If Only We Were Owls: Design for People with Low Vision

An owl's excellent vision is enhanced by its ability to swivel its head a full 270 degrees.

Owls are renown for their field of vision and excellent night vision.  This is due in part to eyes that are very large in proportion to their skull.  We humans are not so blessed (perhaps that's just as well...), so as we age many of us tend to lose some aspects of our vision.  Fortunately, we humans can design our spaces to accommodate our changing needs.

Low Vision is not legal blindness.  While the ADA/ABA design guidelines accommodate some needs of people who are blind, the document does not consider those with Low Vision.  Low Vision cannot be corrected with medical or surgical intervention, nor glasses.  This visual impairment introduces functional limitations resulting in difficulty reading, mobility, visual motor activities and interpreting visual information.

As designers, we can make simple choices when defining our building environment which can have a dramatically positive (or negative) impact on those with Low Vision.  About 89 million Americans suffer from vision problems.  About 3 million of our citizens suffer from Low Vision.  Another 13 million suffer from eye disease that impairs vision.  About 10% of all seniors over the age of 80 suffer from Low vision.

Site Considerations

•   Bollards (or signs) to be 40” min high and of contrasting color

•   Curbs, wheel stops and other changes to the level of paving to be of contrasting color an value (in addition to those surfaces with  red fire lane paint)
•   Direct East and West facing building exposures should be avoided when siting the building.  Avoid uneven walkway surfaces.  Exterior and interior stairs, ramps and steps, if required, should be designed with leading edges (nosings) that clearly contrast in color and value with treads and risers.   Place drains and grates outside of walkway areas.
•   Create transition areas between the exterior and the interior of the building to allow those with Low Vision a place to pause to allow their eyes to adjust (larger than typical vestibule with seating)
•   Site furniture should be placed well outside the circulation path and should be lit and of contrasting color to prevent collision or a tripping hazard.  Raise fountains or planter beds placed in the circulation path and utilize contrasting materials.
•   Trees should not have low hanging branches nor should they drop fruit, nuts or cones next to paved walkways.
•   Signs mounted on walls are preferable to pole mounted signs.  White letters/information on a black background is best (just the opposite from what is typically used!)  Avoid raised letters due to the shadows. Because of the danger of glare, avoid backlit signs including LCD type displays except LED type lighting which works well.
•   Use card or proximity readers rather than numeric key pads or keyed locks at well-lit entry points.
•   Specify shields cut-off site lighting fixtures.

Building Considerations

•   Place windows to the side of the path, not at the end of the path to avoid strong glare.

•   Higher ceilings are better.  Consider and model the space both with and without daylight and make sure it works both ways.

•   Exterior louvers and light shelves help to provide luminance balance.
•   Use Low-e solar glass.  Consider reflective coatings with exterior and interior shading.
•   Public entrances must be easily identified as such from the street.  Secondary or service entries can be confusing if they are too visually prominent.  Make the entry door(s) visually distinguishable from sidelights and other adjacent features and wider than typical (up to 48” wide for those who are being accompanied by another)

Finish Considerations

•   Avoid reflective flooring throughout and within vestibules especially.  Place a reception person close to the main entrance and provide this person with a direct line of sight to the main entrance.

•   Touchscreens for the building directory and wayfinding information should provide fonts and graphics that persons with Low vision can read. Augment this display with sound.
•   Furniture in a lobby space must be positioned and be of color values to be easily seen and to avoid accidental collisions and fall risk.
•   Railings and handrails in circulation areas need to be a contrasting color and value.
•   Hallways and corridors need to be 4 feet wide minimum (Person with escort).
•   Non-chrome plumbing fixtures.  A darker oil rubbed finish set on a white fixture may be best.
•   Specify contrasting floor surface in restrooms so white fixtures can be located easily.
•   Avoid highly polished (granite) counter tops.
•   Avoid highly patterned or textured finishes on floor and countertop surfaces which may make retrieval of small dropped items very difficult.
•   Avoid Rugs.
•   Use cabinet drawer and door pulls which can be easily seen and which contrast with the cabinets.

Dave Davies, AIA is a licensed architect with CSHQA located in Boise, Idaho.  Dave has designed hundreds of facilities for the elderly in 26 states across the country. Reference:  Design Guidelines for the Visual Environment was published by the National Institute of Building Sciences, 2014.

