With rising pressure on healthcare providers to reduce costs and improve quality, Flad Architects is incorporating Lean tools and techniques into their designs as a solution for improving processes and performances.

Madison, WI (PRWEB) October 04, 2012

Instead of building new or upgrading existing facilities that carry over existing problems, healthcare organizations need to examine their idea of what a hospital should be. How can we increase patient safety and reduce wait times? How can we improve staff and patient travel times? How can we design it to be efficient and flexible? How can we do more with less?

Answering these questions and more, in Flad Architects white paper, titled "Incorporating Lean Principles in Healthcare Design," readers will gain knowledge from the experience of our architectural design teams as we highlight specific examples and lessons learned. Readers will learn how to apply Lean to facility design by understanding who should be involved, which Lean concepts to incorporate, when to initiate Lean activities, and what outcomes to expect. To view Flad's "Incorporating Lean Principles in Healthcare Design" in flipbook format, click on the link below or visit Flad's website under the Design Thinking section of Insights.

http://www.flad.com/eBrochures/Incorporating-Lean-Principles-into-Healthcare-Design/

About Flad Architects

Flad Architects (http://www.flad.com) specializes in the planning and design of innovative facilities for healthcare, higher education, and science and technology clients. With offices throughout the United States, Flad is a nationally recognized leader in serving the complex needs of knowledge-based organizations.

Mary Hirsch Flad Architects (608) 232-1275 Email Information

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Flad Architects Incorporating Lean Principles in Healthcare Design to Improve Outcomes

Flad Architects is working on four higher education projects to enhance students experiences and promote sustainability. By employing the tenets of sustainable architecture, each project strives to reduce the use of non-renewable resources, minimize environmental impact, and relate people with their natural environment.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) October 04, 2012

These projects are especially rewarding for me because they are platforms for education. They are each designed to enhance students experiences, to engage with a broader community, to uplift and inspire a whole new generation, says Stevens Williams, Principal Designer of the projects. These structures are not only efficient in their use of resources; they are emblematic of their mission and reflective of their campus contexts. These buildings are designed to have a minimal impact on the environment and an extraordinary impact on the individual.

Merritt College Center for Science and Allied Health is designed to be a safe, accessible, and inspiring environment for learning; it will be further enhanced by sustainable approaches to acoustics, lighting, indoor air quality, daylight, and views. These elements will not only improve learning outcomes, they will underscore science as a means of promoting human health.

San Francisco State University Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies conducts research and offers instruction in marine biology, oceanography, wetlands ecology, and evolutionary genetics. Situated on 35-acre former naval station, extensive renovation, selective new construction, and site restoration will meet an institutional commitment to excellence in education as well as carbon neutrality.

California State University Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Center will be the backdrop for a new educational paradigm. With welcoming public areas that introduce students to an engaging, highly interactive learning environment, and dynamic visual connections between activities, the Center for STEM Education will not only cultivate a new generation of innovators, it ushers in an exciting new era for the university.

The California Maritime Academy Dining Commons replaces an existing food service facility, while adding programs that contribute to the quality of student life and support community outreach. Bounded by a steep slope, service access, and neighboring buildings, the dining commons occupies most of the available site area. The design addresses these conditions in a manner that is both economical and aesthetically coherent, using building materials that were selected for durability, economy, and compatibility with the campus context.

Flad Architects project portfolio, titled "Enhancing, Engaging, and Inspiring Campus Community," summarizes each of these projects in detail. To view the projects in a flipbook format, click on the link below or visit Flad's website under the Design Thinking section of Insights.

http://www.flad.com/insights/files/itemFiles/ePubs/4-In-Progress/

About Flad Architects

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Flad Architects Working on Higher Education Projects to Enhance, Engage, and Inspire the Campus Community

BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The business mantra "bigger is better" isn't always right. Custom software development company Amadeus Consulting's co-founder and CIO John Bassos newly released book, Micro-Corps: Rise of the Idea Architects (self-published, 2012) explains the significant role Micro-Corps play in todays economy. Citing their best practices, strategies, and mindsets, Bassos book offers practical information to position even the smallest companies as thought-leaders and significant revenue generators.

As Basso explains in his book, Micro-Corps are run by people who are very passionate about their ideas. Micro-Corp owners are more enthusiastic about these ideas than they are about the corporate structure that contains them. This book is about those Idea Architects and how they bring their ideas to life through Micro-Corps.

