Value of basic cultural awareness

Thoughtful piece from Design Management Institute (DMI) – The Value of Design in Developing Markets: An Indian Insight (8-p PDF) – offers examples of how incorporating an understanding of a culture into the design of products for that culture results in a better product and better profits.  It starts out with a description of the new Indira Gandhi International Airport, Terminal 3, Delhi that should be required reading for any architect attempting to design for a culture or climate other than his or her own.  See more on DMI at their website.