Seminar Research 09/28/07

I have been spending some time devoted to deciding on the square footage necessary for my hotel/restaurant/bar design for my Senior Capstone project. One of the hotels that I focused on was The Delano in Miami, Florida. It gives some typical arrangements for sizes of different areas within the hotel and different room types, such as the penthouse, apartment, and bungalow spaces. The link to the website is listed below.
http://www.delano-hotel.com/delano_hotel_meetings_plans.html#aptlink

Based on my intended uses of the hotel space, I am probably going to be interested in some of the buildings with larger square footage. The buildings that I am interested in as of now is The Hotel King, a portion of the Commerce Building, or the Kress building and its individual components. I am going to take images of the buildings and look at their relation to downtown this weekend and post images to this blog once I have done so.

One feature that I may have an interesting time in creating would be the pool area, because our location is downtown. There may be a way to get a view of the river, but I would rather preserve that view for an outdoor terrace. The Kress Building

The Fuqua Building is located near the Commerce Building on Third and Laurel.

The next building is called the Lyceum Building.

These images are of the Hotel King, located across from the Hilton Hotel. The site is being proposed as a boutique hotel.

Baton Rouge General Site Visit

Notes from Classmates on Baton Rouge General Site Visit

Mohawk Carpet = Stain Resistant
No straight lines
Besam = Glass Doors Break Away
Artworks Modular Services Company
Bringing Nature within the space
Fountains
Plants
Open Atrium – original to hospital
Neutral Materials
Emphasis on Daylighting
Designed as Outpatient Facility
Do not use spatter paint or faux finishes
Painted Finish – More serviceable
Stay away from reds and greens\
Focus on colors that make people feel good, such as gold earthy tones
Corian for Countertops
Lighting – Be careful with color of light
9’ Ceiling Heights
13-19 watt fluorescent
Carpet – Use only in corridors – not in high traffic areas such as elevators
Perma Grain
Wood Veneers (Mahogany and Cherry wood floors in patient rooms)
Balance between maintenance and atmosphere
Wood for base: can be patched
Core fabric – Concrete epoxy mix
Med N Tech Floor – Seamless floor with incorporated base
Waiting Room Seating is wood and vinyl.
Polished VCT in Clinic Corridors and Sheet Vinyl
Ceramic Tile in Bathrooms/Restrooms
The Pharmacy is located near the ER
Lab does not have to be near patient rooms

OBGYN Space for Healthcare Project

In the development of my program for the healthcare project, I visited the Student Health Center on campus. I visited the Women's Clinic because I chose to do an Obstetrics and Gynecology office. Some of the spaces that are required for the space are: waiting room, consultation room, private offices for the doctor, patient rooms, nursing station, procedure room, independent lab, and a reception for check-in and check-out processes.

At the LSU Student Health Center, there are 4 patient rooms and 1 procedure room. There is an interest in a nurse's station or concentrated area for the nurses as opposed to office like spaces that are confined within a room. For every 2 patient rooms, there is a nurse assigned. There are currently 2 doctors housed in this area of the clinic.

An important emphasis was placed on keeping the doctor's office separate from a consultation area, so that the doctor has his or her own space. Another important factor is sterilization and storage for the space. There is a storage closet located across the hall from the patient rooms ass well as a sterilization room. The sterilization room is mainly used by the nurse's assistants, and it is about the same size as the storage cabinet. I think that this space would benefit better inside of a lab space. However, the LSU Women's Clinic does not have its own independent lab facility.

Welch Allyn is the name of a company that manufactures products for Women's Health as well as other physician office types. Another useful company for charting and medical records is a company called Kardex, which manufacturers movable shelving as well as carousel filing. The Carousel file option, called the Lektriever Series 2000, is being used in the main reception area at the LSU Student Health Center for the filing of patients' records.

Senior Capstone Project -- Building Options

The Lyseum
2 floors = 15,000 sq.ft. per floor

Hotel King
200 Lafayette Street
Runs parallel to Third Street
Corner of Lafayette and Convention
7 floors and roof area is accessible
1st floor = 8,000 square feet
2nd-7th floor = 6,500 sq. ft.
Total: 46,500 square feet

232 Third Street
One that will house Chenevert Architects
Each floor is 4,300 sq.ft.
3 + stories
Total is about 15,000 sq.ft.

The Fuqua Building
Third and Laurel near the Wine Loft
3 stories with existing penthouse
Right now is an office
Each floor is about 6,000 sq. ft.
Total: 19,000 sq. ft. overall

The Commerce Building
333 Laurel
8 stories
1st and 2nd == 24,000 – 25,000 sq. ft.
3rd – 8th = 17,000 sq. ft.
Total = 180,000 sq. ft.

Third and Main
The one right on the corner is the Welsch Levey Building
3 stories
Each floor is about 4,700 sq. ft.
Total = 14,250 sq. ft.
Cannot do anything on the roof because it is pitched

The Knox Building
2 stories
Each floor is about 2,000 sq. ft.
Toal = 4,000 sq. ft.