Topics Basso addresses in Micro-Corps: Rise of the Idea Architects include:

As small and large businesses struggle to stay afloat in today's unstable economic climate, Bassos book empowers those who may be stuck in a rut to break out of the constructs of traditional business management systems and learn how they can make more focused, intelligent decisions about resource acquisition, labor, and investments in a sustainable, practical manner. For a review copy or to request an interview with John Basso, please contact Michelle Francis 720-254-1288 or michelle.francis@2020strategyinc.com.

About John Basso

As the co-founder and CIO of Amadeus Consulting, John Basso has worked at the intersection of business and technology for more than 17 years. He has worked with hundreds of companies, some large, some small and many Micro-Corps. His first passion is technology; Basso has always worked hard to improve his business and the businesses of his clients. His second passion is sustainability, not only concerning the environment but in creating sustainable, viable businesses. One day he hopes to create a Micro-Corp that combines both of his passions. For good karma, he currently acts as a free mentor consulting other businesses making their businesses more sustainable. For more information about John Basso, visit http://www.amadeusconsulting.com, http://www.johnbasso.com, or http://www.blastnetwork.org.

About Amadeus Consulting

Amadeus Consultingis a complete technology solutions provider, leveraging the appropriate technology - via the web, PC, and a broad arrange of mobile devices - to deliver successful business results to each client. The company features enterprise development, creative and business consulting services, conversion analytics and digital marketing expertise and expert technical staffing. Amadeus Consulting solutions utilize a variety of business processes to meet clients unique business and technology challenges.

Amadeus Consulting was honored as a 2011 Colorado Company to Watch, named the Top Mobile Developer in its region since 2010 from the BCBR, and has placed on the Inc. 5000 list since 2006.For more information, visit http://www.amadeusconsulting.com.

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Newly-Published Micro-Corps: Rise of the Idea Architects (A New Generation of Entrepreneurs) Poises “The Little Guy ...

The architects behind the Reitz Union renovations are going to bring students opinions to their drawing board.

Students can meet with the architects today from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Reitz Union first floor lobby. They were there at the same time Monday.

The architects will take student opinions into account and begin diagramming the expansions over the next month, said Roland Lemke, an architect with Cannon Design, which is working on the renovations.

Students can also tweet their opinions to @MakingItReitz.

The blueprints should be ready by January, Lemke said.

This is when were really looking for the students voice to come out, he said.

The architects will be back Oct. 22 and Oct. 23 to talk with students again and to share ideas students came up with this week, Lemke said.

We have no preconceptions, he said. Theres nothing drawn.

Poster boards will be available today for students to explain what they want for the expansion and renovations, which are scheduled to be done by the 2015 school year.

Quiet space for small groups to study with outlets! one student wrote.

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Architects to talk, tweet with students about Reitz Union plans

Jessie Eccles Quinney Center For Dance in Salt Lake City, being designed by HKS Architects. Courtesy HKS Architects

Call them "starchitects" rock stars of architecture.

Anticipation is running high after the announcement that high-profile HKS Architects Inc. and Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects will design the $110 million Utah Performing Arts Center slated for 137 S.Main St.

Utah Performing Arts Center public input

City officials and architects of the new downtown theater are seeking public input on the project at a workshop 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, in the fourth floor conference room at the Salt Lake City Public Library, 210 E. 400 South. To sign up for the workshop, visit http://www.utahperformingartscenter.org/oct-workshop.

The 2,500-seat playhouse which will be fashioned for touring Broadway shows as well as concerts and plays is being billed as the centerpiece of the capital citys performing arts venues. Salt Lake City officials say when it opens in March 2016 it will spark new vitality downtown.

Pressure to perform? Well, maybe a little, concedes Michael Vela, managing partner for HKS in Salt Lake City. But he prefers to view it as an exciting challenge.

"People know what great architecture is, even if they cant verbalize it," he said. "There is a sense of Wow, this makes me feel great. I want to come back here. "

The Dallas-based HKS has offices in a slew of U.S. and foreign cities and boasts a combined staff of about 900.

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Top architects raise anticipation for Utah Performing Arts Center

Hilton-VanderHorn Architects, owned by Darien residents Charles Hilton and Douglas VanderHorn, has been selected as the winner of the 2012 "At Home" A-List award competition.

They won in the "traditional architecture greater than 7,000 square feet" category. Sponsored by Moffly Media, the A-List Awards honor the top projects in architecture, interior design and landscape by firms working and practicing in Fairfield County.

The panel of judges were Gary Brewer, partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and Thom Filicia, Victoria Hagan, Alexa Hampton, Richard Hartlage, Celerie Kemble, Corey Papadopoli, Peter Pennoyer and Stephen Stimson. They reviewed more than 100 submissions.

