Friday May 22nd
Last night was the 20009 Senior Project Night. All of the projects were set up around builing 77 and parents along with mentors could view our exhibits we had prepared the afternoon of. My exhibit consisted of my exhibit board, along with the floor plan, site plan, and actual model. Many guests were curious about my project, and explaining it to them came easier than I had expected. I greatly enjoyed sharing my work with those who were interested, and appreciated the positive feed back. Many of those who viewd my project were impressed with the work done, mainly the floor plan. I believe that the exhibit night was a sucess.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Self & Design Evaluation
Self & Design Evaluation
Scope
The 2008-2009 TSA Architectural Design and Modeling competition requires participants to design and model a free standing emergency medical clinic. Participants are required to create a set of architectural plans to contribute to a complete design of a clinic. This year myself along with my two team members, worked together to create a set of plans. My role for this project was to design the floor plan of the clinic, along with the landscape design and site plan for the Asbury Park Emergency Medical Clinic. My teammate Kelly Daniels was responsible for the interior design portion of this project as well the exterior façade. Natasha Koncynski was responsible for the structural design of the clinic. This project required research into areas of architectural and structural design and required much computer aided design to be done. The clinic was designed with patient accessibility in mind while taking into consideration all of the architectural and local standards.
Final Solution
Many preliminary drawings were done for the design of the floor plan. The final solution separates employee space from patient space, creating a safe and easily maneuverable working space. The rooms included in employee area of the final solution are; waiting, reception/filing, file storage/billing, three doctors offices, staff area, conference room, staff restroom. The rooms included in the patient accessible space of final solution; two patient restrooms, six patient rooms, trauma unit, lab area, lab storage area, storage and utilities, and the boiler/maintenance room.
The site plan and parking lot were designed to ease the flow of traffic and to allow the patients to safely enter the clinic. The parking lot is divided into employee parking spaces and patient parking spaces, with handicap parking available adjacent to the building. There are twenty four normal patient spaces, four handicap spaces, and nine employee spaces. Concrete dividers were used to clarify the lanes of traffic.
The final solution for the landscape design employed the use of different trees and shrubbery to create a level of privacy for the patients of the clinic. Trees along the exterior of the building also allow for energy efficiency, as well as privacy.
Discrepancies
The original design for this project essentially is the final product.
Successes & Failures
Throughout the course of this project, much time and effort was invested into learning the proper techniques and strategies for designing a building. My greatest success during the preliminary portion of this project was the design of the floor plan. Much time and effort went into the sizing of the rooms, and determine placement and how the floor plan was to be laid out. I believe that the final solution of the floor plan was my greatest success throughout the course of this project, and is the portion I am most proud of. A failure for me during the design process was the measurements that I used for the floor plan. Many of my measurements were at odd and non standard intervals. For instance the measurement of the distance between many of the windows of my clinic ends in 15/16th of an inch, which would prove difficult to construct. Another failure would be the fact that I did not provide an easier access route between employee and patient space in the clinic, which would make flow of traffic difficult for staff members.
Construction of the model proved to be much more involved than I had previously imagined. A success of the model was simply completing everything on time and making sure that all parts of the model were included, including the floor plan, all landscaping, partial parking lot, rear ambulance entrance, and the façade of the building. I believe the model was also a success because the scaled measurements are accurate to the original design and correctly convey the design of our emergency medical clinic. My biggest regret in the construction of the model was the fact that it could have been constructed at a much higher caliber of design. We could have taken much more care in the materials used to make it look more professional, and I regret not doing so. Although the model conveys our design, I would have liked it to appear more professional.
Throughout the entire project, my team mates and I have worked together to meet deadlines and to complete the design process. I would consider this a success, because the design was completed and we accomplished much. I would consider our lack of communication and general confusion at the beginning of this project a failure. We could have been much more organized from the very start, which would have allowed for a much easier design process.
What I Learned From My Failures
The failures throughout the course of this project were what made the future tasks much more easily accomplished. The initial failure of not being organized and unaware of what was to be done, allowed us to sit down and clearly distinguish the responsibilities throughout the remainder of the design process, and the construction of the model. We were able to divide work equally and fairly. The new division of labor also allowed each group member to specialize in an area of design, which made our group more knowledgeable as a whole.
From the failure of the measurements throughout the design of my floor plan, I learned much about the construction and building process. Because I made those mistakes, I know understand the evenness and careful planning that must go into the design of a building. I learnt that when something has to be designed, whether a building or any other system, even measurements should always be used whenever possible
What I learned the hardest was the importance of communication and clarity at the beginning of any undertaking. I know have learned that division of labor and setting clear distinctions when working in a group is imperative to success.
