Showcase 2 - Gresham, Smith and Partners by Gresham Smith

GRESHAM, SMITH AND PARTNERS

CONTENTS foreword: James Bearden, CEO

A Little Inspiration

Theatre Putuo Zhoushan Opera House

Boring*

EcoSafe Barger Hollow hydrogeological and Environmental Site assessment

Cultural Evolution

nissan North americas Headquarters

Guiding Light

ST. jOSEPH MEDICAL CENTER

Congestion Relief

u.s. 78 at state route 124 improvements: design concept and environmental services

The Booming Onion

ZHONGRONG JASPER TOWER

One + One = One

Nemours Home Office

Pump It Up

Lower Big Haynes Creek Pump Station, Gravity Sewer, Force Main and Storage Tank

Design with Child in Mind

Shriners Hospitals for Children

The Road More Traveled

Memphis Regional Intelligent Transportation System

Diamond in the Rough

Rivers Landing Condominiums

A History Together Methodist Hospital Infrastructure Upgrade

The Right Balance The Dilworth Walk

Excellence Elevated United Hospital Center

102

Bridging the Past to the Future College Street Pedestrian Bridge

108

Designed to Sell Arcadian Residence and Resort

114

A Modern Makeover Cookeville Regional Medical Center Addition and renovations

120

Youthful Energy Shades Mountain Baptist church Youth center

126

Engineering Peace and Quiet Sarasota Memorial Hospital Central Energy Plant

132

Reconnected Sarasota Memorial Hospital Replacement Bed Tower

138

Strawberry Alley Forever Legion Street ImprovementS

144

The Final Mission U.S. Space and Rocket Center

150

Small World Shanghai International Medical City

157

CREDITS

FOREWORD

When Showcase One launched last year, we had one main objective: to purposefully interject the question “What is good design?” more frequently into our daily project discussions. It was a conscious effort to force some self-analysis or, less formally, to remind us of why we do what we do. So here we are with a new batch of projects and another outstanding sample of the many things we can do. But beyond the discussions of improving our practice and culture, this collection has left a different impression on me and those I’ve talked to. As design professionals, we’re intimately aware of a project’s details — the strategy, the budget, the square footage, the possibilities, the limitations. We talk about our projects as complex or innovative or iconic or sustainable. We discuss ways to save time, save money, add value, etc.

Congratulations to all the teams whose work is represented here.

GS&P CEO

Intentional or not, this year’s collection includes projects with some very personal connections. I’m always proud of our work, but I’m especially pleased to see that others are also proud. It adds a new, potentially necessary, layer of meaning to all we do.

SHOWCASE TWO

But too often, we only talk about our projects in terms of scope and schedule, and we forget that we should be proud of the story behind the statistics. In our industry, every project we touch has an impact on something or someone, and our ability to directly affect quality of life often takes the professional and interjects a great degree of personal.

we should be proud of the story behind the statistics

GRESHAM, SMITH AND PARTNERS

TheaTre Pu Tu o Zh oush an oPer a h ouse

The design rotated the roughly triangular theater on the site to create three distinct outdoor spaces: an urban streetscape that connects an inland roadway with the new waterfront road, a formal arrival area for theater attendees, and a garden plaza that faces a new government building and overlooks a reflecting pool.

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City of Zhoushan Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China architecture

a Little Inspiration

shoWCase TWo

Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Zhejiang province is developing an engineered peninsula between Zhoushan Island and Mt. Putuo to improve the quality of life for a populace and economy that are rapidly diversifying. Theater Putuo will be situated on the new waterfront and is designed to be a prominent landmark of the new cityscape. Inspired by its location and its patronsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; undeniable link to the sea, the structure stands in otherworldly contrast to its surroundings and represents the mystery and imagination involved in theater and performance within.

Middle Tennessee aIa 2008 HONOR AwARd unbuilt Category

RIGHT A helical grand stair and undulating wood wall suggest sea life in a reef. The sky-lit space uses layers of suspended circular translucent material to filter daylight, resulting in a sense of being underwater. BELOW The concept is an abstraction of the patterns and textures found in diatoms â&#x20AC;&#x201C; microscopic sea creatures with delicate, almost snowflake-like bodies.

TEAM*

INTERVIEW /

Kevin K. S. Kim, AIA

PIC

Kevin K. S. Kim, AIA

Jeff Kuhnhenn, AIA, LEED AP

Jeff Kuhnhenn, AIA, LEED AP / Gregory Wieland, AIA

KEVIN KIM, Jeff Kuhnhenn, Greg Wieland

GS&P’s design was chosen over several international firms as part of a design competition. Why do you think GS&P ultimately won?

currently have a government building, and they’re going to build a hotel and then the opera house. It’s becoming a cultural and entertainment area.

JEFF: The other designs were appealing to the architectural community, but not necessarily to that particular client. You could tell that their schemes were almost more addressing the latest architectural magazine or work from Holland or Denmark. The end result was that they were a bit displaced from this client, this location, this project. The client was looking for things that were a little bit more unique to who and where they were. It’s the only province of China that’s all island, so it’s a truly unique, amazing place. Their relationship to the sea is at the core of who they are.

It’s an amazing place, a truly unique location, and the only province of China that’s all islands. From a geological standpoint, these temporal barrier islands are predominately made up of things from the sea that may have accreted to create these islands over an incredibly long span of time. If you had a time-lapsed camera, you would be astounded at the change over time. They would almost appear to be wisps of smoke. Diatoms — the millions of microscopic organisms that die and fossilize — become the islands. So when we first started conceptualizing this project, it was just obvious to us that it had to be about the sea and this momentary transition on Earth. It’s not that hard to imagine literal interpretations of natural shapes, but to break it down to a microscopic level is a unique concept. What was the collaborative process like for the team?

We talked about the most absurd things you can think of. Good design firms have those discussions in most of their projects. They don’t just start drawing a floor plan.

GREG:

It’s absolutely a collaboration. We start talking and doing sketches and one idea led to another and…

Describe the site and the surrounding environment where the opera house will be built.

Kevin:

kevin: The city consists of several islands in a central location and is actually connected to the airport by a bridge. It was a low-lying sea area that they are trying to develop. They

GREG: Kevin:

We spin off of each other. One person’s idea evolves into another person’s idea.

*PIC Principle -in- Charge

PM Project Manager

PP Project Professional

PC Project Coordinator

PD Project Designer

A DD ’ L A d d i t i o n a l M e m b e r s

If you look at this design, it’s really organic looking, and your mind can create many different images. In one way it looks as subtle as a gentle mountain slope, and in another way it has the shiny scales of a fish. So it’s not really literally mimicking any one form, but one can conjure up many different images all related to nature and the sea. Kevin:

about the sea and this momentary transition on Earth

SHO W C ASE T W O

GREG: A lot of the design was driven by the requirements for a large auditorium and a couple of smaller buildings. So the building’s shape follows a little bit of that, but it has its own identity. A lot of the other entries looked like they were following a more traditional direction. They were very nice designs, but the more our team got together, the more we talked about different things that would mimic the sea and things you don’t see very often.

JEFF:

GREG: It actually goes very fast, too, sometimes. You wouldn’t believe how one idea triggers another. And it can go at lightening speeds sometimes.

Everything we came up with was somehow inspired by the sea and the land, whether it was a wave breaking, or the idea of a sea creature coming up out of the water. I knew about diatoms because my father was a geologist, and I was fortunate to have had that in my background. In my case, I took this microscopic little organism and used it as an inspiration for something much larger. Recognizing the cultural history of that particular region and its relationship with the water added a lot of power to what we were doing. JEFF:

diatoms are little structures that look like little buildings The nice thing about choosing this little microscopic organism is that the microscopic world is a different world. So there was an inherent other worldliness about what we came up with, but at the same time, there was something very familiar about it. Diatoms are little structures that look like little buildings — they’re pure geometry. It’s incredible to find that in nature and then be able to make direct links to buildings.

SHO W C ASE T W O

jeff:

In this case, it sounds like finding the inspiration was only half the battle. Describe the reliance on technology in creating the model. Jeff: Though we’re obviously not building this underwater, the concept was to simulate some of these forms that can only exist underwater. I couldn’t even convey what the form was without having a computer available to me from conception. In order to simulate some of the ideas about the forms, the structure had to have a flow and geometry to it. Using an algorithm, MicroStation allowed me to connect these systems of plan sections to generate a continuous, twisting, expanding surface for the building — I could never have done it with a sketch.

Were there any special considerations you took in planning the construction?

When we first came up with the exterior shape, one of the options was to design a space frame, which is a

jeff:

three-dimensional truss that runs in all directions. The space frame would have an opaque material on the inside of it, which would enclose the interior. But as we got further into the project, we learned more about construction techniques in China. We realized we could do this with concrete, and that concrete might actually be better because it’s a big inert material that will dampen sound really well. For performance venues, it’s beneficial to have something that has lots of inertia and doesn’t jiggle around a lot like a diaphragm would. A thin shell on the inside of a structure would bounce around like the inside of your eardrum. But a concrete wall is just going to sit there, and it’s going to be hard to move that with sound, which has some advantage. And what about the exterior?

The shell of the building is a straight wall that has no curved-in section, and it extends from a point down at the bottom straight up to a point up above. The wall leans but it doesn’t bow out, and it’s easier to form that way. To that, we will attach a type of space frame that holds the skin: we’ll strike off a triangular grid on the concrete shell, attach small mounting brackets, and connect extruded aluminum bars. With a computer, we can calculate every single one of those arms with an exact number, length, and location. jeff:

So even though the structure is very rational, one of the intuitive leaps is that, as a performance venue, the building itself could be a performer. The whole thing is covered with tiny lights that can create different colors. The light is projected from the reverse side of the arm onto the concrete, and you have the ability to change even the individual lights to create an undulating, moving, theatrical atmosphere. It could be something like the fountains at the Bellagio, very dramatic and abstract, and choreographed. We wanted to design a way for the building to change itself, similar to the bioluminescence of underwater creatures that led to the concept. There must be so many aspects of this project that give you a tremendous sense of pride. As designers, is there one element of this project that rises to the top for you? greg: I think it’s nice to win a project where we pushed the envelope in terms of our traditional thinking, where we say, “What if…” and the client responds, “Yes.” What we learned from that, I think, is we need to do it more. We need to push ourselves in directions that are uncomfortable. When we are too comfortable, we drift toward mediocrity.

The free-form concrete shell of the building is covered in an aluminum filigree space frame that houses small LeD lights, which allow the building to glow at night in a variety of colors and patterns. a triangular pattern becomes a pyramidal space frame that is covered with a hexagonal assembly of aluminum channels.

Our mission is to “be the best consultant to the built environment.” Being a good consultant means you have to sell your knowledge and ideas, not your time. KEvIn:

We recently won a hospital design competition, and it was mentioned how we can win projects just based on our creativity and design capabilities. In Putuo’s case we do not have any opera house experience, but we won purely based on our creativity. That’s what I’m proud about. JEFF: The form that we came up with was symbolic and iconic. It stands apart from everything around it. In fact, there’s a government building on the site that is almost a perfect cube with a hole in the middle of it. It’s this highly rational looking

construction. Our building is perched on its own little hill, almost like the way sand build ups around things on the shore. It’s a great contrast between arts and government, and pretty unavoidably effective. ■

KEVIN KIM, AIA, principal-in-charge and project manager, oversaw the project and acted as the liaison between the design team and the client. JEff KuHNHENN, AIA, LEEd AP, served as project professional and project designer on the project. his contributions to the project included developing the initial design, drawings, modeling, and refining the concept. Kevin and Jeff collaborated to develop the design while working through complex site restrictions. GREG wIELANd, AIA, has more than 30 years of experience designing innovative healthcare, corporate and entertainment spaces. Greg served as a collaborating designer and helped develop early conceptual ideas.

EcoSa fE Barg Er H ollow H yd r ogE ologic a l and En viron mEn tal Sit E aSSESSm E n t

Boring samples of rock cores showing fracture zones (dark splits) and infill by precipitation of calcite (white fill). traces of residual organics are seen in various depths of the soil and indicate that the ground is not structurally sound in this area.

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EcoSafe Systems, llc Blountville, Sullivan county, tennessee Engineering

Boring*

*not the project, but the process of obtaining core samples. to understand the subsurface environment allowing conceptual design of the entire site’s soil, rock, and groundwater interactions and mechanics, the gS&P Environmental compliance team collected over 1,000 samples.

SHowcaSE two

Previous state geotechnical studies at Barger Hollow, near Blountville, Tennessee, had fallen short of showing exactly how a proposed new landfill would affect surrounding spring-fed streams. GS&P’s environmental compliance team reviewed years of geological information and hypothesized a new scenario to explain the inconsistent data. The concept used a harmless commercial groundwater dye injected into several access points and, mimicking a wide range of groundwater flows, showed a combination of slow-flow and quick-release of the dye into nearby streams. GS&P’s successful hypothesis proved that the proposed landfill area can be safely monitored to protect local residents and wildlife, and the research will benefit other groundwater scientists studying similar conditions throughout the Appalachian region.

a soil stratification sample showing the profile of limestone now weathered to soil in the area. this sample allows the geologists to understand the soilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s permeability.

TEAM

INTERVIEW /

Jason repsher, P.g.

Pic

Keith Barnhill, P.g.

randy curtis, P.g.

lee worley

randy cUrtiS, JaSon rEPSHEr

what first prompted the client to contact gS&P regarding a proposed landfill near Blountville, tennessee?

The client was having difficulty proving the existing and proposed landfill release could be monitored. The client came to us and said this monitoring issue is something that other consultants/professionals have looked at and haven’t been able to resolve. That was the problem — how to do what hadn’t been done to that point.

RAndy:

is it standard procedure to geologically review proposed landfill areas? what’s involved in monitoring an area?

yes. It’s what everyone calls the Part IIA in Tennessee, but yes, standard policy. That’s where you end up doing the hydrogeologic site characterizations so you can understand both soil and groundwater issues on one side, and then the next phase is where you actually design a landfill based on those parameters. JASon:

old-timers just dumping food dye into a sinkhole

Everyone has to remember that the limestone at this site is sitting at a 70 degree angle in most cases. It’s not a flat tabletop where water goes in a particular spot and drains out in a semi-uniform pattern.

JASon:

RAndy: Think of a hay barn. you usually have a steep A-shape roof, but there is another barn next to it that’s at a lower angle. When a raindrop hits the steep roof, it can run down the tin or off the roof or into a gutter or on to the next roof. How do you figure out exactly where it’s going to go?

Based on your evaluations, what was your hypothesis?

SHowcaSE two

RAndy: In actual engineering design, you say we would need to put a well here or we need to monitor a spring there, but in the hydrogeologic investigation, you are just trying to say rainfall comes onto the land here and exits the land there.

substance into groundwater to see if you could detect it. That had been tried several times by consultants and regulators in the past over about a 10-year period, ranging from the rudimentary — old-timers just dumping food dye into a sinkhole — to sophisticated protocols. What we did was look at all of that past data to try to get a feeling for why the old dye traces were failing and what we could do to make it succeed.

and what did you find at Barger Hollow?

How long did it take to evaluate the area?

The analysis took about six months, factoring in previous studies as well as current water flow conditions.

RAndy:

The general problem is that the area is predominantly limestone rock. Limestone, by its very nature, does not present a uniform, flat surface, but instead is made of millions of ancient sea organisms solidified and cemented with calcium allowing for the potential of springs in many areas. The technical term is karst — sinkholes and springs issuing from limestone rock — and the disconnect in the past was that people were putting dye in the ground expecting it to come out in the springs, but they weren’t seeing it. So where did it go? The question we were wrestling with was how to demonstrate a dye that would mimic a potential release from a landfill. If a landfill was leaking and you were trying to monitor it, you would put a harmless colored RAndy:

RAndy: Based on all the existing data, both old and new, GS&P developed a conceptual model that accounted for the various water flow issues that occur within unpredictable surfaces like limestone. We identified and focused on three types of water flow and tried various ways of mimicking each scenario. The final analysis proved that there were fast flow areas (such as in storm water situations) and slow flow areas, which explained the emergence of dye that had been placed in the rock as much as 10 years before.

other studies didn’t completely solve the problem. How was your approach able to determine a solution?

importance of monitoring the slow flow components and its issues with potential pollutants.

Previous studies were trying to uncover definitive start and end points of water flow. We took a more holistic approach in the beginning by acknowledging that water could have any number of start and end points. We tried to mimic the entire landfill footprint (269 acres) as the start point and where water could, conceivably, come out. It was a pretty tedious process because we had to make sure we weren’t pushing water too hard in areas where we were trying to mimic natural water flow, which might have collapsed any small openings we’d created. Instead, we had to watch and wait for the water to travel on its own time so that we wouldn’t negate any new analyses.

JASon:

what care and consideration were given to the surrounding community and the landfill’s affect on the environment?

Through our testing, we determined that an older landfill had, in fact, had a negative impact on the environment. The best solution is to relocate the waste from the old landfill and replace it in the proposed new one, which would be lined and have the benefit of modern technology that would allow collection of both leachate and landfill gas to reduce greenhouse emissions. The new system will also allow the tracking of a cleanup effort of the old landfill to ensure that there are no health hazards in the local water supply.

SHowcaSE two

JASon:

was the county aware of the existing landfill issues and the associated hazards?

Everyone knew about the landfill, but did not realize just how serious the situation is. our analysis showed them the importance of stepping up their efforts to improve the area. Unfortunately, there is a lack of funding preventing them from completely taking care of the issue. The proposed landfill project will at least clean up the existing waste, and hopefully, the state will have the funds to take all the necessary steps in the near future regarding existing groundwater contamination.

It’s also our hope that folks do realize the importance of slow flow even if it’s not a part of their present scope of short time frame dye trace analysis. It may not seem so important now to someone living near a short flow system area, but if they plan to live in that area for the next 30 years, at some point in time the flow is going to reach them.

it’s clear to see how this analysis is vital for a landfill site, but aren’t there implications for other types of projects?

Sometimes going the extra mile in the beginning can save a lot of trouble later, like in the early stages of drilling and laying foundations. When drilling cores or soil borings for location of a new hotel, apartment building, or parking garage, the boring logs clearly show you have soil on certain levels, rock at certain levels, and water at certain levels. But most people are primarily concerned with reporting bearing capacity, not water levels. Furthermore, the reports usually only show conditions on the day of drilling, not a more holistic, longer-term understanding of the site. Without understanding exactly how fast and where the water flows, whole operations have had to be redesigned because evaluations didn’t assess the impact on the entire site. once you cut the cell out of a landfill or cut the building footprint, you have changed the groundwater regime in that area by altering its natural conditions. If you’re not careful, you’ll have a nice giant bathtub that holds water below normal stream pool, regional or localized groundwater elevations for the area. JASon:

JASon:

what kind of impact can your findings at Barger Hollow have on engineering and scientific studies, specifically in the appalachian region? RAndy: There are a lot of systems that address the traditional karst fast flow, but our analysis demonstrated the

is it your hope that standards established by gS&P will have an effect on future state regulations?

We’d like to think so. As far as regulations go, right now they just tell us to look at the short term, but we think it’s important to go a step further for true protection of human health and the environment. ■

JASon:

JAsoN REpshER, pRofEssIoNAl GEoloGIsT (p.G.), served as project manager. His extensive experience in hydrogeology, project management, and environmental consulting was key to finding the solution for EcoSafe. RANdy CuRTIs, p.G., served as senior geologist. randy’s experience in hydrogeological investigations and statistical analysis proved critical for the project.

KENtUCKY

BARGER HOLLOW SITE

tENNEssEE

Barger Hollow

Existing Landfill (30 Acres) Proposed Landfill (269 Acres)

ABoVE the existing landfill site spans 30 acres of the Barger Hollow area; the proposed landfill site will span 269 acres. the understanding that this study generated will be of significant benefit to the characterization of other challenging sites in the same region.

lEfT randy curtis inspects soil and pebbles that have sealed the end of a cave in the Barger Hollow area. the formation shows very high flow conditions, which deposited the material at the choke point of the cave.

ø = monitoring Points.

lEfT during the formation of the appalachian mountain range by plate movement in the upper earth’s surface, the site’s bedrock foundations were folded, faulted, and even thrust over one another. weathering of the rock formations created the existing topography and subsurface geology, and was described in detail in the team’s 2,000-page hydrogeological site review.

X = dye injection locations.

in addition to proving the base monitorability of the site with the work performed, gS&P also determined flow direction and end discharge locations. this knowledge enabled the owner to purchase additional property and expand the facility while reducing future monitoring costs by over $200,000 during the anticipated life of the facility.

SHowcaSE two

lEfT Because the goal of the eosine dye trace was the verification of monitorability, and the regulations governing solid waste site operations emphasize groundwater monitoring wells, gS&P targeted specific areas of the site with new dye-detection wells. the red, green, and yellow dye were injected in existing and newly constructed wells, cores, and borings, as well as in large, medium, and small sink holes. over 1,000 samples were collected from 16 existing wells and 14 new wells.

Ni ssa n North A m er ic as H ead quart er s

24599.00

Nissan North America Franklin, Tennessee Architecture Engineering Environmental Graphics Interior Design Landscape Architecture Planning

Cultural Evolution

ABC Mid-Tennessee Chapter

IIDA Tennessee Chapter

Middle Tennessee AIA

judges award

eagle award

commercial award

Award of Citation

Construction, Best of 2008 Construction & Design Awards

Awards of Excellence

“Built” Category

AIA Tennessee Award for Excellence in Architecture

South Central Construction

SHO W CASE T W O

Moving an entire company across the country is an incredible task, and an even more incredible opportunity. Nissan North America’s decision to relocate their corporate operations from California to Tennessee created a once-ina-lifetime opportunity to design a new, globally recognized corporate campus that would reestablish and enhance Nissan’s corporate culture and identity. The striking 460,000-square-foot building was designed by GS&P to enhance Nissan’s employee efficiency, support the crossfunctional nature of the staff, and facilitate collaboration and creativity. The incorporation of sustainable design elements in both interior and exterior environments aims to create a campus that stands out against its surrounding suburban context.

The main entry lobby showcases Nissan and Infinity brand identities. The architecture is open and layered, similar to a proscenium stage, allowing vehicles and other â&#x20AC;&#x153;actorsâ&#x20AC;? to be featured throughout the space.

TEAM

Steve Johnson, AIA

P IC

Anna Roberts, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

Eric Bearden, AIA

Jeff Kuhnhenn, AIA, LEED AP / Jack Weber, IIDA, MCR, LEED AP

Julie Roquemore, IIDA, LEED AP / Denise DiLello, CID, LEED AP / Brian Breedlove, LEED AP / Jeff Goodman / Joe Johnston / Nicho Young, ASLA / RJ Tazelaar, P.E.

INTER V IEW /

ADD ’ L

J e ff K u h n h e nn , J a c k W e b e r

It was a great challenge for Nissan to move its headquarters across the country. Discuss the opportunity to help provide a smooth transition for Nissan’s operations and culture.

morph the campus layout, the building design, and the interior space into what it is today by responding to Nissan’s true needs.

We had some unique challenges because they had not announced the move to their people internally. For a little while, the building actually advanced ahead of the internal development because we couldn’t speak to anybody. It really impacted how we went about doing the project because it was very important to Nissan that its brand, culture, and general functionality be protected.

Since Nissan is one of the world’s leading automakers, they had to consider the implications of the new building and how it might impact their brand. What does “brand” mean to Nissan?

Jeff:

It sounds like our method of approach had to change drastically to meet their needs. Was this the case? Jack:

Because they had not yet announced the relocation to Tennessee internally to staff, we could only develop concepts based on assumptions and on the basic information provided at the time. So, yes, in the beginning, we started in a reactionary mode to provide design concepts and site analysis that they needed to make early decisions about the site selection. However, immediately upon announcing the project publically, and through direction from the CEO, we were able to back up and develop a strategy for the site, building, and workplace based on a detailed analysis of business processes, worker needs, and organizational culture. Once fully engaged in this process, we were able to

Jack:

To add to what Jeff said, brand and corporate culture at Nissan are very well defined and fused together. Depicting these elements throughout the campus design was one of the most important parts of the process. Our task was to design a headquarters building, so it was clear that the brand image would not be a literal interpretation of the automotive industry. Rather, its purpose was to embody Nissan’s corporate philosophy and promote an intuitive alignment of that philosophy for those who would occupy the space. The true challenge was making sure that there was a consistent message blended throughout every element of the campus.

we provide more than buildings for our clients...we’re actually helping them manage change

SHO W CASE T W O

The takeaway from this is that we have to be flexible because we provide more than buildings for our clients. In the big picture, we’re actually helping them manage change. In Nissan’s case, the change was a major relocation that not only had ramifications once the move began for their marketplace, but simply having knowledge of the potential relocation had ramifications, and it was our job to help facilitate this change.

Jeff: Branding and corporate culture are two separate things. The brand is what you want the public to see and think about you, and your corporate culture is how you do business internally. But, for Nissan, the two completely overlap. They have a very definitive understanding of their brand, and a pretty sophisticated understanding of the behaviors that are necessary to reinforce and perpetuate that brand identity. They also believe that their brand identity works best when reinforced and propagated by the behaviors of their people. They have a lot of pride in the design, quality, and appearance of their vehicles, so we had to make sure they felt the same way about their workplace.

Describe the process for developing the strategy for such a multifaceted project. Jeff:

The schedule they wanted certainly demanded a specific workflow. We had to have early-release packages, contractors on board early, and certain pieces of the project procured early. It was a slightly different plan than what we’re used to, but once we understood the order of the processes, it wasn’t difficult. However, it absolutely affected how we made decisions. In a typical design-bid-build process, some choices can be delayed until later in the project. But in an early-release package environment, you’ve got to make some choices in a certain order and be married to them. Can you provide an example of a decision that had to be made earlier than usual?

SHO W CASE T W O

Jeff: The building is a fairly sculptural structure with some very formal aesthetics to it, so the shape of the building was important. Because of that, we had to lock down the column grid and understand the structural system pretty early on, and we had to be willing to live with it after a certain point. That dictated that we have a system for generating this form. We created sort of an algorithm so that we could make things a little bigger or smaller as needed as we went through programming. We had three or four decisions that we needed to make in a hurry, but our client wasn’t sure if the building would have 1,200 or 1,800 people in it, so we had to be able to make changes as needed. Jack:

Nissan Americas was given a directive by the CEO to implement an alternative office program that would target at least 15 to 20 percent of the staff to work virtually. Each of these, but especially the alternative office concept, had a tremendous impact on the size of the floor plate and ultimately the building. Steel had to be ordered, so floor plate size was a critical path decision. By showing in 3-D how various modifications to the floor plate and building shape could affect building capacity, we were able to systematically but quickly guide Nissan through the appropriate decisions. Since this project had so many pieces to it, what role did 3-D imaging play in your proposal?

