[week.03] digging the schedule

I really dig the schedule. I'm up in the morning, I have a routine and I'm loving it. 

 At Smee+Busby, Susan is our interior designer. She is a UT graduate and has had a wide variety of experience. She has won national awards for both 4 Market Square and East Tennessee Children's Hospital. Susan is an essential part of the team, and the others in the firm recognize how hard she works! 

You can check out the credentials and descriptions of my wonderful coworkers here: who we are

On a typical project, we work with mechanical engineers, civil engineers, structural engineers, general contractors, interior finishes, installers, building inspectors, fire marshalls, etc. We are so connected with other professions. 

Everyone at Smee+Busby is very involved outside of the office. We are involved in AIA, ASID, Historical Zoning Commission,  NCARB, Knox Heritage, Leadership Knoxville, the State Registration, and Susan serves on several different boards. We are involved in lifelong learning, acquiring about 20 average hours per year through CEU classes and other events. Everybody is licensed in the state of Tennessee. We have professionals with NCARB, NCIDQ and LEED certification, and Steve is licensed for roofing. 

Heck yeah we do community service! In fact, we do a TON. You can check out a cool one here: Faulkenberry Treehouse

As well as the treehouse, we are involved at Knox Heritage, the Womens Shelter, projects in Haiti (Chris is super involved), ETDC, and an orphanage. The list is much longer than this - Smee+Busby is very devoted to the community. 

When conflicts arise within a project, communication and documentation is utmost important. Our goal is to satisfy our clients 100%, so we resolve things as quickly as possible if or when conflicts arise. Many times, if a client asks for a specific feature within a design that we had not included in the contract, we may have to bring in another professional, and resolve the issue by having thorough documentation of the scope of work on a project. Professional ethics are important during any issue on a project, be it small or large. Properly documenting everything is the first step, the second is to always be polite, factual, and remember the chain of command. Honor and honesty come first.

This week Susan and I are focusing on finalizing finishes for our client as well as aiding the client in choosing a contractor. We have a meeting in Wartburg, TN to show the quality of work from a contractor that we are recommending. The meeting is just Susan, me, the client, and the contractors. It was great to meet the contractors and see how a meeting goes in this type of situation. This week I have completed a drawing for a volunteer project that we are doing for a Church, and it is currently off to get a quote. Friday I spent time reorganizing and filing the things that we have pulled.

Cheers.

Happy Textile of the week: 

Blue StripesFarmers Market on the Square3Form in the office

Week 4

The past week was very basic. I spent a portion of time on our intern project. This past week in particular, we focused on more dry details and came up with typicals for each of the programmatic spaces. We’re also working on getting pricing for some of the items, such as the green roofing system and some water collection barrels. We also worked on a phasing plan. Because of the budget, we will not be able to complete all of the necessary items at first. So we have come up with 3 stages for expansion.

As a part of the intern program, HOK has put together weekly coffee talks which are on Thursday. This past Thursday, Sarah, the founder of HOK Impact, came to talk with us about the scope of this new pro-bono arm of HOK. Impact recently finished construction of an orphanage in Haiti. Next week, Impact will head up our diversity week. Sarah inspired me with thoughts on the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) and how this can start to transform our businesses and our world.

Ekin (far right) and some of the design team at our outing

Person of the Week: Ekin is originally from Turkey and is new to HOK. She speaks three languages and is gorgeous and funny. As a part of the strategic accounts and planning group, Ekin asks all the questions for pre-design and puts together strategies for workplace planning, making the designers job much more informed.

HOK markets mainly through online media, namely HOK.com. HOK.com just got a facelift in the recent months. The website revamp had in interest in increasing viewing pleasure. A key point was making a complex website that would be compatible with smart phones and tablets. Also, the website encourages users to stay on the website longer by adding small tabs on Thought Leadership and Design. This prevents user from coming finding what they were looking for and getting off. They end up learning what they intended because of a good structure and even more as a result of the new features.

