PRESENTATION TIME!!!

After a long 9 weeks of hard work... our project is finally coming to an end! This project has not only opened our eyes to the healthcare world and the struggles of Tulsa North but we have also been introduced to the world of Aggieland!

This past week was more intense and extreme than we anticipated. We spent day and night finishing up our exterior renderings which we attempted (and succeeded) in 3Ds Max program. We had never done an exterior rendering before which made for an interesting experience and became very time consuming. After learning the tricks of exterior renderings we successfully concluded 4 renderings. The exterior renderings were all created Sunday and Monday and Photoshoped on Tuesday.

Tuesday and Wednesday we focused on creating and perfecting our presentation boards. We lucked out and finished our boards just in time on Wednesday to print before all the other groups and not have to deal with the backup of printing and running out of paper and ink.

From Sunday up until Thursday at 10:00 am we struggled to finish building our model. This model was rather simple except for the atrium roof. This roof was made from thin, transparency paper. In order to perfect our model we had to attempt to keep all finger prints and excessive glue off of each individual piece. This was rather difficult.

After only 20 hours of sleep from Sunday to Thursday (that is from the interiors, architects slept about 10 hours) we began the long trek down to College Station. This was not as bad as we expected and took us about 6 hours. The next day, after a wonderful 8 hours of sleep, we presented our project at the College of Architecture at Texas A&M. Our reviews with the professors, students, and professionals went extremely well and we were very excited for the positive reviews. Saturday we all woke up first thing in the morning and began our trip back to Norman just in time to watch OU become the Big 12 Champions for the last time. Next up... Tulsa presentations tomorrow, bright and early!!!

The final weeks...

­Interiors:

This week being Thanksgiving break, we did not accomplish as much as we had in the past weeks but continued to work over the break to meet our upcoming deadline. From last Sunday we worked extremely hard to get all of our interior renderings and section perspectives complete. We accomplished this and we were even able to Photoshop each rendering to create more realistic views. We also finished rendering each floor plan and began aiding the architects in rendering the exterior of the building.

Over the break, we not only ate a substantial amount of turkey but we also researched each material used within the interiors and gathered the specification information that pertained to healthcare facilities and sustainable design.

For the upcoming week we plan and must complete all the exterior renderings, put together our presentation, finish gathering all of our information that belongs in our project booklet, make the materials board, and drive to College Station all by 5:00 PM Thursday and somehow get a good night sleep before the drive.

Architects -

This week we finished our sketchup model by adding shading systems to the facades vulnerable to sunlight, and making final decisions on window placements, and materials.  We also finished designing our two remaining happy spaces, the living machine water treatment area, and the family garden space.  Our site for the final model has been cut out and put together and the rest of the model is a work in progress, but thanks to our awesome interior designers, we were able to laser cut the pieces of our roof out and build a template, and now its just a matter of putting the final roof together.  Our plan for this last week is to finish up the renderings, really crack down on the model, and work on the final drawings for our exterior wall sections, ventilation diagrams, and structural diagrams.  Sleep is over rated anyway.....

Week 7: RENDERING.....

Architecture:

This week we worked on further developing the exterior of the building by adding mullions to the atrium, detailing the materials on the facades and deciding on window placements around the remaining facades of the building, as well as the community shopping center we also chose to redevelop.  We also managed to finish building our site model and finalize our parking and remaining parts of the site. 

Interiors:

This week we worked really hard to get as many of our renderings done as possible.  We wanted to make sure that these were ready to go so that we would allow plenty of time for the very long rendering times.  Our massive glass atriums are a great design but with all the reflections and refractions of the daylight and interior light they make for extensive render times, however in shifts we managed to move that mouse every twenty minutes for the eight hours that they were rendering.  Aside from the rendered we have started to contemplate how we want to present our project at both the A&M and Tulsa locations.  This part of our project will be executed in the few days after we return from Thanksgiving break.

Goals:

This week the architects plan on working towards final renderings, as well as working on the final model. For the interiors, we plan to complete our last section perspective along with starting and completing at least 30% of our construction documents. We also are going to have all of our perspectives and other renderings complete in Photoshop by Tuesday in order to send them home with us to work on the presentation layouts over the Thanksgiving break.