Hilton-VanderHorn Architects also was nominated for its projects in the Renovation, Historical Home Renovation and Kids' Space categories. The firm was honored for its design of a French Manor-style home on a bucolic 4-acre site in Greenwich. Originally built in 1958 in a neo-French style, the house had been renovated so extensively over the years that it had lost its original charm. The owner wanted to significantly improve the house's French aesthetic, while modernizing the construction and improving the function of the plan.

The design involved gutting the entire house down to the studs, removing poorly executed additions and the squat second floor, and reworking the entire plan to finish the structure inside and out in a classic traditional palette. The exterior was clad in a handmade terra-cotta brick capped with a graduated slate roof. The interiors now display a sense of refinement, due to thoughtful proportions and details such as ornamental transoms and elegant cornices.

"Their work stands out for its exquisite craftsmanship, attention to detail and timelessness," Pennoyer said.

"From the classic symmetry to the interior detailing, this house is perfection," Hartlage said.

Hilton-VanderHorn Architects is a 21-year-old Greenwich firm that specializes in traditional residential design. The firm has completed mor than 250 projects across the country, with the majority of its work located in Fairfield and Westchester (N.Y.) counties.

The firm is the recipient of American Institute of Architects, Connecticut Home Builders Association and various periodical and trade association design awards. Its projects are featured regularly in national and regional shelter publications, as well as in books. Hilton-VanderHorn Architects has been featured this year in two new TV series -- a pilot for "The Architects of Modern Living" and "Homes and Estates -- Today & Tomorrow."

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Darien architects make magazine's 'A-List'

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced the reappointment of Helen Tonkin for the third time to the New Zealand Registered Architects Board.

Ms Tonkin, a Chartered Accountant, who is an existing member of the Board, will serve for a further two years.

"Her experience and skills have proven to be extremely useful on the Board. She has been able to assist it substantially through her extensive knowledge of financial planning and reporting, alongside her governance skills," says Mr Williamson.

The Registered Architects Act 2005 established the Registered Architects Board with the purpose of regulating the architecture profession. It is responsible for the development and administration of rules about competency standards, ethics, complaints and discipline of members of the profession.

Under the Act, the Board must have at least six, but no more than eight, members. The Minister recommends a maximum of four people nominated by the New Zealand Institute of Architects, and a maximum of four other persons as members of the Board.

Members are appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister and may be appointed for terms of up to a maximum of five years.

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Registered Architects' Board reappointment

PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwire - Sep 27, 2012) - SmithGroupJJR, one of the nation's leading architecture, engineering and planning firms, is pleased to announce that Christopher Brown, FASLA, LEED AP BD+C, vice president and landscape architecture studio director, has been elevated to the Council of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The designation of Fellow is conferred upon individuals in recognition of exceptional professional accomplishments over a sustained period of time. Brown will be honored at an investiture ceremony at ASLA's Annual Meeting and Expo, to be held September 30 in Phoenix.

Possessing nearly 30 years of experience, Brown earned a bachelor of science in urban planning and landscape architecture from Arizona State University and a master of science in real estate development from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a registered landscape architect in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Wyoming, and is a LEED accredited professional. He is also an active member of the Urban Land Institute and board member of the Valley Forward Association.

Brown has garnered the reputation as an innovator and national leader in sustainable site design and restoration for arid environments. He has led landscape architectural design efforts for many notable and award-winning projects throughout Arizona. Significant works include the Gateway to McDowell Sonoran Preserve, Scottsdale; Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center, Phoenix; and a series of collaborative design efforts for the Phoenix Zoo.

Brown also served as landscape design principal for the 34-acre multi-use George "Doc" Cavalliere Park in Scottsdale. The park is one of only 150 projects selected into the two-year pilot program conducted by Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES). SITES is an interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices. As part of this pilot initiative, George "Doc" Cavalliere Park is among the first projects in the United States and abroad to demonstrate the application of The Sustainable Sites Initiative: Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009. The guidelines, released November 2009, establish a four-star rating system based upon a 250-point scale. The park is anticipated to be first SITES Certified project in Arizona.

Founded in 1899, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is the national professional association representing landscape architects. ASLA strives to increase the public's awareness of and appreciation for the profession of landscape architecture and its contributions to quality of life. The organization supports public policy initiatives pertaining to professional licensure, the environment, sustainable design, livable communities, surface transportation, historic preservation, and stormwater management issues, among others. ASLA's membership totals over 15,400, with fewer than 1,100 receiving the prestigious distinction of fellowship.

