hearing speakers such as former Google executive Wesley Chan and Autodesk’s Rick Davis talk about the impact of technology on workplace design.

“You can work from anywhere but you have to work from somewhere. Where will that be?” asked Greg Dekker, director of Workplace Strategy for

Teknion

during his presentation on Why Good Ergonomics Matter. Each speaker at the conference, which was held at the

Contemporary Jewish Museum

(designed by Daniel Liebeskind), tackled the changing nature of the workplace and how these trends impact design and products.

“Workplace technology used to be about what was in the office. Today, it’s what we carry in our backpacks, purses,” said Ryan Anderson, director of product and portfolio strategy for

Herman Miller

. “Today the role of design in all of this is critical for offices. But you have to ditch the notion that workplace technology comes later in the process. It has to be integrated [at the beginning],” says Anderson.

The one-day conference, co-hosted by

Interior Design

editor in chief Cindy Allen and publisher Carol Cisco, culminated in the first-ever MakeitWork Awards, recognizing design and innovation in the workplace. To see a full list of award winners and finalists, go

here

.