We used a lot of 3-D imaging and maintained up-todate models throughout the design process. As I developed the design of the shell of the structure, we had a working model of the building that enabled us to have a clear understanding of the structural requirements. I was then able to sit down with the structural engineer and go through the whole building floor by floor, and understand the relationship Jeff:

between every column and every beam. Having a welldeveloped architectural model makes a huge difference. Our structural group is really excellent at this. They’re way ahead of most firms designing in 3-D. They were able to expedite getting information to the steel fabricators so that we could lock down the steel for the building very early. Having a good model helps you avoid costly mistakes, control costs, and stay within the budget. Explain how 3-D models actually save the client money. Should we be using 3-D models in every GS&P project?

A huge benefit of having a good model is what I call protecting the scope, and for exactly that reason, we strongly recommend 3-D models to our clients who hire a contractor. Typically, a contractor will often take a look at the drawings, do some math, and tack on a whole host of other contingencies to their budget estimate. They can have an escalation contingency, a design contingency, a budget contingency, etc. The less certain a contractor is in those areas, the bigger the contingency is. The earlier in a project that you can put hard numbers on big-ticket items, you dramatically increase Jeff:

they stood by the decisions that we helped them make and then allowed us to educate them on doing it better the level of certainty and decrease the level of risk for the contractor, which allows you to protect the scope because you’re not artificially assuming things cost more because of the contractor’s uncertainty. What sustainability components did GS&P incorporate in the design?

Nissan was interested in sustainable strategies and a responsible building, and they said, “Whether we pursue LEED certification or not, we’re going to favor the LEED strategies that make sense.” So as we went through the design, we planned a strategy to achieve a silver LEED certification and looked for things that helped apply value. Jeff:

We did a lot of incremental things. We made sure that the shell of the building had excellent thermal performance. We

SHO W CASE T W O

LEFT The primary goal of the building faรงade is to create a comfortable interior environment and to guarantee access to daylight and views. The shading method is an integrated curtainwall consisting of radiant low-e glazing, insulated metal panels, and six-foot sunshade assembly.

ABOVE GS&P structural engineers developed a 3-D analysis model and shared it concurrently with a detailer. The fabrication shop drawings were developed almost simultaneously, allowing work to proceed faster and saving money by avoiding potential escalation costs.

the design team made a conscious decision to locate the majority of shared functions in centralized locations on each floor. By forcing employees to converge for common needs, Nissan hopes to encourage collaboration and improve organization.

to assist with wayfinding, the north half of the building uses cool tone color patterns in contrast with the south half which uses warm tones. Product images are displayed throughout the building and incorporated into wayfinding strategies.

used high-performance glass on the building. The building has a large footprint versus its surface area on the outside, so it’s able to regulate its temperature pretty easily. We invested in an underfloor air system, which is substantially more cost-effective in terms of lifetime performance than standard ducting systems. We put sunshades on the building, and we also invested in some daylight sensors and a dimming system for the fluorescent lighting in the building. Where did the inspiration for the exterior shape come from?

It was really a gradual translation of two rectangular office buildings of typical size that were put together to make this single floor plate. Then we shifted to breaking down the building into neighborhoods of different interior spaces. In order to preserve the site for future flexibility and keep it green, we wanted a small footprint on the site, but we had zoning restrictions on how high the building could be. We also evolved toward having the town centers and less changeable, more communal-use spaces. So where the building started being able to be flexible, we literally flexed it. We shifted the plan a little bit and broke down the mass of the building. By maintaining the efficient rectilinear neighborhood areas, and installing rectangular furniture and offices, we didn’t generate a lot of wasted space. We had to be cognizant of costs so we made high-impact, achievable kinds of sculptural moves that could be done without much additional cost.

SHO W CASE T W O

Jeff:

The interior floors are extremely open. Discuss the workplace strategy and how their work environment responds to the way they like to run their business. Jack:

“Transparency” was a term often quoted by Nissan to denote light, open, and airy, but also to imply a sense of being frank and direct. As an architectural response, 95 percent of the enclosed spaces throughout the building have clear glass front walls. And virtually all of the staff seated in the open workstations has a view to the outside. We also heard “crossfunctional” repeatedly, which relates to how they like to collaborate across departments. Providing places and spaces for employees to interact in a formal or informal setting, whether running into one another on the stairs or having a video conference meeting, was critical to how the building responded to Nissan’s working culture. We created “town centers,” where people can come together. The stairs, open spaces, elevators, bathrooms, and everything considered support elements of each floor are placed in the center of the floor, nudging people together to encourage interaction.

It sounds like Nissan was very committed to creating a dynamic work environment. Did they come to you with a clear vision, or were they open to suggestions? Jack:

There was a commitment and a vision from the top, and they understood from the very beginning the benefits of a work environment that responds to their corporate culture. They were extremely open-minded about new concepts surrounding the workplace. That was our first insight into Nissan’s culture. Concepts were looked at in many different ways from different perspectives in order to make sound decisions about whether it was good for the company. In the end, they stood by the decisions that we helped them make. It was a true team effort. Did cultural differences present any unique challenges during this project? Jeff: We sat down with them and discussed some of the ways that Americans don’t culturally behave the same as Japanese. In Japan, for instance, there’s a tremendous formality in the meeting process and the interaction between staff. Here, we tend to have more informal settings, and a lot of meetings and decisions are done on the fly. In Japan, the business gets done during the meeting. It’s almost exactly the opposite in the U.S. So we had a whole set of issues that we had to deal with uniquely, and many of the strategies that we talked about were actually customized based on an American way of doing business.

Are there any lessons learned that stand out in this project. Any special surprises or processes that could be carried forward and used on future projects? Jack:

In terms of the process, we learned a lot through benchmarking trips. We actually toured six or seven other corporate facilities with the client. We observed, learned, absorbed, and documented information and impressions of the good and the bad. We used this information as well as lessons learned by others to make choices about the new facility design. This was a new process for us, but one that I would highly recommend for our projects in the future.

Jeff: I’m a firm believer in the multidiscipline firm, and that’s where our strength is. I really want to continue this trajectory toward a more cross-disciplined approach to designing and developing ideas that generate value for clients. We have an extremely diverse practice in terms of our collective knowledge and experience.

ABOVE Conference rooms are equipped with audio/visual teleconferencing systems, allowing Nissanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global teams to communicate effortlessly. This presentation room is designed to allow vehicles to be driven onto the display floor. BELOW The dining hall and cafĂŠ offer comfortable alternatives for employees to meet. With wireless connection throughout, facilities can double as ad hoc meeting spaces.

The design team collaborated with Nissan to determine what features of the Nissan DNA could be incorporated into the building. The result is a glassy, transparent structure with a very modern shift. The smooth, undulating form represents motion, and the layered glass symbolizes the merging of formerly disparate departments via the move from California to Tennessee.

SHO W CASE T W O

we just designed a headquarters building for a multinational company whose business is design Also, it was invigorating for Nissan to ask us to prove everything. We should be in the business of proving everything all the time. Whether it’s issues that relate to sustainability or best practices, we should demonstrate a very acute knowledge about how to do things. Part of that is coming up with creative answers instead of relying on formula or intuition. We do things, not because we believe it’s true, but because we know it’s true. At the end of it all, what makes you the most proud? Jack:

Leading a firm of that caliber through the process of making smart decisions, and even changing their standards and strategy surrounding the workplace, was very rewarding. We could have easily just listened and simply given them what they asked for as opposed to working with them to make the best decisions about their work environment. We were not pushing them toward an aesthetic or concept that served our own agenda. Rather we worked through a process together that allowed us to look at how people work and

pay attention to their employees and their needs. Working with them through this process was fun and by far one of my greatest career accomplishments. I run into Nissan people from time to time, and they always have nice things to say and are legitimately proud of the building. In the end, I want people to like the environment that we’ve help create for them. So when you run into someone who actually has to live in it all the time and they compliment your work, that’s a good feeling. Jeff:

The proudest moment for me was when the CEO, Carlos Ghosn, flew in from France for the unveiling of the design. Seeing the piles of people and press at this big event was my personal realization of how big this was. We just designed a headquarters building for a multinational company whose business is design. It was a very eye-opening and mind-altering moment to picture us, as a firm, working at that level and on that stage. I’ve never had that moment before, and I’d like to do that again. ■

Jeff KuhnHeNn, AIA, Leed ap, a senior architect in GS&P’s Nashville office, has designed projects for many corporate, healthcare, and aviation clients. As project designer, Jeff’s contributions included developing the initial design, drawings, modeling, and refining the concept. Jack Weber, IIDA, MCR, LEED AP, has more than 24 years’ experience in workplace design and workplace strategy consulting. As interior design leader for the Nissan project, Jack led a team of design professionals from multiple GS&P offices through the processes of developing a workplace strategy and full-service design for all interior work space and amenity space environments.

oPen atrIum sPaCes

town Centers oPen atrIum sPaCes

oPen offICe areas

exeCutIve level

meetIng rooms

aBoVe office floors are organized around a â&#x20AC;&#x153;town centerâ&#x20AC;? that includes most major shared functions. adjacent to each town center, two-story atriums connect the floors vertically. open stairs include wide intermediate landings to allow employees to converse while not impeding traffic. Below the building is oriented to be prominently viewed from i-65 to the west and acts as a sound barrier between the interstate and site interior. the 450-foot-long building sits at the edge of an existing flood plain and wetlands, and the majority of the site remains green. storm water is managed through a series of ponds utilizing the onsite improved wetlands as the last step before water flows into a creek.

Interstate 65

Carothers Parkway

offICe BuIldIng

ParkIng struCture

CafeterIa terraCe

restored wetlands

event lawn

fItness Center

4 1 8

2 2

St. Joseph Medic al C en t er

24553.00

St. Joseph Medical Center Towson, Maryland Architecture Engineering Interior Design

Guiding Light

S HO W CA S E T W O

CSD Architects in Baltimore and GS&P joined as partners for the design at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Maryland. At issue was how to expand and reimage the facility to be more formal yet friendly, a task guided by the hospital’s patient promise, “Always expert. Always personal. Always faith-filled.” The team recognized the importance of a strong, calming entry, stress-reducing wayfinding, natural light, environmental garden elements, and religious iconography. The resulting spaces are elegant and inspiring, and provide St. Joseph an environment to match its level of care.

Sight lines into cardiac prep/recovery rooms allow nurses to keep a constant watch. Serpentine corridors accented with artwork and floor patterns carry patients and visitors through the hospital. patient rooms are equipped with a sleeper sofa, a reclining sleeper chair, and privacy curtains. Staff has multiple areas for meeting and recording notes, including multiple computer locations for tracking patient status.

TEAM

Paul V. Braun, AIA

PIC

Nick Nicholson, AIA

Derek Mott, AIA, LEED AP

Kevin Kim, AIA / Julia Bradley Rayfield, CID, IIDA

James R. Kolb, RA, LEED AP / Dennis L. Meikrantz

INTERVIEW /

ADD ’ L

P a u l B r a u n , J u l i a B RADLE Y R a y f i e l d

Explain St. Joseph Medical Center’s project focus. Paul: St. Joseph, at the time, had the number one heart program in the state of Maryland, but they had inadequate facilities that had not been improved for many, many years. This project’s focus was to create a new main entrance and to consolidate and improve the facilities for the Heart Program.

working through the options, and making the decisions and recommendations to the Steering Committee. It felt a little bit cumbersome in the beginning, but it worked very well in the end in terms of engaging key individuals within the organization and making them responsible for what actually happened.

always expert, always personal, always faith-filled

JULIA: From the top down, Sly often said to the team, “This isn’t my project. This is your project.” So I think she really tried to spread the responsibility out and give power to her staff to craft the project.

How did you approach getting started?

How did you proceed?

PAUL: Our main client and the person that really set up the project was the COO, Sly Moore. She was charged to manage the project and chose to work through several committees that would be responsible for various aspects of the project.

PAUL: At the beginning, we helped them create a vision for what they wanted the new patient experience to be. They came up with the Patient Promise — “Always expert, always personal, always faith-filled” — which became the mantra of the project. Throughout the process, they would always ask if a choice or decision was fulfilling the Patient Promise.

There were definitely more meetings than we originally envisioned.

JULIA: And we really checked decisions against this. Can we justify this decision by supporting some element of their promise? From there we developed a list of guiding words that we used throughout the remainder of the project in making aesthetic decisions right down to the paper towel dispensers. In some cases, it really did help us choose an option because it supported their guiding words.

Staff involvement isn’t unique, but why did the hospital believe it was important to have an unusually large number of people involved?

Many clients develop guiding principles and form committees to organize their processes throughout a redesign. What was unique about this experience?

PAUL: Sly really wanted to get these groups involved, making them responsible for analyzing the issues,

paul: I think it’s extremely unique that they never forgot the guiding principles. Every time we were together, it was

julia:

For instance, there was an Image and Identity Committee that got together twice a week and reviewed all design aspects of the project. There was also a Patient Access Committee that was responsible for changing the way patients access the system, receive care, and are greeted from the moment they arrive on campus.

S HO W CA S E T W O

The hospital had a very dated entry that looked like an old Carmike movie theater, where you came in and immediately looked for a person to ask for help. There was no guiding architecture to lead you. Nothing was terribly intuitive except if you picked up a whiff from the cafeteria and knew food was to the left. The graphics were poor, and there were signs stuck all over the place to make up for the lack of leading elements in the building. julia:

brought up. A lot of times you create the guiding principles at the beginning of a project and include them in a presentation, and unfortunately, they get lost in the day-to-day production of a project. But with St. Joseph Medical Center, it really was their basis for making decisions. I agree. We were lucky to have a client who made decisions and stuck to them. They didn’t waffle; a decision was made and we went forward. They were also really good about respecting professionals on the team. They listened to what we said and didn’t second-guess us too much. When they didn’t like something we showed them, they told us and we changed it, but we still kept our roles as designers, architects, and engineers. They truly were responsive to us. julia:

S HO W CA S E T W O

paul: Even though it curves, the sweeping corridor creates a very welcoming new main entrance and fluidly connects the parking structure, medical office building, and the new public elevators that serve the seven floors of patient care.

And, along the way, visitors see the Heritage Wall. Describe its design.

paul: CSD had been on campus at St. Joseph for several years. They enjoyed a very strong relationship with the hospital, and were very committed to St. Joseph’s vision and mission. They contacted us because they had seen the Levinson Heart Hospital project and knew that we had the experience that the hospital needed. One of the main reasons we were ultimately selected was because the selection committee saw that we had good chemistry and could work collaboratively.

Initially, we were asked to create display areas for collections from their 100-year history, such as old medical instruments and nun habits. They had quite a large collection, and we debated the need to dedicate a five-foot display space for a nun’s habit or a two-foot case for a stethoscope. The hospital hired a consultant who does a lot of donor walls, and they took some of the hospital’s images and photographs and used a specialized technique that looks a bit like a hologram. It’s quite amazing. It consists of multiple layers of glass, cut and illuminated at different angles and degrees to give depth and highlight extremely detailed images. The wall is made up of these windows that convey the history of the hospital from the convent days through present day. The medium in which they’re done is very unusual and eyecatching, and you’re immediately drawn into it.

How did you go about creating such an elegant visitor-friendly space?

What other elements did you include to create a soothing, orientating environment?

First, the building desperately needed a strong orienting presence. We created what we call “the Great Wall of Towson” and a beacon on top of the elevator tower to create an obvious main entry. On the interior, we opened up floors so that you have visibility from the main entry circulation up to other floors, and a grand staircase that invites you up. By opening up the building, we made wayfinding really easy because everything leads off this main circulation concord.

paul: One element that ended up surprising me was how well the natural spaces create a very dynamic progression through the space. Before entering, visitors encounter a reflecting pool. The second-floor lobby offers a great vista to a beautiful Japanese garden. And then you go around the corner to the cafeteria and there’s another rooftop area. It’s a very nice sequence of welcoming and unique spaces.

GS&P partnered with CSD Architects on this project. How did that come about?

by Michio Ihara, and from there you can choose to go to one of two key areas: surgery or cardiac care.

julia:

JULIA:

Every inch of green space is supported by the guiding words Bring the outdoors in, allowing natural daylight to penetrate deep into the space. We kept coming back to those words anytime we had to decide where to put a window. julia:

When you step into the vestibule, the first thing you see is the front desk. We even went so far as to design a slightly different transition surface than you normally see — there wasn’t a right angle on it. Everything was very smooth so that your first contact with a surface in that building was comfortable and welcoming, which set the tone for everything else. Then we curved the circulation corridor, which instinctively leads you in that direction. Along the way, you pass living rooms, instead of waiting areas, which are comfortable, friendly, and non institutional. Ultimately, you come to the rotunda, with its captivating hanging sculpture

The new design also incorporates quite a bit of religious iconography, more than most religiously affiliated hospitals. Was this also part of the Patient Promise? Julia: There has always been a lot of iconography, even in the old building when it used to be a convent. We didn’t want to be trite or put crosses or anything in the floor, but

Upon entering the main lobby, visitors are greeted by intimate seating areas and a Heritage Wall. The Heritage Wall consists of eight windows, each telling a piece of St. Joseph Memorial Hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history over the last 100 years. Initially requested to create display cases showcasing old medical instruments and nun habits, the team found an alternative solution that etches images and photographs into different materials. Using a special technique, artisans use different degrees of depth and varying values of light to create final images that resemble glowing holograms.

The chapel is particularly stunning. Describe some of the elements that went into that design.

The most understated, but elegant, piece is the backdrop for the altar. Originally, it had been a mosaic tile, slightly concaved partition with a 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abstract cross design. We covered over the tile and did a Venetian plaster treatment on the concave wall. It is now creamy white with a new cross on top, which is gorgeous.

The former chapel was unrefined, had bad lighting, and was made of concrete exposed aggregate with very unattractive 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-style stained glass that looked like plastic. It Julia:

felt like a religious bunker with all the concrete and brick. So we proposed three very different looks: a Gothic-inspired look, a modern theme, and a transitional look. The chosen design, transitional, incorporated beautiful sapele wood to cover the concrete and to create frames around the stainedglass windows. The sapele is super-sophisticated, minimalistic, and elegant all at the same time. We also brightened up all the ceilings and put in new lighting. It feels much more like a church, but is also modern with very simple moldings.

S HO W CA S E T W O

we did do some subtle things. The light fixtures in the patient rooms, for example, have a very small LED fixture that shoots out beams in a quiet starburst or cross design, depending on how you interpret it. People with a strong Catholic faith will probably see a cross, while others may see more of a starburst. We tried to incorporate faith-based icons in a tasteful, sophisticated way to complement the other really beautiful Catholic and religious-based works of art throughout the campus.

S HO W CA S E T W O

A visitor’s first impression of the hospital is now formed by the “Great Wall,” a 45-foot-high concave precast wall that creates a welcoming gesture for the facility. The wall is carved over the entrance lobby and frames the glass skylight canopy and reflection garden.

Moving forward, what are some lessons learned from working with St. Joseph that you might apply to other projects? Julia: I would say the overall process is one that I would like to follow again. Having the guiding principles and a client who wanted to participate made it work. In future proposals, I will go much more in depth as to the number of meetings the client anticipates. If a client is not as forward with their own ideas, I’m going to encourage them to develop their own guiding principles so that we can help them balance their decisions. For me, that’s a lesson learned in terms of how to be successful with a partner.

Now that the project is finished, what gives you the most sense of pride?

For me, it was more the journey and the relationships developed. I had less of a hand in the design work, but I feel proud for the people that were involved in creating a beautiful hospital. Paul:

I tend to identify with the user of the space I’m designing. Even though an executive might be my client on paper, in my heart, my client is always the person trying to find their way, or the patient coming there for treatment. There is such an improvement in the facility from the staff, visitor, and patient standpoints. I would hope that they walk through there with ease. What we created is understated, sophisticated, timeless, and hopefully is a much easier facility to get through. So I’m most proud of touching the lives of all those people who will go there every day. ■ Julia:

Paul V. Braun, AIA, has devoted his entire career to the planning, design, and management of projects serving healthcare clients and healthcare providers across the country. Paul served as the principalin-charge for the project, leading the overall delivery of professional services. Julia Bradley Rayfield, CID, IIDA, is a senior interior designer with 15 years’ commercial design experience. Julia led the interiors team, crafting the image of the facility and setting new standards for the hospital to expand throughout its campus.

The former chapel was unrefined, suffered from bad lighting, and was made of concrete exposed aggregate with 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-style stained-glass resembling plastic. The team proposed three very different looks: a Gothic-inspired look, a modern theme, and a transitional look. The final solution, transitional, covered the concrete structures with beautiful sapele wood paneling, improved the lighting, and brightened the ceilings. Originally, the altar backdrop was a washed-out mosaic tile with a 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abstract tau symbol. The design team chose to cover over the tile with an understated, but elegant, Venetian plaster treatment and install a new cross accentuated by indirect lighting.

u.s. 78 at state r out e 124 im pr ovem en t s : d esig n con cept an d en vir on m en tal ser v i c e s

eligible Historic resources new pavement existing pavement sidewalk raised median new grass median or shoulder

gs&p proposed a two-legged continuous flow intersection (cFi) to improve traffic flow at the intersection without having to utilize a full grade-separated interchange or disrupt historical resources. the cFi will be able to connect with future widening on sr 124 and u.s. 78.

26284.00

office of urban design, georgia department of transportation city of snellville, gwinnett county, georgia engineering

congestion relief

sHoWcase tWo 41

After studying the extreme traffic conditions on U.S. 78 at State Route 124 in Gwinnett County for many years, the Georgia Department of Transportation commissioned GS&P to provide concepts that would finally ease the problems and appease concerned community groups. Local citizens were angered by previous options that would greatly change the landscape of their community and potentially disrupt historic landmarks. Through a series of stakeholder committee workshops, GS&P was able to pinpoint a viable solution that would redirect some traffic onto an underutilized bypass while managing the heavier volumes through an innovative continuous flow intersection (CFI). The solution not only satisfied government and citizen groups alike, but the CFI â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the first of its kind in Georgia â&#x20AC;&#x201D; will save the state more than $60 million and two to three years of construction time.

How to make a left turn in a CFI: (1) Left-turning vehicles queue in left turn lanes; (2) Left turn vehicles cross over through lane and travel in separate lanes; (3) Vehicles complete left turn while through vehicles continue simultaneously.

TEAM

Jeff Church, P.E.

PIC

Scott Shelton, P.E.

Kent Black, P.E. / Jay Bockisch, P.E.

INTERVIEW /

K ENT B LAC K , J E F F C H URC H , SCOTT S H ELTON

Describe the situation that prompted GS&P’s involvement, and the impact the existing environment was having on the community. KENT: The problem involves the intersection of a U.S. route with a state arterial route that provides the gateway to accessing central and east Gwinnett County. This particular intersection has been studied for nearly twenty years. The major traffic delays occurring through this section of the downtown area were impacting economic development. The vehicular delays and conflicts on the road system were also a tremendous impact on the pedestrian and bicycle environment. The need was well established, but there had never been a solution that citizens, elected officials, and business owners could rally around.

What is GS&P’s current role in this project?

In order to get the community involved in the decision making, we led the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC). It was a multi tiered strategy, which included a partnering agreement with all CAC members that laid out their roles and responsibilities over this unique year and a half long process. Kent:

Scott: At several CAC meetings, we broke the CAC members up into four or five small work groups with GS&P and GDOT as moderators. This allowed CAC members to ask questions and not feel intimidated, and then the moderator would explain how things work. We also showed animations and aerial displays, which helped build trust with the CAC. The CAC members recognized that they were part of the process of making decisions about the solutions for their city. We developed a robust process that guided them to the best solution while ensuring their support.

What options were first considered as a solution? KENT: Potential solutions included outer bypasses, local bypasses, and a grade separation at U.S. 78 and SR 124. But all of the previous recommendations were expensive and there was not a consensus, so they never went forward through the county or GDOT work programs. We were challenged with developing a solution for a problematic intersection location that, unfortunately, is the downtown centerpiece of

As you listened to their concerns, when did you realize that some of the ideas and solutions were actually better than the first suggestions?

Once the grade-separating solutions were discounted due to extreme impacts, a CFI-type solution became apparent. There are four legs of an intersection in this particular location. The original alternative was a three-legged CFI KENT:

We’re in the environmental phase with GDOT, and, to be honest, the “heavy lifting” on this project is in the concept and environmental process. It becomes a production activity once the concept has been developed and the public involvement, community awareness, and the environmental documents have been signed off on. KENT:

You first had to build some trust with a community that had some significant concerns. Can you explain some of those concerns and what steps you took to alleviate their fears?

S H O W CASE T W O

JEFF: Our role is essentially to develop a concept that provides a preferred alternative, and then have an environmental document approved. Once that’s done, then the department will hopefully rehire GS&P under a separate contract to complete the final design services.

the city of Snellville. As such, doing grade separation or anything significant would not only be aesthetically displeasing, it would effectively separate the city into two sections, if not three or four, in a fairly pedestrian- and bicycle-unfriendly environment. As we progressed further into the analysis, it became very apparent that grade separation would make it difficult to preserve the environment and historic resources, as well as the interplay between the new city hall area and some of Snellville’s redeveloped areas.

that would impact three of the four legs. After reviewing the traffic analysis and hearing concerns and input in our CAC workshops about historic resources, we realized the actual preferred alternative was a two-legged CFI. So the process worked to refine the alternative and develop a less impactful solution that still met the objectives of the project. SCOTT: At one point, we proposed a bypass we thought might work as a viable solution in the northwest quadrant, but the CAC voiced concerns about that option. After working through it, we conceded that while a three-legged would offer a bit more benefit, it would also create more impact from an engineering and technical standpoint. The singlepoint urban interchange would provide the most benefit, but also the most impact. So even though we couldn’t give them the Cadillac, we could give them something that would fix the majority of the problem, have less impact, and maintain the core of their city center.

S H O W CASE T W O 44

in the end, the process actually justified the alternative

It’s also important to realize that as smart as we all think we are, and as much as we thought we had the right idea going into this, none of us had ever been a part of a CFI design before. It was a new concept to us, so we actually went through a learning process as well. We went into the CAC meetings with an open mind as facilitators, which helped us realize the right solution instead of thinking that we were smarter than everybody else. In the end, the process actually justified the alternative. JEFF:

downtown area. We used VisSim to simulate traffic in the downtown area and develop our recommendations. We also used it as an educational tool to communicate with the CAC and incorporated animation to look at things in three dimensions. In this complex environment, we needed to be able to show the context of the improvements within the vertical element of the Snellville area, so we used SketchUp and animation to develop a model of what the downtown area looked like. We put our improvements on top of that animation and then placed a simulation of actual cars on top of the roadway network. We built all those layers together to complete our analysis and convince ourselves, from an engineering perspective, that we’d chosen the right solution. The level of traffic simulation and animation was beyond anything we’ve done in the past here in the Atlanta office. It was pretty innovative. Explain VisSim and what it does. KENT: VisSim is software that allows you to enter the code for a roadway network and define the attributes of that roadway. You can include the traffic control devices and signals, including the phasing of the signals, so you’re replicating the roadway infrastructure as it currently exists. Then you use actual traffic volume information and future projected volume information, apply it to this network, and calibrate and validate it to existing conditions that we can observe in the field. It provides a reliable framework for us to test various alternatives to the infrastructure, and even design out in the future ten, twenty, or thirty years from now.