HOK engages and contracts jobs in all fields. When trying to win a project, HOK has thousands of past project examples to pull from. Fields of particular specialization are healthcare, specialty labs, sustainable structures, and corporate. Accounting is handled in-house. Much of accounting is done through an online database, which links all computers together. Each project is assigned a project number, organized by year. Every time a designer incurs a fee associated with a project they bill to that project number. Our time sheets work in the same way.



Week 4

Week four has come and gone.  Monday was some more sample ordering and office organizing, including ordering more storage containers for our fabric samples.  I also ran a few errands.  We were out of some office supplies so I made a Office depot run for toilet paper, scissors, a thumb drive and a few other things.  I had know idea office depot sold toilet paper either, so that was funny to me.  I also went to purchase the Adobe suites for some of the new computers we have gotten.  Monday was also used for me to put some sketches into Cad for the new Residence Hall.  I had three of my last four Revit classes and learned some really cool stuff like 3D sections and converting 3ds to Revit. Here are some pictures. Revit renders need more Photoshop but they aren't too bad.

Friday was a calm day after 11 am because it was the deadline for all design work in the Residence Hall. After a little celebrating we also found out that we are in the running for a new project.  I am not sure if confidential it is, so I'll keep everyone posted if we do get it.  I finished boxing up all the carpet samples we are not using to send them back to the manufacturer.  

Lauderdale Design Group markets their services through bidding for projects, referral, giving cards to Reps, and going to conferences, such as NeoCon this past month.   As an interiors firm only, they have worked with several different architectural firm and have built a good reputation through their collaboration.  The main focus of LDG is Commercial work and here recently it has been education work through UT.  However, LDG also works in Retail, Hospitality, and even some Residential.  Here is the website that show some of their great work: http://lauderdaledesigngroup.com.  As for the accounting, I do not know the answer, Joy was out of town Friday, but I will find the answer and repost about it. 

I finally met someone new this week, and I was a great new connection to have.  Seeing as Friday was more of a calm day, we were able to have a rep meeting with Wolf Gordon.  Wolf Gordan is originally a Wall Covering company that has recently expanded into a Fabric and Upholstery company as well.  We, here in Knoxville, have a new Rep named Kristen Howard.  She lives in Memphis and cover all the way to Knoxville now.  We of coursed discussed BBQ and other Memphis things. I even recommend the best BBQ in Knoxville, which i think is Archers.  She was being trained on the new material by the LA rep, Suzanne St. Clair Whitney, who gave me her card and said to look her up once I start looking for a job after Graduation.  I will be sure to do it too.  I love how helpful most people in the industry are we they think they could connect me to a job or show me something useful and new. 

Week 7: Everyone is low on yardage

First thing Monday morning my computer was having issues so Lorraine gave me a furniture package to proof read. Then Boris came in and fixed all my computer problems. He saved the day once again! I also got to place furniture in a floor plan in AutoCAD. Monday afternoon I put together the furniture package I had previously proof read.  I then pulled a few samples from the library. Tuesday morning I started to pull all the discontinued Azrock VCT samples from the materials library, but just to be sure I wasn’t taking any current samples from the library Brennan contacted the Azrock rep to come in and update. I then called two textile companies to see how much available yardage they had in stock so we could put the appropriate upholstery in the furniture packet. The two companies turned into 6! Everyone was very low on upholstery, but I think we finally got it figured out. We finished putting the furniture packet together so it could be sent out. Wednesday I pulled the F100 sheets together from all the current projects to make an excel spreadsheet. Once all the information is together in the excel spreadsheet I will then be able to alphabetize the sheet. Thursday I continued working on the excel sheet that I still have a good bit of work left to do. I also helped Lorraine quickly change a few items in a furniture packet and filed some items in the materials library. Friday was my half-day so it flew by, yet again. I pulled flame spread information for a few materials and finished a floor pattern in AutoCAD. Friday I also got to meet another doggie! I hope everyone is staying cool and hydrated. I wish you all a Happy Fourth!Lightning