Master Planning - An Intelligent Road Map for School Districts

Columbia High School Students, Nampa, Idaho

Our schools are the training grounds of our future citizens and leaders, and the quality of our school facilities has a profound impact on staff and student health and student learning.  A well-conceived facility master plan provides a durable tool and roadmap for faculty, facilities managers, and district administrators.  It is a vital component in the responsible and cost-effective management of an educational organization.

Benefits of Facilities Master Planning

A facilities master plan helps school districts identify both urgent and long-term facilities needs in terms of maintenance, operations, replacement, consolidation, and even closure.  It helps staff manage priorities proactively, rather than reactively, which is especially beneficial for districts with limited resources.

A good master plan identifies potential facility issues before they become critical and expensive problems.  It will also help reduce operational and life cycle costs of the physical plant by detailing timely and appropriate maintenance activities.  Less money spent on building upkeep means more flexibility in funding educational programs.

When the physical plant is well managed and maintained, energy use is reduced and teaching environments are safer and healthier for all.

Vo-tech training is increasingly important in today's education plans.

Basic Steps

The professional master planning consultant will begin with conversations with the District administration to establish an overall timeline and identify key participants (the Master Plan Team).  The program includes four parts.

Part 1 – Research, Study and Analysis

The consultant leads an initial workshop with all the participants to establish and clarify expectations, goals and objectives.  This is followed by a comprehensive study including:  land use assessment, infrastructure, building/facilities condition, transportation, demographic trends, facility utilization, energy performance, economics, and educational suitability.  The results of the studies are analyzed and shared with the Master Plan Team.

Part 2 – Alternative Land Use Phase

Where applicable, the master plan will address:  planning and design concepts; pedestrian and non-pedestrian circulation; recreation and open space; transit, circulation and parking; climate and environmental factors; design guidelines; and building and massing studies.

Part 3 – Definitive District Site Plans

For each site the master plan will include a draft development plan, estimate of probable project costs and proposed project phasing.

Part 4 – Master Plan Recommendations

The consultant will work with the district to refine the plan and develop exhibits.  At this time, the Master Plan is published.



Today's digital laboratories require specialized infrastructure and secured systems.

A Master Plan Should

§  Promote “best practice” recommendations, not mandates.
§  Coordinate facility activities throughout the organization.
§  Consider and account for changing educational needs and the impact to infrastructure.
§  Educate school and district administrators about facility operations.
§  Teach faculty and staff how they can help with facilities maintenance.

Getting Started

§  Consult with a professional architect or planner.
§  Commit to a team approach – School Board, District Administrators, Educators, Staff
§  Welcome multiple perspectives and engage multiple disciplines
§  Allow the process to take the necessary time

 

Sergio A. Martinez, Jr. brings nearly 40 years of experience planning and designing projects for public owners, including 17 Arizona school districts.  He is an architect and project manager with CSHQA in Phoenix. 

 

 

 

BIM Helped Build the Region's Newest Emergency & Trauma Center



Resuscitation Room at the new Saint Alphonsus Emergency & Trauma Center

A Level II Regional Trauma Center is the critical epicenter for many patients experiencing serious or life threatening trauma, and must remain fully operational 24 hours a day.  Any modifications done within a facility like this need carefully phased construction.  After  21 months, we are proud to show the results of our planning to renovate and expand the Emergency and Trauma Center at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. 

Along with police, fire and paramedic services, hospital emergency departments give true meaning to rapid response.  As this regions only Level II Trauma Center, the Saint Alphonsus Boise facility is vitally important to the community.  And while the project was technically to expand the Emergency Department and Trauma Center from approximately 15,000 square feet to just over 20,000 square feet, it was also a significant renovation in that almost nothing of the prior department remains.  This was accomplished through a very detailed and deliberate phasing of every aspect of construction.  BIM (building information modeling) played a role in the successful outcome.

BIM technologies and programs have been around for more than a decade.  Somewhat surprisingly, it’s the contractors who are the early adopters.  With rapid advancements in the computing power of lightweight notebooks and tablets these programs have become standard tools at the construction site, improving efficiency and saving both money and time. 

At CSHQA we are applying programs that are more powerful and more flexible.  All good things when you need to break a project into small pieces while building a figurative ‘firewall’ around services that cannot be interrupted. 

By our count, above the ceilings and below the roof structure, the Emergency Department has some 36 distinct utility systems which serve the critical functions below.  Each one of these utility systems was essentially removed and replaced while the balance of the department remained up and functioning. 