Elaborate on the tools you used to educate the CAC and how they helped demonstrate your options.

Does GS&P have someone who specializes in these types of animated and 3-D displays? Had GDOT ever seen this type of presentation before?

Kent: We did a lot of simulation and animation, which gave them a good forum to understand the alternatives and the constraints and opportunities with each. The detailed traffic analysis that we did of the entire downtown Snellville area was pretty impressive. We not only conducted intersection evaluations but also looked at travel time and delay, origin destination, and pedestrian and bicycle activity in the

Jay Bockisch is our project professional for traffic analysis, and the subject matter expert for traffic simulation and modeling for the company. This was all new to GDOT. We took the visuals, animations, traffic analysis, and CAC process a number of steps beyond anything they’d experienced in the past, which will certainly bode well for us in the future when complex projects arise. KENT:

The proposed alternative of a two-legged continuous flow intersection (the first CFI in the state of Georgia) will cost $60 million less than a full-grade separation interchange. Phase two will provide an eastbound bypass of U.S. 78 at State Route 124 via Henry Clower Boulevard.

Why do you think this project has been so successful to this point?

kent black, p.e., has 26 years of experience serving 20 state DOT’s and numerous counties, cities, MPOs, and other agencies throughout the United States. For the US78/SR124 project, Kent served as the project professional and director of the public outreach effort and consensus-building strategy. Jeff church, p.e., has 18 years of experience serving GDOT and numerous cities and counties throughout Georgia, and has led multidiscipline projects in complex urban and rural environments. Jeff served as the principal-in-charge and supported the public outreach process. scott shelton, p.e., has 13 years of experience serving GDOT, Gwinnett County, Alpharetta, and other metro Atlanta agencies, and is a well-versed project manager for innovative concept and project delivery. As project manager, Scott managed the scope and budget for the project and oversaw the coordination of all technical work efforts of GS&P and subconsultants.

I think it was important that we used a very different approach. Since this was Georgia’s first CFI, getting GDOT on board was key. Originally, when the grade separation project was conceived, there were several firms around that do that work. As one of many, our odds of winning that project were the same as everyone else. After we determined this was a possible location for a CFI, we set up meetings with GDOT’s traffic and safety personnel, and key decision makers, to educate them on the concept. We didn’t specifically talk about this location, but we educated the department about CFIs, and they were very receptive. JEFF:

S H O W CASE T W O

Scott: A lot of it goes back to the fact that we listened to the CAC and incorporated their feedback. And, what we finally produced with their input wasn’t necessarily what we originally had in mind. The key was listening to them. We even changed the mission statement to include specific wording so that one property owner would agree to it. Their biggest concern was not being heard. Once we met with them, they felt much better.

SCOTT: And it really helped that they understood our commitment. We had previously worked on U.S. 78 to remove the reversal lane system, and a week before that submission was due, GDOT requested some last-minute changes. GDOT was very thankful that we were willing to incorporate updates that late in the process. It really showed them that we were a consultant that cared about the project, valued that intersection and corridor, and would do what was needed to make it a successful solution. ■

Z hong rong Jasper Tower

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Mr. Zhao Xing Ni, Shanghai Zhongrong Property Development Co., LTD. Shanghai, China Architecture Interior Design Planning

The Booming Onion By 2020 Shanghai’s central financial district of Lujiazui will be a global economic, financial, trade, and shopping epicenter. At the heart of this area is the GS&P-designed Zhongrong Jasper Tower. Through an international competition, GS&P’s eight hundred thousand squarefoot, forty-five floor new office building was selected as a striking addition along the Shanghai riverfront. Critical to the client’s selection, Jasper Tower’s unique shape sets it apart from other buildings on the horizon. SHOW C ASE T WO 47

Global Landmark Association top 10 new landmark buildings in china

aboVe The faรงade of Jasper Tower is modern, clean, and distinctive. The curved triangular form of the building is oriented to maximize views of the river.

TEAM

Kevin Kim, AIA

PIC

Wilson Rayfield, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

Julia Bradley Rayfield, CID, IIDA / Eric Sweet, CID, IIDA Kevin Kim, AIA Denise DiLello, CID, LEED AP / Derek Mott, AIA, LEED AP / Todd Martin, AIA / Grant Clifford, RIBA, LEED AP

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PP PD ADD’L

W I L SON RA Y F I E L D , J U L I A B RA D L E Y RA Y F I E L D , ER I C SWEE T

The design has been described as “a diamond embedded in jade.” Where did that concept arise?

we’re used to, but it forced us to focus on giving extremely clear concepts to avoid miscommunication.

We started with three very different concepts in early 2002, and the concept that ultimately ended up being selected was developed off the idea of, “peeling layers away from an onion.” If you look in close to the top of the building, it kind of steps back into layers that appear to overlap one another, and that was the original genesis of the idea. I think the interpretation of a diamond in jade came through a conversation that Kevin Kim had with our client. I guess no one really wanted to build “The Onion Tower.” [laughs]

julia:

WILSON:

At the time GS&P was designing the tower, there was no GS&P China office. Did that present any challenges?

There were a couple times we misunderstood the design direction or we went down the wrong path, but we never shied away from the challenge.

We had a lot of time on the front end to explore concepts, and we spent a couple of years literally on the exterior developing multiple concepts and changing pieces and parts of them. And yes, a few times we went in a wrong direction.

WILSON:

So there’s a design lesson here: having no boundaries is not a good thing.

Oh, absolutely. We talked about this on the St. Joseph’s project, where having guiding principles helped measure our decisions. If you have three really good ideas, you can use the guiding principles to pick out the best one. Without clear direction, you can’t really execute.

julia:

In some ways Kevin was the client and our sole source interaction because he was the only one that had that direct line of communication.

Wilson:

A lot of times with our clients we’ll sit down and discuss a concept and a way forward. Then we will go away and work. When we come back and present to them a fully developed conceptual design, it avoids having to stop and verify a lot more frequently in the early stages. Taking it through our usual process, where we have a better up-front understanding of what the goals are, avoids having to stop and constantly make sure we are correctly interpreting the intent. WILSON:

This process sounds different than how we normally approach design. Do you agree? WILSON: Normally, if we were starting a project like this, we would spend a ton of time with the client talking about the project, the concept, goals, and ambitions. We would bring several people from the design team to meet with several people on the client side. This experience was unique. Kevin was the primary contact with our client, so he would discuss all of our ideas and the client would relay his team’s thoughts. The client interaction was much different than

A lesson learned is to establish guiding principles and goals for a project as early on as possible and make sure you are all literally and figuratively speaking the same language.

This was a job where you basically had to rely on renderings, and when the client saw what they liked, you got confirmation on it. In the end, we ended up getting a whole load of images scanned that covered different possibilities, and the client would choose the ones that appealed.

julia:

this experience was unique

ERIC: You always think you want to work on a project that doesn’t have any boundaries, but in the end somebody has to like it and agree to it, so it makes it difficult to shoot for a target that doesn’t exist.

SHOW C ASE T WO

How did the design team respond to the limited communication flow?

Several of the interior designs differ greatly. What were some of your thoughts while developing the concepts? Wilson: During our early attempts at “something that hadn’t been seen before,” we tried to come up with some wild things that we were impressed with. An early concept incorporated a full-blown running river in the lobby with plants and wildlife. It was a pretty interesting concept. ERIC: We proposed a system that elevated a glass floor so that we could run water underneath it. The water would wind through the lobby and eventually flow outside to an exterior fountain.

That was part of the canyon concept. At one end was the river and the fountain, and at the other was the elevator tower acting as a canyon wall. JULIA:

Wilson:

SHOW C ASE T WO

textures.

Like layers of rock — heavy

Then we went more cultural with the jade concept for a while. We did a lot of research and tried to bring jade into the building. JULIA:

Regardless of the creative path, the new building now graces the Shanghai skyline. What makes you the most proud? julia: It was a unique process to go through as a designer. I think the outcome was work of a really high quality, and it was great fun getting to think that big and crazy at times. I got to call and research leather floors. I mean, you probably have one job that you get to do something like that on.

the project sort of became fantasy for a while...it was like reality went out the window

Wilson: We did probably four or five very different concepts for the elevator lobby, and one of the later ones had everything clad in glass. It had a white or translucent greenish tint to kind of bring the outside in. The one that ended up speaking the most to the client has the limestone on the elevator tower and the word “Jasper” engraved in gigantic letters on it.

Another captivating space was the request to include a rooftop atrium. What concepts did you develop?

The first idea we were given was to make it a winter garden. There are more than a few buildings over there that have a lot of glass and open areas for vegetation inside. A second concept they gave us was to make an exclusive multilevel private bankers’ club.

WILSON:

And it was interesting to try and create such different types of spaces. Is it a restaurant? Is it a night club? Are we having performances up there? Are we seating 150 guests? With the extreme differences there was an element of the project that just sort of became fantasy for a while. It was like reality went out the window. So it felt a little bit like sitting in school at six years old and being told to draw a picture of your dream house. You know, it could be anything. JULIA:

I see magazine articles about this burgeoning, booming district in Shanghai, and every now and again I’ll see Jasper Tower in a photograph. In an area that’s got more high-rises than Manhattan, I would put Jasper Tower in the Top 10 more unique structures. Having been a part of that is something that we collectively as a practice should be extremely proud of. It is a signature building. It is unique. ■ Wilson:

Wilson Rayfield, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, has been with GS&P since 1994, working on a variety of healthcare, aviation, corporate, and industrial projects. As project manager for the Zhongrong Jasper Tower, Wilson worked with the team to design and plan the project. Julia Bradley Rayfield, CID, IIDA, is a senior interior designer with 15 years’ commercial design experience. On Zhongrong Jasper Tower, Julia collaborated with the design team to create diversely different and striking design concepts. Eric Sweet, CID, IIDA, has more than 11 years’ experience working with corporate clients on a variety of project types. His work with Zhongrong Jasper Tower included initial and final design concepts, 3-D study models and conceptual renderings, and the creation of final design deliverables for the client.

Tower concepts were organized into six major components: underground parking; a ground floor entrance lobby [1]; the podium building (retail, restaurant, and entertainment areas) [2]; tenant office spaces (lower half of the tower) [3]; private condominiums (upper half of the tower); and exclusive bankersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clubs (top five floors) [4, 5].

BELOW The building has two main pedestrian entrances, one facing the river and the other facing the city.

Nemou rs Home of f ic e

employees enter the spacious lobby after passing a tranquil exterior fountain. The three-story graphic image of children inside can be seen from the main road and further defines the mission of the Nemours foundation.

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The Nemours foundation Jacksonville, florida Architecture environmental Graphics interior Design

one + one = one

sHoWcAse TWo

Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, has grown into a multidimensional organization focused on offering personalized clinical and preventive care for children. Desperately needing a new home office, GS&P helped consolidate all of Nemours’ business operations into a central campus, providing more functional space and improving operational efficiency. The team’s collaboration and Nemours’ vision combined to create a modern home office that embodies the mission and legacy of Alfred I. duPont.

Jacksonville, florida AiA Gold honor award

The visitor entrance defines the Nemours vision with a quote and silhouette of Alfred i. duPont. The brick and architectural precast concrete were locally manufactured. The faรงade incorporates vertical fins and horizontal overhangs to reduce glare and heat gain.

TEaM

InTErVIEw /

Joe Thompson, AiA, LeeD AP

Pic

Joe Thompson, AiA, LeeD AP

Brooke Koepke, iiDA, LeeD AP

Jeff Kuhnhenn, AiA, LeeD AP / Leith A. oatman, iiDA, LeeD AP

J e f f K u H N H e N N, L e i T H o AT m A N

What was the client’s vision for the new environment? Jeff: It was pretty simple. from a financial standpoint, they wanted to move out of spaces they were leasing and consolidate into a single property that they owned. Culturally, they also saw an opportunity to create a better sense of unity. LeITH: The new CeO, Dr. David Bailey, wanted to move the company toward a new culture he termed One Nemours. They were in three different locations, and the physical environment was a deterrent to achieve that culture.

Did they have specific ideas about the type of environment they wanted to create?

this process was truly a leap of faith

LeITH:

You’ve described Nemours as designed “from the inside out.” What do you mean by that? LeITH: As the concept of the culture was further defined, the design team was tasked with developing floor plans that supported the new culture. We started with an interior

LeITH: It’s hard to appreciate the monumental transition that this organization put itself through. Trusting us to help them through this process was truly a leap of faith, not to mention the financial investment. Nemours was trying to evolve from a very traditional culture while asking us to lead them through the change. They understood they needed help to achieve their vision. Jeff: One visioning session sticks out in my mind. A lot of them really had no idea what to expect from these sessions. The meat of it consisted of us asking them a series of questions: How do you see yourself as an organization? Describe yourself today. How would you like to see yourselves? How would you like others outside of the organization to see you? How do you think they see you now? It was a “let’s sit down and take a good hard look in the mirror” session. It made an impact, and I think it was part of building trust.

In addition to designing the facility, we acted as their change management consultant. We assisted them with articulating how they wanted their culture to evolve, all the way to the built environment. Working in unison with the Nemours design team, we completely reorganized and redeveloped the job titles that were used within the organization. The ebb and flow of those cultural changes evolved through the programming phase while developing Nemours’ workplace standards. Nemours had many titles for job descriptions. Many of these titles were eliminated in response to developing a more horizontal organization.

We really tried to understand what the ideal relationships were between individual employees, workgroups, and whole segments of the organization. In particular, it manifested in the two building schemes that merged into one: one side is more foundationrelated and the other is more administrative. Understanding who they were internally and how they wanted their groups to come together formed everything, including determining the right shape for the building. It truly was the most “inside out” process that I’ve engaged in since I’ve been practicing. Jeff:

sHoWcAse TWo

Jeff: In the beginning, they didn’t articulate a clear vision. We had to help them create a vision, and they were very skeptical of our visioning sessions in the beginning. It took that process for us to be able to define what they actually meant by One Nemours.

environment that helped them achieve their desire to change their culture, then wrapped the building skin around the floor plans. The client interviewed five design firms, but GS&P was the only firm to present the “inside out” approach to designing their facility.

What were some of the significant changes they wanted to make to the environment?

A major factor contributing to their vision included incorporating the Nemours Central Business Office (CBO), which is a large part of the employee population. These employees are sitting in cubicles fielding phone calls from Nemours’ patients all day, every day. While there are many components to the CBO, this part of the workforce is between the patient and the insurance company, assisting their patients filing insurance claims. The executive team shared with us that the CBO employees didn’t really know who Alfred I. duPont was and didn’t associate their jobs with his philanthropic contribution to children’s health, nor did they understand the relevance of their work to the Alfred I. duPont Trust. The executives shared with us how very important this part of the workforce was to them and the Nemours organization, and they wanted the occupants of the CBO to share in the wonderful legacy of Alfred I. duPont. In response, we incorporated bits and pieces of the duPont legacy into the interior, including the graphics and artwork, and it’s been a huge success. This design approach has given their workforce an environment that creates identity. LEITH:

elevator, the exterior walls were lined with closed offices and there were no vistas to the exterior. There were a few individuals in workstations on the inside with no view of the exterior. The area was very dark, with heavy crown molding and blue and burgundy accent colors. It looked like a generic executive office space with a few beautifully framed pictures of children’s artwork located in tight corridors and could not be fully appreciated. Where was the CBO?

In a generic two-story building that was originally built as flex warehouse office space. It had a security guard inside the front door. There were very few vistas to the outside and very few windows in the building altogether. It was a sea of generic gray cubicles on gray carpet with gray walls and standard 2ʹ × 4ʹ recessed troffers for lighting.

LEITH:

they wanted to focus on his generosity and his belief in service

They didn’t necessarily want to overplay it or make the new building a monument to the man, but at the same time the executives legitimately believed in duPont’s ideas, so they wanted to focus on his generosity and his belief in service. And they wanted that idea to filter into the building concept.

S H O W C A SE T W O

JEFF:

Given that they wanted to honor duPont’s legacy without creating a monument, were there any challenges associated with using his image on the exterior?

Some questioned whether there should even be an image. Most people are not used to thinking about an office building in terms of having a higher purpose. It was actually revolutionary for them to conceive of the notion that a building could do that, so it took a little while for them to get their heads around it. That was a hard concept for some, but we were fortunate to have a couple of champions for the cause. They understood the opportunities that their own building represented in terms of interlacing their message and their identity.

JEFF:

What were the old offices like prior to the redesign?

Nemours leased about 18,000 square feet of office space for their executives only. When you stepped off the

LEITH:

The new space is rich with natural light, open airy spaces, and beautiful woodwork. What other elements were used to inspire a cultural transformation?

LEITH: Even though they desired their culture to become more transparent and inclusive, two very different business functions occur in the facility. The administrative function includes the executive offices, the legal department, and the Learning Resource Center. The CBO is the other function. To address the coexistence of the groups, we created a three-story atrium with a beautiful monumental stair where there could be casual, incidental interchanges between the two different groups just by walking up and down the stairs. JEFF: It’s kind of an interesting dichotomy in that they wanted One Nemours, but they still needed some functional separation. Since we didn’t want the separation to result in isolation, I think the stairs were a clever solution — the area that separates the two spaces is actually a public place that brings them together. They were always sensitive to the need for some strategic distance, but didn’t want the distinction between the two areas to be perceived in a negative way. It actually satisfies both needs: the need to be together as well as the need to be apart.

They’ve told us over and over how different it is for individuals from these two areas to interact. A CBO employee, casually dressed, might now pass an executive on the stairs dressed in a coat and tie. And for the first time ever, they say, “Hello, how are you?” Those simple conversations never occurred within the organization before. The new central space off all three floors supports and encourages that kind of interaction.

LEITH:

The warm stone, wood, and direct/indirect lighting enhance the work environment. The staff works in airy, light-filled environments with artwork and graphics from the children they support. The facility offers well-designed space for administration, business operations, and training and meetings at the Resource Learning Center.

There are two distinctly different sides of the building, a public entrance and an employee entrance, and each makes a different statement. Why the two different looks?

As you look back on the project, what makes you the most proud?

As an interior designer, I am very proud that this building creates an environment that helps them be more productive and supports their business operations. Beyond that, there are only a few moments in a designer’s career LEITH:

The child models that were used for the huge threestory graphics are also children of Nemours employees, which mean a lot to them. LEITH:

The whole experience with the visioning sessions created a place where people could say things to each other they wouldn’t have talked about otherwise. They had conversations about who they are, how they’re going to behave, and what their relationships between one another should be. jeff:

S H O W C A SE T W O

From the start, there was an understanding that this building was going to serve other purposes as well. The south side of the building introduces people into the building through a formal entry process. The north side of the building is much less choreographed and a more comfortable, earthy reminder of the mission every day. For instance, instead of walking straight into the building from the parking lot, you walk along a path through a landscaped area with a fountain, so there’s almost a meditative moment before you enter the building. As you enter, you immediately see a giant three-story mural of kids’ faces in front of you. It serves as an informal, but joyous, reminder of why Nemours exists. jeff:

when an owner tells you and everyone else over and over how proud they are of the building. They’re proud of what they accomplished through the transition, and they’re proud of the results. And they firmly believe that they would not have achieved the result if we had not diligently insisted going through the visioning process. As Jeff said, they were skeptical about it because they couldn’t understand the value. But I think they absolutely see those sessions as the foundation for the success of this project.

All of this is much more meaningful when you view the building as an agent of change, as a catalyst. I think the process we undertook and how well the resulting building works will continue to be a great catalyst for their evolution. ■

Jeff Kuhnhenn, AIA, Leed ap, is senior architect in GS&P’s Nashville office and has designed projects for many corporate, healthcare, and aviation clients. As project designer for Nemours, Jeff developed the initial design, drawings, modeling, and concept. Leith Oatman, IIDA, LEED AP, has more than 25 years’ experience working with corporate clients to implement vision into office environments. As senior interior designer for Nemours, Leith led the executive steering committee through visioning sessions to develop new workplace standards, corporate culture, and enhanced brand recognition.

Lower Big Hayn es C r eek PumP stat ion, g r av i t y s ewer, ForCe m ain an d s tor age tan k

Just off the Centerville-rosebud road and beside Big Haynes Creek, the Lower Big Haynes below-grade pump station serves all of southern gwinnett County. For equipment removal the team installed a bridge crane, left, to secure easy access. also readily accessible is the bio-filter odor control system, right. in the distance, the four-million-gallon wastewater storage tank (125 feet in diameter x 44 feet tall).

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gwinnett County department of water resources Lawrenceville, georgia engineering

Pump it up

sHowCase two

Lack of sewer infrastructure was a major obstacle for growth in southern Gwinnett County, Georgia. The county determined the Lower Big Haynes area was the perfect location to build a pumping station and force the main to push up to 25 million gallons per day of wastewater 34 miles uphill to a newly constructed reclamation center. Not only is the station the first of its kind in the county, but the team was challenged by the aggressive schedule, extreme site constraints, and concerned local residents. Now complete, Lower Big Haynes pumping station provides new options for wastewater flow, and is providing Gwinnett County previously unfulfilled sewer demands.

ABOVE LEFT The most cost-effective method of getting the wastewater from the below-grade gravity collection system is the below-grade structures. ABOVE RIGHT Check and isolation valves being assembled. It was the most cost-effective, to assemble all the equipment before casting in the concrete walls. BELOW Construction of pump station substructure. Left to right, Pipe gallery, wet wells, and grinder chamber. The structure extends up 20 feet from this point to reach the surface level. Most of the dirt removed was good enough to use for backfill and was kept on the site.

TEAM

INTERVIEW /

PIC

Joe Reynolds

Reg Harris, P.E. / Mike Orr, P.E. / Ken Richards, P.E.

Jeff Behel

DA L E MOS L EY, MIKE ORR

Describe the initial design of the pumping station in the beginning stages.

pump to the other end of the county, 34 miles away

The total project design included the trunk sewer improvements to route wastewater from the existing pump stations upstream that were to be abandoned to the Lower Big

Once you realized the complexity of the project, what tools did you use to organize all the teams and schedules? Mike: During the design of the project, we used Microsoft Project to schedule all design functions, and during construction we used Expedition. Expedition is a single-point source for sharing information between the contractor, owner, and engineer. It is used often on construction sites to keep track of equipment submittals, requests for information, construction schedules. It was also a way for us to keep in contact with the client and keep the client’s maintenance staff apprised of the construction progress. We used an online version of Expedition so the client could view all the info at the same time we were viewing it.

What was your biggest challenge on this project? Did you have full support from the county? DALE: The director of the Gwinnett County Water Resources Department wanted the facility complete and operational prior to January 2009, and everyone pushed to hit those dates. All departments of the county were behind the project from the start. We finished the design and construction six months ahead of schedule.

Sounds like this grew into a pretty complex project. Can you describe the design and basic function?

Haynes Creek site and a portion of 34 miles of force main. The pump station includes wastewater grinders on the front end of the station for pump protection. Anything entering the collection system gets ground up before entering the pump station. We have three wet wells for the submersible pumps. The Brooks Road wet well contains three submersible pumps that pump up through three dry pit submersible pumps in order to boost the head enough to get it over the high point in the force main (Series Pumping). The No Business Creek wet well is designed for pumps to be added later to pump to the No Business Creek Water Reclamation Facility when flows exceed the capacity at the Hill Water Resource Center. The other wet well contains the storage tank pumps which are designed to pump directly to the four million gallon onsite wastewater storage tank.

S H OW C ASE TWO

dale: Two of the county’s many wastewater treatment plants were investigated by the county for receiving additional wastewater flows. The Hill Water Resource Center was on the upper end of the county, and the No Business Creek Water Reclamation Facility was sort of situated in the middle of the county. The initial design was for a smaller pump station at the Lower Big Haynes Creek site to pump to the No Business Creek Water Reclamation Facility, but toward the end of the initial design, the county came back and said they’d decided they wanted to pump to the Hill Water Resource Center some 34 miles away. In order for us to pump this distance, we couldn’t use the same pump station layout, so we had to design one that utilized series pumping to make it that far. Series pumping is where one pump pumps into another pump that delivers the same flow rate but at a significantly higher discharge pressure. The Lower Big Haynes Creek Pump Station is kind of chained together with several other existing pump stations that are pumping in the same force main. We performed a hydraulic analysis of the force main, existing pump stations and new booster stations designed by others with our copy of ATF Fathom Hydraulic software for sizing of the pumps at Lower Big Haynes.

dale:

Dale Mosley

Hill Water Resources Center

the new Lower Big Haynes Creek pump station allowed for the decommissioning of the existing pump station and the middle Big Haynes Creek and Brushy Fork Creek pump stations. the system will serve a 27,000 acre area and a current population of over 81,000 residents. teNNessee

Gwinnett County No Business Creek Water Reclamation Facility

North CaroliNa georgia

GWINNETT COUNTY PUMPING STATIONS Existing New

south CaroliNa

Eliminated

alaba

34 Mile Route

Middle Big Haynes

Brushy Fork

Gwinnett County

Lower Big Haynes

why did it need to be completed so quickly?

were the cost savings due to the structural design alone?

This immediate area had no sewer service available, and growth was stopped by the environmental Protection agency (ePa). The county commissioners wanted to expedite the project because they were pushing for growth in the undeveloped section of the county and the local developers were pushing them.

daLe: The cost savings were due to the energy that you would save for the years you would have otherwise had multiple pumps running and the replacement cost of the pumps and other equipment items in the smaller stations in the future.

daLe:

in terms of sustainability, how long will this pump station be viable?

sHowCase two 62

it’s all there, built and done; it looks really good

The life expectancy for a pumping station similar to this one is 50-plus years. The structural part of it will last 50-plus years and is designed to handle projected flow increases, but the equipment will not last that long, maybe 20 years max, which is pretty standard for the industry. The life of the pumping system is highly dependent on flow conditions, the wastewater characteristics, and performance of the regularly scheduled maintenance activities. daLe:

MIke: also, it reduced the maintenance cost since the county was only pumping from and maintaining one station instead of several stations.

Because of the efficiency of this design, gwinnett County was able to decommission one of its other stations. explain how they were able to do that. daLe: There were a couple of existing smaller stations that were upstream of the new Lower Big Haynes Creek site, and they handled the small areas around those locations. We tied the flow from those stations into the new gravity service that feeds down to the new Lower Big Haynes Creek pump station. By not having to operate the additional stations, the county will see energy cost savings.

did you involve the community in the initial discussions?

daLe: Yes, we had community meetings and took renderings and drawings of preliminary layouts so that they could see what we were planning on doing at the site. They were very excited because of future development in the area. We never received any negative comments. The biggest comment was from a church that was concerned about when the generators would run. The generators are tested once a month, so we timed it so that they wouldn’t run during church services.