Additional Learning
Much additional learning took place beyond that of my successes and failures. Throughout the course of this project I have become more proficient than before in the use of AutoCAD. I am now capable of using the architectural version of AutoCAD comfortable. I have also become well versed in the program Google SketchUp. This program is a wonderful aid in the design of anything, and will definitely be useful to me in the future.
I believe what I have learned most from this project is how in depth the design process for a building such as this clinic is. I was unaware of how grand a scale the complete design process is. I have gained much technical construction and architectural design knowledge.
Design Flaws
One of my design flaws in the landscaping and site plan was the fact that I had lined one of the walls with trees, in order to block the sun, or allow the sun to shine through depending on the season, but did not take into account which direction that wall faced. Although the trees still create a level of privacy for the patients, they are not as energy efficient as I had originally intended them to be.
Another flaw was the lack of easy access between the two wings of the clinic. Those working on staff would have a difficult time crossing between the two sections, which would cause traffic congestion.
There were several flaws in the construction of the model. The grass used in landscaping was cut from sheets of modeling grass, which created visible edges in the grass of the model. This caused the landscaping to look messy and unprofessional. Another flaw is apparent in the modeled curbing. The curbs were made out of 1/16th of an inch thick balsa wood. Bending these pieces of wood proved difficult this caused the curves to not come out perfectly, but jagged. The lines of the parking lot are also not as neat as they could be.
Improved Skills
From working on this project, my problem solving skills have increased ten fold. Throughout many of the processes of this project, there were unexpected problems in the design and construction of the model. Many unseen issues had to be dealt with at the time of the issue. I now feel confident attacking a problem head on and dealing with it right away. Prior to this project I would have just dealt with an issue regarding a project at a much later time, but now I can confidently say I will deal with the issue at hand. I also now know that to solve any problem, a good deal of background information should be acquired, as it will make solving the problem much easier.
Communication is imperative to convey any project. I am now much more capable of including visual aids to help me convey my ideas. The amount of drawings done for this project was necessary to communicate the final design. I am much more comfortable now using many visual resources, and understand there importance.
My organizational skills at the start of this project were not anything to be proud of. This project has forced me to become more organized, due to the large amount of paper work, dates to keep track of, contacts to be monitored, and supplies needed. Staying organized as shown me that it can improve the final design, and make the process much easier.
Conclusion
Although this project has caused much stress, and many hours of time to complete, I am satisfied with the final design and the construction of the model. I do feel like I could have done a much better job throughout the whole process, but I am proud of the work I have completed. I have learned much from completing the design of the medical clinic, and value the knowledge I have gained.
Scope
The 2008-2009 TSA Architectural Design and Modeling competition requires participants to design and model a free standing emergency medical clinic. Participants are required to create a set of architectural plans to contribute to a complete design of a clinic. This year myself along with my two team members, worked together to create a set of plans. My role for this project was to design the floor plan of the clinic, along with the landscape design and site plan for the Asbury Park Emergency Medical Clinic. My teammate Kelly Daniels was responsible for the interior design portion of this project as well the exterior façade. Natasha Koncynski was responsible for the structural design of the clinic. This project required research into areas of architectural and structural design and required much computer aided design to be done. The clinic was designed with patient accessibility in mind while taking into consideration all of the architectural and local standards.
Final Solution
Many preliminary drawings were done for the design of the floor plan. The final solution separates employee space from patient space, creating a safe and easily maneuverable working space. The rooms included in employee area of the final solution are; waiting, reception/filing, file storage/billing, three doctors offices, staff area, conference room, staff restroom. The rooms included in the patient accessible space of final solution; two patient restrooms, six patient rooms, trauma unit, lab area, lab storage area, storage and utilities, and the boiler/maintenance room.
The site plan and parking lot were designed to ease the flow of traffic and to allow the patients to safely enter the clinic. The parking lot is divided into employee parking spaces and patient parking spaces, with handicap parking available adjacent to the building. There are twenty four normal patient spaces, four handicap spaces, and nine employee spaces. Concrete dividers were used to clarify the lanes of traffic.
The final solution for the landscape design employed the use of different trees and shrubbery to create a level of privacy for the patients of the clinic. Trees along the exterior of the building also allow for energy efficiency, as well as privacy.
Discrepancies
The original design for this project essentially is the final product.
Successes & Failures
Throughout the course of this project, much time and effort was invested into learning the proper techniques and strategies for designing a building. My greatest success during the preliminary portion of this project was the design of the floor plan. Much time and effort went into the sizing of the rooms, and determine placement and how the floor plan was to be laid out. I believe that the final solution of the floor plan was my greatest success throughout the course of this project, and is the portion I am most proud of. A failure for me during the design process was the measurements that I used for the floor plan. Many of my measurements were at odd and non standard intervals. For instance the measurement of the distance between many of the windows of my clinic ends in 15/16th of an inch, which would prove difficult to construct. Another failure would be the fact that I did not provide an easier access route between employee and patient space in the clinic, which would make flow of traffic difficult for staff members.
