It’s Not All Glamour
Written by bethany on May 27th, 2010
Ever have a manager in your career that hounds something into you? It might be about turning lights off when you leave the office or making sure the Construction Documents have the correct date ……or the right project!!! Whatever your case, the hounding sticks with you. And one of mine is Field Verifying an existing space, “Bethany, you can never have enough photos or documentation. Ask questions and don’t assume anything.” And I must say, it’s not always glamorous! Walking (sometimes crawling) and measuring in the basement of a 1950’s abandoned Hospital Auditorium is not pretty! Wearing a mask, gloves, jeans, headlight and ignoring the trash is a must do for a successful renovation.
Field verifying saves your Client money. This is your chance to get it right and make sure your design is drawn within the defined boundries. Field verifying identifies potential problems and can adjust your current scope of work due to unforeseen conditions. If you’re not willing take the time to diligently investigate existing conditions, the project and design team will incure additional cost down the road. It might not always be glamour in the design world but, don’t be a afraid of a little dirt, stale air or spiders…..sometimes it just another day in the office!
P.S.
Roger and I were within 2″ from field verifying the space and relating it to 1950’s drawings…YES! We are that good!
Infection
Written by bethany on February 23rd, 2010
The article “Design Bugs Out” in this months issue of Metropolis is incredible. In this design competition, 4 companies went forward to manufacture a mock up of their design from an item in the patient room. The drive behind the competition is the “ugly truth” of hospital borne-infections spreading and causing deaths.
Metropolis Cover for February 2010
The study and article is based off reasearch from the United Kingdom. The article states in 2007, close to 9,000 people in the UK died from hospital-borne infections. These situations are not just oversees and in other countries. I wish I could say I haven’t walked in a hospital corridor on a recovery floor without passing a sign on a door that says “Staph”. It’s the crazy truth…but, what I love about design is….awe…something fresh with purpose to solve problems. These manufactures, architects and designers worked with the caregivers, patients and vistors to come up with a design to reduce infection. My personel favorite is the bedside table by Kinneir Dufort with Bristol Maid.
The entire piece has hardly any joints and is made of high-denisty polyethyene with soft curves to reduce harboring germs. The design is smooth and easily cleanable. It moves on wheels any from walls unlike most side tables in patient areas. Currently, there are several patient rooms with furniture to heavy to move or built as millwork against the wall…..how do you clean up a spill on that table? Hopefully, it doesn’t get into the wall and create a nest for mold?
What is wonderful about new products and great design is that they are always getter better. The best design solutions are the ones that understand the problem and provide solutions. I’m not suggesting every hospital room should have these new products….I understand funding, costs of renovations and priority of hospital needs….however, I am curious as to how much it cost a hospital when a patient dies from hospital borne-infections….?
Don’t be a Couch Potato!
Written by bethany on December 30th, 2009
Get up off that Couch!
The end of the year is a good time to reflect on the past year. What worked for you, what was a complete disaster (hopefully not many), did you meet your goals, did you create and nurture relationships? Hit the chalkboard and work through issues. This is the time to get off the couch and correct mistakes…. .. move forward with what you’ve learned!
It’s been a scary year for our architecture field and many many others. I’d be lying if I said otherwise but, you can only move forward. If worse comes to worse:
Even if you’re falling on your face, you’re still moving forward. - Samuel Beckett
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
KNOWLEDGE
Written by bethany on November 26th, 2009
IT can be difficult.
IT takes time.
IT requires thought and diligence
And sometimes I’m just TOO tired.
BUT….
IT is valuable.
IT keeps you informed.
IT drives you forward.
IT will strengthen and build you.
Be thankful for what you know, what you are learning and where you will go because of IT. Happy Thanksgiving.
Help, I need somebody….Help, Not just anybody
Written by bethany on October 6th, 2009
My favorite people are the ones that share (maybe b/c it was instilled from my mother as a child, “Share Bethany, Share!”). I always listen very closely to my colleagues when they share something new. I wonder if I should try it, check it out or shove the info into my head and pull it out at a later date. Well, my friends if you’re like me, you’re constantly looking for “Help” in a new area, growing a business, learning of new technologies or keeping up with the Jones. And thanks to Mom, I’ll share my favorite links in hopes to “help” you find information you maybe looking for…
If you’re in Healthcare or Patient Care Services the Healthcare Design Magazine is a great source for not only design trends but other things that matter like electronic health records, designing with cutbacks, bariatric patient care and articles of just about everything.
We do quite a bit of work in Texas so if you have questions about Building Codes or Compliance, TBAE are fabulous at getting you answers.
I’ve just recently attended a seminar by Graceworks Inc. out of New York, “Make the Human Connection”. WOW! Carol Dorcher and her team are amazing! They will help you seal the deal with your client, improve your interview skills and LAUGH the whole time. They travel all over the Nation with workshops.
AND, just for fun Pandora Internet Radio will create your favorite music stations to get you through the day, rain or shine (free)! www.pandora.com Enjoy!
And you can thank my mom for my sharing.
Economy
Written by bethany on September 20th, 2009
According to Kermit Baker, Chief Economist The American Instiute of Architects March 26, 2009
Large Firm Round Table
Architecture firms have lost 18,400 positions since August 2008 or 8.2% of total payrolls. It is expected to increase to 10% in 2010. Roger says only the strong survive, storms do not last forever. This is the time to buckle down and ride it out. This is a lesson of Perseverance.