There was also a local resident llama farmer who said the construction noise and lights would adversely affect the reproduction of the llamas…we did our best to calm his fears. [laughter] MIke: and also, the client chose to paint a mural on the tank as a way to soften the structure for residents in the area — not something you see very often. as you can see from some of the photos of the tank around the office, it is

the Lower Big Haynes Creek pump station also included the design of a four-million-gallon emergency wastewater storage tank and stand-by generators to provide reliable service and minimize potential for sewer overflows. waste can be diverted into the storage tank, rather than bypassing a local creek, which is the water supply for rockdale County. out of aesthetic considerations for the community, a painting company was hired from oregon to paint a mural on the entire tank. the 32,000-square-foot tank was completed in 5 days.

an impressive work of art. It was painted by hand with no templates by two brothers from a national company that just paints tanks. The two stood back from the tank and looked at what the trees looked like behind the tank and matched that. The paint used was the same type as normally used on that type of prestressed concrete tank and should last many years before needing repainting. do you have any information on growth that’s happened as a result of the station?

How will this design serve as an example to other designers?

what aspect of this project are you most proud of? MIke: Seeing it completed based on what we had to go through to get to that point. The piece of land that the county picked was surrounded by creeks on two sides (Big Haynes Creek and Brushy Creek), a cemetery, and a highway. all those creeks had buffer zones and ‘no-build’ areas associated with them. So by the time you added all those, you didn’t have a lot of land to work with. We had to build this massive structure with the large storage tank on it, and it was a pretty tight fit. Now that it’s all there, built and done, it looks really good.

why was this particular layout so special?

We built quality into it and did it all in a timely manner to meet the county’s requirements. and we had a great team. You don’t see anything this size that pumps that far very often. It is a one-of-a-kind pump station project. ■

The layout is very straightforward and simple: easy access to the pumping system; ability to pull equipment, valves, piping, and pumps out for maintenance; how you get in and out of the station; access roads in and out; even the basic instrumentation and electrical controls. The overhead bridge crane and access doors over the equipment make equipment removal and replacement easy and safe — a piece of cake.

DALE MOsLEy has more than 30 years’ experience with treatment plant feasibility studies, large diameter water distribution system evaluation and design, storm water pump station design, water treatment process system design, and instrumentation and control systems design. as principal-in-charge for Lower Big Haynes, he was responsible for managing, planning, and design. MIkE ORR, p.E., has more than 10 years’ of experience with water and wastewater design, utility relocations, permitting, transportation, and civil engineering. mike served as project professional and civil engineer on the project.

daLe:

daLe: It has more to do with the layout. We took a lot of time with the layout of the station, how it was actually set up to make maintenance easier. after looking at it, Gwinnet County said that they needed to do this for all their pump stations, and use it as a model layout for all their new stations.

It’s just what we do. We always try to take into account how maintenance personnel are going to get to the equipment, what kind of equipment they need to pull a pump or maintain a valve, and service the electrical system. ken koffman, part of our in-house electrical team, worked on this and as always did an excellent job of electrical layout. His expertise was invaluable. daLe:

sHowCase two

MIke: Prior to the construction of the pump station, there was actually a moratorium on building permits in that part of the county because there was no sewer infrastructure for the area. So it wasn’t just that the area didn’t want to grow, they couldn’t grow. Unfortunately, the economy has limited what they hoped to have seen happen.

did the extra design efforts take a special team or is it just part of what you normally do when designing a site?

Shrin ers Hospitals f or C h ild r en

26380.00

Shriners Hospitals for Children St. Louis, Missouri Architecture Engineering Environmental Graphics Interior Design Planning

Design with Child in Mind

S HO W C A S E T W O

The Shriners Hospitals for Children - St. Louis provides orthopedic care at no cost to the families through the volunteer efforts of local medical staff. When facing the prospect of moving to a more visible, urban location, GS&P worked to develop a facility that would not only enhance Shrinersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; presence in St. Louis and the region but also contribute to the nearby medical community and Washington University. The result is a regionally themed, welcoming environment that furthers the mission of the Shriners organization to improve the lives of children around the world.

Discovery centers, with ecology themes such as Underwater Discovery CafĂŠ, provide a positive distraction for patients through interactive walls and informative graphics. Stations feature touch-sensitive light boxes and enlarged images of local wildlife.

Education area with interactive walls

TEAM

Orlando Lopez-Isa, AIA, LEED AP

PI C

Alba Lopez-Isa, Associate AIA

James R. Kolb, RA, LEED AP

Angela C. Holcomb, AIA / Christopher L. Davis, LEED AP / Ramon Cruz, Associate AIA / Yeo Jin Choi, Associate AIA

Lyle D. Fuson, P.E., CSI, CDT / Trip Eugene Glankler, AIA / David R. Goodspeed, AIA / Penny Houchens, IIDA, LEED AP / Bruce M. Pitre, AIA, LEED AP / Rebecca Dodson / Jacqueline Wolf, IIDA, LEED AP

ADD ’ L

INTERVIEW /

A l b a L o p e z - Is a , D a v i d G o o d s p e e d , A n g e l a H o l c o mb , C h r i s t o p h e r D a v i s , P e n n y H o uc h e n s , B r uc e P i t r e

When did the relationship between Shriners and GS&P begin?

It started about six years ago, when we were invited by a group of architects around the nation to enter a competition. GS&P was selected, and after taking a few months to make a final decision on the building site, Shriners ultimately chose the Washington University site because of its proximity to Barnes Jewish and other medical facilities.

Why was the interaction with that campus so important to them?

Alba:

Shriners has a unique mission of helping children around the world. What was it like to work with this organization?

They also wanted to be on campus to take advantage of sharing the facility. One example is the research lab on the 6th floor, including the researchers.

Alba:

David: And they want to contribute to the the area rather than just fit in. They want to be outspoken and unique, but they also want to take advantage of the interaction and uniqueness of the university setting and the innovative medical opportunities there.

What effect did moving the facility from a suburban location to an urban setting have on the design? Were there any particular challenges?

The site was actually perfect from a design point of view. It was a flat parking lot with asphalt, with pretty much no underground utilities to deal with, other than one off in the very corner of the site, and maybe a tree or two.

Christopher:

What was the give-and-take on trying to be innovative while working with a group that’s been operating hospitals around the nation for some time?

They are definitely not the typical client, and don’t want cookie-cutter hospitals. Instead, they want to establish an individual image for each campus, so every one of their facilities is very different. The goal was to provide a very visible project for a very prestigious medical campus near Washington University in St. Louis. And, since part of the building faces I-64, they wanted to establish a highly visible presence in the city.

Alba:

But a major challenge of the site was that it had seismic issues. Seismic issues are easier to deal with if you’re lower in height, but more difficult with a building that’s eight or nine stories tall.

David:

they want to contribute to the area rather than just fit in

A challenge for the staff was getting them to think vertically instead of spread out, which is what they were used to.

Angela:

They were also used to a very high-end residential neighborhood, so it was definitely a challenge getting them

Alba:

Their whole mission, from the initial vision to the program, was all about the kids. They looked at how their current facility operates and how they wanted to improve upon that to make the experience for their patients even better. For our design team, understanding that and then applying those principles to the new building was the biggest driver behind the facility.

Angela:

S HO W C A S E T W O

From my perspective, Shriners operates completely differently than most other medical institutions because of the way they go about their business with helping children. They don’t charge anything, they don’t have to deal with insurance companies or Medicare, and they are able to make innovative decisions independently, all of which helps them keep the focus on helping children. David:

The physicians donate their time, so having it close to the hospitals where they work makes it easier.

Angela:

used to one side of the facility facing a highway and the other facing an urban neighborhood. They were initially concerned about the changes, but they were looking forward to the new building, the new technology, and the therapy areas for the kids. They were ready to get out of their old 1950’s building regardless of any challenges with the new site. You had to hire an acoustical engineer. Was that because the facility is so close to the highway? David: When you have a site that’s small in footprint and you go vertical to accomplish the square footage needs, you end up stacking things logically. Acoustics become more of an issue in that scenario when you’re stacking things, as opposed to a one- or two-story building where everything’s spread out.

For instance, we had a children’s play area right above the chief of staff ’s office, and surgery right below the mechanical room, so the challenge was determining how to minimize the sound of bouncing balls from transferring down to office space and the operating rooms.

Describe the concept for the interiors.

Early on, the nurses said they did not want the kids to hide out in their rooms. They wanted them to get out, walk around the floor, and interact with other kids. That’s why we placed kiosks and different design elements throughout the hospital to help reinforce the idea of interaction. There are gaming consoles mounted in the central core and exterior gardens so the kids can play outside.

Angela:

every decision seemed to reflect their philosophy Penny: They really wanted to create an atmosphere geared toward interaction for the children and stimulation in a positive environment.

S HO W C A S E T W O

Angela:

Besides placement and stacking, did you have to use any special materials because of the acoustical considerations?

Did you have to keep a lot of the themes understated because of the varying ages?

The primary difference, as compared to a standard hospital, is the flooring system. In addition to a standard floor, there is about a ten-inch floating floor on top of it in about 60 percent of the hospital as a whole.

Penny: Yes, and we did a pretty good job keeping it childfriendly without being geared toward a toddler. We tried to keep it innovative and interesting. For instance, the educational kiosks on each floor are based on the theme of that floor. On the first floor, it is a composite. On the second floor it is rivers, streams, and fish. A child staying at the hospital can go to each floor and interact with different themes.

Christopher: 68

The overall design concept with the wetlands and prairies was a theme Jim Kolb came up with so that it would be familiar to the kids in that area. They saw his vision and they believed in it.

Angela:

And we had to thicken walls, readjust certain room sizes, square footage…

Angela:

Christopher: It was a unique sequence of events. Normally we design the floors and the engineers design systems to fit. But the acoustical engineer couldn’t do his calculations until all the MEP was sized. Deck sizes got much larger, which started interfering with ceilings. It was a challenge toward the end to thicken up walls and adjust for acoustics and mechanical equipment.

The main patient floor comes to mind because that’s where they’ll have the widest age ranges. We created a teen play area, an infant zone, and the main dining/play area. The infant area is smaller, more quiet and remote. The children’s area provides enough space for the children to play on the floor. And the teens have a separate area with features like game consoles.

Angela:

Typical semi-private patient room

Semiprivate patient room; a flat-screen tv on the foot wall, windows with views of the site, and special touches such as the dragonfly sconce make the rooms feel more like a hospitality suite than a typical patient room.

S HO W C A S E T W O

Stress reduction opportunities were created for kids of all ages, such as the teen play area with Wii stations and TV lounge to toddler play areas with light boxes at nurses’ stations to encourage interaction between staff and child.

Shriners wanted the building to be unique with a distinct image. What were some of the design aspects of the exterior?

come up, “Is that considered signage?” and if the answer was “yes,” we knew that permits were required, or we had to change the design.

Christopher: They definitely wanted an iconic building. One of Jim’s concepts was a fin at the top of the building. The concept was that as you’re coming down the highway, the sun angle would actually shine through that building onto the passersby and project an image into the visitors’ area. We chose very long-lasting materials, thickened with pre-cast to help match all the other buildings in the area. We also kept everything regional, from a sustainability and energy point of view.

Alba:

A Washington University agency, Cortex, is in charge of making sure certain aesthetic requirements are met. They were very concerned about the look of the building, the materials, plans, exterior lighting, signage, and vehicular and pedestrian circulation.

Alba:

We also met with the city of St. Louis, and they gave us great guidance on what we could do to keep the graphics and revise the signs. It was certainly a different process than what we are used to.

And because the art is proposed to mount on the garage, and the garage faces the interstate, the artistic image has potential to be the main visual impact of the facility and the site. It is such a presence on the interstate and an important part of the design. Jim was aiming for a number of different ways to do this, and in the end, they’re very happy with it. Bruce:

What particular aspects of this project make you the most proud?

I’m a nuts-and-bolts kind of guy. I’m at the end of the project, putting things together and making sure they fit and trying to find some uniformity to the details. There were detail changes at every turn, and it was very complicated to find uniformity in the detail and keep the cost relative. It was a big challenge early on, but we all worked together as a team and I feel good about the effort we all put in. David:

Sticking with the language of the neighborhood by using some of the same materials and colors helped out a lot.

Angela:

And in addition, because we had a concept of adding highly visible graphics on the building, we were required to define “art” vs. “signage”. The question would

Christopher:

The eight-story, 36-bed urban hospital will be located on the Washington University campus in St. Louis’ medical district. Playful architecture and iconic graphics leave a lasting impression on I-64 motorists and the surrounding community.

The whole team really embraced Shriners’ mission and took it to heart, and every decision seemed to reflect their philosophy. A lot of the project coordinators that helped on the project were less experienced with healthcare, and I’m proud of the great job they did. It was also a learning experience for me to work with a team this big, and the personal growth was very rewarding. Hopefully, when it’s completed and built, it will be a great facility for the kids and for the staff. I look forward to visiting. ■

Angela:

Bruce: Even though I was working from a remote location, we still worked as a team. We did a good job of communicating, and everyone fought hard to maintain the quality.

Alba Lopez-Isa, Associate aia, is a senior associate at GS&P with decades of project design and production experience. She has dedicated many years to a wide spectrum of healthcare projects in the states of Florida and North Carolina, including development of new medical facilities, outpatient centers, medical office buildings, and additions and renovations of existing facilities. DaviD Goodspeed, AIA is a senior project manager and architect with healthcare project experience that includes seven new facilities and six major additions/renovations. David’s role on this project focused on assembling the components of the building envelope and detailing the connections while maintaining the thermal and moisture protective engineered solutions. Angela Holcomb, AIA, has seven years’ experience working on healthcare projects. As project coordinator on the Shriners Hospitals for Children’s St. Louis Replacement facility, Angela played a major role in the interior space planning and plan development. Christopher Davis, LEED AP, and project coordinator, has extensive experience with healthcare facility design, specifically in Florida and south Georgia. Christopher provides focus on sustainability, constructability, and innovative technology, and is a frequent lecturer and instructor for the USGBC. Penny Houchens, IIDA, LEED AP, has been practicing interior design for 15 years, primarily focusing on the healthcare industry and clinical processes. Bruce M. Pitre, AIA, LEED AP, is a licensed architect with more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of architecture with a higher emphasis in the technical aspects of building systems development. As project architect, Bruce was responsible for the development and coordination of the design through the construction documents and detailing of the parking garage.

S HO W C A S E T W O

Christopher: I’m most proud of our good team effort. Everyone played nice, and we all worked well together. We overcame most of the challenges in one form or another. Aside from the fact that the project’s 1,200 miles from where our office is, we were able to accommodate that pretty well. The set of drawings and actual construction documents are some of the best that I’ve seen out of this office in my five years here. And the pricing that came in from the construction manager reflected that compared to their initial pricing.

MeMphIS Reg IOn al In T ellI gen T T R an S pORTaT I O n S y S T e M

ABOVE Dynamic Message Sign (DMS) with real-time messaging: Informing motorists of an accident ahead will decrease speeds and potentially reduce the number of secondary accidents by 30 percent or more. BELOW Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) feed real-time information to operators who can easily pinpoint an incidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s precise location as well as its severity. TDOTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website will offer up-to-date video images, a color-coded interstate map, and average speeds on specific roadway segments at any given moment.

22803

Tennessee Department of Transportation Shelby County, Tennessee and Crittenden County, arkansas engineering

The Road More Traveled

ShOWCaSe TWO

Widening a Memphis-area freeway by one lane can cost an average of $3 million dollars per mile, not including land acquisition costs or construction inconveniences. Tennessee Department of Transportation officials (TDOT) recognized that improvements were necessary and turned to GS&P to develop an advanced freeway management system that would be more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and faster to implement. The Memphis TDOT SmartWay, one of the largest ITS projects in the nation, is a great example of how significant improvements can be made without having to reach exorbitant expenses, and shows how innovative, technology-based solutions will impact the future of transportation.

City of Memphis, Tennessee city EnginEErâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AWArd Of ExcELLEncE

Under a separate contract a Traffic Management Center was constructed in east Memphis, near the I-40 and I-240 interchange. State-of-the-art wireless technology connects the TMC and Memphis roadways to TDOT regional headquarters in Jackson, Tennessee, nearly 80 miles east of Memphis. ABOVE Constructing the TDOT SmartWay cost approximately one-sixth the price of adding a new lane to the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freeways. no additional property was acquired, and motorist delays were minimal.

tEAM

Marshall elizer, p.e.

pIC

Rodney Chester, p.e. / Stephen Mosher, p.e.

Mark Washing, p.e. / Mike holt, p.e. / greg Dotson, p.e.

intErViEW /

R O D n e y C h e S T e R , g R e g D OT S O n, S T e V e M O S h e R

Describe the roadway situation in Memphis that prompted TDOT to contract with gS&p.

What makes this wireless system so impressive?

Region IV is unique in the sense that it is a wireless communication system from Memphis to Jackson and uses six hub sites. Any data from any camera or dynamic message sign is transmitted over this wireless backbone to the Region IV headquarters. There’s no delay at all between Memphis and Jackson, which are 80 miles apart. It’s as if you’re sitting in the TMC controlling the cameras. GReG:

There was a lot of traffic congestion in the Memphis area, and they didn’t have any way to actively monitor or manage it or respond to incidents. Both Knoxville and nashville had developed ITS, and they wanted to address the situation in Memphis the same way. RODney:

Why was gS&p selected for this project? RODney: I think, by far, the biggest reason was the great work we’d done on a similar nashville project. We had already been working with them on these types of projects for several years and had given great service and had great outcomes.

Can you give a broad view of what the project entailed?

That’s really the biggest key. Most ITS systems that utilize wireless are more short distance, especially for the type of application that we are using. The fact that the wireless system is transmitting 80 miles away, that it is a completely redundant system, and that it can be completely run from the other location is unique. RODney:

What are some of the features of the haR?

you’re right. not many people think about the environmental improvements that can come from highway construction projects, but the biggest gain is from reduced emissions. The largest amount of emissions from cars and trucks is produced when idling, not when moving, so by just keeping traffic flowing we’re helping to reduce the negative effects on air quality. Systems like this are designed to keep traffic moving, whether it’s alerting drivers to find alternative routes when there’s heavy volume or providing information to avoid accidents. Additionally, if the system can help commuters get to their destinations sooner, that’s less time vehicles are producing exhaust. RODney:

GReG: Along the interstates, these transmitters broadcast on radio station 1660 am, and they alert motorists of any issues. When the beacons on those signs are flashing, they direct motorists to tune in for additional traveler information. Also, unique to this system is a Region IV wireless backbone system, which is primarily used by other state departments like Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Department of Safety, but it also aids the SmartWay system by letting personnel at the Region IV headquarters in Jackson, Tennessee, view and control CCTVs and dynamic message signs here in the Memphis area.

The project description boasts being environmentally friendly, but many people might not equate an interstate with environmental improvements. how do you see this system having an impact?

ShOWCaSe TWO

GReG: This was one of the largest single-contract Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) projects ever constructed in the United States. It features closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV), speed and volume detectors (mostly radar with some video), Highway Advisory Radio (HAR), and Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) that broadcast real-time information to motorists from a new, state-of-the-art Traffic Management Center (TMC).

one of the largest ITS projects ever constructed in the U.S.

A recent study of a similar system in the Atlanta area showed a reduction in hydrocarbon emissions by 186 tons and nitrous oxide (NOX) emissions by 261 tons for a one year period. So we know that it has substantial results. This is one of the largest single-contract ITS projects ever constructed in the U.S. What unique challenges came with doing it all at once instead of in phases?

There were two big challenges. One was that the project included other states. The system goes over into Arkansas so it required a lot of coordination with Arkansas’s DOT. The other big factor was that the length of construction was so long you didn’t want to just wait until the very end to start pulling things together at the TMC and suddenly realize you had a lot of issues that had to get worked out. When you’re working on smaller projects, it’s typically not very long before you start having certain elements of it already complete. Rodney:

Typically, our ITS jobs are not so large that we have to split it up between multiple offices. This project required a lot of cooperation and was unique because our client was so familiar with us and trusted us to make the basic design decisions to keep things on track. We made all the decisions, moving it forward and keeping our client notified rather than having to have a lot of ongoing involvement with the client. Rodney:

Also, just looking at it from the construction side, we designed and built a system along the entire interstate system where we inevitably had to impose on other construction projects. Being able to make decisions also played a big role in the field as well. Since we were engaged in several other projects, we had a lot of coordination that had to happen there. For instance, we had to move CCTV poles and reroute conduit. Because of our expertise with other projects, we were able to coordinate pretty quickly and reflect on the asbuilt plans. This had to happen in Arkansas and Tennessee, so coordination between AHTD (Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department) and TDOT was key. Greg:

What part of this project really stands out to you?

How did you organize the project so that you stayed on time and on budget?

Steve: We experienced some turnover during the construction management phase and throughout the project, but we were able to effectively manage it and fill the holes without a seam. When the former construction manager left the firm, Greg Dotson slid right into that role in addition to the role he was already filling. It was a seamless transition for the most part even though we also had several senior inspectors come in and out of the project. That was definitely one area in which we excelled and avoided some pitfalls, which really set us apart.

It definitely took a lot of communication and coordination. We had teams in Memphis, Nashville, and Atlanta all working on this job. The key was making sure that we had constant communication back and forth between all three teams. Even though we had teams working on different segments, we had to make sure it was all being designed in such a way that when it came back together it all looked like one set of plans. We had a lot of coordination meetings in Memphis, and we had weekly communication progress calls between the team members. Because we have done so much other ITS work in addition to Nashville and Atlanta, we had a lot of very experienced design personnel working on the job, which also made a huge difference.

Rodney: I agree. From the design side, I’m really proud of the fact that we had one of the largest ITS projects in the U.S. with people working in multiple offices, and yet we were still able to complete the project on schedule and under budget. And throughout construction we had almost no design problems pop up, so the quality of the deliverables was extremely high. When we turned in the deliverables, the client was thrilled. And now that the construction is over, they are continuing to sing our praises. For a job that large not to have any serious hiccups with regard to the plans, schedule, budget, or the client is an overwhelmingly successful project. I think you’d have a hard time hearing any negative comments from anyone including our team and the client.

Added to the complexity was the fact that the TMC — being constructed under a completely separate contract — got delayed. When our contractor had a lot of the field elements ready for testing, the TMC hadn’t even broken ground yet. We ended up having to do a lot of testing out in the field that typically would’ve been done back at the TMC.

SHOWCASE TWO

the key was making sure we had constant communication between all three teams

What aspects of this project set it apart from other ITS jobs by GS&P?

Rodney:

Appling

DMS

DM S

DMS S

S DM

DMS

DM S

TMC S

DMS

DM S

DMS

CCTV CCTV (early Deployment phase)

Another interesting aspect of this project is that it indirectly led to our current long-term nine-year ITS contract with the Mississippi DOT. At the very start of the Memphis project, Mississippi’s ITS guys came to a stakeholder meeting in Memphis, which was the first time we had met RODney:

DMS (early Deployment phase) VDS

them. Through the Memphis project, we started interacting with them and developed a relationship so that when the big Mississippi project was announced, we had already begun establishing a relationship we might not of had, had it not been for the Memphis ITS. The lesson there is to remember that anytime you are working on a project, you are not only continually marketing to your existing client but also with any other stakeholders that may be involved. ■

rOdnEy chEstEr, P.E., has over 10 years of ITS experience including ITS planning, design, specifications, TMC coordination, and overall program management. grEg dOtsOn, P.E., has experience with both ITS design and construction, and is currently responsible for managing the contractor’s maintenance requirements for the project. stEPhEn MOshEr, P.E., has wide-ranging experience including both project management and project professional roles on ITS, traffic, signal, roadway, draining, nepa, and planning projects.

GReG: I think it’s also significant that in spite of the 18-month delay with the TMC, the whole project only ended up taking six months longer. And, through all of that, we never had to go in and ask TDOT for extra money. We had a ceiling that we did not have to breach due to the efficiency and knowledge of the team so that we didn’t need a whole lot of extra help from different personnel. I think that speaks a lot to our experience and expertise. It also says a lot about our training. Heck, I couldn’t spell ITS when I first got here, and now here I am essentially running the construction and maintenance of the system!

DMS

ShOWCaSe TWO

elements associated with the TDOT SmartWay project include: • 42 Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) • 115 CCTV Cameras • 354 traffic flow sensors • Full-coverage haR system with 16 transmitters and 42 haR signs

R iveRs Lan ding C on d om in ium s

Rivers Landing is an award-winning land development that provides for harmonic existence of residential development, recreational uses, and many forms of wildlife. many homes offer a spectacular view of the ohio River and nearby marina.

24218.00

Hinton mcgraw developers oldham County, Kentucky engineering Planning

diamond in the Rough

sHoWCase TWo

Years of four-wheeling and camping nearly destroyed Stone Lake, a 33-acre lake northeast of Louisville, Kentucky. The lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original function as an industrial sand mine ended years ago, and developers were challenged to revitalize the area into a livable, environmentally friendly community, Rivers Landing. GS&P planners and engineers not only rebuilt the shores of the lake to improve stability, they tied its water flow to nearby sources and effectively improved water quality for the entire area. Recognized for its adaptive re-use and green engineering, the project has given residents and wildlife a reason to enjoy Stone Lake and the Ohio River once again.

Home Builders association of Louisville Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grand award Best Patio, Condo, garden or Town Home Community

stone Lake exists due to sand mining over a number of years. The perimeter of the site was analyzed for soil stability, and ultimately 20- to 25-foot pylons were installed. The top of the steel perimeter wall is capped with a pedestrian sidewalk, turning an engineered soil stability challenge into a site amenity.

teaM

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Chris dickinson, P.e.

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mark sparks, P.e.

mark sparks, P.e. / John Campbell

Jon Henney, aiCP, asLa

m a R K s P a R K s , J o n H e n n e y, J o H n C a m P B e L L

What were your first impressions of the site, and how did you evaluate its viability? MARK: The first time I ever saw the site with the developer, I thought he was nuts. The area was an old abandoned sand quarry industrial site that had been steadily eroded by fourwheeling and constant dumping. The developer’s vision completely eluded me, and I thought he was crazy, but as it turned out, he wasn’t. The geotech made recommendations, and we realized that we could make it work. We knew we would have to move the road and shift buildings a bit, but it was definitely doable, so it became a team effort to make it work.

once you determined the site could be developed, what were the first steps?

