Remembering Stephen Hopkins: Leader, Mentor, and Friend

Kansas City, KS — October 13, 2025 — The architecture and Kansas City communities are mourning the loss of Stephen Hopkins, a highly regarded architect and entrepreneur, who passed away on Thursday, October 9. A founder of Shield Casework and Shield Lockers, he leaves behind a legacy of innovation, design excellence, and relentless dedication. Stephen’s career…

Healthcare Design Conference 2025

Shield Casework at the Healthcare Design Conference + Expo 2025Last month, Shield Casework was proud to take part in the Healthcare Design Conference + Expo—hosted right here in our backyard of Kansas City. The annual event brought together thousands of healthcare design professionals, architects, and manufacturers to explore the latest innovations shaping the future of…

reduce stress with healthcare design

Reduce stress with healthcare design

Healthcare facilities are stressful, busy places not only for patients and their families but also for staff members. Hospitals are always open, patients are always in need of care, and staff are always needed to care for them and to make the place run smoothly. Because staff members play such a vital role in hospitals,…

The principles of design can be applied to all of Shield's products in some way, shape or form.

Principles of design applied

A well-known cultural and art institute, the Getty identifies nine main principles of design that artists use in their work: balance, emphasis, movement, pattern, repetition, proportion, rhythm, variety and unity. Not every design does nor should use every principle, but the way artists and designers use these principles greatly contributes to the success and appeal of their…

https://www.gibraltardesign.com/sustainable-design/

Sustainable design isn’t just for buildings

Global warming has been part of a public conversation for years, but it’s lately become much less of a two-sided debate. Amidst increasing evidence of climate change, the push for sustainable practices has risen, especially in architecture. But it’s not just buildings that are designed with the environment in mind. Everyday goods like shoes, bikes and…

Solid Surface Material

How Phenolics Compare to Solid Surface

In the comparison of building materials that we have made many times over, solid surface routinely outranks popular materials such as plastic laminates, wood and stainless steel. Solid surface’s many advantages make it a prime option for healthcare environments, locker rooms, commercial spaces, restaurants and countless more facilities. Phenolics, however, share many of these benefits…