“Thinking Outside the Box”
Written by bethany on July 20th, 2009
According to Wikipedia: Thinking outside the box is to think differently, unconventionally or from a new perspective. The challenge is to connect the dots by drawing four straight, continuous lines that pass through each of the nine dots, and never lifting the pencil from the paper.
Nine Dots Puzzle
This phrase, “Thinking Outside the Box,” is used so often in Design, Marketing and Management courses. SO often in fact, that to me, it’s lost the PUNCH. It’s almost traditional, expected and normal when starting something new. We are not designing with 9 dots. When it comes to thinking differently, Marty Neumeier suggests the need for RADICAL differentiation in his book ZAG. Radical differentiation is the art of standing out, VERY different, suprising and sometimes looked at as weird. Either way, both “thinking outside the box” and Marty’s take on Radical differentiation are concepts for achieving creative solutions. I just like to point out that it’s not always a box.
For those of you dying to figure out the puzzle…..(smile), here is one option:
Could there be Sustainable Golf Balls in Design?
Written by bethany on June 30th, 2009
We all see the poor golfer looking through the mass pile of golf balls in a barrel at a golf club. They are looking for the brand name of Callaway, Nike and the #1 golf ball Titleist. Will they find a deal? Maybe and probably not. I am an amateur and I mean AMATEUR golfer. I love to play and if I saw my ball at the edge of muggy dark and slimy pond, I would muddy up the shoes and pull it from the muck. Then I would wash it off , give it a little, “you can do better than that” talk and place it in my pocket.
Photos from washed-out Augusta
In Architecture, you hear the word “green”, “LEED”, and “sustainable”. There are products made of recycled material, grown sustainable and these products are better on the environment and can lead to LEED certified buildings. Amazing! Anything to help this wonderful environment should be done. The Innovations section of the magazine Eco-Structure is an fabulous resource for these materials. They have things like textiles made of bamboo, colored glass that saves energy and urinals made of soybean resin!
But, my question goes back to the golf ball. I haven’t played a course where the ball did not find water. I’m thinking there are plenty of customers looking at the used golf balls for sale at the course. There are mixed opinions about the golf balls performing well after being emerged in water….3 months they are still performing well?…well then, how long have the actually been there?
The “LEED” movement in architecture and design has pushed building materials to have recycled content, be recyclable and safe for the environment. I think golf balls could play a part in this movement. Could there be recycled golf balls for architecture? Sure, maybe countertops, walls of Plexiglas with balls filled between studs at golf shops. The very first golf ball in the 17th century was made of wood! Today, they are made of a variety synthetic materials. Could they be melted into a flooring product like tires into gym flooring? I’m not sure. But, as many balls that are played surely we can recycle them and turn them into something spectacular…..but, this is just a thought from a designer who loves design and loves to hit balls into the water.
A Quote to Ponder
Written by bethany on May 30th, 2009
“Everyone has the power of Greatness. Not for Fame, but Greatness. Because Greatness is Determined by Service.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Ever read a quote and think, “WOW! I need to remember that!” ? This was the case when I read this one. Service can be applied to anything and everything, any job, any industry or person. Everyone provides service, whether it is to your clients or in your home. It is a powerful quote and reminder that anyone with Determination has the power to be Great. Serve well.
First Attempt to BLOG: Looking for Inspiration?
Written by bethany on April 6th, 2009
SMA Tandem is excited to have this BLOG! I hope for this to be a tool for informative and creative information pertaining to our complex design world. When you think about this “design world”, there are many factors that revolve around it…after all nothing is built without purpose or thought, right? The question then becomes, what to Blog?
How about Where SMA Tandem stands with the Economy Crisis, or Lighting in Healthcare Design or What’s Up in this Community? These are a few ideas and topics I expect you’ll be seeing from SMA Tandem in the near future. Just like our diversified portfolio we hope to have a diversified Blog.
For our first attempt to blog, I was looking for inspiration. I went looking at other architecture blogs, then started Googling blogs finding several websites that claim “these successful steps for professional blogging”, yet towards the end of my research, I still had nothing. SO, I went back to by original thought, looking for inspiration and looked around. Interestingly enough, I found objects and remembered places that inspire creative thinking. This is how I found my topic, Looking for Inspiration? Creative thinking is a constant necessity for design and usually creative thinking comes from inspiration, what inspires you?
My Grandma Gatlin gave this chair to me; she bought it in the 1950’s and it still has the original orange vinyl! It reminds me of our history and inspires me to think of designing not just for the moment but designing for our future. I have a small piece of history that functions the same today as it did yesterday.
Look at the saturation and color intensity of these flowers! Can you really achieve the same depth of color in Sherwin Williams Paint? Not really but, we designers try! Inspiration is easily found in nature and it’s proven when you read about architecture and interior design topics or design concepts. One example is an article by Brett Holverstott, called “What Can Architecture Learn From Nature?” which basically reminds us to open our eyes to demonstrations and innovations taking place everyday in our environment.
Final Thought: Inspiration is all around us but you only notice the importance if you take time to look.
If you have thoughts or interests about where you would like to see this Blog go, by all means, let this design firm know! We would like to explore your options and we look forward to hearing from you!