JOn: A lot of it had to do with showing them how the developer’s improvements would actually convert a diamond in the rough into something that was a real positive. We

MARK: Cardinal Harbor is an area in the Ohio River floodplain that had been poorly planned and drained. In fact, one of the main drains from Cardinal Harbor discharged onto our site and eroded a significant portion of the site, leeching material into the lake. Improving Cardinal Harbor was part of the plan from the beginning because we had to correct it to make our site usable.

Part of your design included the creation of a permanent “sea wall.” Why was the wall necessary?

Knowing that the community had some concerns, how did you convince them the development would improve the quality of life in the area?

an adjacent site, Cardinal Harbor, had some standing water issues. Were improvements to that area part of your initial proposal, or was the area improved by virtue of the Rivers Landing design?

sHoWCase TWo

JOn: One of the first hurdles we had to overcome was getting zoning approvals by the planning commission. There were some obstacles that weren’t directly related to our site or our developer. Another residential subdivision had been approved and was putting undue strain on the existing waste water treatment plant, resulting in some water quality issues that had upset the neighbors. Since our site had storm water and erosion issues, some area residents resented any kind of development of the area because they thought the developer was just looking for a way to make money. To the developer’s credit, we became convinced that it was an opportunity to take an industrial eyesore and turn it into a very attractive residential development. In fact, the county judge was one of the first to buy one of the units when the project was completed.

demonstrated how we were going to take a sand quarry pit with standing water in it and make it into a lake. Once you got past all the environmental issues and cleaning up some of the existing mess, they could see the potential. A lot of people still remained skeptical because of empty promises from other developers in the past. But as the project evolved and things actually started happening, they became convinced that we were going to do what we had promised.

The wall was built because the water level from the lake fluctuates seasonally. Based on recent rainfall events, we were concerned that the bank had fallen so rapidly that it might completely erode . Water absorbs into the soil as it rises, and discharges as it falls. If the water rises too fast, the moving water in the soil tries to carry the soil with it. So we had to figure out how to conserve what we thought the elevation range of the lake was the majority of the time. Once we did that, we determined where the wall would need to be placed. There will be times when the lake water will be above the wall, and times when it will be below the wall. In the best case scenario, the water level will be right on the wall. MARK:

converting an unusable area is clearly a benefit to the environment How does your design implement green engineering?

Converting an unusable area such as an old abandoned industrial site into a viable area is clearly a benefit to the environment. In this case, we reused what would normally be considered a less than desirable property rather than building the same development somewhere else.

S H O W C ASE T W O

JON:

There was abandoned equipment on the site with a lot of overgrowth, and other places with severe erosion. There were also places where people had dumped waste and old construction materials. We cleaned all of that up and restored the landscape. Mark:

We were able to take places that weren’t vegetated at all and turn them green.

Jon:

almost one million dollars. It overlooks the lake, and the rear of it overlooks the river. It’s just an amazing place to live. It was very pleasing to see that. I was excited about the project from day one. The best part of putting together this design was considering the location of the buildings. I appreciate how the developer’s plans took advantage of every possible view. He probably could have placed a lot more units on the property, but he was respectful of the site. JOHn:

As a planner, this project became a personal challenge because we got turned down twice during the planning process. We continued to believe that our client had an exceptional vision for this piece of property and the development would be beneficial to the community. So we continued to fight for them and work through the system, which included convincing very skeptical residents that this was not the kind of development they were used to seeing. To ultimately see the project succeed and receive all the accolades really makes you feel good as a planner knowing that the right decision ultimately prevailed. ■ Jon:

And now you’ll see blue heron at the lake and a large deer population around the development.

Mark:

What part of this project has been particularly gratifying to you? MARK: I had the pleasure of seeing a dismal site transformed into a beautiful residential area. The development has beautiful patio homes with two units per building, and also single-family homes. One particular residence sold for

Mark Sparks, P.E., has more than 20 years’ experience in a variety of civil engineering projects from conceptual studies and reports to final design, cost estimating, and construction. Jon Henney, AICP, ASLA, has nearly 30 years of experience in community planning and design. As project designer for Rivers Landing, Jon oversaw the conceptual site layout and design while leading the effort to obtain all necessary planning and zoning approvals. JoHn Campbell has worked in both the public and private sector as a land planner for over 11 years. His experience includes overseeing development of mixed-use, single- and multifamily residential, office, and commercial projects.

The 33-acre lake sits on 85 acres of land and is breathing new life through Rivers Landing, a gated community that offers a total of 136 condominium units.

Methodist hos pital i n f r ast r uc t ur e u pg r a d e

Mechanical

22723.00

Methodist Hospital of Henderson Henderson, Kentucky Architecture Engineering Planning

A History Together

SHO W CASE T W O 85

A healthcare facility’s success is in-part measured by its ability to adapt and respond to the always changing healthcare marketplace. For Methodist Hospital, what began as a facility assessment in 1998 soon grew into a complete infrastructure upgrade. GS&P successfully employed mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, structural, and civil engineering disciplines in a way that did not interrupt the hospital’s service, and in a format that assured the hospital will be capable of responding to constantly evolving demands. Unique in its duration, broad scope, and flexibility of implementation, the project represents GS&P’s broad range of multidisciplinary capabilities, knowledge of modern healthcare delivery, and commitment to a long-term client.

North Tower Electrical Services

Parking Deck

Day Care/ Business Office

Transitional Care (2nd Floor)/ Telemetry (3rd Floor)

Parking Elevator

Fire Protection

Emergency Department Prep/Recovery Radiation/Imaging MRI Cardiac Cath. Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Services Admissions

Mechanical

South Tower Elm Street Lobby Chiller Plant/ Domestic Hot Water/ Fire Protection Medical Gas Sytems renovation

NICU Pharmacy

Boiler Plant

Hospice

addition future new construction

Dining (Lower Level)

Sleep Study Electrical Powerhouse

the infrastructure upgrade project represents a series of design and construction work that began with a facility assessment under a master plan initiated in 1998. the project evolved as the hospital implemented the master plan in phases and as the needs of the facility evolved. the project is unique in its duration, broad scope and flexibility.

TEAM

al thweatt, aia / travis pigott, aia, ncarB, leed ap

pic

Bill Mccowan, aia

david McMullin, p.e., leed ap

INTERVIEW /

david McMullin

how did the Methodist infrastructure project begin? DAVE: The original master plan began in 1998 as an evaluation of the facility to identify deficiencies in the infrastructure. The owner basically told us to list what needed to be done, rank them in order of priority, and estimate the costs for everything.

separately, and often could be done as part of other projects. Those that could not be a part of other projects became part of the infrastructure project, which was basically a series of tasks that were either accomplished by the owner and a contractor if necessary. can you give an example of a project that changed in the course of working on another phase of the master plan?

What did you identify as the first priority?

From the evaluation, we created a matrix of things that needed to get done, so that it was more of a master plan for a facility upgrade as opposed to just picking the top three projects and doing them. DAVE:

is it fair to say that you had to prioritize as you went along when other needs and issues became apparent?

DAVE: During the development of the master plan, we identified deficiencies in the infrastructure. Some of the issues became less important, but the important issues needed to be handled in order for the hospital to continue operating, or so another project could occur. Those were pulled out

we created their first accurate recorded drawing of the piping system

DAVE: In conjunction with the oxygen part, we rearranged the other medical gas systems which included vacuum, medical air, nitrogen and nitrous oxide, and basically relocated the manifolds and the main services from co-deficient locations to a new spot within the facility. By doing that, we created their first accurate record drawing of the piping system in the building. We also identified connection locations that they could do with minimal downtime allowing them to flip those services without a significant disruption to the hospital. They were

how did the original master plan look in its first stages?

What are some other examples of challenges that required innovative solutions?

shoWcase tWo

Yes. A good example is when we were planning the growth of what became the south tower. We identified a need for normal and emergency power, so we developed a separate project called â&#x20AC;&#x153;the powerhouse projectâ&#x20AC;?, which was basically a relocation of electrical services on the site. As part of that, we noted that the oxygen part of the medical gas system was in a bad location and difficult to service. We worked with the owner to determine how to relocate the oxygen on the site in conjunction with the powerhouse project, which took it out of the scope of the infrastructure project and made it something else. So by identifying the issue and letting the owner perform the majority of the work with his staff, we saved him money and time, and we ended up with the result we were looking for. DAVE:

DAVE: We identified a deficiency in the fire sprinkler system that prevented it from being able to provide sufficient service from the fire pump to all the standpipes. As we worked through it, we discovered that, given a little general direction from us, a certified fire protection contractor could actually do the work because he could get the permitting and documentation without having us design documents, which saved the owner a fair amount of time and money. In the end, not only did we solve a problem identified in the master plan, which was a deficient fire pump, we also provided a single source of fire protection service for the entire campus without having to execute a significant design document.

able to do this primarily because the hospital had certified technicians on staff that could make those changes when it was convenient for the hospital. So again, by taking advantage of the resources at hand and working with them instead of with a contractor, they were able to do things quicker and more cost efficiently.

SHO W CASE T W O

Did the hospital incorporate cosmetic changes as the infrastructure was redesigned?

we were able to see the impact of our work as it was happening, as opposed to being reactive

DAVE: Yes, as we moved along, we determined that the hospital’s growth was going to cause an increase in demand for heating and cooling. While that wasn’t much of a concern in 1998, as we moved into 2005 the age of the equipment, particularly the boilers, became a factor. The boilers were originally installed in the ’60s and were approaching the end of their useful lives. They were also in a location that had become difficult to manage, as the hospital had grown around that part of the powerhouse. As we developed new schemes of the master plan, we discovered an opportunity to relocate the boiler house to a location that was outside of the actual existing building envelope.

Why was it necessary to move the boilers?

Boilers are particularly difficult to deal with inside a hospital because they require a lot of service, and the flues from the boilers are not easy to deal with. So we located a new boiler plant on what was to become the service (back) side of the building, yet still in a prominent location. Appearances were important, so we located it between the DAVE:

new electrical powerhouse and the existing facility, which made good use of the existing land and took advantage of a spot we weren’t going to be able to leverage for any other clinical use. The really interesting thing about the powerhouse is that we phased out the existing steam boilers and leveraged that space as the location for the new chilled water expansion. Similarly, the space that was vacated when we built the electrical powerhouse was reused for piping and distribution systems to the newly planned south tower of the hospital. Is it correct to say that as the master plan was updated, so was the infrastructure plan?

Although they were separate projects, they weren’t done independently. We always tracked them together so that when we re-valuated the master plan, we would also reevaluate the needs of the infrastructure. DAVE:

What regard was given to sustainability? DAVE: The first way to be sustainable is not to use something, so in that sense, repurposing an existing building is a sustainable solution, which means that we were sustainable from the start: We reused the building envelope for another purpose. In addition to that, the new boiler plant utilizes some fairly sophisticated energy conservation measures including boiler stack economizers to recover heat normally thrown away to preheat water going into the boiler system. We also utilized high-efficiency boilers and installed lowemission boilers that are friendlier to the environment.

Are the chillers more efficient as well?

What aspects of this project are the most gratifying to you?

The chillers are significantly more efficient, but we actually only replaced one chiller by taking out an old chiller and putting in a new one with a slightly higher capacity. Because of the way we revised the piping system, we were actually able to get capacity out of the system that was locked in there with no way to distribute. We created a new distribution system to reuse the existing capacity in a more efficient manner. We also allowed for those existing chillers to be replaced, in time, with new chillers that will be of higher efficiency, and we’ve got a spot built into the plan for the next chiller so we don’t have to take anything out. We actually have it piped up and ready to go when the next expansion project comes along.

DAVE: I’m especially proud of the chilled water system because the first thing they said when we met them in 1998 is, “Our chilled water system doesn’t work.” When I talked to Roger Lathom, the facility’s operator, a couple of months after we finished the chilled water system interconnection, which was the last piece of the puzzle, he said he didn’t have any problems, which is about as much of a compliment we can ask for.

DAVE:

Where do you think they would be if they hadn’t been so proactive about looking into the future and addressing the master planning and infrastructure needs?

The worst case scenario is that they could have been acquired by someone else. They wouldn’t have had the ability to accomplish the expansions that they’ve been able to do. From an economic standpoint, some of the things we’ve done have allowed them to stay on the forefront of their market.

But ultimately it all points back to our long-term relationship with the client. I can’t say enough about how beneficial it has been to know their history and goals. We are able to give our best recommendations because we truly know them, and, as we look ahead to our future projects, I expect that success to continue. ■

DAVE:

David McMullin, P.E., LEED AP, offers more than 30 years of experience in engineering design and management. Beginning in 1998, David served as the GS&P engineering principal and senior mechanical engineer for the master plans, facility assessment, renovations, and additions.

The hospital infrastructure project, as we know it, is as complete as it needs to be for the time being. The infrastructure issues that we identified have primarily been resolved, with only a couple still outstanding. But they’re of much lower importance now that the owner has completed the south tower construction, which rebuilt and relocated the surgery center and women’s services as part of the master plan. DAVE:

For a project like this to be successful, you have to bring all the necessary disciplines together without having to stop and figure out what to do. We have the people on staff and the institutional knowledge in the firm with structural, mechanical, electrical, and civil engineers, as well as plumbing and fire protection engineers, architects, and interior designers who all worked together. They knew this facility and this group, so that when plans changed, they knew what to expect as opposed to having to wait and see what happens. We were able to see the impact of our work as it was happening, as opposed to being reactive. DAVE:

SHO W CASE T W O

Where does the project stand right now?

What do you most attribute to this project’s success?

The Dilworth Walk

23997.00

RED Partners Charlotte, North Carolina Architecture Interior Design

The Right Balance As with many new urban developments, Dilworth Walk had to balance being a modern housing and retail development while honoring the aesthetic look of a historic neighborhood. Dilworth, one of Charlotteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest communities, consists mostly of single-family homes, and the challenge for GS&Pâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design team was finding a solution pleasing to both the new residents and the existing neighborhood association review committee. S HOW C A S E T WO 91

The project includes one- and two-bedroom condominiums ranging from 680 to 1,200 square feet. realtors suggested neutral colors and classic finishes to appeal to local home buyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tastes.

TEAM

INTERVIEW /

Scott wilson, aia

PiC

Scott wilson, aia

kristie Nicoloff, iiDa / David “woody” Jones, aia

Ben Cohey

w o o D Y J o N e S , B e N C o h e Y, k r i S T i e N i C o l o F F

The client wanted the new design to blend in with the historical area. what kinds of challenges did you encounter at the start?

Three houses on the site had been demolished to make room for the new structure. There was also a mixeduse building close by that did not blend well with the existing environment and had not been successful, and neighbors were skeptical of the new plans. The area was very restricted in terms of what they would allow, so it was really up to us to find a way to make them happy. The dwelling had to fit into their neighborhood so everybody would be happy with it. It was a little bit of a challenge to do that. WooDy:

what were some of the site issues you had to work through?

The area had a lot of 1920s and ’30s bungalows, groves of trees, and sidewalks, and most of the area has been very well renovated. It’s one of the more sought after neighborhoods. It’s right outside the downtown area, but you feel like you’re in the suburbs with a lot of parks and sidewalks. We had great input from the realtors we were working with who were able to tell us what sells and what people look for in this area. We took all our cues from them and incorporated their input into the interior and exterior to make sure that we could blend with the community. KrISTIe:

Describe the site location.

one of the more sought after neighborhoods

Ben: The three houses they tore down had been vacant. They weren’t even suitable for an office building, so they were pretty unsightly. There is a one-way street on one side and a major thoroughfare on the other side.

The road splits, and where it splits to a one-way street, the project is right in the middle of it. It’s a pretty neat little piece of land that everybody passes. KrISTIe:

WooDy: Detail was the key, and we chose materials that would fit with other buildings. For instance, the brick looked like a residential brick. There were three residential levels plus a parking deck level. So, we placed brick walk-ups along the street to give it the appearance of an older neighborhood.

We also added a couple of water fountains on the front and side of the building to fit the look of the building to the surroundings.

Ben:

Some of the buildings are set back, because of the green space across the whole front of our building.

Ben:

KrISTIe: We were just going in to restore some beauty that had been lost through age and neglect, and now it’s become a nice focal point for that area considering there are a couple

after you’d developed a plan to address the challenges, what elements did you incorporate in your design to make it blend with the community?

We didn’t have a whole lot of push back. We had some that weren’t going to budge either way, but people were fairly receptive from the start. Instead of building a really large structure, we kept it to scale, which was acceptable to the neighborhood.

WooDy:

ShowCaSe Two

WooDy: There were a number of problems we had to deal with. It was a very tight site, so to meet the client’s requirements, we maxed out every inch. There were also easement issues and power lines that were an eyesore, but, we couldn’t change them because it was the main power line. The building had covered parking on the grade level and some drainage issues. We even had to relocate a four- or six-foot diameter storm drain that was part of the sewer system that ran perpendicular through the property, so we were challenged just about every step.

Did community opinion change as the building progressed?

The first-floor plan showing a mix of one- and two-bedroom units. A two-bedroom detail highlights the concept for upgraded materials.

S HOW C A S E T WO

of other buildings around there that had been torn down and left as parking lots. What were some of the design features of the units that enabled you to blend the new with an older established area?

sold out... before it even went on the market

We kept everything on the neutral side and took a lot of cues from the realtors who had suggestions and ideas of what they wanted included in the mortgage packages. We created a basic unit, and then upgrades. Essentially, the units were neutral with good classic finishes. They have porcelain tubs, sinks, tile, and hardwoods. In fact, the standard package was so nice the majority of buyers didn’t feel the need to purchase upgrades, which was a big value point. We also used a lot of the materials the realtors requested since they know what sells and what’s hot. Then, we worked with the local distributors to find the best price on a lot of these different materials to put together a superior package. KRISTIE:

What part of this project is the most gratifying to you?

We are very proud of the fact that one of the buildings pre-sold out in about three days before it even went on the

Ben:

market. We got a huge reaction from the investors. The project was a financial success. The team really pulled this one together. When the market started going south, we definitely served the client. As a result, they’ve come back to us with a medical office building and a full retail center that has been very successful and has had probably 70% leased out.

Woody:

KRISTIE: It was a great feeling to know that it was such so well received in the community and sold out so quickly. Dilworth was one of the first true condo projects out of our office, and for this project to be so successful is especially gratifying. ■

David “ Woody” Jones, AIA, has 15 years’ experience in corporate and urban design with a Planning Masters in Architecture from Clemson University. He was project architect and designer for Dilworth. Ben Cohey, ASSOC. AIA, has 18 years’ experience in corporate, urban, residential, and retail design. Ben served as project professional and CAD coordinator on Dilworth Walk. Kristie Nicoloff, IIDA, graduated from Northern Illinois University with a BFA in Interior Architecture and has been a practicing interior designer for 13 years. As the project’s interior designer, her involvement was critical in the success of the units’ interior appeal.

EXISTING OFFICE BUILDING

ShowCaSe Two

The 64-unit condominium project is comprised of two 35,000-square-foot buildings set back from kenilworth avenue to create a green space with brick walk-ups. Through use of residential brick and neutral colors, Dilworth walk blends in with the surrounding community. architectural details like exterior fountains mimic historical elements found elsewhere in the neighborhood.

United Hospital C en t er

22094.00

United Hospital Center Bridgeport, West Virginia Architecture Engineering Environmental Graphics Interior Design Landscape Architecture Planning

Excellence Elevated

S H O W C ASE T W O

After almost 50 years in the same facility, United Hospital Center struggled to expand services and update technologies for the growing regional population. To better support the facility’s motto, “Excellence in all we do,” GS&P designed a new facility focused on flexibility, staff efficiencies, and excellent patient experiences. Natural design elements take inspiration from the surrounding West Virginia mountains, and commanding views to the exterior are enjoyed from every private space. The new hospital doubles its previous square footage, offers 292 new private patient rooms, and positions United as the premier healthcare provider in the region.

A W ARD

Middle Tennessee AIA 2008 Award of CITATION

after passing through the exterior garden, a visitor enters the next layer of space â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a connecting lobby that spans the width of the building. the glass front allows natural light to penetrate through the different layers of the building, and also serves as a wayfinding element for visitors.

TEAM

INTErVIEw /

piC

scott McQueen, aia, nCarB, leed ap

david stewart, aia, nCarB, leed ap

scott McQueen, aia, nCarB, leed ap / david stewart, aia, nCarB, leed ap / Jane skelton, iida, leed ap

s C o t t M C Q U e e n , d a V e s t e W a r t, J a n e s K e l t o n

this project has been on the books for some time. explain the stops, starts, and associated challenges. DAVe: We were originally contracted for this hospital in

2000 and went through a number of times when we were on hold, a lot having to do with another hospital challenging the certificate of need (CON). It eventually went to the West Virginia Supreme Court to get resolved. SCOTT: I think it was about six years ago when we first did our first schematic package… DAVe: …which also led to issues with the budget. We thought in 2002 we were going to start construction. Budget adjustments tend to arise when the budget you set in 2000 doesn’t get spent until 2009/2010.

Oh yes, there is nothing there like it nearby.

SCOTT: Just based on the scale, it is overwhelming when you see the site. It is a huge project. DAVe: We have projects that have come close size-wise, maybe within 100,000 square feet, but I think the design of this is totally unique compared to any of the ones I’ve seen. SCOTT: And what we really developed was an overall healing environment, something they didn’t have at their existing facility.

SCOTT: The CeO, Bruce Carter, jokes that he is a dictator. But he appreciates good design, is decisive, and cares a lot for his patients.

He would tell you it’s the patients that come first, before staff.

JANe:

SCOTT: An example is how we developed this project with patient safety in mind. For instance, the patient rooms are standardized, meaning there are no mirrored rooms, and it eliminates a caregiver’s need to get acquainted with different room layouts. We tried to standardize as much as we could — exam rooms, prep rooms, department spaces.

It was also important to the client that patient rooms didn’t look out to a courtyard and see another wall of patient rooms. That led a very long 72-bed patient unit, but all the patient rooms are facing the front or the back.

all you see are trees and mountains of West Virginia

DAVe: Wherever you look from a person’s patient room all you see are trees and the mountains of West Virginia. I think that makes such a difference that each one of those rooms looks out on something like that.

What was the concept for such an expansive facility? SCOTT: The organizing principle of the whole building was to create two spines, one for public use and one for staff. As a visitor walks in the front door, he encounters this large spine that connects to all the services on that floor. He doesn’t have to walk through a maze of corridors to get to other departments. It makes for a long building — 700 to 800 feet long — but it eases wayfinding because everything is off the lobby.

despite the delays, the facility is due to open in late 2010. Will this be a great improvement for the area?

Why the “overall healing environment”?

sHoWCase tWo

SCOTT: Budget concerns were probably the most challenging aspect of this job, at least from my side of things. The whole design process was during a time where the construction industry was booming — Katrina happened, prices were going up, copper was skyrocketing, and our contractor had to get a good handle on the market conditions.

JANe:

Ken priest, aia, nCarB, leed ap

Creating the spine was one part of the planning concept, and we talked about how we could layer the building to get natural light, not just on the face of the building but also back down to the garden level. It is somewhat layered. There are smaller masses in front, like the gift shop and chapel, and then it steps back to allow light to filter to the back of the mall. What other natural elements were purposefully incorporated?

100

S H O W C ASE T W O

Jane: The whole front face of the building is glass, so from the inside you can always see out. It helps orient visitors, and therefore is a good wayfinding element, but it is also good for connecting with nature. We did a lot with the interiors to continue that connection.

On the ride to the hospital, along the interstate you pass blasted rock, and you see the layers and colors in the rocks. We drew our ideas for color and texture from those, and those ideas are in the layers of linear tile on the inside of the building. We left negative spaces in the tile to form three different repeating tree patterns in the wall. On the floor above, we used the same tile pattern but with wood panels, and then the trees again in the negative space. Dave: The interior layering

he expects staff to take an extra five steps if that means a patient has calming views out the window

became a physical manifestation of the layering on the outside of the building. There are physical walls in the form of wing walls, and they enhance the layering effect. The entrance to the building is the intersection between these different layers — puncturing multiple layers — and it helps visitors understand where the entrance is. Did the size and shape of the building create any concern for the caregivers and their ability to respond quickly?

Scott: We showed them numerous types of nursing units. We measured footsteps and travel distances. But it came back to their number one priority of not creating a patient room that looks out into a courtyard or into another patient room. It goes back to the CEO’s vision of “patient first.” He expects

staff to take an extra five steps if that means a patient has a calming view out the window. Dave: We also talked with them about how they can flex

between different units, and this design does allow a lot of flexibility because all the rooms are basically in a line. Scott: They can house patients closer to the nurses’ stations

and then grow outward as their census increases. They can flex back and forth between units and staff accordingly along one linear path. Dave: And each floor is broken into four slightly offset pieces to help provide a human scale to the 700-foot corridor. The nurses’ stations are located in the middle of those pieces, and we placed windows to provide good natural light.

What makes you the most proud knowing that this project will finally see completion in the near future? Dave: The site is in the mountains, and there is not one piece

of flat dirt anywhere near there. They actually did a pretty extensive search to find the right site located right off the interstate with very convenient access. Each time I go, I think the scale is fitting for the site. The patient rooms are so high, and it basically feels like it is on top of the mountain.

Scott: It was exciting and refreshing to have a client that understood and appreciated design and listened to us like he did. The market conditions kept putting us a little over budget, but Bruce always seemed to appreciate good design, and so he kept some things that others might not have. It was good to have a client that would do that. Jane: So many times big items get value engineered out of a

design — things you design that you consider special to the project. Bruce constantly reminds us of the expensive wood walls, but he understands the value of the design and is really sold on it. This is a one of a kind facility. ■

Scott McQueen, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, has more than 24 years’ experience with healthcare design. As project manager and project designer for the United Hospital Center, Scott led the team through all the phases of the project. jane skelton, iida, LEED AP, has served 17 years in the field of healthcare interior design and is “constantly seeking knowledge to expand skills I bring to the table.” As interior design project professional for the UHC project, Jane was able to maintain the integrity of the interior design through a rigid value engineering process. David Stewart, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, has almost 14 years with GS&P focused primarily in the healthcare market. He has worked on projects throughout the world from West Virginia to Seoul, Korea. As project architect, Dave worked on the design and layout of the building through each phase of the project.

ABOVE Located in a mountainous region, the building form and arrangement could not be considered without first understanding the site. The site contours, adjacent interstate, and small pond all contributed to the building location and orientation. LEFT Typical patient tower; the patient care units from the fourth to seventh floors are oriented to provide unobstructed views of nature. Below The first floor contains many of the outpatient departments with separate entrances for emergency, main entrance, and cancer center.

LEFT Olor sumsan venim nim ipit wis nit ametum augait, vel ut niam eriliquis aciliquip ercidunt la consenisl ullutpat laore erilisim ex et ipit luptat ea amconulla coreet incidunt lumsan utat nonsequat nosto consequat laore dolore velenisl in eum quatueros doloreet lam quatie velisisi.