Construction of the model proved to be much more involved than I had previously imagined. A success of the model was simply completing everything on time and making sure that all parts of the model were included, including the floor plan, all landscaping, partial parking lot, rear ambulance entrance, and the façade of the building. I believe the model was also a success because the scaled measurements are accurate to the original design and correctly convey the design of our emergency medical clinic. My biggest regret in the construction of the model was the fact that it could have been constructed at a much higher caliber of design. We could have taken much more care in the materials used to make it look more professional, and I regret not doing so. Although the model conveys our design, I would have liked it to appear more professional.
Throughout the entire project, my team mates and I have worked together to meet deadlines and to complete the design process. I would consider this a success, because the design was completed and we accomplished much. I would consider our lack of communication and general confusion at the beginning of this project a failure. We could have been much more organized from the very start, which would have allowed for a much easier design process.
What I Learned From My Failures
The failures throughout the course of this project were what made the future tasks much more easily accomplished. The initial failure of not being organized and unaware of what was to be done, allowed us to sit down and clearly distinguish the responsibilities throughout the remainder of the design process, and the construction of the model. We were able to divide work equally and fairly. The new division of labor also allowed each group member to specialize in an area of design, which made our group more knowledgeable as a whole.
From the failure of the measurements throughout the design of my floor plan, I learned much about the construction and building process. Because I made those mistakes, I know understand the evenness and careful planning that must go into the design of a building. I learnt that when something has to be designed, whether a building or any other system, even measurements should always be used whenever possible
What I learned the hardest was the importance of communication and clarity at the beginning of any undertaking. I know have learned that division of labor and setting clear distinctions when working in a group is imperative to success.
Additional Learning
Much additional learning took place beyond that of my successes and failures. Throughout the course of this project I have become more proficient than before in the use of AutoCAD. I am now capable of using the architectural version of AutoCAD comfortable. I have also become well versed in the program Google SketchUp. This program is a wonderful aid in the design of anything, and will definitely be useful to me in the future.
I believe what I have learned most from this project is how in depth the design process for a building such as this clinic is. I was unaware of how grand a scale the complete design process is. I have gained much technical construction and architectural design knowledge.
Design Flaws
One of my design flaws in the landscaping and site plan was the fact that I had lined one of the walls with trees, in order to block the sun, or allow the sun to shine through depending on the season, but did not take into account which direction that wall faced. Although the trees still create a level of privacy for the patients, they are not as energy efficient as I had originally intended them to be.
Another flaw was the lack of easy access between the two wings of the clinic. Those working on staff would have a difficult time crossing between the two sections, which would cause traffic congestion.
There were several flaws in the construction of the model. The grass used in landscaping was cut from sheets of modeling grass, which created visible edges in the grass of the model. This caused the landscaping to look messy and unprofessional. Another flaw is apparent in the modeled curbing. The curbs were made out of 1/16th of an inch thick balsa wood. Bending these pieces of wood proved difficult this caused the curves to not come out perfectly, but jagged. The lines of the parking lot are also not as neat as they could be.
Improved Skills
From working on this project, my problem solving skills have increased ten fold. Throughout many of the processes of this project, there were unexpected problems in the design and construction of the model. Many unseen issues had to be dealt with at the time of the issue. I now feel confident attacking a problem head on and dealing with it right away. Prior to this project I would have just dealt with an issue regarding a project at a much later time, but now I can confidently say I will deal with the issue at hand. I also now know that to solve any problem, a good deal of background information should be acquired, as it will make solving the problem much easier.
Communication is imperative to convey any project. I am now much more capable of including visual aids to help me convey my ideas. The amount of drawings done for this project was necessary to communicate the final design. I am much more comfortable now using many visual resources, and understand there importance.
My organizational skills at the start of this project were not anything to be proud of. This project has forced me to become more organized, due to the large amount of paper work, dates to keep track of, contacts to be monitored, and supplies needed. Staying organized as shown me that it can improve the final design, and make the process much easier.
Conclusion
Although this project has caused much stress, and many hours of time to complete, I am satisfied with the final design and the construction of the model. I do feel like I could have done a much better job throughout the whole process, but I am proud of the work I have completed. I have learned much from completing the design of the medical clinic, and value the knowledge I have gained.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Testing & Testing Results
Testing Procedures and Test Results
Introduction
The 2009 TSA Architectural Modeling and Design Competition requires participants to design the plans for a freestanding emergency medical clinic. Each team must create a set of detailed drawings and plans to convey the final design of the clinic. The clinic is meant to function as a 24 hour walk in facility that provides medical care to the general public. This type of facility can handle medical needs ranging from serious trauma to a simple ailment. The purpose of this type of clinic is to provide accessible medical care in areas that are not in close vicinity to a hospital. Patients can simply walk into the clinic, no appointment necessary, and be treated. Upon arrival, information is recorded from each patient, and they are treated according to arrival, and severity. Patients are brought to examination rooms, or in cases of serious injury, to the trauma unit.
