Exploring the Firms

This quarter in my Professional Practice class we had an assignment involving researching firms we were interested in. I found a few that I liked and tons that didn't impress me at all. It was shocking when just five minutes into my research I found my dream firm, RNL. They have offices in Denver, Phoenix, and LA, and I would want to work at their Denver office. They have been ranked one of the top 5 sustainable firms in the country, which is awesome. They also are currently working on the NREL headquarters which will hopefully function at net-zero energy, meaning it will be able to create all of the energy it needs to run---from solar panels on the site. It is such an amazingly efficient building that it doesn't require much to run everything. 

I also researched Clive Wilkinson architects. If they weren't located in LA, it would be difficult to decide if I wanted to try to work at Clive Wilkinson Architects or RNL. But, alas, I do NOT want to live in LA... I want to live in Colorado. Clive Wilkinson Architects create some of the most dynamic projects I have found, especially in terms of corporate design. Everything they do is super innovative, functional, unique, custom, and beautiful!

ZGF is a pretty neat firm with a few locations, including Seattle. If I d

o not end up in Colorado to work, Seattle is probably my second choice at the current time.

The last firm I looked into was Stanley Beaman and Sears, a firm that designed an incredible children's hospital in Atlanta. If I was looking to do healthcare design in Atlanta I would probably go to this firm in search of an internship.

RNL was by far the best firm I found. They were the first firm to really get me excited about going out hunting for an interior design internship. 

Their website is rnldesign.com and I recommend that all of you go look at their projects. Just be warned, they are incredible! Watch their case study videos for NREL and the law firm they just did. Their innovation and commitment to sustainability just blows me away.

Here is what I wrote about RNL in my Pro Practice assignment, for those of you interested to see what the fuss is about with the firm that finally won me over:

RNL | corporate design/mixed discipline

 

With offices in Denver, L.A., and Phoenix, RNL is considered to be one of the most sustainable architectural/interior design firms in the country. Projects are designed and built by RNL both nationally and internationally (including projects in United Arab Emirates). Thousands of dollars are spent each year by the firm on plane fare for 

designers alone. The goals and values of the firm are strong and extremely evident in all of their work; the firm designs with the 

philosophy of “design for one Earth”.  In fact, their website notes that sustainability, design excellence, and innovation are the priorities of the work the firm does in

 architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, planning, and urban design. In addition, RNL is constantly in hiring mode, searching for designers with talent, drive, passion, appreciation, and recognition. 

 

RNL designs within several disciplinary areas, including commercial/mixed use, corporate, government, higher education, hospitality, master planning, religious/cultural, retail/entertainment, and transportation. Perhaps the most noteworthy work by the firm is in the corporate sector.  RNL approaches corporate design with the knowledge that the workplace is an ever-changing part of society. New technology, business practices, and management styl

es in the workplace are constantly evolving. The firm aims to design innovative facilities in the areas of network operations centers, employee-centered amenities, and flexible workstation layouts. Details ranging from furniture selection to space planning are all covered in RNL designed facilities.

 

Currently, RNL is working on the design for the new National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) office building in Golden, Colorado. Once completed, this will be the most energy efficient office building of its size ever built. President of RNL, Rich von Luhrte, has said that the mindset of this project is “energy drives the design” rather than “design first, then figure out how to make it work.” The goal of the facility is to perform at net zero, with the building not only producing its own energy but also consuming so little energy that it will not have to draw in any energy from outside sources. A LEED certification of Platinum is hoped to be given to the building, which will make it the first commercial building in the US of this size to receive this rating.  In addition to a monetary budget, the NREL project required an energy budget to enable all of its energy to come from a solar array being built on the NREL campus. Certain techniques utilize natural daylighting so we

ll that overhead light usage can be eliminated during daylight hours. Construction methods include operable windows with protective film as well as passive heating and cooling to remove the need for central air. Other areas of innovation at the NREL office include nontraditional open plans to enable maximum daylighting and using low energy appliances (including telephones and using laptops rather than desktop computers). Although employees at NREL will have to adjust to new habits in the space, there is a great amount of optimism surrounding the ability for the project to succeed. Even after the building is completed, the federal government plans to monitor and tweak aspects of the design.

 

Corporate design being a specialty of RNL, it is no surprise that the firm used their own design team to design the current RNL downtown Denver office. The open-plan office uses transparency and adjacencies to inspire collaboration and mingling of employees and clients alike. Rather than use the front of the house/back of the house concept used in the previous office, RNL wanted clients to really be part of the design process and create informal collaboration opportunities as much as possible. Non-traditional placement and adjacencies between spaces force users to use the entire space and encounter other employees

 constantly. For example, the break room is located on the first floor while mail/copy and payroll areas are on the second floor, forcing people to use the staircase (which acts as a focal point) to go between floors frequently. While aesthetics were important to the design, the main focus was on the people and work to be taking place in the space. Sustainability was 

also a main concern with the office. Film coats windows to help reduce heat loss/gain, sustainable cork flooring was installed as well as recycled-content rubber flooring, and other recycled-content/sustainable materials were used wherever possible. The office has been considered an extraordinary success, spurring collaboration and emphasizing the company’s commitment to sustainability

Pottery, Pho, and Sushi

Today has been one of those types of days - - - nearly perfect contentment all day. When I woke up, the rain was falling and it was nothing short of miserable outside. My family had to set sail back to West Palm so after an early goodbye (well, I consider noon early...) I headed over to Alexander Hall, the building that houses SCAD's painting, ceramics, and print making departments. My mission: create forms for a Raku session I will probably be attending this coming week.