SmithGroupJJR is one of the largest architecture, engineering and planning firms in the U.S., and was the recipient of the 2011 Landscape Architecture Firm Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The firm also ranked #1 for design quality based on design awards won in Architect magazine's 2011 annual best firms ranking. A national leader in sustainable design, SmithGroupJJR has 363 LEED professionals and 75 LEED certified projects.

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Chris Brown Named Fellow, American Society Landscape Architects

CHICAGO, IL.- The Art Institute of Chicago announces an innovative presentation of the work of Studio Gang Architects, led by founder and principal, Jeanne Gang. MacArthur Fellow Gang and her team of 40 architects, designers, and thinkers have produced some of the most inventive and award-winning architecture today. Featured not as a survey or retrospective, the projects of Studio Gang Architects (SGA) are showcased in an engaging workshop-like environment that reveals the practices creative processes as they seek to answer pressing contemporary issues through architecture. The exhibition is also accompanied by Archi-Salons, conversations with leading architects and planners engaged with themes central to SGAs practice. Building: Inside Studio Gang Architectson view from September 24, 2012February 24, 2013 in the Modern Wings Architecture and Design Galleries (G283285)features over a dozen projects framed around four major issues facing contemporary architecture: its relationship to nature, questions of density, building community, and architecture as performance.

Founded in 1997, Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects has already established itself as one of the premier architectural firms working today. Best known for Aqua Tower, the undulating, 82-story mixed use high-rise in downtown Chicago, SGA is also distinguished by the great diversity of its work, which includes the Hyderabad O2, a high-rise community in Hyderabad, India; an ecological revitalization project for Lincoln Park Zoos South Pond in Chicago; and Harbor Knot, a concert venue, maritime museum, and public park designed for Kaohsiung, Taiwan. All of these projects which reflect the wide range of todays built environmentare marked by an open-minded practice committed to research and experimentation with materials and technologies. Visitors will be able to see into SGA's creative process and how the group tackles issues that lie locally (site, culture, people) and resound globally (density, climate, sustainability).

The installationdesigned by SGA in collaboration with Zo Ryan, the Art Institutes John H. Bryan Chair and Curator, and Karen Kice, Neville Bryan Assistant Curator, both in the Department of Architecture and Designconsists of two interrelated parts. The first functions as a gallery with projects illustrated through a range of materials from sketchbooks and models to photographs, plans, and other drawings. This space features a special series of installations, also designed by SGA, dedicated to the studios material research and formal explorations.

The second section of the exhibition replicates a workshop, complete with a large worktable, pin-up boards, full-scale mock-ups, and material samples. This space is a key component of the presentation and serves as the location for two Archi-Salonspublic programs that further connect and place the work in the exhibition within the larger field of architectural discourse. The first Archi-Salon will be held on October 6 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and will be led by Clare Lyster, assistant professor at University of Illinois-Chicagos School of Architecture and founding principal of CLUAA (Clare Lyster Urbanism and Architecture). This salon will focus on architectures external influences, such as transportation networks.

The second Archi-Salon, to be held on November 17 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and led by Iker Gil, an architect, urban designer, and director of MAS Studio, will explore issues internal to architecture, such as context, materiality, and program. These conversations will be inspired by Studio Gangs work but ultimately address larger issues in the field of contemporary architecture. In addition, members of Studio Gang will be on site throughout the run of the exhibition to give tours, encourage dialogue, and promote greater understanding of the firms process-based work.

Through the installation design and public programs, this exhibition presents the research-based, explorative nature of one of todays most inventive practices. Building: Inside Studio Gang Architects brings contemporary architecture to life, showing the full lifespan of the creative architectural processhow an idea becomes a building.

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Major exhibition features computer animation, diagrams, plans, and models by Studio Gang Architects

The Southern Arizona branch of the American Institute of Architects is giving a peek into some impressive homes this year.

The AIA's Home Tour, slated for next Sunday, includes homes that look futuristic, one that looks like a shipping container (because it is), and a home with a modest exterior but wows inside.

This year marks the 20th that the AIA here has sponsored the tour. Among those in this year's event:

Tucson Mountain House - A custom-built rammed-earth home with a music recording studio.

Mabel Street Residence - A 1927 bungalow that has been remodeled.

The Tuesday + Thursday House - The two-story home has a glass railed stairway and a cistern to collect rainfall.

Sentinel Plaza Senior Housing - The first major residential development in Rio Nuevo.

Wetlaufer Residence - A contemporary take on traditional objects and materials.

Shipping-Container House - Intermodal containers transformed into a living space.

If you go

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Architects' tour features some intriguing homes