A floor plan, landscape plan, and parking lot layout were created as part of the design process. An architectural model was created to help visualize the design plans. The floor plan is divided into two main sections; employee and patient space. The parking lot is designed to ease the flow of traffic throughout the lot, and to separate patient and employee parking spaces. The landscape is designed to create privacy for the facility and create energy efficiency.
Testing Procedures
Original Procedures
1. Schedule a date for the conference
2. Schedule a location for the conference
3. Speak with possible evaluators/mentors for commitments
4. Prepare presentation/posters
5. Prepare model for evaluation
6. Present the basic design of the project, including rationale and thought processes.
7. Go over individual sections of the design, including floor plans, wall sections, window and door schedules, exterior wall elevation, and interior drawings.
8. Discuss site layout
9. Discuss roof choice, and wall support systems.
10. Have the feed back session
11. Give survey out to evaluators.
Original Surveys
Mentor Survey
- How professional and accurate are the architectural drawings?
- Are there any major errors in the architectural drawings?
- Are the architectural drawings sufficient in displaying the design and layout of the building?
- What design/structural problems are there if any?
- In regards to design and layout, what would you have done differently?
- Are the room dimensions accurate and appropriate?
Medical Evaluator Survey
- Does the layout of the building coincide to that of other medical facilities?
- Would the layout of the building provide sufficient space for an emergency situation?
- Would you be able to operate and conduct the medical procedures necessary in such a facility?
- What changes would you make to the overall design and layout of the buildings?
Revised Procedures
Preliminary Stage
1. Create surveys for medical personnel
2. Set up a meeting with medical personnel at local emergency medical clinics
3. Prepare presentation boards, floor plan and site plan, and all materials for meeting
Secondary Stage
1. Meet with clients (medical personnel)
2. Record all feedback
Final Stage
1. Record data from meetings
2. Organize data
3. Analyze and create a testing conclusion
Testing
Step 1: Medical Survey
Evaluation Survey- Interior Layout
Please indicate, on a scale from 1 (not very) to 5 (very), your response
1. How efficient do you find the set up of the reception area in relation to the waiting room and patient wing?
1 2 3 4 5
2. How efficient do you find the separation of employee and patient space in the medical center?
1 2 3 4 5
3. How helpful to you find the location of the trauma unit in relation to the rest of the building?
1 2 3 4 5
4. How maneuverable do you find the layout of the medical center in general?
1 2 3 4 5
5. Are the positions of the emergency exits appropriate?
1 2 3 4 5
6. Does each placement of the room make sense in relation to an average work day?
1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
Testing Results
Medical Interior Layout Survey
Average Results- Scale from 1-5
| 1. How efficient do you find the set up of the reception area in relation to the waiting room and patient wing? | 4.2 |
| 2. How efficient do you find the separation of employee and patient space in the medical center? | 4 |
| 3. How helpful to you find the location of the trauma unit in relation to the rest of the building? | 3.5 |
| 4. How maneuverable do you find the layout of the medical center in general? | 3.5 |
| 5. Are the positions of the emergency exits appropriate? | 4.3 |
| 6. Does each placement of the room make sense in relation to an average work day? | 4.2 |
Comments:
- The distinct separate may prove difficult for moving around the clinic
- Good layout, thought process is apparent, may be hard to switch between sections of the building, large space, possible to consolidate.
- Well thought out, may get congested with many patients and staff, more storage space
- Lab placement may hinder movement with patients.
Summary
The testing resulted in a better understanding of the general medical opinion of the designed clinic. There seemed to be a general approval of the interior layout. No area received a score lower than a 3.5. Meeting with the medical professionals proved to be very beneficial to the testing of this design.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
MP4 LOG
Thursday May 7th
Today I will be visiting the Emergency Medical Office in Middletown, and the Emergency Medical Cetner of Shrewsbury, to meet with nurses that are familar with the facility and will be able to assist me in the testing portion of my project. The nurses have agreed to fill out a survey and speak with me on the layout of my floor plan and the design of the parking lot as it pertains to emergency situations.
Today I will be visiting the Emergency Medical Office in Middletown, and the Emergency Medical Cetner of Shrewsbury, to meet with nurses that are familar with the facility and will be able to assist me in the testing portion of my project. The nurses have agreed to fill out a survey and speak with me on the layout of my floor plan and the design of the parking lot as it pertains to emergency situations.
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