The Kress Building
Basically faces two streets with an entrance on Third and an entrance on Main
Third Street part is 2 stories
14,500 sq. ft. for each floor for the part that faces Third Street
The other space is 4 to 5 stories on the smaller side space. It was used for state offices. Each floor is about 6,000 sq. ft. Total = 30,000 sq. ft.
The entire Kress Building is about 41,000 sq. ft.

DENTAL EQUIPMENT COMPANIES

Some websites with dental equipment (Seating, Lights, Cabinets, Monitor Mounts, etc.)
http://www.a-dec.com/domestic.asp
http://www.pelton.net/
http://www.midmark.com/
www.sirona.com/

Downtown Baton Rouge

Today, in class, there was a lecture on the downtown development here in Baton Rouge. There were are few concepts that seemed aesthetically compelling and show great potential for the city's downtown. The guest speaker's name is Davis Rhorer, and he is the Executive Director of Downtown Development District.

Mr. Rhorer began by defining the two downtown districts of Spanish and Beauregard Towns. Most of the developments are moving towards residential and mixed use facilities. The mixed use facilities are organized with residential spaces on the top floor, followed by commercial use spaces, and then retail on the ground floor. The goal in the development of downtown is to revitalize the area as well as promote the features that compliment the city, such as a convention center.

There was also discussion about the Facade Growth Program, which gives a new approach to streetscape with the intended user (pedestrian) in mind. For example, buildings are extending their awnings to include shelter from the rain and additional seating along the streets. Events are also being held to draw the community into the downtown area. Events, such as the Live at Five Concert Series, are held 8 times in the fall and 8 times in the spring. The idea is that after the three hour concert series, people will flood the streets and indulge in dining out.
Another innovative idea that is going to hopefully hit downtown Baton Rouge as soon as next year is a terrace that is extended into the river area. There will be 5 decks eventually, with a capacity of 3,00o people per deck.

Among other plans are increased residential spaces to attract the youth into the downtown district, as well as creating a town square. This town square is to incorporate a new Courthouse and the development of a City Hall as well. Currently, there are 2,500 residents in the downtown area, and the hope is to increase that to around 4,000 people.

"Quest for Community"

" A number of recent American writings indicate that nostalgia for the small town need not be construed as directed toward the town itself: it is rather a "quest for community" (as Robert Nisbet puts it) -- a nostalgia for a compassable and integral living unit"

--Max Lerner, America as a Civilization, 1957--

In our "quest for community", we must first understand the context of the American society and the developments of suburban life. Through these developments, we are able to create a third realm, known as the "Great Good Place". One of the main developments in the suburban life was the automobile, which was created shortly after World War II. The type of environment gave a sense of safety and order. However, the missing element was community, which is needed to give individuals a sense of place and belonging. Although the intention of the typical suburban home was to offer rural and urban life, it separated the individual's world.

When one looks at the American society compared to another society, several realizations can be made. For example, in Los Angeles, people are less likely to leave their homes because of the distance they must travel to reach a destination. Then, look at Vienna, traveling outside of the home is not prearranged and more convenient. The convenience comes because of the proximity of places in relation to the residential areas. The example of Los Angeles and Vienna shows that more community interaction is needed in order to reduce the effects of the evolving suburban development.

As the suburban developments continue evolving, there is less life outside the house than before in addition to a substitution of views from ideal home to ideal city. People are being taught to place personal preferences above the public good. Tract housing, which promotes community life, can also be disappointing because it requires great efforts by a single individual and depends on good relationships within households.

According to Sennet's observations, Americans lack the third realm of satisfaction and social cohesion. We are focused more on two realms: home and work. These two activities develop a pattern to life, making individuals want to retreat back to their homes in the evening away from everyone else. I see this as a true design problem that we as interior designers, architects, urban planners, and other design professions should seek to address. Because this community is inefficient, relationships are suffering because of this lifestyle. According to Oldenburg, this suffering with relationships has caused America to lead the world in the rate of divorce. So one may ask ,how do we create that third realm?

Some elements that are important in creating the third realm are setting standards for the informal public life. The people of the community should focus on the future as opposed to the past. Public spaces should be the grounds for presence of all people, which includes all races, ethnicities, ages, economic influences, etc. Streets should be focused on both pedestrian and vehicular use. In order for daily life to be fulfilling and relaxing, three realms must be present. The first realm is domestic, the second realm is gainful or productive, and the third realm is sociable.

Core settings are then developed to keep the peoples' needs in consideration at all times. These settings must be referenced in respect to their nature and benefits for their continual success. These core settings are what establish the third realm in communities. The three realms are interdependent on one another. As Oldenburg says,
"We need a home even though we may not work, and most of us need to work more than we need to gather with our friends and neighbors" (17). In conclusion, I see this third realm as the author envisions it as the "Great Good Place".