Week 6: Development and final details

Interiors:

Last week we set goals for the interior to finish at least two renderings and begin to render the furniture floor plans. Unfortunately we overestimated the amount of work we could do in a week. The two renderings we were referring too are extremely detailed and enormous spaces. Because of this we were only able to finish 90% of the renderings. The chemo station perspective needs to have the garden space hand rendered along with the café area. The café also needs the roof structure to be put in place and then final render.

Along with the renderings of the perspectives we also finished the elevator “skin” model and began to render the café furniture floor plan. The café floor plan in about 80% complete and will be done by the end of Tuesday. We also worked on the modeling of the patient exam rooms. We specified the systems furniture that includes two bottom cabinets with a sink and two upper cabinets for storage. This rendering should be done by no later than Wednesday!

Architecture: This week we completed our final site development stages and finished the development of our under ground parking.  We also finally figured out our structural system that will support our glass atrium roof.  We found a system that will gives us the support we need without significant impact to the interiors.

Skin for the elevator:

Skin for the elevator:

Unfinsihed perspection of chemo stations:

Unfinished perspective of cafe:

Goals: ID-  goals for this coming week are too finish all renderings in 3D Max and have them ready for Photoshop.  Also we are going to complete our reflected ceiling plan for the developed 8,000 square feet as well as teaming up with the Architects to start working on our section perspective.  ARCH- goals for this coming week are to start and make significant progress on the site and building model.  Also to complete the exterior walling section drawings and models.  GROUP- to stay focus during this next week to get most of our project completed so that when we get back from Thanksgiving break we can focus on our presentation.

Week 5 Development!

Architecture:

This week we began to work with the site, choose materials, and detail facades and atrium spaces.  After fully analyzing the site we realized that the drop in elevation was much steeper than we had originally planned for.   Seeing as though we wanted our building to feel as though it were part of the site and not just planted on some flattened surface, we began sketching to think of ways to use the change in topography to our advantage.  Our solution was to use the lower elevated part of the site as an entrance to an underground parking garage under one of the wings of our building.  This way we could free up the parking spaces that were close to the “happy spaces” around our building and use it for green space. 

For materials we finalized the decision to use locally produced materials such as Tulsa limestone, and Tulsa lumber for the large amount of forestation in the area.  By using these materials we are able to create a warm and inviting feel, make the building feel more local, and hopefully help stimulate the Tulsa economy by buying  materials that are being produced in that region.

We also began to make decisions on types of spaces we wanted for our three atriums.  Instead of having three spaces that all felt the same, we wanted them to be different to create interest to the visitors of the hospital to encourage exploration.  That being said we came up with three different themes for the “happy spaces” within.  The first is a Japanese garden, meant to be therapeutic and calming for those going through chemotherapy.  The second is a family garden with more local vegetation, picnic tables, and more family activities for people who are visiting /waiting at the hospital to go.  The last one we have decided to use as a water treatment area in which we would use a “living machine” system to help clean the purify the water within the building. 

Interiors:

The beginning of the week we began to buckle down on the modeling of the interiors. We fully developed the café area and determined the egress plans and circulation patterns for all three floors. The café is a key element in our design of the “Epic Center” that sits above the porte-cochere and entrance. It is designed to be the place to get away from the chaos and grab a coffee and bite to eat while getting a great view of the surrounding neighborhoods and a glimpse of downtown Tulsa.

After many hours and days of modeling of the specialty clinic, chemotherapy, dialysis, café, and entry, we were finally able to bring our design into the rendering phase. Before the rendering began, we had to carefully select the views in which we would show the client. These perspectives would allow the client to fully grasp the connections between each space and the overall appearance of the building’s interiors. We also had to narrow down our material selection in order to render the perspectives correctly! This process sounds simple however it is a difficult development. When choosing the materials to go within each space, we had to take into consideration the type of material, the environmental impact, the durability, and the strict requirements that healthcare facilities demand.

Materials Chosen:

Goals for the upcoming week:

Our goals for this next week are to really start focusing on the details of the building, finalize the roof structure, and if all goes well start working on our final model. For the interiors, we plan to have at least 2 renderings done and begin to render our floor plan. Although the interiors portion does not sound extensive, the rendering portion of the project is the most time consuming.