Colleg e Street Ped eSt r ian B r id ge

the first bridge was erected on the site in 1839. Burned down by soldiers in 1862, it was rebuilt in 1864 only to be burned a second time in 1915. the existing truss bridge was rebuilt that same year.

22998.01

City of Bowling green / Warren County greenbelt Commission Bowling green, Kentucky engineering

Bridging the Past to the Future

SHoWCaSe tWo

A triple-span metal truss bridge across the Barren River has connected Bowling Green, Kentucky, to the northern portion of Warren County since 1839. The College Street Bridge was originally built in 1915 and provided vital access for residents and commerce. No longer used for vehicular traffic, GS&P and the city utilized sustainable practices to completely restore and transform it into a pedestrian bridge, connecting visitors to the greenbelt system and providing a panoramic view of the river. Embraced by the community, the bridge has hosted numerous events, including weddings and festivals, demonstrating the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to improving the quality of life for its citizens.

103

ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT dangerous holes in asphalt covering the bridge prevented some sections from being used by the public. across the entire bridge, deterioration from rust was resulting in reduced load limits. Massive amounts of asphalt and concrete had to be carefully cut off the bridge deck in preparation for the restoration. Construction crews hand-bolted each locally harvested pine timber plank to the deck. galvanized metal clips were developed to connect the timber deck planks to the truss stringers without requiring drilling or damaging the stringers. readily available hardware was used to cut down on costs and support the park systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self-maintenance goals. the completed bridge deck is soft on the feet and quiet to the ears.

TEAM

INTERVIEW /

Michael a. Flatt, P.e.

PiC

ted Kniazewycz, P.e.

t e d K n i a z e W y C z , M i K e F l at t

describe the College Street Pedestrian Bridge project.

The city of Bowling Green has one pedestrian bridge in their inventory, and they needed help bringing it up to standards primarily because of problems with the integrity of the deck. We were asked to take a look and offer options on how to enhance the bridge and best maintain the structure’s integrity.

MIKE: There was very strong public sentiment to get this project done.

TED:

What is the bridge’s current main use, and why was there a need for a new bridge?

Before you started on the bridge, was it completely out of service or was it just starting to deteriorate?

MIKE: It’s now more about budget than looks these days.

the centerpiece and keystone of their park

in keeping with its history, the city wanted to repair, rather than replace, the old truss bridge. What are some of the inherent challenges of repairing it?

Basically, it’s very labor-intensive to inspect and maintain the bridge, which drives the cost up. It’s also the reason the number of truss bridges in existence falls every year.

TED:

105

It was to the point where sections of it were closed off and it had load limit restrictions. Before we got the plans fully developed, they closed the bridge because holes had developed in the deck.

In its day, the truss bridge provided the ability to span a fairly long distance. They were primarily using cast iron, and when structural steel hit the market, like we use today, beams could span distances as long as trusses, and even further. Most old truss bridges have now been replaced with a girder bridge because you can build at a lower cost.

TED:

Was the public involved in the planning and design of the bridge?

Within developing the park system, the public played a big role identifying how this bridge could support the connectivity of the system. In meetings with the parks service, the public felt that this was a vital link. They wanted it to be a showcase for their city and wanted it to be more than just a walkway.

TED:

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The bridge is really the centerpiece and keystone of their park system because it provides a connection from their main park in downtown to the greenway system. This bridge was the vital component they needed to connect the two areas. They had received special federal funds to rehabilitate the bridge, and they saw this as an opportunity to tie the system together. The bridge is also used for various private functions like weddings and parties so the city wanted something that would be special and that would connect back to the history of the bridge, which dates back to 1839. TED:

What are the advantages of a truss bridge?

What were some of the options gS&P presented to the city?

The bridge had numerous problems, some dealing with the structural steel, some dealing with the deck itself. With the structural steel issues, we identified areas that needed to be replaced and put them in a priority order, so that they could address the worst ones first as their budget allowed. The deck had been resurfaced two or three times in the past using asphalt on metal, so we could obviously point out the inherent problems of that system because they could see firsthand what was happening to the bridge. We presented the option of using concrete, which is standard on bridges. But, we also pointed out that the extra load that the concrete TED:

would put on the bridge would probably put a limitation on pedestrian uses. What were the key reasons the client ultimately chose to use timber instead of concrete?

We brought up the idea of using timber for several reasons. It’s more sustainable, it gives the bridge a softer, more attractive look and because it more than likely would have been a wood deck when the bridge was first built. Also, since they wanted to tie back to the bridge’s history, we felt this solution was more in line with the original. Timber was also a viable alternative because of the extra load associated with using concrete. And timber should have a life of 20 years or longer, at least, with good maintenance.

TED:

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SHOWCASE TWO

the sound and feel of it when you walk on it are very nice

Using sustainable products was very important to the client. What type of wood did they choose and why?

They chose to use pine, which is a very renewable source and it’s locally available. The lumber was also pressure treated with a system that does not put chemicals into the environment. Also, it’s resilient, and the sound and feel of it when you walk on it are very nice. They liked that it was green since it was part of the park system, and that was a big issue with the public and the park system since they actually operate the bridge. TED:

MIKE: I think another big reason for using timber is that it feels like you’re part of the park system and not on a street.

Did the use of timber also save them money?

Yes, because the city can maintain the bridge themselves. They actually purchased the lumber for the deck directly from the lumber supplier because they could save money doing that instead of going through the contractor. They also purchased about 10% extra material so if a board got damaged, their own crews could do the repairs. They liked the aspect of being able to do their own maintenance. TED:

get any kind of growth on the timber off, and seal it at least every two years. We also advised them not to let leaves accumulate under the bridge, which causes moisture to get trapped and causes rusting. They’ll also need to touch up the paint occasionally instead of letting it rust, pretty minor things that they felt their crews could handle — nothing out of the ordinary or complex, which is exactly what they wanted. You mentioned weight as a factor with concrete bridges. Does the use of timber allow the bridge to handle more pedestrians?

Yes. By using timber, it allows more people to be able to occupy the bridge at one time. Using timber takes off dead load from the bridge, which allows you to have more live load on it. Also, they can have a larger service vehicle on the bridge without causing any kind of issues.

TED:

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced on the project?

Because of the age of the bridge, we had to make some of the steel repairs with specially fabricated components. We ended up combining readily available pieces into a system that would work. For example, the old bridge had these cast-iron bars, which are not available anymore. We replaced those with standard, readily available, hardware-like turnbuckles, clevises, threaded rods, and things that they could maintain in the future.

TED:

MIKE: This also allowed us to stay within their budget, which was not a lavish budget in any way, but specially made pieces would drive the price up.

An interesting local fact is the color — Garvin Green. What is the special significance?

In the late 1980s, early 1990s, when the bridge was in disrepair, it was initially taken over by local philanthropist David Garvin. He spent quite a bit of money rehabbing it, and he came up with the paint color, so it’s called Garvin Green. If you go to the local paint store, that is what you ask for and that is what they use. TED:

What aspects of this project make you especially proud? What kind of maintenance will the city need to do?

I am pleased at the overall look of the boards on the deck. It really looks good. I’m also very proud of the fact that we were able to use readily available materials today to

TED:

The recommendations we made to them were to pressure-wash the bridge once a year after the leaves fall to

TED:

shy of its 100th birthday from the last improvement. Will the bridge still exist 100 years from now?

They may have to do a major rehab on some of the steel above the deck sometime in the future, but with proper maintenance, absolutely. ■

TED:

You don’t necessarily have to automatically replace something — it can be rehabilitated and still be successful. And we are very proud and pleased that our clients are extremely happy with the outcome. They were put under the gun by the public to get this job done and do it in such a way that it will continue to be a feature of their park and trail system. We helped them do that, and everyone is very happy. MIKE:

this is a bridge that in its original conception was built in the 1800s, then had an improvement in 1915. it is now 2009, and we are a couple of years

TEd KNIAzEWycz, P.E., has more than 20 years’ experience with new bridge design, bridge inspection services, and development of repair and rehabilitation plans. as project manager and project professional for College Street, ted led the field inspection and plan development process. MIcHAEL A. FLATT, P.E., serves as gS&P’s division vice president and has more than 30 years’ experience in transportation planning, design, construction, and management. as principal-in-charge for College Street, Mike’s leadership, direction, and guidance insured that the project was delivered on time and exceeded the client’s expectations.

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go back and retrofit a structure from 90 years ago. It’s just thinking outside the box: not saying “it can’t be done,” but instead figuring out how it can be done.

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embraced by the community, the bridge has hosted numerous events, including weddings, family reunions, and cultural events, demonstrating the city’s commitment to improving the quality of life for its citizens. Providing a panoramic vantage point, visitors enjoy views of the river, downtown, park system, and nearby waterfall.

ArcA diAn residen c e A n d r esort

ABOVE the sloped roof and roof terraces create an iconic image from the nearby speedway Boulevard. BELOW interior view of the Prescott model, a 2,000-square-foot corporate suite. this unit has the option for a dining niche (as shown) or a workstation.

25908.00

VP industries concord, north carolina Architecture interior design

designed to sell

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Citing that condominiums often look like hotels with no architectural spirit, the Arcadian developer challenged GS&P’s architecture and interior team to create a striking iconic building, a first of its kind in Concord, North Carolina. The 12-story mixed-use tower is designed to include 15,000 square feet of leasable retail space, 151 luxury residential units, a restaurant, a fitness center, a theater, and a terrace-level outdoor pool, and is minutes away from Lowe’s Motor Speedway. All units have mid- or high-end finishes and will target those in the racing industry — sponsors, race team members, affluent fans — as well as current Concord residents looking for previously unavailable high-rise accommodations.

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ABOVE interior view of the dedeaux, a 1,300-square-foot unit. BELOW the Arcadian parks over 200 cars within the structured parking base. the ground floor creates 15,000 square feet of leasable retail space as well as a common area for residents. the tower is crowned with a community game room, party room, and rooftop pool. Penthouse units are all two stories with large open-area patios and balconies.

TEAM

INTERVIEW /

scott Wilson, AiA

Pic

James ruckman, AiA, ncArB

david “Woody” Jones, AiA, Leed AP / Kristie nicoloff, iidA

earl Massey, Associate AiA

W o o d y J o n e s , e A r L M A s s e y, K r i s t i e n i c o L o f f

describe how Gs&P became involved with this client and the vision for the new design. Woody:

Initially, the client saw our website and came to us because of the quality of work we’ve done. The design involves a 12-story condominium high-rise near the Motor Speedway with 151 units.

EArL: Specifically, it has 58 one-bedroom units, 37 two-bedroom units, 39 four-bedroom units, 13 corporate units, and 4 two-level penthouse units.

overlooks the rocky river golf course and features penthouses on the upper floors, each with their own private terrace. It also has a private pool and patio deck atop the parking deck. There are three levels of parking on the ground floor with restaurants and retail, and amenities for the residents. you’ll notice a lot of palm trees in the renderings, which is something the client wanted as a signature element to differentiate the project from any other project in the region.

once you arrive, there’s really no need to leave

describe the features of the interior design.

What are some of the key factors in creating schematics to attract investors?

KrISTIE: The spaces were tight, so we tried to make them airy and open with more of a New york loft feel, versus your typical closed-in single room. We used natural materials like stone, travertine, and wood. Most of the rooms have wood floors with area rugs. All the countertops are granite or Silestone surfaces depending on the level of unit selected.

The client was shooting for the upper end in the market. The condos are aimed at corporate end users who would come for a race and stay the whole race weekend. The client pointed us to some projects out of Miami that he liked, and that’s where we started with the design. our role was to help him sell the project, so our deliverable was basically a schematic design and mortgage package with renderings of fixtures, floor plans, and interior perspectives.

the client was looking for something that would be striking and iconic. What are some of the features of the site, and what elements did you incorporate to create an icon?

With the suites, we also built in the option to add bedrooms or leave it as open entertainment space.

Woody:

KrISTIE: Unfortunately, we didn’t get to design the grand lobby scheme because the client was more focused on the units. But, an interesting feature of the design is that it’s a mixed-use building with condos and other businesses like dry cleaning pickup and delivery, restaurants, a workout facility — sort of a one-stop shop. once you arrive, there’s really no need to leave.

What challenges did you face along the way?

We included a lot of glass to reflect a more modern, high-end aesthetic, but the inverted V-shape of our roof with fins is probably the most iconic piece of it. The building Woody:

In the beginning, we were designing for one site, and then the option on the land came up and we had to

Woody:

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on a graphics level, the key is simplicity. We tried to let the building and its units speak for itself. With unit renderings, we used actual materials like hardwood floors and rugs to show how a furnished unit could look. It’s important for the layout to speak out. We also produced boards, and they had showings that included a big lunch event to unveil the project to realtors. EArL:

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Woody:

S H O W C A SE T W O

So we had some starts and stops, but we overcame the deadlines, which took a lot of effort and was a huge feat.

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2,000 and 1,300-square-foot units; The suite’s customizable floor plan gives each owner the option of adding bedrooms or leaving open entertainment space.

Since it appears that the project has stalled at least until the housing market rebounds, what is your biggest goal for this design?

we can do it. It wasn’t just a matter of creating a design and drawings. We had to create a brochure that would make Suzy Q. Public look at our brochure, fall in love with the Arcadian, and want to live there. We showed that we have the ability to put all of our graphics together without having to hire a separate graphics company and can work with local printers to ensure a quality representation. There was a lot of back and forth between the printer, the contractor, and the realtor so that we clearly understood what was needed to make this successful. It was a whole different mindset and concept, and we made it work.

Woody:

What aspect of this project is most gratifying to you?

move the building to a whole new site. It didn’t change tremendously, but we had to refit the building to a different site. It was a little bit of an adjustment to stay on the same deadline. Kristie:

an opportunity to flex a little muscle on design

When we took on the project, our biggest goal was really to get our name out there. We had a billboard on the highway for several months, which resulted in an article in the city paper. So even though the project is stalled, we’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of it. What have you learned from this project?

It was a good learning experience not just from the development of doing a high-end residential project, which GS&P is not known for in certain markets, but to also prove Kristie:

For me, it was an opportunity to flex a little muscle on design. I wish we could have pushed it a little bit further, but it was a collaborative. Several designers in the office worked together to put the image together. At the end of the day, it was a really strong image.

Woody:

Earl:

It was great hands-on experience to be able to design the penthouse unit. The client was very happy with what he saw. I’m also really proud of the brochure, especially knowing it was

David “ Woody” Jones, AIA, has 15 years’ experience in corporate and urban design with a Planning Masters in Architecture from Clemson University. He was project architect and designer for Arcadian. Earl Massey, associate AIA, rendered floor plans, unit plans, and site plans, and designed the boards and brochures on which they were displayed. He played a key role in designing the penthouse unit. Kristie Nicoloff, IIDA, graduated from Northern Illinois University with a BFA in Interior Architecture and has been a practicing interior designer for 13 years. As the project’s interior designer, her involvement was critical in the success of the units’ interior appeal.

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I’m most proud of being able to utilize all the different resources to push people to their limits and be successful. For instance, I had no expertise whatsoever in high-end residential designs. To see everybody come together, check their egos at the door, and sit down ready to make the project work was a great experience. We had a tight deadline, but we had a goal in mind, and everybody was able to learn from one another to come up with the final product. You don’t get that with every team. ■ Kristie:

Conveniently located at the intersection of Speedway Boulevard and John Q. Hammons Drive, just steps away from the Rocky River golf course and Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and less than half a mile from Concords Mills Mall shopping district, the Arcadian Residence & Resort offers an array of amenities including: • Grand lobby entrance • Concierge services • Retail • Restaurant • VIP club • Fitness center • Theater • Terrace-level pool with cool down bar • Putting green • Secure parking garage

S H O W C A SE T W O

received very well by a lot of people. And it’s good to spread the word that we can do more than just architecture. We can do very sleek graphics in-house, produce it, and send it out. It was a very good experience even though it was a tight deadline. It shows that we all can work together as long as we’ve got a schedule and we follow it.

Cookeville Reg ion al M ed iC al C en t eR a dd i t i o n a n d Re n ovat i o n s

ABOVE the hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new main lobby artfully boasts soothing earth tones, plenty of natural light, and intimate areas for patients and visitors to rest. BELOW the new main entrance was placed where existing patient towers from the 1970s and 1980s connect. the addition blends with the existing architectural language of the facility and provides visitors a clearly visible new front door.

22682.00

Cookeville Regional Medical Center Cookeville, Tennessee Architecture Engineering Interior Design Landscape Architecture Planning

A Modern Makeover

S H O W C ASE T W O

With patient populations coming from 13 counties, Cookeville Regional Medical Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aging facility was quickly outgrowing its ability to serve patients efficiently. GS&P was tasked with integrating five decades of architectural styles and implementing design and process improvements that would enhance the patient care experience. With the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guiding principles as a beacon and without a traditional space program, design decisions were led by process, efficiency, access to natural light, and definitive distinctions between public and private spaces.

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Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc., North Alabama Chapter 2008 Award of Excellence Healthcare Projects Between $25 Million and $100 Million

ABOVE LEFT Seating areas are provided at the mid- and end-points of each wing giving families a comfortable space to retreat while staying close to the patient. ABOVE RIGHT As visitors enter the new main lobby, they are welcomed by the attendants at the information desk. The layout of the lobby is open and inviting on a grand scale while the grouped seating on both the first and second floor bring it down to a personal level. PREVIOUS PAGE AND BELOW The previous hospital entrance had no clear facility identity. Now patients and visitors enjoy a main entrance defined architecturally. This entrance addresses the pedestrian and vehicular approach with its form and orientation to ease wayfinding and clearly identifies itself as the access point to the facility.

TEAM

INTERVIEW /

Jeffery Morris, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

PIC

Jeffery Morris, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

Rob Hamby, AIA, LEED AP / Erin Carnes, Associate AIA

J E F F E R Y M O R R IS , R O B H A M B Y, E R IN C A R NES

This has been a multifaceted project that started several years ago. How long have you been working on this portion?

for patients, family, or visitors. It also had multiple entrances, which caused confusion for anyone entering the building.

jeff: We’ve been working with CRMC since 1998. This portion started in 2004. It was in design for about two years and three years of construction.

ROB:

The interior environment was unwelcoming and, in certain places, uncomfortable. Many spaces were limited in the amount of attention paid to patient or visitor, which didn’t match the new experience they wanted to create.

Going in, did you realize it was going to be so complex? What kind of environment did they want to create?

Decisions regarding the location of the addition and the floor-to-floor heights were made in earlier master planning exercises. The owner elected to tie the addition to the existing building at an intersection of two previous additions, each with a different structural system, and to match the existing floor heights of 13 feet which would limit space for mechanical systems and ceiling heights. We knew from the beginning that working within these constraints would be difficult. To adapt, we selected a concrete structure which is unusual for a hospital structure of this size. ROB:

The norm is steel because of its ease of construction, and it’s much more flexible, but the depth of the floor structure is usually more than with concrete. JEFF:

Describe the overall hospital environment before GS&P started the project.

It was a rural hospital built over five decades starting in the 1950s with semiprivate rooms. It wasn’t very inviting

JEFF:

There’s a real focus on not only the patient experience but the family experience, with various respite areas to sit or wait that are smaller and cozy. It’s not the typical waiting room where you have 14 different families and kids running around. You have smaller areas with three or four seats, and there are tables on the patient floors so that if the family wants to eat, they can go right outside the room. JEFF:

The concept has to do with stimulating all of the senses to help involve the patients and visitors. One example is locating different sub-waiting areas specifically throughout the patient floor. Erin:

How did you incorporate nature into the environment? ROB: Simple things like focusing on natural light. Each patient room has a large expanse of glass. Every nurses’ station also has direct access to natural light and a view. The building is surrounded with landscaping and gardens, provided for patients’ use.

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So we had to work closely with our structural engineers to design a concrete structure that not only met the structural requirements but allowed enough room for engineering systems required above the ceiling. One element that is typically sacrificed when faced with a low floor-to-floor height is high ceilings. Plentiful access to natural light for both patients and staff was a key part of our design solution and that requires high ceilings.

ROB:

The hospital is a very large structure that serves 13 counties. How do you make such a large facility comfortable? S H O W C ASE T W O

What is the normal structural material and why use concrete?

First, the hospital was looking for a new identity and a new front entrance. The facility had patients and visitors entering through many different entrances, and once inside, it was difficult to tell where to go. So they wanted an easily identifiable front door and clear wayfinding. Their other overall request was for the new addition to feel “comfortable.”

ROB:

JEff:

We situated the addition to allow the majority of rooms to have a view to the surrounding landscape, which is typically hard to do. It created an unusual floor plate, but the new patient rooms are not looking at an old part of the hospital or into adjacent patient rooms.

typical patient rooms, with flat-screen TVs and pull-out sleeper sofas to accommodate several family members. Wayfinding was improved so patients and visitors now know where they are and where they’re going — a huge plus from a patient and family satisfaction standpoint.

Since you had to work with the existing building, how did you blend the new with the old without being too obvious?

The owners were very receptive to new ideas, but they had to change some of their internal processes to accommodate many of them. For instance, not only did they commit to providing additional space for family members, but they also extended visiting hours to make the patients more accessible to the families. In addition, the ICU now has similar open access visiting hours. In the past, ICU visitors had to be buzzed in through a secure door.

Materials were a big part of that. We were actually lucky enough to find the same brick used in the 1970s and 1980s so it is a perfect match. We had a lot of discussions with the owner and knew that they wanted something that “fit” the campus but was a big improvement in the quality of design. By using similar and complementary materials, a similar scale, and building on the vertical elements of the existing building, we created a contemporary addition that does not look out of place with the rest of the campus.

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S H O W C ASE T W O

ROB:

ERIN: It’s difficult to create a seamless transition between the existing and new construction because they are so drastically different from an interior finish standpoint. That was really a challenge. Color was very important. Nothing was themed or stylistic. Reiterating the idea of bringing nature inside, we used a lot of natural materials, earth tones, wood laminates, and contrasting colors throughout to unify everything. Even the elevator lobbies are all consistent, showing vertical circulation. We tried to keep the permanent elements, like the casework, pretty timeless so they can repaint easily to freshen up.

Rob:

What other atypical changes did you propose?

We created a new patient intake area that functions similar to a restaurant. You always come in through the front door whether it’s for preadmission testing, registration, surgery, or to visit family members. So the front door creates the identity they wanted from the beginning as part of the original guiding principles. Room and floor standardization was also a very different concept. Med Surg floors were designed with core functions identical on each floor. Our rationale was that nurses should always be familiar with their surroundings. We firmly believe standardization is a way to prevent medical errors. Jeff:

we firmly believe standardization is a way to prevent medical errors

What are some of the immediate effects of the new environment? JEFF: One of the hospital’s guiding principles was that they wanted their nurses to travel 60 feet or less between the nurses’ station, patient rooms, and all support areas they used every day. We were able to design the floor plate in such a way to stick to that, which is probably less than half of what most nurses travel in the course of their day. So, the floor was designed around the nurses’ needs and how they wanted to deliver care to their patients.

Another guiding principle was to embrace family support. All the patient rooms are private and are a third larger than

And we did it without a formal space program. Typically, when we begin a project, the client has a very specific set of requirements regarding quantities and sizes of spaces that is followed with no questions asked. This facility was designed with an end dollar amount in mind, but with no preconceived notions of program elements. Functional requirements and staff work flow led all decisions about spaces to be included in the building. Rob:

Theoretically, this is the way we ought to be designing hospitals versus “Here’s your program. Now go put the puzzle together.” As a design firm, we were able to stretch the boundaries of their thinking further than anyone thought possible, and I think that translated into being a building that should last and look good for 40 to 50 years. There are a lot of clients out there who are trying to build things as cheap as possible and it’s not getting the quality building that Jeff:

WHAT WERE CRMC’s MISSION AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES? MISSION: The new CRMC will offer our community a family-centered healing environment to equal the excellent care provided by our physicians and staff. Guiding Principles: 1. Reinforce CRMC as a community asset, a source of pride, and the preferred destination for healthcare 2. Improve efficiency through process engineering and environmental support 3. Create a healing environment 4. Embrace family involvement 5. Consider the needs of the user 6. Adhere to cost, budget, and time commitments

View of the family respite areas located on the ends of the floors, assisting in wayfinding. Under the main entrance canopy outside the lobby to the hospital.

This project has taken years to complete. What are the aspects for which you are most proud?

Erin: This was the first project I worked on when I joined GS&P. Being a very complicated project to start out with,

We were completely successful in meeting the hospital’s guiding principles for the project. After years of work, it is good to look back and see that the building is doing everything that we expected it to do regarding patient and staff comfort and the other guiding principles. The staff, volunteers, and the public have all been very positive about the new addition, and that is reflected in our continued relationship with the hospital. ■ Rob:

Jeffery Morris, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, has more than 20 years’ experience and currently serves as GS&P’s division vice president of healthcare. He filled the principal-in-charge, project professional and project manager roles for the Cookeville Regional Medical Center project. Rob Hamby, AIA, LEED AP, project designer, lent his consistent, well-rounded architectural experience in healthcare design to the success of the project. Erin Carnes, AssocIATE AIA, project interior designer, creatively interpreted the desires of the client into a unique design, resulting in an aesthetically successful project.

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I’m very proud of the fact that this is a project that we did fully through the GS&P design process, a documented process that started a couple of years ago with the guiding principles, MDSTs (multidiscipline study teams), and FMEA (failure modes and effects analysis). As a design firm, we were able to push these principles further than anyone imagined. We were able to consolidate five decades of architecture and actually turn it into a facility that functions as a whole unit. This project is a culmination of six to eight years of planning to get to this point. We were able to take all of the other projects that we had done and finally tie them all together so that they work the way we’d envisioned several years ago. That feels pretty good. JEFF:

the team did a great job of explaining the conceptual elements. This aided in being able to expedite and facilitate the client’s vision.

S H O W C ASE T W O

will last years and years like they are accustomed to having. So it costs them more in the long run.

Sha deS Mou n tain B apt iS t c h ur c h Yout h c e n t e r

With vibrant colors, rich textures, and dynamic spaces, all ages of the congregation enjoy the positive energy of the new youth space.

31517.01

Myrick Gurosky & Associates, Inc. Birmingham, Alabama Architecture Interior Design

Youthful Energy Shades Mountain Baptist Church’s youth facilities were an ineffective labyrinth of outdated rooms and dark corridors. The church challenged GS&P with developing a new, unique, and inspiring identity for the area. Working with the client’s limited budget, the design team transformed the existing spaces into a bright, inviting home for the church’s Student Ministry. The completed spaces are energetic, branded, and spatially expansive — perfect for the church’s younger demographic and an inspiration to the entire congregation. S HO W CA S E T W O 121

ABOVE Lut nonsequ ismodolutem inibh exer sustrud magna the focal consequi pointblam, of thevelesto new space doloreet is the ingsecond-floor ercilla conullam in utpat irdit alissit p iniam duiscil euguerostis nullan fellowship velenibh areaer atat the lutpat. top of the new open stair.