There never seems to be enough “interstitial” space for these types of systems, and that was never truer on this project.  Parts of the building were first constructed in the 1970’s before much of today’s technology was yet to be conceived.  BIM helped through the design process to facilitate a clear path through this tight labyrinth of existing systems and available space.  By building and then analyzing the BIM model, we were able to work with the Contractor during the design phase to help avoid above ceiling ‘collisions’ while keeping a minimum number of patients beds up and functioning at any given time.

CSHQA's planning and renovation yielded the following improvements at Saint Alphonsus - Boise: 

• The Emergency Department and Trauma Center expanded from 15,000 square feet to 20,255 square feet. 
• Treatment bays divided by curtains were replaced by individual private patient suites.  Each room is equipped to address any emergency, eliminating wait-time for specialized equipment. 
• Softer lighting, sound absorbing flooring and a more calming environment will help ease anxiety for all patients as well as support the unique physical and emotional needs of this region’s senior population.
• The expanded Emergency and Trauma Center houses the region’s only decontamination unit, a secure chamber that will allow for an isolated response to patients injured in explosions, chemical spills and other accidents involving hazardous materials; increasing safety for all patients and their medical teams. 

About Saint Alphonsus Health System As a faith-based Catholic ministry and not-for-profit health system, Saint Alphonsus Health System reinvests in the communities we serve, through charity care and other benefits. Our goal is to improve the health and well-being of individuals by emphasizing care that is patient-centered, physician-led, innovative and community-based.  Saint Alphonsus Health System serves the people of southwestern Idaho, eastern Oregon and northern Nevada through the following facilities: Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center - Boise, ID; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Nampa, ID; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Ontario, OR; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Baker City, OR; and, Saint Alphonsus Medical Group with primary and specialty care providers at over 60 clinic locations, all of which are members of the Saint Alphonsus Health Alliance, a network of over 1500 employed and independent providers focused on making care easy to access, improving health outcomes and reducing the costs of healthcare.  To find out more go to:  www.saintalphonsus.org

Dave Davies, AIA, project architect and associate with CSHQA, led the nearly three-year planning, design and construction effort to remodel and expand the Emergency & Trauma Center.  Dave specializes in healthcare and senior living design.

Energy Codes and Energy Incentives



National Code Adoption Map as of November 2013.  Source DOE website.

On Jun 26, 2014 the Idaho Chapter of the US Green Building Council hosted an event at our Boise office titled “The Business Case for Carbon Reduction”.  Local leaders from government, commerce, industry, architecture and non-profits spoke of the pressing need to incorporate sustainable practices into our everyday business models as well as the planning and design of buildings and communities.  To that end we are posting an article written earlier this year that discusses incentivizing sustainable design.

A similar version of this article first appeared in the Idaho Business Review, January 20, 2014.  Look for future articles in the IBR later this summer – Kent Hanway, AIA, CSHQA President

On Jan. 1, 2014 Idaho adopted the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code, the most current and most stringent code applicable to renovation and new construction for commercial construction. This brings Idaho in line with states such as Washington, Oregon, California, Massachusetts and many others. (Although the most current we can find, the map above is a few months behind.)  While energy is relatively inexpensive in Idaho and some may ask why we are working so hard, this is a strong move for our future to keep energy consumption and costs low.

Many people think manufacturing and transportation are the big energy consumers and polluters. Each does its share, with manufacturing consuming 31 percent and transportation 28 percent of U.S. energy. The remaining 41 percent?  Buildings.  The energy to construct and then use the buildings we make consumes more energy than either industry or transportation. Buildings are also the No. 1 producer of global carbon dioxide emissions and the amount is steadily increasing. An analogy from The Living Building Challenge, a nonprofit promoting sustainable design, compares building a 50,000-square-foot commercial building to driving a car 20,000 miles per year – for 730 years!

No matter your view on climate change, we cannot continue on this trend. It simply costs too much to build and operate inefficient buildings. The IECC is revised every three years, and compared to 2006, the 2012 code raises energy efficiency of commercial buildings by 30 percent. However, it is up to the states to adopt new codes, so the federal government and many power companies employ construction-related programs that encourage better-than-code outcomes. Often these programs are very generous, paying for equipment and upgrades with the owner paying only for design and installation.

Idaho Power is one of those companies. Since 2002, Idaho Power has implemented various programs to incentivize building owners and builders to exceed code requirements and build greener buildings.  Idaho Power currently sponsors three commercial building programs:

• Easy Upgrades offers incentives for simple retrofits within existing commercial and industrial buildings.
• Building Efficiency for Commercial Construction assists in offsetting capital expenses for efficient lighting, cooling and control systems, as well as better-built building shells for new or renovated commercial and industrial construction.
• Custom Efficiency for Complex Projects addresses large commercial and industrial users that improve their electrical systems or processes.

