This week has been so busy and I've loved every minute of it! Monday I spent the entire day assembling 2 sets of contractor boards for Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis. Tuesday and Wednesday I started working with another designer, Jenny (so cute and pregnant with her first baby, a little boy due in August!) She is currently in the design development stage of a project for a new inn on Sewanee's campus. I put together some furniture boards in InDesign for her to take to a meeting with the client. I also mounted a bunch of renderings on foam core for her presentation. Tuesday we had a rep come in for a luncheon, but it was a really different presentation that what I've seen so far. The rep had 2 proposed patient treatment chair designs and he asked us to critique and discuss each one, aesthetically and functionally. He is trying to get designer opinions in order to make the product as best as it can be. It was really interesting for me though, because he asked them questions like, how do you spec furniture in hospitals?, what are important qualities in healthcare furniture?, etc. I really learned a lot from the presentation, and the designers had a TON of opinions, which was entertaining to hear. They don't get asked what they want very often! Thursday I got to go out on the job site at Brentwood Academy, a private high school that ESa is renovating, and walk around the construction site checking progress with one of the school's principals, the interior designer, and the contractor. Friday I spent rendering a floor plan of a whole wing of the Memorial Glenwood Hospital in Chattanooga. I had to go back and forth between the noted finish plan, and finish spec list to determine which finishes went where. Then I had to use the spec information to find the materials online, save an image of them, place in Photoshop, then I could use them to render the floor plan. Quite a process! The interns and a couple designers celebrated the end of the week with lunch at Jackson's (go if you're ever in Nashville!). This was the last week that I will get to work with Carolyn and Lauren before they head back to Cincinnati, kind of sad!! But 3 new girls (2 from Cincinnati, one from Mississippi State)are coming after they leave so I am excited about meeting them!
ESa has both architects and interior designers, they work together on almost all projects and it is accepted that the interior designers are necessary for the project's success. This is just the attitude of the company. Because of this designers are required to be licensed and ESa pays for the exam and annual licensing fees.
Designers are constantly working with the architects, contract administration groups, project managers, contractors, subcontractors, engineers, the client, and many more to make a project come together.
Designers belong to one or both ASID and IIDA. The company also pays for annual dues for professional organization membership because they really value their employee's involvement. The designers are involved in lifelong learning and they have very up-to-date knowledge of new materials and trends. Reps are constantly coming in, 6 to 8 times a week to present new materials and products. Designers also are required to get CEU credits.
ESa is very big on community involvement. The owner, Earl Swensson, is rarely in the office; he spends most of his time in the community and earning a great reputation for the company with the public. The firm participates in many charities including $5 Fridays where employees pay a $5 donation to a local charity to wear jeans on Friday. The interiors department especially is involved in a program called the "Pencil Box" similar to ZeroLandfill. The office has a huge box that old material samples get put in and picked up regularly to donate to local schools.
As far as conflicts on the job, I was able to witness some fairly small conflicts when I went to Brentwood Academy on Thursday. There were many things that the school principal was very opinionated on and he changed his mind many times on the design, even when being almost completed with construction. It was great to see how Leslie, the designer, reacted very patiently to this. She explained on the way back to the office that it's all about making the client happy with their space and that if you keep that in mind throughout the process, it will turn out for the best in the end.
"Professional" is one of the best words I can use to describe ESa. They make sure that everything they do is done right and appropriately. The company is strict about computer and internet privacy, for example. To try to avoid inappropriate activities connected to ESa via internet, there are strict rules described in the handbook. This is just one example of how ESa values professional ethics in everything they do.
;)
Stephanie at her desk
This is Stephanie, also cute and pregnant with her first child, due in September! Her and her husband are not finding out the sex of the baby because they want to be surprised! Stephanie graduated from UT. She is currently working on the NEA Baptist Hospital Cancer Center and the Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis.
I am loving getting to hear about all of your different interning experiences!!! Tomorrow morning (bright and early...) I leave for a family reunion in Pensacola, Florida so I'll be off work for the week! I hope everyone has a great week!