TEAM

INTERVIEW /

Jim Griffo, aia, iida, Leed ap

pic

Julie roquemore, iida, Leed ap

terra douberly, iida

J i M G r i f f o , t e r r a d o u B e r LY

When did GS&p first become affiliated with the church? JIM: GS&P began working on a master plan with Shades Mountain Baptist Church around 2002. The youth area renovations are Phase 4 of the master plan.

this phase focused on the student ministry. describe the environment before you started working on the youth area.

It was like you were in the 1950s. They hadn’t changed things probably since 1952, even the old vinyl wall covering. every grandmother’s couch that had been donated to the church was in every space. all the rooms were really small. I don’t think there was a room larger than probably 10ʹ × 10ʹ. It was a confusing maze of dark little rooms and corridors. Terra:

pastors to convince them to trust us. I reminded them that we weren’t designing the space for them because they weren’t the ones who would be using the space.

love the energy and bright colors

It’s also worth mentioning that this was a design-build project. We were hired as part of a design-build team with Myrick, Gurosky & associates. Their president, Scott Gurosky, attends that church, and for the last 10 years has been pushing the church to take a new vision, open up their campus spatially, and go in a different direction aesthetically. So he was a big proponent of this design as well as all the other projects we’ve done for them. He was a great influence on them, and he provided a lot of confidence that said what we were doing was the best solution for all. JIM:

Who did you work with at the church? the budget was very limited. describe some ways that you were able to keep the costs down and still meet their needs and requests.

When you met with resistance, what steps did you take to demonstrate that your solution would tie into their vision?

JIM: I agree with Terra. Opening up the floor and having a two-story area really made the space dynamic. It was such a maze of little rooms and corridors that the stair inclusion was very unexpected. I don’t think that the church realized the impact it would make on the space until it was actually built.

What was their reaction to the new, contemporary design?

The youth pastor loved it, but it was a bit of a stretch at first for the older pastors, which almost created a setback. We convinced them that junior high and high school students needed a fun, bright, energetic, and contemporary space.

I think it was more of an issue within the church than it was with us and the client. The youth staff had absolutely no questions about what we were proposing; however, I did have a couple of private conversations with the senior Terra:

Why do you think it made such an impact?

It is a very short floor-to-ceiling building from the 1950s, so having a two-story space opens it up dramatically. Terra

JIM:

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Terra:

If you look closely, all we really used was carpet and paint and little bit of vinyl wall covering. We used very inexpensive materials with large pops of rich colors. We felt it was important to dedicate most of the money to knocking a hole in the floor and connecting the two spaces with a new open stair. We tried to be as creative as possible with gypsum board and paint.

Terra:

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We worked with their minister of administration who oversaw the whole campus development. We also worked with committees, including the youth pastor and his staff, to understand their function and vision. They were very trusting, and we got to build exactly what we recommended. Terra:

showed them a lot of computer animations and renderings, which I think convinced them to go ahead with the project.

Has the end result appealed to anyone other than the youth?

A woman who was on the building committee let me know she enjoys using it, too. Her Bible study, made up of women in their forties, meets there every other week because they love the energy and bright colors.

TERRA:

With the tiny rooms and low ceiling heights they had before, along with dark yellow and orange wall covering everywhere, I don’t think they could have envisioned the final solution without the visualizations.

TERRA:

Were there any lessons you learned from this project?

every grandmother’s couch was in every single corner of every space What visuals did you use to show them what you had in mind?

We primarily used a 3-D computer modeling software, along with Photoshop. We were able to provide them a 3-D walk-through of the space to show them what it would be like. The models were also important in construction because the builder could see the different levels and all the layers and L-shaped wall elements, which helped the contractors build it.

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TERRA:

This project was part of four simultaneous GS&P projects on the campus. I think the lesson learned here is that you have to keep your eye on the prize for the whole campus. You have to ask how each project fits so you don’t just build yourself into a corner, so that when all’s said and done, all areas complement each other. Since we have worked on the campus and done more and more projects, everyone’s become more comfortable with the changes and with us. JIM:

I think it was unique in that they were so trusting of everything that we did. We came in and presented our vision, and they said absolutely, go forward. And, the response that we’ve received has been overwhelming. I have met a couple of kids through other church organizations who visit there and they cannot believe what we did at Shades Mountain. They say it’s their favorite place to get together, and they go there all the time. TERRA:

What was your design inspiration for the space? Is there any one aspect for which you are particularly proud?

I knew that the big display wall was important, and that is where the design concept originated. We designed a cable and rod display system with green, blue, and red walls. It was very important to have an area to display their current events and also have a TV, so I started there with some sketch paper and just started drawing. The form just progressed, and I incorporated it everywhere else. TERRA:

Is that where your choice of color and materials came from?

TERRA: I presented them with two different schemes. One was a warmer scheme that would’ve had just punches of color, but would’ve been a little safer. The other option was bolder and brighter and was clearly my favorite. I started with a carpet sample and built from there. Once I found out what our final budget was, we selected the other finishes. We also had to add the costs associated with the engineering, so I decided to see what I could do with bright paint colors because it created energy and movement.

Honestly, with this project we were so fortunate that everything, especially during the renovation, turned out exactly the way we planned it. That rarely happens. I couldn’t have asked for better feedback and better clients or a more positive reaction.

TERRA:

JIM: This project has generated a great deal of visibility throughout the community for GS&P. People don’t generally expect us to do this type of work, but it is very fulfilling for the staff. We are very honored to be in the Showcase. It is always nice to have your work recognized, and I think this one definitely deserves it. ■

Jim Griffo, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP, has been principal-in-charge for Myrick Gurosky & Associates, Inc. projects since 2000. In that role, he works with both MG&A and the owner to ensure that the project goals are met. Terra Douberly, IIDA, uses her talent as an interior designer to creatively interpret her clients’ goals and translate them into innovative and memorable designs.

LEfT the space prior to renovation was a labyrinth of small eclectically furnished classrooms. untouched since the 1950s, the rooms were filled with donated furniture from congregation members and poorly served the needs of the youth program.

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area Seen in photos

Sarasota Memor ial H os pital C en t r al E n e r gy P l a n t

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Sarasota Memorial Hospital Sarasota, Florida Architecture Planning

Engineering Peace and Quiet

Outstanding Citizen Involvement Award

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Florida Planning and Zoning Association

SHOWCASE TWO

Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) desperately needed a replacement patient care tower, and achieving this goal required the relocation and expansion of the central energy plant. Although commonly out of view on most campuses, the new site and expanded project scale required a central energy plant that would be highly visible to the adjacent residential community. With surrounding neighborhoods firmly against the anticipated noise from the new facility, SMH and GS&P worked to constructively engage community groups and effectively mitigate concerns. This project ultimately won an Outstanding Citizen Involvement Award from the Florida Planning and Zoning Association and is an excellent example of how a design effort can serve the needs of a client while also reinforcing credibility in the community.

North Parking Garage

Waldemere Medical Plaza

Pine Tree Center

Cape Surgery

Heart & Vascular Institute

Waldemere Street Waldemere Street

Physician Office

US 41 - South Tamiami Trail

West Hospital Drive

New Central Energy Plant

Bayside East

Waldemere Parking Garage

Waldemere Tower New Replacement Bed Tower

Hawthorne Street

Northwest Tower Critical Care Tower East Tower

Arlington Medical Group

South Wing

Retter Wing

Laurent Ave.

Doctors Gardens

Laurent Pl.

Arlington Street

Medical Arts

Pedestrian Connector

Sarasota Memorial Hospital New Surgery Expansion

South Parking Garage

North

One of “America’s Best Hospitals” - U.S. News & World Report

aBOve as part of Sarasota Memorial’s campus-wide infrastructure redesign, the new central energy plant is required to upgrade the utility services on the campus and make a site available for construction of the new bed tower. rigHt an early diagram of a redesigned cooling tower. Community group opposition to the potential noise of the central energy plant forced gS&p and SpX Marley to design a custom cooling tower. the custom design led to many of the design features of the building.

Cooling tower discharge Boiler exhaust Cooling tower intake

Cooling tower intake

Generator intake Generator exhaust

TEAM

INTERVIEW /

Orlando Lopez-Isa, AIA, LEED AP

PI C

Matthew Harrell, AIA, ACHA, LEED AP

Jeff Talka, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

James R. Kolb, RA, LEED AP

Ray Wong

M ATT H ARRELL , J E F F TAL K A

Describe the scope of this project.

the finished plant. How did you address this?

Sarasota Memorial is a very large county hospital, one of the premier facilities in the state and highly ranked in the nation. The hospital has thrived and been recognized for great care in spite of physical plant facilities dating back to the 1950s. One of the main components of the project was the design of a new bed tower to replace beds and services located in the oldest sections of the building. However, that couldn’t happen unless the existing central energy plant (CEP) was relocated and expanded.

MATT: The hospital hired a nationally renowned acoustics expert to do baseline acoustical testing all over the neighborhood to determine the ambient noise level. Then we demonstrated the sound in an auditorium, and the neighbors felt it was too loud. So, as a separate test, we created a model of the sound by placing speakers on top of the existing parking garage and playing the sounds at the volume the CEP would make. The sound went out of these speakers and into the neighborhood so everyone could hear exactly what it would be like.

MATT:

What drove the renovation/relocation of the central energy plant?

The community was very concerned about this project. Discuss some of the initial objections.

One of the main concerns for the adjacent neighborhoods was the potential for excessive noise coming from

a few were worried about coal being delivered

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The hospital has interacted frequently with an established neighborhood advisory group for years. So from the very start, the hospital always intended to discuss the project with the advisory group to make sure everyone was ok with it. But, in this case, they decided to talk to the City of Sarasota first to make sure they had no issues with it. Unfortunately, the neighborhood heard that the hospital was submitting this to the city and assumed they were going to be excluded from the process, and they became actively and aggressively mobilized against the project. There was a lot of misinformation floating around, but, at the same time, they care about their neighborhood and were concerned. MATT:

MATT: There are two major sets of equipment. One is the emergency generators, which are basically big engines. There are five 2-megawatt generators, so that’s 10 megawatts of power being generated. The others are the cooling towers. Water flows through the cooling tower, which has 12-foot-diameter fans that are used to do a heat exchange for air conditioning the hospital. So there’s the noise of the water falling, the fans from the cooling tower, and the noise of the generators. The community was just very concerned that their quality of life would be disrupted by noise from this energy plant. A few neighborhood members were worried about coal being delivered to the “power plant,” a huge misunderstanding, as the generators are a backup system for emergencies and the hospital gets its electricity the same way everyone else in the neighborhood does, through the local utility company. They are powered by a fuel system, not coal.

SHOWCASE TWO

MATT: One, the hospital has an aging infrastructure, and two, it’s in the location that the new patient tower needs to be. We studied multiple locations for the CEP site and ended up locating it at the rear of the hospital across from the loading dock.

What parts of the new structure had the potential of causing the most noise?

Why did the community finally support the project? MATT: At the last city commission meeting, several of the neighbors stood up and said how much credibility we had with them and how pleased they were with the process. They said that because of the effort and the involvement of the hospital and the whole design team, they trusted that the hospital was going to do the right thing.

In this case, over a two-month period, there were 19 meetings that touched on community involvement. The hospital actually hired one of the neighborhood members to represent the community. The community representative participated with the project team so that he could report back to the community and keep them informed. He came to the design team meetings, which built a lot of credibility for the hospital. We were basically scrutinized at every turn, but everyone buckled down and worked as a team. We knew that if we could work with and convince the community representative, he would carry that banner back into the community, and he did. So it’s really just a matter of getting them involved.

Jeff:

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SHOWCASE TWO

over a two month period, there were 19 meetings

What adjustments to the design did you make as a result of the community’s involvement? Describe some of the modifications you made to the design as it progressed. JEff: Initially, the design incorporated these packaged, offthe-shelf cooling towers. In the end, we completed three iterations of the design. When the community groups opposed, due to the potential noise, we had to go to SPX Marley to design a custom cooling tower. This change actually formed a lot of the design features of the building. The parameters we gave SPX were, “Your contract is to provide a cooling tower that could accomplish the 10,000 tons of cooling as well as meet the sound ordinances.” So basically, it was a performance specification that we gave to SPX, and they provided a one of a kind turnkey option to Skanska.

be the same, but we now have specialized expertise to anticipate and solve issues like this in the future. The Sarasota School of Design is a concept that’s widely respected in the area. What role did this concept have in the look and feel of the new structure? MATT: There was a well-known modern architect named Paul Rudolph who did a lot of projects in Sarasota. The style is typically white and very simplistic with strong geometry. It works well in an area like Sarasota that has a lot of bright sunshine. There’s a very strong historical precedent for that style of architecture in Sarasota, and it was something that we looked at as a design driver or point of inspiration.

Are there any regulations in Sarasota about the height restrictions or even this style of architecture?

The city required that we go to a design review committee with concept and schematic drawings, which set the height, area, and volume relationships. In essence, we had to guess how big this thing needed to be so that SPX could make the acoustics work because it was so customized. We ended up with the tallest part of the building 80 feet from the ground, which was a function of the cooling tower having enough sound attenuation to meet the noise ordinances. JEFF:

Did that present a challenge? MATT: Yes. Here you have an 80-foot building right next to the street line, which is right next to a residential neighborhood. The challenge was to sculpt the massing so that it complemented the neighborhood context. We actually stepped it down so it gets lower the closer it gets to the neighborhood. The building scale reaches more of a pedestrian level at the street as opposed to having a sheer 80-foot wall up against the curb. We were able to use technology that was driven from the needs of the cooling tower and the intake and exhaust wells to help mold the building.

The project won an Outstanding Citizen Involvement Award for its interaction with the community. We’ve won awards before, but this one is unique, isn’t it?

Does this design set a precedent for future designs?

Absolutely. If we have a hospital that has to build a central energy plant and there is a concern about noise, we’ve solved that problem here. Not every situation or solution will

MATT:

MATT: Yes. The Florida Planning and Zoning Association presented the award, and it was unique because of the level of community participation. By winning the approval of the community for the CEP and gaining that credibility, it eased

the hospital campus is surrounded by historic residential neighborhoods. the central energy plant’s new location is directly adjacent to a residential area, initially causing concern for the nearby community.

the way for approval of the tower. We didn’t run into any of the same issues regarding the tower because of the successful working relationship on the CEP. And we’re talking about a nine-story building and a couple hundred thousand square feet of floor area. It’s a big building. There were a lot of things that might have caused the neighborhood concern with the bed tower. But the process with the CEP had gone so smoothly that there were no objections from the city on the bed tower. What aspect of the Cep process, design, or solution makes you the most proud?

It’s the same with us. The hospital and the community expect us to be competent architects. They expect us to address the technical issues, to make sure the building is sound, and that it looks nice. But beyond that, I’m proud of the way that we’ve been able to take care of the client by essentially partnering with them through the process. We were integral to the relationship between SMH and the community. That’s some of the additional value we were able to bring.

MATT: You’ve got to be a creative problem solver. For Sarasota, I think we really reinforced that approach. The team sought to understand where the client was coming from, and we focused on what we could do, not what we couldn’t do. Then we took extraordinary measures to do what we could to solve the problem.

That’s what I try to teach our staff here, because we’re consistently dealing with clients who have demands that are difficult to accomplish. We have to remember that there are a lot of demands on our clients, especially in healthcare. When we really understand their needs, we can figure out creative ways to meet them. Our clients ask us to jump through flaming hoops for them, and our reward is when they come back to us and ask us to jump through more flaming hoops. The best recognition you can get is for your client to come back and say, “Hey, I’ve got another really tough project. You want to come join me on it?” ■

mattHew Harrell, aia, aCHa, leed aP, is a principal of healthcare for gS&p’s tampa office and has led the design of hospital and healthcare facilities for more than two decades. His previous experience as a staff architect at a large hospital gives him a unique perspective and sensitivity to the needs of gS&p’s clients. Jeff talka, aia, nCarB, leed aP, has more than 30 years of experience designing technologically complex facilities. in his role as project professional for the SMH central energy plant, he was able to compile and interpret the needs and requirements of multiple players into a cohesive product.

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MATT: I’m proud of the added value we provided. I compare it to the experience of a patient in a hospital. When you go to a hospital, you expect that the doctors are going to help you. That’s a basic expectation. But it’s the other things that really set great experiences apart — how they take care of you, the level of technology, etc.

JEFF: Keep the lines of communication open. We had a great triumvirate with the owner, architect, and builder. From day one, it was always a team effort. We did a lot of pre-construction work and a lot of investigative work that really bore fruit at the end.

SHoWCaSe tWo

With Sarasota, I’m very proud of the fact that we had an extremely contentious situation and were able to work with the community and the client. It was a really, really good team, and the hospital has a group of great folks. We were able to keep the client happy and come out with a really great product that hopefully sets the bar for the bed tower project. JEFF:

Moving forward, what are some lessons learned from this that you might apply with other projects?

SaraS ota MeMor ial H oS pital r eplac eM e n t B e d to w e r

the nine-story patient tower will link two existing towers, creating a connection between support services. the new tower includes medical and surgical patient floors, a labor and delivery unit, level 2 & 3 nicU, and a new main lobby which consolidates the functions of reception, preadmissions testing, registration, and outpatient surgery entry and discharge.

25069.00

Sarasota Memorial Hospital Sarasota, Florida architecture engineering environmental Graphics interior design planning

reconnected

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As part of a campus-wide infrastructure redesign, Sarasota Memorial Hospital recognized the need for its new ninestory patient tower to enhance efficiency in patient care and greatly improve the experience for patients and their families. Of primary concern was the difficulty staff and visitors had in navigating the facility. GS&P designed nursing units based on a holistic view of key service adjacencies and interunit interactions, known as platforms of care, and linked the new towerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upper floors directly with those of the previously disconnected existing towers. Wayfinding was also greatly improved through the design of a new main entry and a new orienting courtyard. The new tower, due to be completed in 2012, will further improve patient care at one of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading healthcare providers.

Glass-filled spaces, terrazzo flooring, wood grain finishes, and natural colors all help to create a more soothing environment for patients. CloCkwise from Top lefT reception station; typical semiprivate patient room; medical surgery floor; private nicU room.

TEAM

Orlando Lopez-Isa, AIA, LEED AP

PIC

Matt Harrell, AIA, ACHA, LEED AP

Tamara Rice, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP / Robert Berry, AIA, NCARB

Greg Wieland, AIA

Carrie Kovacs, IIDA, LEED AP / Emily Farrell, IIDA

I N T ER V IEW /

ADD ’ L

Ta m a r a R i c e , B o b B e r r y

Describe the hospital’s environment and need for GS&P’s services.

The majority of the hospital was built in the 1960s and 1980s, and the last major renovation was the addition of the critical care tower in 1992. So it’s an older hospital that hasn’t been able to keep up with the latest and greatest offerings in family-centered, patient-focused care.

TAMARA:

What have been your biggest challenges to date, and how have you been able to overcome them?

How have you been able to do what other architectural firms have not?

Community involvement was a large part of the project’s success, correct? Bob: Absolutely. The hospital did such a great job of working with the community. During the central energy plant portion of the project, they actually brought one of the neighbors in and made office space available in the same area as the

Bob: We’re going to create a very strong orientating element with the new main entrance. As visitors approach the new building — under a long canopy similar to an airport — they may choose to enter the hospital either through the new main entrance or the surgery entrance several feet further. The Emergency Care Center (ECC) also has its own identified entrance. Wayfinding will be improved by a new exterior courtyard between the new and existing patient towers. Improved wayfinding will also include new signage inside the facility and also throughout SMH’s off campus locations in the community to provide a consistent, uniform message.

[GS&P has] taken this effort further than any other architect has been able to do in the past

Currently when a patient comes in for surgery, she has to find her way around the existing hospital for registration, then find her way over to preadmission testing. It’s a very confusing process. With the new design, surgery patients will go in

TAMARA:

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BOB: The biggest thing is not only listening to what they have to say but understanding what their needs really are and applying them in the right measure. I know that sounds very intangible, but the master planning process for the new bed tower is really the key. We very diligently worked with them and offered solutions that they may not have seen in the past.

A key element of a visitor’s experience is proper wayfinding, something that was a major need for this facility. What have you incorporated in the bed tower design to provide these improvements?

S H OWCA S E TWO

BOB: The bed tower is part of an overall master facility plan, which Sarasota Memorial has been trying to create for many years now. They tried two or three times with other architects to develop a successful master plan, but they could not accomplish the hospital’s needs within a reasonable budget. So the biggest challenge has been to stay within their budget. They are a public institution and are scrutinized and responsible for being a good steward of public funds. So far, we’ve been able to meet their needs, and have taken this effort further than any other architect has been able to do in the past.

planning director’s office so that the individual could observe everything firsthand. As a result, a great level of trust was built between the neighbors and SMH. Even now, as we’re developing the final plans and approvals with the city, county, and various public entities, that trust carries into the reviews by city officials. The groundwork laid by the hospital to include the neighbors in their planning has had a very significant, positive impact.

one door where they will be greeted, registered, and escorted to preadmission testing or up the elevators for surgery. Families will be given a pager and can wait in an open courtyard. Once the patient is ready to leave, the family is paged and everyone exits the same door they came in. In simple terms, patients will always be dropped off and picked up at the same place. Describe the hospital’s current processes with regard to patient care delivery and GS&P’s proposal to improve their systems of care. BOB: The new design creates many more private rooms. Instead of traditional semiprivate rooms with very antiquated small spaces, patients will have a more spacious, private environment. We’re also integrating the functionality of platforms of care, which is a concept that groups similar types of care together.

Before the redesign, departments were located all over the place. With the new floor structure, for example, women’s services will all be on the same floor. The OB area, mother/ baby antepartum, and testing/triage will all be co-located. The NICU will be located directly above labor and delivery and connected with a dedicated elevator within the unit. TAMARA:

and separate space will be provided within the patients’ rooms for their family members to be involved in their care. What was the driving force behind the new bed tower design? TAMARA: Sarasota is well known for the Sarasota School of Architecture, a modern regional style of postwar architecture that emerged on Florida’s west coast. We wanted to be sensitive to the surrounding design so it will blend nicely into the community. The lighting, the site work, everything has a greener focus. The materials selected throughout the building create a soothing, spa-like palette.

beautiful, open, and airy spaces...clean, modern finishes, beautiful lighting Describe the use of color and the materials used to create the spa-like environment.

The lobby on the first floor is going to make a very big statement for the hospital with beautiful, open, and airy glass-filled spaces, terrazzo flooring, clean, modern finishes, and beautiful lighting. The patient floors will incorporate very simple wood grain finishes, some beige, and natural colors to make it a soothing experience. Tamara:

Will the nurses’ stations be larger or closer to patient rooms?

In the NICU, we’ve provided a nurses’ station between each pair of beds along with larger nurse stations so that nurses can meet and compare information. The new design incorporates the best of both worlds because our experience has been that nurses need both a quiet place to work and a larger space to meet as a team to discuss patient care.

S H OWCA S E TWO

TAMARA:

Describe the new bed tower patient rooms.

Sarasota is unique in that it has a very seasonal population with many people who live there only during the winter. Because of the fluctuating population, the hospital pursued plan approval from the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) just prior to the code change that would require all private patient rooms. During the off-season, the semiprivate rooms will become highly upgraded rooms where a patient’s family can sleep in the other bed. The semiprivate rooms are also unique in that the patients each have a separate door that they enter, unlike the typical semiprivate room where you enter the room and have to walk past a bed to get to another patient bed. They are really very similar to private rooms but share a bathroom between the two rooms. The new private and semiprivate rooms will be at an angle so patients can look outdoors. All toilet rooms will be accessible, TAMARA:

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This project is scheduled to be completed in 2012. As product costs continue to change, what steps must you take to ensure that all budget needs will be met? Tamara: Because being good stewards of public funds is so

important to us and our client, we must be in constant communication with our partner, Skanska, to stay on top of the budget. We have regular meetings to discuss anything new, which Skanska, in turn, updates so that we always have a running total of prices that have changed since our original estimate. We have to make sure we’re not spending money where we don’t need to spend money so that, in the end, we have a hospital that is going to look nice and be family-focused, but not extravagant. Everything has to have value. How have you been able to organize such a complex project?

We have three separate teams of people in our office working simultaneously on these smaller subprojects. To integrate multiple interior renovation projects and an early-

Tamara:

1st Floor Main Entry, Lobby, Registration (A), Pre-Admit Testing (B), Outpatient Surgery (E), Reception and Discharge (K) 2nd Floor Open to below 3rd Floor Mechanical/Utility 4th Floor 33 Bed NICU 5th Floor 12 Bed LDR, 3 OR C-section suite 6th Floor 36 bed Medical/ Surgical 7th Floor 36 bed Cardiology 8th Floor 36 bed Cardiology 9th Floor 36 bed Orthopedics

The first floor of the new tower will replace the existing internal corridor system that meanders through the floor plate, with no natural landmarks, orienting devices, or logical organization. The new plan is conceived as a concourse spanning most of the building length, creating simplified access points to functions and vertical circulation. Thoughtful placement of registration and discharge functions will provide for a controlled flow of patients and visitors.

What part of the project do you find the most rewarding? BOB: I’m working with our client to keep an eye on all the pieces that are happening at the same time, and it’s

This is a huge, complex project where we are touching just about every part of the hospital. I’m very proud of being able to manage the scope and complexity of a larger project which has so many little projects that are part of it. The complicated nature of the project, and being able to logistically work it all out, has been very difficult, but rewarding. ■

Tamara:

robert Berry, AIA, has more than 22 years’ experience focused primarily on large, complex hospital projects similar to Sarasota Memorial. Bob’s role as senior architect for multiple projects on the SMH campus, including the bed tower, allows him to manage its complexities for schedule, budget, and design. Tamara Rice, AIA, has 12 years of experience designing hospitals for top healthcare systems. She works as project architect for Sarasota Memorial, focusing on clinical design and planning.

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BOB: The new bed tower is part of several pieces that have to come together for a successful master plan. Although the bed tower is what many are excited about, we have eight different project leaders, all architects, who are responsible for a significant component related to the new bed tower project. I’m very proud of the way each of them has focused on his/ her individual pieces of the puzzle and how well each has worked together to coordinate that. And it’s not just these members. It’s our consulting engineers, our environmental graphics team, the contractor, and the owner. Everyone is working very well as a team.

something to be proud of. The finished product is going to be a very attractive facility. The new front entrance, alone, is going to change the hospital almost completely. Plus, they’ll have state-of-the art patient rooms in the new bed tower. In the end, when it’s all said and done and the process is behind us, I think we’re all going to be very proud of the campus.