Client/Staff interactions; assessment processes; client types

Email, phone calls, and meetings are a few ways the Inner Design Studio staff interacts with their clients. At Inner Design Studio they try to have a casual personable relationship with the client. Right now they are currently working on implementing a survey for client to fill out once a project has been completed. Sometime they have the opportunity to do another project for the same client. When this happens they often ask the client how they liked the result of the last project. From there the designers learn what they should or shouldn’t carry over into the new project. The designers are constantly learning from their projects. Weather it’s during a walkthrough or a phone call from a contractor, the designers learn what materials can and can’t do for future projects. Inner Design Studio has started putting together a notebook with paints, finishes, floor patterns, casework elevations, and a floor plan. They do this for the facility’s convenience incase a janitor or someone in the facility needs to paint over or replace anything. There is not currently a post occupancy evaluation process, but they are working on it.  Inner Design Studio is involved in healthcare design. Depending on the project the designer could be working with the head of the facility, the head of a particular department within the facility, or a committee. No matter whom the designers are working with they do the best they can to create the type of environments their clients desire. 

Anni and meAnni is the Controller at Inner Design Studio. She handles the numbers and also many other various tasks. I will be sitting at my desk and out of nowhere Anni will come running around the corner! She is so sweet and always smiling or laughing. Anni is the mother of the office. She is always making sure everything and everyone is okay.  A fun fact is that Anni has a pet rooster!

Week 6

This week was so HOT!

Monday I actually slept in because my flight got in really late the night before! It was nice to have a day to get all settled in before I started work again.

UFP artwork I worked on!

7 EastTuesday I met with Heather and Rebecca to catch up on what I missed. We heard back from the VP of the cancer institute about the door frostings I designed a few weeks ago. She said that they weren’t what she was expecting, so it was back to the drawing board for the design, and I was stumped because Heather, Rebecca, and I really liked the design. I also worked on floor patterns for Labor and Delivery. We also had a rep visit from NationalNew Main Road-- almost complete! Wallcoverings. Rebecca and I did a preliminary walkthough of 7 East, a patient floor that will be renovated in the near future. We also had the chance to go by the UFP, which is where the artwork and quotes i worked on were being installed. It was cool to see something I worked on be finished and installed. We then went to a road signage meeting, which discussed the design of the signs that will be displayed on the new main road. 

 My birthday presents from Heather and Rebecca!Blown glass backlit with colored LED lightsWednesday was my birthday! I brought in doughnuts for everyone in the office that morning! Heather and Rebecca got me a necklace and a pair of earrings from Southern Market! It was so nice of them! That morning we went through all of the artwork choices for the 4^th floor of the Cancer Institute, which led to a walkthrough of the Cancer Institute. I also went with Heather and Rebecca to get their Fit Test, which is where they get fitted for masks that will prevent them from being harmed if there were some type of emergency in the hospital. All full time employees of the hospital have to get one of these tests yearly. After the Fit Test, we got to see the samples of blown glass that will be part of an art piece in the Main Waiting area of the Cancer Institute. The blown glass will be backlit with LED lights, so we played with the settings of backlights and different types of blown glass.

Patient RegistrationThursday was pretty busy. We pulled more options for the Corridor, and worked more on choices for the artwork in the Cancer institute. We had a staff meeting where we discussed every single project going on, being proposed, or anything else we may need to know. We did a walkthrough of the Patient Registration, which started recently. We also had a monthly management meeting where the President of UTMC gave us an update about everything going on in the hospital. Heather, Rebecca, and I also looked at options for a custom ceiling and wall fixture for the Radiation Oncology department in the Cancer Institute.

To stay up to date with FF&E, the designers go to trade shows, product reps come and keep us up to date, and designers go to the Nashville Healthcare Design Conference. We have a materials library that product reps keep up with that we use as references when making selections for projects.

 Michelle

This week I interviewed Michelle who is Harry’s assistant. Harry is the VP of Facilities Operations. She is the most energetic person in the office, and is always coming up with ways to make everyone smile. She is currently renovating an old barn to live in that she can also hold events such as family reunions and weddings in. her favorite thing to do is go on mission trips. She is actually leaving for one in August! She will be going to Africa to work at a clinic for ten days.