2012 JUNE
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Today the Tompkins team grew a member as we added Chris Richards to our team. Chris is a recent graduate of Drury University who has been actively involved with Eco Abet here in town. Originally from Kansas City, we are excited to continue our steady growth.
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Today one of our team members was recognized in the latest installment by the KTISMA Journal, a publication put out by the University of Oregon. This publication acts as a platform to further the conversation of architecture at large. This Issue is entitled Appropriate Interface. For more information about the organization as a whole please visit their website here.
Today we sent part of our team out to go over the 95% drawings with the Seattle VA Project. This project involves a third and fourth floor addition to the existing Seattle VA Hospital. The third floor addition is made up of 3 unique OR rooms, including a standard OR, a robotic OR and a hybrid OR, with an internal X-ray machine. The fourth floor addition is a dental clinic, as seen in the renderings below. It includes three oral surgeries, thirteen operatories, and four hygiene stations. We cant wait to get their feedback.
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Tonight we ventured out to Raintree, an area south of Lees Summit, to meet with the residents and discuss the renovations to their duckpond building. Here is a sneak peak at some renderings of what the building could look like after the renovation is complete.
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This week we finished the renderings of what the OR will look like in our Seattle Project. Outstanding! The Hybrid looks great and we are glad to be one of the few firms selected to pioneer this operation room type. It has been great working with the manufacturing companies to get everything in place for the Robot OR as well.
This week we had a discussion about Habitat for Humanity and ways in which we could improve not only their operations but how we could improve the constructions of homes here in Kansas City. We believe shelter should be available to everyone and support the work that Habitat for Humanity does to provide affordable housing to low income families. Our work looks at how we can apply emerging concepts from the theory of "Mass Customization" to the construction methods used by Habitat. Enjoy.
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Habitat focuses on building simple, decent, and affordable homes. Our focus when approaching this challenge was to improve the efficiency and stretch the reach of families that Habitat could assist. Knowing that the homes Habitat builds are constructed largely from volunteer labor, which can vary in quality and experience, we felt the need to simplify the construction methods and take lessons learned from the Mass Customization movement.
Through establishing spaces where the community can interact and enjoy the company of their neighbors a stronger and tighter knit community is established. This encourages that homeowners and the community will take pride in where they live and make it a desirable location. This desire will make it more likely that the properties will keep their value increase in value.
PLUGABLE WALL: We propose a consolidation of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and major structural systems. By consolidating the MEP and internal structural members into a single, reproducible wall that could be implemented into several home sizes and designs, a more efficient home is produced. These pre-constructed walls would be constructed at a central learning center where habitat could educate the public with highly trained volunteers. Then, after construction, they would be delivered
Habitat focuses on building simple, decent, and affordable homes. Our focus when approaching this challenge was to improve the efficiency and stretch the reach of families that Habitat could assist. Knowing that the homes Habitat builds are constructed largely from volunteer labor, which can vary in quality and experience, we felt the need to simplify the construction methods and take lessons learned from the Mass Customization movement.