Fayetteville Family Health Clinic

After hours upon hours upon hours, I finally had my design for the health care clinic finalized and ready for the client(Jenn) to see. However, because of technical difficulties, we were not able to present. So I thought it worthy of putting it up on my blog for people to see. The following is a brief description of each variation for the design. In this design project, we touched on the subject of budget which at the time was very much still new to us.

This is option one, which is my lower end option. It features soft materials, bright colors, and functional spaces all on a lower end budget. This is a rather small clinic with only one doctor, one nurse practitioner, 2 nurses assistants, a clerk and a receptionist. All furniture is selected to meet our budget, while still trying to convey a sense of design thought space planning and architectural detail. The two perspectives are one of the entry/lobby/reception area and the other one is of the nurses station next to the patient rooms.

The second option is one that features the same principles of the option above, just had a higher finish level and with more architectural detail. The one is of a low end to mid-grade budget level. You will also see that the nurses station is laid out a bit differently for a more interesting space. In each of the perspectives, you still see that while the spaces still very much similar to the ones above, they both feature new and different detail to give them a little more design to them.

The last option is designed with a much higher emphasis on high-end finishes and architectural detail. Each of the patient rooms feature different finishes selected to give them a more personalized feel. Each space has a much more different feel to it than the ones from above. Higher-end finishes complement the higher-end furnishings. In each perspective, you can see a much higher level attention to detail with the light box above the door and the ceiling detail meant to mimic the nurses station below.



These three options represent what I believe are good options for doctors offices. Well designed spaces often lead to more comfortable patients. Because a doctors office can, at times, be high stress environment, its important to give the patients a since of comfort and allow them to relax a bit. Soft finishes, bright colors and good lighting allow the end users to relax a bit more than if they were in a harsh environment.


Stay tuned for finishes selection boards.

A road block!

How do you design around something you have no interest in doing? I mean we all need health care, but I find this topic to be dry at times. Perhaps there is a way to get interested in this field of design. Somebody know anything that helped them? I have never once been to a health care facility that screamed enjoy me!


P.S. Constructions Documents.............Enough Said!

Arena Design

 I recently attended a concert at the BOK center in Tulsa, OK. Ive been here a couple of times before and never really took to time to notice how beautiful the arena really is. It offers a beautiful exterior, amazing views of the tulsa downtown skyline and great interior spaces that make it seem more like an upscale shopping mall than an activity venue. It amazing how the trends have changed over the years in respect to Concert/Sporting Arenas.  Its amazing how much more thought and detail work is put into these kinds of venues when in the past they were more of just a big square or circle.

Ive noticed a trend among Arena Designers that shift attention to making the centers into works of art and not just a big square building that holds 10s of thousands of people. Look all around the world and you will see examles of how these staidums are becoming works of art. I for one believe that the Arena is part of the whole activity experience. When your arena is hot and new, the feeling is more upbeat and fun then if its in a dingy ditry old arena from the 1950's. Ive visited both and the first one is much better. There is the need to pay respect towards the Areans of our past, but these new ones are bigger, brighter, and pay much more attention to the customer service side of the venue.

Mass Transit Design

Over spring break, I took a ferry from LA to Catalina Island and couldn't help but notice that the Interiors were more interesting than some fine eating establishments I have visited. Why is that?? Perhaps they wanted something more out of the space than typical mass transit gives you. I think this is a great example of how you can take the most ordinary thing and turn it into something extraordinary. Not that this interior was 5th avenue bound, but it was still amazing to see the time and detail taken on standard things such as a mode of mass transit. The layout was also great with seating for small groups and individuals as well.

We expect good design in things such an airplane and car, but what about a buss or ferry?

What are some ordinary things you might have visited or seen that featured great design?

Importance of meeting codes

I'm going to take a break from the more exciting side of design and look more at the less glamorous side of things. Codes are something that we must abide by as designers to meet the safety of the public. Codes vary from design to design and depending on what the design is and what codes are needed to make the design safe. I'm going to focus on fire safety in design. I had a little brush with fire this past weekend at my apartment and I think it made me realize that codes are more than the typical safety aspect that you might find when designing. I'm giving full credit to the designer of my apartment for keeping the whole building from going up in flames. Everything from the sprinkler system, the fire detectors and the FF&E kept it form getting out of control. In high density buildings, its important that you select materials that are fire proof and keep the fire from spreading. The carpet, mattress & furniture were all fire rated and kept the blaze from spreading around the room. Fire detectors are a must in every room no matter the size and shape. And while sprinkler systems are not the most fancy of things, its always important to have one installed  in a high density building. Without the sprinkler system, my room mates and I would have lost everything. Codes are something  that you must always look at as a positive design aspect. They save peoples belongings and lives. And as a designer, we have an obligation to keep the users health and safety at high importance at all times.

Established chain rethinks design

Looking at the picture on the right, one would think its the next high modern boutique hotel. But, would you have guessed that its a new design concept for Motel 6? Yes, that's right, Motel 6!! This is a new design concept being studied by the chain on how to bring their properties into the new century. Code named "Phoenix", the new looks nothing like the typical motel 6.   The property being updated is the original Motel 6 in Santa Barbra.  Gone is the floral bed spread, plain walls and outdated furnishings. Here you see bright colors, modern furnishings and high modern design. You will also have a 32" flat screen TV,  Wifi and a lobby with 24/7 "food and beverage market" Its still very simplistic and efficient, yet very new and almost......dare i say.........inviting. Can revamping a brand that is synonymous with cheep, ugly and bare minimal by adding this new design make people more accepting with staying at a Motel 6? I would for sure try out this room for a night and see if the revamped product is everything the picture shows. Would you try it out?

Does Area Decide Design?

As I was walking down Dickson St. last week, I noticed a sign up that says Waffle House opening soon. I looked in the window and noticed the design hasn't changed even though it was in one of the most well known buildings in the region. Located on the ground floor of the Underwood Plaza Building, Waffle House will be serving up their food 24/7 in a restaurant that looks like every other one in the country. I wounder why didn't they change their style to better fit to their environment? So many questions...................so little answers.

I think that this is a design travesty and should be noted that this is a wasted opportunity. Why allow something that is synonymous with late night riff-raff be located in a building that is synonymous with style. Anyone have any opinions?