This quarter I am taking the intro to wheel throwing class, which has turned out to be one of the most fun classes I have taken through all four years at SCAD. Out first project was four or five weeks of making mugs (twelve in total at the end, I have fourteen). This meant we had to learn how to throw basic cylinders, which turns out is a whole heck of a lot harder than it looks. To answer everyones question, YES I HAVE SEEN GHOST, or at least the art in the beginning with the wheel throwing shenanigans (this is especially directed at the Tam, one of my best friends). After we throw the cylinders, we have to let them dry until they are "leather hard," at which point we trim them and make them look at least a little bit prettier. Then we carve, add handles, glaze, and bisque fire the mugs. Afterwards, we add over glazing and fire them again. They should be out of the kiln and completely done by tomorrow, and I can't wait to show everyone what I did. They aren't amazing, but I think they're a great start.

Our second project we to throw eight bowls. After cylinders, this was a piece of cake. Thanks goodness, because I only had about three days to complete them! I attended the music festival called Wanee Festival with my dad and some friends, and upon returning and noting the due date of the bowls I became a little frantic. I threw them within a few hours and had them trimmed, and all but one got into the kiln on time.

Today I spent four hours in the studio making forms for the Raku session. I had never heard of Raku until recently, and now I just cannot wait to fire these forms! I made some simple vase-like structures rather than any food/drink vessels because the Raku firing process yields pottery which is not food-safe. For those of you who don't know, Raku is a very old Japanese pottery technique involving a whole lot of fun. Special clay is used to create the forms which are bisque-fired as normal during the first step of the process. Afterwards, a special kiln is used to heat up the ceramics pieces to red hot temperatures. The pieces are then taken out using tongs and put into a garbage can full of combustible materials, like sawdust and newspapers, and the lid is closed. Everything then catches fire, and the glazes become cracked and metallic and just awesome in general. If you google "Raku pottery" and search images, you will find plenty of examples. I can't wait to participate in this!

As soon as I can afford it I would love to have my own kiln and potter's wheel. Pottery has turned out to be so much more fun than I ever thought it would be. Growing up, I always tried to be a 2D artist, but I think it turns out my strength really lies in 3D projects. I prefer to do design projects in Revit, where I can see a 3D model of my space at any time; I work better building study models than countless sketches; pottery is more fun than painting to me. In fact, I think I will head over to the studio again tonight to throw some things just for fun. I want to be able to throw larger vases (about 12 inches) by the end of the quarter. I even think it would be great if I could get a pottery job in Crested Butte this winter. Who knows!

Now, let's not forget the food. Pottery is great and wonderful and I love it, but I love food just as much. As if my day wasn't already going great today finally throwing a few forms that I actually like, I was able to find somebody to get Sushi with! I had been meaning to try out Ta Ca, a restaurant here in Savannah, for a few weeks, but it can be hard to find people who both have money for restaurants and do not have too much school work to go out! My good friend Brittany and I ventured over to Ta Ca today and had some super yummy sushi and pho. Had I known they served pho, I would have been there sooner. The food was SO GOOD, and i recommend everyone try it out (if you are in Savannah)!


Now as I write this it is 7:30, the sun is setting, and I am enjoying the warm breeze from my balcony. Life is good. Very, very good. Hope you all have had as wonderful of a day as I have, and thanks again for reading!

-Hill Dawg

First entry!

Hey! So I am sure that for a while at least all of my readers on here will be my close friends and family, but I am going to give you guys a brief intro anyways!

I have decided to jump on the bloggers train, being told how important it is to create a presence on the web to enhance my career. Currently, I am a senior at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. Graduation is in exactly 36 days and I cannot start to say how excited I am. I have had a rollercoaster of a ride the past four years, but I have gotten more than I can say out of this experience. SCAD has one of the top-rated Interior Design programs in the country, I am lucky to have gone through it. Four years ago i was clueless as to what I wanted to make out of my life, and I think I finally have a really good idea of what I want.

After graduation, I will be spending about three months working in Alaska at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. It is basically in the middle of nowhere, about forty miles away from the base of Denali (Mt. McKinley), the most amazing mountain in the world. It is a spiritually amazing place and our lodge has some of the most amazing people in the world working there. Last summer was my first year working at the lodge, and I made some friends that I am sure I will know for the rest of my life. It is an indescribable place, but from July until the end of September it will be most of what I talk about on here!

We get amazing benefits as employees at the lodge, including travel discounts through the company. That is why after the summer season in Alaska ends, I am planning to take an amazingly discounted cruise through New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific including Fiji! Hopefully I will fly to New Zealand a week or two early to explore. This means about a month and a half down unda.

After the cruise adventure, the plan is to move to Crested Butte, Colorado. For those of you who don't know, Crested Butte is a tiny mountain town of about a thousand people located near Gunnison, Colorado, about six hours south of Denver. It is remote enough to never get too crowded and the ten days I spent there this winter made me fall in love with it. I cannot wait to move there with friends to be a ski bum for a season!

About a year after I graduate, in Spring of 2011, I plan to get my first Interior Design internship. Currently, I am super excited about a firm called RNL, specifically their Denver office. Their website is www.rnldesign.com and I recommend everyone check them out! They are doing amazing work and have been called one of America's top five sustainable design firms! My favorite things about interior design are the sustainability aspect of the profession (buildings account for 30-40% of all carbon emissions) and the functionality and ability to improve the quality of life for users of spaces. The psychology and innovation behind the profession today are just amazing and something that not many people are aware of yet.

Anywho, that is a brief intro to what you all can expect to be hearing about for the next year! It would be amazing to get as many readers as possible for this so tell anyone you know who is interested in hearing about my exciting life and innovations in the amazing field of interior design! I would love to network with any designers out there in any field because it is all interconnected and all applies. For now, I am off to go to films in Forsyth with my family, as it is the last parent's weekend of my college career!


-Hillary Rose