What does it really look like when a design firm leads with values, not simply as a slogan, but as an operating system? In this episode of I Hear Design, host Robert Nieminen talks with Perkins&Will Principal and CEO, Phil Harrison, and Lindsey Peckinpaugh, Principal and President, about their impact report, “Stewardship in Action: A Values-Driven Approach to Design.”Together, they explore how “values-driven” design shows up in the lived experience of a place in things like human-centered spaces, biophilic connection, and design that serves communities for the long haul. They also break down Perkins&Will’s Living Design framework and spotlight Toronto’s Dawes Library, a net-zero-carbon branch library and community hub shaped through Indigenous partnership and co-creation developed in collaboration with Smoke Architecture.Additional highlights include:Why energy modeling should be treated as an ethical responsibility and how firms of any size can act nowPerkins&Will’s publicly shared “Switch List” for advanced material healthDesigning for biodiversity, including ecological literacy and habitat restorationA candid look at client satisfaction vs. staff well-being—and the push to bring joy back to practiceA pragmatic take on AI: reduce repetitive work, boost creativity, and keep design a human art