S H OWCA S E TWO

release package with the new bed tower project, we have to constantly coordinate with each other. We utilize much more internal communication than normal. It’s imperative that we know every single little piece and part of this very complicated project.

L eg ion Street im pr ovem en t S

Context-sensitive solutions were utilized to transform Legion Street and match it to the historic look and feel of Clarksville. the new streetscape now encourages and accommodates an increase in pedestrian traffic and special events.

22824.03

City of Clarksville, Clarksville Streets Department Clarksville, Tennessee Engineering Landscape Architecture Planning

Strawberry Alley Forever

SHOWCASE TWO

In a state of general despair, Legion Street was known by many as a back alley for businesses in downtown Clarksville, Tennessee. GS&P understood the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to revitalize downtown and, in cooperation with the city and stakeholders, developed a plan that would support the vision for the area. By focusing on a two-block section of Legion Street, designers transformed the small area into a safe, attractive user-friendly place while also creating a backdrop for community events and an inviting environment for businesses. Now downtown visitors enjoy clean, wide sidewalks, belowground utilities, flowering brick planters and a sculptural fountain.

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ABOVE The buildings along the corridor had a history of water damage due to abandoned coal chutes beneath the existing sidewalks. Each property was evaluated individually in order to develop an acceptable retrofit to the existing structure prior to backfilling the coal chutes and reinforcing existing walls. BELOW Prior to improvements the sidewalks were non-ADA compliant, power and utility lines were aboveground, and utility poles added clutter to the street. Legion Street now serves as a welcoming entry to those visiting or patronizing downtown retailers or conducting business with officials in city hall.

Before

TEAM

Michael A. Flatt, P.E.

PI C

Jody Vance, P.E.

Jonathan D. Haycraft, P.E.

INTERVIEW /

J o n a t ha n H a y c r af t, M i k e F la t t, J o d y Va n c e

Describe the Legion Street project. Jonathan: When we first met with the mayor, he said that he was tired of looking out his office window onto Legion Street and seeing a back alley of garbage cans, overhead electrical, utility lines, and broken-down sidewalks. He wanted to renew the street and make it something the city would be proud of and property owners would take pride in.

What was the city’s vision for the street?

Legion Street was the next piece of the puzzle to bring life back into downtown. They wanted it to be a happenin’ place. Franklin Street had been done one street over, and was somewhat successful. They had learned some lessons from that, and they were very specific about how they wanted this done differently.

What other innovative design elements did you use to create the warm and happenin’ atmosphere?

They really wanted attractive lighting for nighttime events. And, since they wanted to have a lot of street events, we incorporated power to support a sound stage for a large concert or event. Now they can easily go over behind a shrub and plug in anything in the world that they want. We also placed power receptacles up and down the street so the street vendors can plug in their popcorn or hot dog carts and they’re ready to go. Mike:

Mike:

What did they want to do differently?

Mike: With the bookends of the buildings on each side, if they wanted space for pedestrians and events, then they had to give up something to create that space. They chose to give up a twoway street and turn it into a one-way street. They also gave up on strictly parking on one side, which was a big deal to them. So the city’s leaders and the stakeholders — the businesses along the street — were the ones who had to compromise.

Jonathan: Coordination between utilities is huge when you get into downtown areas. This project had water, sewer, gas, telephone — which was a big deal — electric, and cable TV that were all on top of each other. Who was on top varied when you moved another 10 feet or in front of another business. Generally on projects like this, one utility comes in at a time, makes their adjustments, and then they get out of the way; then the next guy goes in and does his adjustments. In this situation, we met on the front end and went over the schedule, and explained how important it was to the city that they all be out there at the same time, including the contractor. So, we met weekly with them. The contractor worked on one side of the street, and the six utilities worked on the other. Two weeks later, they’d swap sides.

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Can you give an example of something they had to give up in order to have something on their wish list?

One of the complexities of this project was working with all the utilities. How were you able to organize the process?

the next piece of the puzzle to bring life back

SHOWCASE TWO

Mike: They wanted more elements than just cars on the streets. They wanted to encourage business owners and pedestrians by having space with wider sidewalks. They wanted to be able to shut down the street from traffic altogether and hold events. All these things were put into the big picture. When we started, the city gathered all the businesses along the street and invited them up to his conference room. There was no agenda. It was just a brainstorming session, which led to some give-andtakes, like if you want this, you have to give up that.

Jody: There are standard light plugs at every light pole for Christmas lights plus, moveable 400 amp power receptacles for a stage band, which can pretty much be placed anywhere. We set an empty spot in two places that they can move around. They just have to run the wire.

What other challenges did you encounter? Mike: One of the big issues we knew about going into this project was the existing sidewalks, which were slabs of concrete on top of the basements for the buildings, which used to be the old coal chutes. When the sidewalk was removed, you had an open shot into the basements of most of these stores. To make sure there was no downtime, one of us, along with the city manager, would be there every time the contractor opened up a sidewalk to tell him what to do and the appropriate way to fix it.

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SHOWCASE TWO

So these guys knew up front what was expected of them?

some to understand the flexibility that this job and design required. They couldn’t fathom doing it this way, with flexibility to make adjustments as needed. Basically, business’ doorsteps were not going to change, so we had to change what we did to meet the doorsteps from building to building. In this case, we set up the job with flexibility and made that clear right up front to the contractor: you’ve got to do this and we’ve got to do this. And, we also integrated design during construction to ensure that this flexibility was still within ADA compliance. I think it’s a clear demonstration that you can be flexible and still meet the rules.

business’ doorsteps are not going to change, so we have to change what we do to meet the doorsteps

Mike: We had strict guidelines for them to follow with an outline for the sidewalks. But we also explained to the owner that in order to do that, we needed some flexibility in the budget. So they worked with us and took our recommendation for creating a budget to allow us the flexibility to address each situation one-by-one, because no one fix was appropriate for every one of them. That was scary, because we honestly didn’t know if the whole street would fall in when it got started. [laughter]

Was this your preferred method of handling the problem?

Another way to do the job would have been to open up every sidewalk in front of each business to see what was there and address each individual circumstance so that when the contractor bid the job, he would know and feel comfortable with it. But we didn’t have time to do all that. Jonathan:

Jody: The city definitely got the right contractor. When you have so many unknowns, like the coal chutes and all the utilities, you often have contractors who throw a big fit with every little change that’s different from the plans. This group knew on the front end that we’d have to work through things, and they worked with us and had some good ideas of their own. Also, it was a pretty complex project with a lot of different people involved. We had the six utilities, our team, the city, and internally, there were four divisions that worked on the project.

Jonathan: There were so many opportunities for a fiasco. If there had been one bad player in the mix, it would have never happened. Having worked on projects before with several utilities like this one, the way everybody worked together to create a seamless job was amazing. ■

If you could name a specific part of this project for which you are most proud, what would it be?

I think we are still surprised that we got this project done within the schedule that we did. And that took a commitment not only from GS&P but from the client and his staff as well. It took a huge buy-in from their engineering department. Mike:

Jonathan: People often say that contractors are among the most stubborn people in the world, so it was hard for

Jonathan Haycraft, P.E., has more than nine years of project management experience on a wide range of project types. As lead project engineer for Legion Street, Jonathan led the team to deliver a flexible, adaptable design. Michael Flatt, P.E., served fourteen years as a transportation manager with the Tennessee Department of Transportation before joining GS&P. As principal-incharge, Mike relayed the client’s needs and goals to the project team and ensured expectations were met. Jody Vance, P.E., has 25 years’ experience as a civil engineer, and is senior engineer and operations manager of transportation in GS&P’s Nashville office. As project manager of the Legion Street project, Jody coordinated the activities of the multidiscipline team.

City of Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper, joined by members of the city council and the public, celebrating the completion of improvements to Legion Street. From 1859 until the 1940s, the street was known as “Strawberry Alley” as it had served at one time as the strawberry patch for the mayor’s wife. In the 1940s, the city renamed it Legion Street to commemorate veterans. To honor its past, the mayor announced that a oneblock portion of the street would be renamed Strawberry Alley.

SHOWCASE TWO

Before

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After Prior to construction, most businesses backing up to Legion Street used the area for rear entrances and trash removal. Now the block of historic-era buildings adjacent to the courthouse enjoys enhanced viability and attractiveness for small businesses. Instead of being torn down, the buildings will continue to frame a civic space that is important to the city and its residents.

U.S. Space a n d R oc ket c en t eR

ABOVE the center’s main attraction is the 470-foot-long display hall for one of the three remaining Saturn V rockets — the vehicle that took man to the Moon. Floor graphics explain the rocket’s stages and components. BELOW I-565 travelers are attracted by views of the facility and the rocket inside the building.

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U.S. Space and Rocket Center Huntsville, Alabama Architecture Engineering Interior Design Landscape Architecture

The Final Mission

S H O W CA S E T W O

The U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s Davidson Center for Space Exploration celebrates one of the greatest technological accomplishments of the twentieth century: the mighty Saturn V rocket which carried man to the Moon. In addition to providing a striking and innovative solution to house this significant artifact of America’s space program, the overall design guides visitors through the story of the Saturn V and Huntsville’s role in its development. GS&P’s museum-like solution honors the rocket in a dramatic setting and invites visitors to explore one of mankind’s greatest achievements and adventures.

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Associated Builders and Contractors project of the year North Alabama Chapter

cLOckWisE frOm tOp at night the rocket is beautifully illuminated through 17,000 square feet of curtainwall. the orientation Hall (theater) seating design was inspired by the colorful attire of spectators watching a rocket launch in the 1960s. paul calle’s striking painting of a Saturn V rocket launch serves as a backdrop to the monumental stair. a view skyward captures Huntsville’s impact on aviation history by contrasting William L. Quick’s monoplane, an early powered aircraft prototype that flew in alabama in 1908, and the Saturn V rocket designed at nearby Marshall Spaceflight center.

tEAm

Robert Murphy, aIa, Leed ap

pIc

Robert Murphy, aIa, Leed ap

keith Starnes, aIa, ncaRB, Leed Ga / anne-Marie Gianoudis, IIda, Leed ap

Scott Wilson, aIa

Michael Mann, assoc. aIa, Leed ap

Jim Griffo, aIa, IIda, Leed ap

iNtErViEW /

add’L

J I M G R I F F o, k e I t H S ta R n e S , a n n e - M a R I e G I a n o U d I S , S c ot t W I L S o n, M I c H a e L M a n n

How did GS&p get involved with this project? JIM: It actually started as a transportation project in 2001. The Space and Rocket Center, Redstone Arsenal, and Botanical Gardens in Huntsville were to be linked by an intermodal facility. The actual Saturn V display building was to be an add-on, but in the end the intermodal facility became a future project, and the Saturn V building became the feature. KEITH: Once they decided to wait on the intermodal and proceed with the Saturn V building, they wanted it to be an iconic building. The rocket is actually owned by the Smithsonian, not NASA, and they required the rocket to be protected, stipulating that it couldn’t continue to sit out in the elements rusting away like it had been for the last 30 years.

the new building. That alone was a chore. We worked with the construction manager to build three sides of the building with the roof on, but left the west end of the building open so that we could literally take stages of the rocket and back them into the building one at a time, and then finish the building around it. That was done probably at around 50 percent completion of the building. The roof was on, but the entry part of the building wasn’t complete. Were there any special considerations for the support structures used to keep the rocket in place?

KEITH:

JIM:

After we bid the original project in 2005, we spent much of the year working with the owner on how to move forward. In early 2006 we met to recraft the current design into something more budget-friendly, and after the project CEO, Larry Capps, informed us of some budget changes, we proposed a completely new, one-building design. This happened literally in one afternoon’s meeting.

It’s not often that you’re challenged to move a multi-ton rocket. describe that process.

KEITH:

The third stage has one engine in it, and it’s got some weight. The rest above the third stage is not part of the original rocket. They’re mock-ups and don’t have much weight to them compared to the other stages. We looked at the drawings for the original rocket with the structural engineer and NASA to figure out a way to attach cables and factor the weight into the load of the building. the client wanted an educational museum experience while conveying the mission of the space program. What challenges did this present to the design teams?

To start, we had a very conservative budget, so we had to take into account the types of materials to use for a major tourist attraction that would attract half a million

ANNE-MARIE: KEITH: We first had to create a road for the heavy equipment to move the rocket from behind the existing museum into

the building is a canvas, the rocket is the art

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JIM: I think the reason we were able to hold on to the project was because we had the discipline and the talent to keep working on it even when the mission changed so drastically from an intermodal facility to a display building. It’s interesting that this was such an interdisciplinary pursuit between architecture and transportation. We were able to be a trusted advisor, and I think we helped the client out quite a bit.

The first stage by itself weighed 300,000 pounds, so we’re talking about a significant piece of hardware here.

SHoWcaSe tWo

How did the team alter design direction and deal with the changes?

KEITH: The supports were already part of the NASA equipment for the rocket. We actually moved the support structures for the first and second stages with the rocket, so the rocket never left its carriage assembly. We just cleaned it up and made it part of the structure to hold the rocket up once it was in the building.

people each year. We not only had to consider wear and tear, but we also had to work with the maintenance staff to understand their preferences. For example, instead of using carpet in areas we normally would, we used rubber flooring. It had the aesthetics we wanted, and the maintenance department loved it. We also used polished concrete to create a contemporary moon surface. Again, it was that very basic utilitarian look we wanted for both the outside and the inside of the building, because the real star of the show would be the rocket itself. What elements went into the design to create the educational museum spaces?

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Anne-Marie:

We used the rocket as inspiration for the exterior and interior color palette. Black and white, the two predominant colors on the rocket, translate into the building as the color of the metal panels. Different colors like red, yellow, and green from some of the intercessional parts of the rocket were used for directional colors and accents throughout the facility. The exhibit designers, Fricker and Radetsky, came in to fill in the Saturn V exhibition space with a variety of artifacts. They also came up with a floor graphic that runs the length of the Saturn V. It’s actually an educational tool that shows visitors the different stages of the rocket as they’re walking. What was the overall goal of the interior design?

Anne-Marie:

Because the rocket was in different stages, we wanted visitors to travel through the exhibit in stages as well. As you enter the building, it’s as though you’re going into space. The ceiling is black, and we used porcelain tiles and concrete flooring, again reminiscent of the moon’s surface. We also used Centiva flooring which has a mother-of-pearl look and a blue color representative of the big blue marble of Earth as it’s viewed from space. In essence, as you walk down the staircase, you leave space behind and return to Earth. As visitors enter the rotunda, they see the painting The Power to Go by Paul Calle, one of the first artists in NASA’s fine

arts department who painted and sketched many of the early space missions. The Smithsonian loaned us the painting of the Saturn V blasting off, and we worked with a wall covering company to replicate it on a vinyl wall covering and put that in the rotunda. The auditorium is very unique. Describe some of the details of its design. Anne-Marie:

Past the lobby area, there is a 360-seat auditorium where visitors first learn about the rocket, and then enter the Saturn V building to actually see the artifact. The idea for the multicolored chairs came from our research photos in which we found pictures of people watching the rockets launch at Cape Canaveral during the ’60s race to space frenzy. All the women had on these print dresses with very vivid colors, so I tried to replicate that look using a variety of colors to resemble spectators watching a launch. What was your concept for the architecture?

Michael: Since we wanted to maintain a utilitarian approach, the portion of the building that houses the rocket is very streamlined so that nothing distracts from it. The building itself is a canvas, and the rocket is the art. There are four large windows that overlook the interstate so that the building becomes a living billboard to the city of Huntsville. At night, the building is illuminated so all passersby can see the rocket inside. Also, since it’s a north facing wall, we were able to use clear glass without any heat gain from the sun. So, especially at night when it’s lit up, it’s very clear, and you can tell exactly the content of the building, which is kind of unique for a museum.

At the very core, you were involved in preserving a significant piece of history. What part of this project are you most proud of? Jim: You don’t get to do one of these very often, and I think the entire design team realized the significance of this artifact. It’s one of the few remaining Saturn V rockets left in

In the plaza, the rocket sits much like it would on its gantry pad, and acts in some respects as the sun with planets locked in orbit around it. This orbiting relationship is manifested in the paving patterns found on the plaza. The intent of the design was to develop a building and site that convey the utilitarian architecture of the space program by letting the architecture be subordinate to the artifact it houses.

Scott:

We promised them a building with tremendous curb appeal from the highway, and we delivered on that promise. I also think the new design speaks metaphorically on several levels about space travel, as well as the utilitarian nature that’s on the ground in these great facilities. We can all take great pride in the fact that we came up with the initial concepts and made them a reality. It didn’t falter or get diluted. Keith: My dad was the chief city planner of Huntsville, and I lived there as a kid back in the 1960s and ’70s. He knew

We literally participated in the last meaningful activity that any human being is ever going to do with a Saturn V rocket. In essence, we put the finishing touch on the whole Saturn V program by taking the last Saturn V rocket and seeing it on its final journey. I’m really proud of that accomplishment. ■ Anne-Marie Gianoudis, IIDA, LEED AP, researched the true history of the space program as well as the design of the rocket itself to draw inspiration for the interior. Jim Griffo, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP, is the corporate and urban design studio director at GS&P’s Birmingham office. His studio has produced many high-profile projects in Alabama, including the Mercedes-Benz Visitor Center and the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Michael Mann, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, developed the details and coordinated the building systems to ensure that the design concept was fully realized. Keith Starnes, AIA, LEED GA, project professional, assisted the client in rethinking the building program and crafted the approach to include a construction manager. Scott Wilson, AIA, conceived the overall design concept and followed the project through completion.

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Michael: In essence, we took a large metal, pre-engineered warehouse and made it into a museum, a billboard, and an advertisement that everybody can see as they drive by. I’m proud of the fact that we accomplished something that’s important to Huntsville and for the Space and Rocket Center.

Wernher von Braun, a couple of the astronauts, and some others at NASA. So I had that tie with my dad, which was special.

S H O W CA S E T W O

the world. The whole design team treated it with respect and reverence, and really wanted to show it off effectively.

Shan g hai Int er n at ion al M ed ic al C it y

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Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Republic of China Shanghai, China Architecture Planning

Small World

S HO W CA S E T W O

Medical tourism is an innovative medical practice taking place on an international stage. The Shanghai International Medical City master planning exercise integrates the functional requirements of a state-of-the-art medical tourism hospital with three facilities. The integration of two very different modalities is demonstrated in an international scheme that fully integrates the entire campus and a resort scheme that reduces the large building forms into smallscale expressions. The project further strengthens GS&Pâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to compete on an international level and serves as an innovative example of a new form of healthcare delivery.

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Middle Tennessee AIA honor award Unbuilt Category

ABOVE Resort scheme facilities are separated by a main axis road through the site. Buildings are kept to a smaller scale, and faรงade treatments extend landscaping up in the structure. PREVIOUS PAGE International scheme facilities are linked together with a medical office building. Similar needs within each hospital are located near the central hinge, and the ancillary bases are connected internally, creating a new ground plane for the patient bed towers.

TEAM

Kevin Kim, AIA

P IC

Mack McCoy, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

Frank Swaans, AIA, LEED AP

Greg Wieland, AIA

Brent Hughes, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

Sejin Kim, Associate AIA, LEED AP / Lindsay B. Hamilton, LEED AP

INTERVIEW /

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K E V IN K I M , GREG W IELAND

Medical tourism is a relatively new concept in healthcare. Describe your initial discussions with the client and their vision for the outcome. Kevin: Medical tourism is a big buzzword for many countries because the cost of medical treatment, particularly in the U.S., is skyrocketing. One of the ways to tackle that is through a global society, where you can go to other countries and get the same type of medical treatment at a much lower cost. It’s becoming a big revenue industry. Singapore, Thailand, and India are all doing it.

People are looking for alternatives because they can’t afford conventional services or their insurance won’t pay for it. Now insurance companies are looking at this because it could save them money compared to what they usually pay. Greg:

What are some of the associated challenges?

What types of treatment are proving to be the most popular for medical tourism, and what are the associated costs? Kevin: Bypass surgery is very popular. It costs about $140,000 in the U.S. But if you go to China, certain insurance companies will provide two business class airline tickets, hotel accommodations, and food for you and a family member. On top of that, they give you $10,000 spending money. Plus, you get the procedure done at a cost of about $40,000. So the insurance company saves about $100,000 instead of paying $140,000 here. All of a sudden, this becomes a very viable option.

families feel confident that they can care for relatives It sounds like medical tourism is potentially a movement toward global healthcare.

S HO W CA S E T W O

Medical tourism involves a collection of many programs located together, such as retail, entertainment, hospitality, cultural events, etc. The challenges will come with the logistics of how you move services around the site for all the various programs. We are talking about creating an underground highway system to connect all the different places. Greg:

of paperwork to put through a payment system because Chinese hospitals have to know how to get paid by U.S. insurance companies. And they look at other service lines to see what popular procedures, like cosmetic surgery, can be done in offices.

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What did the feasibility study include? Greg: There is a difference in medical costs between the U.S.

Kevin:

We had to define medical tourism. Then we looked at other potential markets, one of which was an enormous Chinese community outside of China. For example, just in the United States, there are Chinese-Americans who are actually willing to go to Shanghai for treatment. That represents an incredible amount of healthcare expense when you consider that Chinese-Americans are spending $2 billion a year on healthcare. So we looked at the market, we looked at percentages, and we looked at terms of insurance.

and other countries. Also, while you may have a three-day stay in the U.S. for some hospital procedures, in China it might be two weeks. The question becomes, “How do you make the patient and family comfortable for two weeks?” Medical tourism’s answer is to include everything you would find in the hospitality industry, such as a five-star hotel, bars, entertainment, and retail: families feel confident that they can care for their relatives and have a vacation at the same time. It’s drawing people in from around the world.

Feasibility studies also look at potential problem areas such as follow-up service. They look at the different types

Kevin: It’s interesting that medical tourism probably started in the U.S. It used to be that people came here to get the

best of healthcare. And people still come to places like M.D. Anderson or Johns Hopkins for treatment. However, now people can go to other countries — and pay less. It’s become a price war because the same quality healthcare is starting to emerge in other countries. In India, most of the doctors working in medical tourism hospitals have done some work in the United States — they either went to school or practiced here. Patients also have easier access to experimental treatments abroad because the United States requires FDA approval, which takes a long time.

the resemblance in the plans where the hospitals, hotels, and various structures are linked together. These visual trails create artistic features that lead visitors to destinations within the complex.

it’s drawing people in from around the world

This started as a competition project, and now we’ve done the feasibility study, the program, the plan, and created two very distinct options for site development. Where is the project right now?

I’ve always thought this was a long shot. It is such an ambitious project that will involve a lot of people and investors. But Dr. Xu, our client, has already received commitment from two hospitals, and he indicated they may actually start developing the site fairly soon. It’s a three-hospital setup with one shared facility providing state-of-the-art technology. Such technology is expensive, so it makes sense for all three hospitals to share it. What was the reasoning for the two Shanghai design concepts: the international and the resort?

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S HO W CA S E T W O

Kevin:

Another idea was to create a resort feel or scale by breaking down the large building masses into smaller, unique proportions. This creates more intimate outdoor spaces and more of a community feel. Is it true that there is a requirement that all patient rooms must point to the south?

The Chinese believe that in order for an environment to be healthy, it must have sunlight. There is a regulation stipulating that a percentage of rooms must have a certain amount of sunlight for two hours a day, and to achieve that, rooms must face the south. Even residential houses like to have southern exposure so that you get lots of low sunlight in the winter, and high sunlight in the summer that doesn’t come in as much. Kevin:

The buildings and layouts become quite linear to allow maximum south exposure to most of the patient rooms. About 85 percent to 95 percent of the rooms face south or have access to southern light. Greg:

Why did the client ultimately choose GS&P?

I think their basic goal was to engage international architects who specialize in healthcare. When you’re trying to appeal to international patients, you must have a facility with international standards. At the same time, they knew we understood certain requirements for the local population because we had done some hospital design in China, so it was a good combination. Kevin:

We weren’t sure which design direction the client would value most, so we thought we’d better give them some options. They actually like both of them. The concept for the international scheme was driven by the notion of internet access and new technology, allowing us to connect with the world, like a circuit board. We actually used that as a metaphor for the building’s design, which has a tectonic, state-ofthe-art look. Greg:

If you look down on the design from above, you can see that we made water trails on the roof gardens, which create visual pathways from the hospitals. If you think about a circuit board with everything plugged into a network, you can see

Greg: And since a lot of their physicians are trained in the U.S. and are used to practicing a certain way, the client really likes the idea that you can help them develop their hospitals or facilities in a similar fashion. It is hard to explain to someone who has never been through that before, so it’s an advantage that we have.

The interior concept integrates the functional requirements of a state-of-the-art medical tourism hospital and hotel with additional services to support the local Chinese community.

What would it mean for us as a firm if this project goes through? Greg: This is a new industry. If this moves forward, it gives us a foothold in becoming a medical tourism industry leader. There are other major architectural/engineering firms that are making great efforts to get involved in this new industry. Kevin: We’ve already developed a lot of trust and can speak

about it with some authority. Frank Swaans and Sheila Bosch speak at many of the healthcare forums on medical tourism. When I visit hospitals in Korea and China, the subject of medical tourism always comes up. At this point, what part of this process and your design gives you the most pride? Kevin: It was a good opportunity to meet this client and

begin a potentially long-term relationship. It has also opened up a new opportunity for us in medical tourism, which we could market to many different countries and clients.

Greg: I am always interested in new ways of thinking about

our current industry, so medical tourism sends us in a whole new direction. It’s pretty exciting to bring all of our experience and knowledge together for something like this. One of the great parts about working with Kevin in China is seeing him bring a lot of these new ideas and challenges to GS&P. We are challenged to think differently about healthcare, and we can carry that information to other projects. You learn through trying different approaches, and we are so fortunate to get those challenges here. 

Kevin Kim, AIA, has more than 25 years of design experience, and frequently consults on GS&P’s healthcare, corporate, aviation, and international projects. As principal-in-charge, Kevin served as the primary liaison between the design team and the client. Greg Wieland, AIA, is a recognized leader in innovative planning and design for large medical centers, cancer research facilities, community hospitals, and medical centers of excellence. His 30 years of experience were critical in developing the vision and design goals for this new type of healthcare delivery.

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS Tim Buchman The Dilworth Walk Blain Crellin Zhongrong Jasper Tower Joe Lapeyra Nemours Home Office Brian Robbins Nissan North Americas Headquarters Patrick Ross St. Joseph Medical Center Bob Schatz Cookeville Regional Medical Center Patient Tower Addition / Nissan North Americas Headquarters U.S. Space and Rocket Center Scott Wang Lower Big Haynes Creek Pump Station, Gravity Sewer, Force Main, and Storage Tank

SPECIAL THANKS Daniel Boone and Lithographics Printing

intercall debbie leighton and Maine Proofreading Services Kelley McLaughlin and Athens Paper Company

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Lynn Yates

SHOWCASE TWO

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