October 5, 1999

CBS News This Morning
Attention: Dr. Emily Senay
524 W. 57th St.
New York, NY 10019-2902

Emily:

As mentioned on your voice mail, I'd like to suggest the following as a feature segment for CBS This Morning (or, as the case may be, The Early Show). I know you're swamped, so I'll keep this short and sweet:

Until recently, executives thought the design of the workplace had little to do with their business success. Employers have traditionally made decisions based on power and influence rather than on information about how the decisions are likely to affect employees and their performance.

But supporting research now indicates that what's good for the psyche is not only great for the bottom line, but also has positive effects on morale, turnover, and overall employee satisfaction. Consequently, workplace design is emerging as an innovative new tool for business executives. Later this month, in fact, nine of the world's top workplace design projects will be recognized nationally by Business Week and Architectural Record magazines for their inventive and cutting-edge design.

Emily, one of the projects being recognized by Business Week is the Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace, a unique research and development facility at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University. The Intelligent Workplace studies workplace environments—so I guess they're really practicing what they preach. I'm enclosing a one-page fact sheet describing the facility and the winning project.

The idea here is that intellectual capital is a primary asset of business and that the physical environment is key to a successful enterprise—and that a satisfied employee leads to a more productive—and quite possibly a healthier—employee. The approach being used by architects and business leaders is a holistic one that's exemplified by environmental concerns, safety, sunshine, fresh air, nature, teamwork, practicality, openness, noise reduction, etc.—characteristics that most Americans value and share in their personal lives.

Thanks for considering this. If I've piqued your interest at all, I'd be happy to put you in contact with an Intelligent Workplace representative, or hopefully even arrange a visit. I'll follow up with you soon, or give me a call or e-mail. Regards,

Mike Janes
Director, Media Relations
The American Institute of Architects
(202) 626-7467
mjanes@aia.org

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.