Week Four: HKS Presentation and Design Development

Week Four:

After traveling 190 miles south to Dallas, we were excited to show off our progress to HKS. However, the people who criticed our project focused mainly on the site and retail space more than we anticipated. This made us begin to consider our site and retail development more which took the focus away from our clinic space for awhile. Once regaining our attention on the clinic we began to consider our plan in relation to egress and code.

Architects:  Throughout our presentations at HKS we were questioned about the ways in which we were choosing to handle the site.  After hearing opinions from other professors we were forced to re-evaluate the reasons we had for knocking down the existing shopping mall.  Some of the people critiquing said the shopping mall was a landmark within the community that shouldn’t be taken down because of the emotional attachments people in Tulsa North had to the building.  This made us really start thinking about why we chose to do something different.  Our choice to knock the building down was derived from the presentations in Tulsa earlier this month.  In the presentations it was said that the hospital we are designing was meant to be an epic-center for which the Tulsa North community was to start a new development.  In our opinion to fully redevelop a community you must start by taking away anything with bad connotations within the area, and although the Tulsa north shopping center was a place in which historical events took place, the events were mostly negative and were encouraged by thoughts that people in today’s world are trying to forget.  By taking down the shopping center you have the room needed to start to create a new image to match the new identity of Tulsa North.    Therefore our plan is to create a more functional shopping mall built from the recycled materials of the old shopping mall.  We plan to rebuild placed for all the current business owners in the area, as well as add a daycare, community center, park, and wellness center.   To better unify the buildings we have added a pond / communal space to place the buildings around, and therefore allow for more public interaction within the area. 

Interiors:  After talking with several professionals about our egress plan in our building we knew that we were on the right track.  We discussed how we would solve the problem of our third floor café’s egress without impeding too much with the structure and look of the façade.  Our group talked, sketched, and stressed over how we could solve this with our holistic approach of inside-out.  We finally decided to have the egress stairs become a feature element on the main façade by the entry.  Taking a problem and using it to enhance our design in a unique and creative way is just another part of our design methodology. 

Goals:  Our group goals for this coming week are to run, build, and stay focused.  We want to run with our ideas and critiques from the past few weeks and really move forward with all aspects of our projects.  We want to start to build… getting models finalized, site sculpted, and interiors in 3D.  And most importantly, we are really going to try to stay focused this week.  Not just focused on doing work but focus on our project goals and design.  We learned a lot from the Dallas critiques but the most useful thing we took away was that we need to stay true to want we believe Tulsa North needs, wants, and will appreciate and stand by those beliefs.

Week three: Design Development

Week Three:

 

This week we prepared ourselves for the big midpoint review in Dallas this coming Monday.  We pushed ourselves to get our preliminary designs together so that we can show HKS what track we are running on.  Our philosophy this week was to get as much of our ideas on paper so that we could get as much feedback as possible from the professionals in Dallas. 

 

Architecture: Build, build, build....The architects this week worked to finalized the massing form of the overall design of the clinic.  They whipped out a few models with different elements while still keeping the overall massing of the building for feedback in D-town.  While working on the massing models they discovered some unique ideas for the design of our roof-line and atrium spaces that will really make our clinic an icon of Tulsa North.

 

Interiors:  Space planning, space planning, space planning....  Beth Ann and I worked this week on getting the overall space planning of not only the required developed 8,000 square feet but of all the wings within the clinic.  Even though we are only required to develop 8,000 square of our clinic we feel that it is necessary to have an overall understanding of the entire space so we know that the overall building form will work for the interiors. 

 

Together:  Team work...  We found this week that our teamwork was a major assets too get our holistic approach across in our designs.  As a group we solved interior space planning issues, finding it helpful to have an architects outside opinion.  Also we discussed exterior issues like parking and the retail space layout, finding that having minds from the interior and exterior perspective was very efficient.

 

Goals: Advance....  Our overall goal for the coming week is to advance our designs.  We want to take the information and feedback from the Dallas critiques to heart and apply as much as possible to our clinic, interior and exterior.  We want to take full advantage of having a professionals opinion about our designs and use it to leap forward.