Until recently, a federal incentive program within Section 179(d) of the tax code allowed generous tax deductions in the form of accelerated depreciation for energy upgrades to existing commercial buildings.  Although there is periodic talk in Washington of extending this provision, it sunset December 31, 2013 and looks unlikely to be renewed.

Our experience with both programs has saved our clients and ourselves money.  However, as we see in the federal program, incentives are not guaranteed into the future.  With more stringent codes, many incentive programs are less cost effective or even redundant.  Power companies will not incentivize customers for merely reaching code.

Yet, there is a silver lining going forward.  Regardless of the duration of these and other programs, savvy developers and investors already know something very important about building green: It saves money and increases property values.

The simple payback from many energy efficiency measures is estimated at five to seven years. Green buildings are less expensive to operate, raising return on investment compared to comparable leased space. Green buildings are also perceived to have greater value in the market. In five different studies from 2009 to 2011 in 12 urban U.S. markets, some including Boise, green buildings experienced higher rents, fewer vacancies and faster absorption. Sales of green buildings experienced shorter durations and higher net prices.

Karen Warner, president of Tenant Realty Advisors in Boise, sums it up:  “The demand for green office buildings will continue to increase as more and more national firms recognize the benefits of leasing sustainable office space. Not only does it make economic sense, but green buildings also have a positive influence on employee retention and productivity.”

The financial incentives of grants, rebates and deductions may be vanishing, but the real money in green building remains.  –

Kent Hanway is a licensed architect and president of CSHQA, a Boise-based, 90-person architectural and engineering firm. He is a member of the Idaho Power Energy Efficiency Advisory Group, the Urban Land Institute and the American Institute of Architects.

 

Five Designers Walk into a Furniture Store...

CSHQA Designers: Sam White, Mandie Brozo, Evelyn Peterson, Nicole Cecil, Megumi Haus

You never know what you’re going to get when you combine the talents of a CAD guru, an Architect-in-Training and three Interior Designers. 

The folks at Office Environment Company [OEC] invited a few of their design friends to a friendly competition to see who could ‘dress up’ a Buoy.  The Buoy Design Competition posed a challenge to teams to take a simple gray and white buoy (a drum-like stool that rocks on a rounded bottom) and design creative graphics that express ‘movement.’

 

Team CSHQA, consisting of [L-R] Sam White, Mandie Brozo, Evelyn Peterson, Nicole Cecil and Megumi Haus, chose to create a theme around camping in the great outdoors.  As Mandie Brozo explains, “You are always moving when you are camping.  Hiking, swimming, kayaking, setting up a tent, exploring… Even if you are sitting still, there is still movement in nature.”  To convey this theme Team CSHQA created a scene that can be best seen when the buoy is in motion.  The element of surprise is the water flowing around the lower drum of the buoy.  This is seen when the buoy moves up and down for height.

 

These gals are making waves!  See Nicole and Megumi in a previous blog http://bit.ly/1jkQX9F . –

Celebrating 125 Years: Innovation and Sustainable Design

CSHQA in early morning light

Energy Star was created by the EPA and US Department of Energy in 1992; green leader USGBC was founded in 1993, followed by LEED™ in 1994; Green Globes expanded to the United States from Canada in 2004. 

Sustainable design has been a driving force at CSHQA since the 1970's and continues ever stronger today.  In 2013 CSHQA’s Boise office moved to its present location at 200 Broad Street.  LEED registered with a goal of Platinum, the once 60-year-old warehouse is now one of the most energy efficient commercial office buildings in the state and the only one to use a radiant system for both heating and cooling.  Geothermal heat, daylight harvesting, LED lighting, low-water-use features, a thorough commissioning process, and extensive HVAC and lighting controls all contribute to an estimated EUI [Energy Use Intensity] of 30*, far less than median US office of ~150-200**. 

 

Conceived as a laboratory for high performance design, this building and the team who conceived it place CSHQA firmly in the 21st century with our focus on the future of innovative and sustainable architecture and engineering.  –

 

 

* Preliminary figure.  A more precise EUI will be available after the building has experienced a full year of post-commissioning operation.

** Comparative EUI figures based on benchmarking of more than 100,000 buildings can be found on the Energy Star website: http://www.energystar.gov/buildings/sites/default/uploads/tools/DataTrends_Energy_20121002.pdf?bebf-1d6e

 

A Sampling of CSHQA Projects, Past and Present

From recent advertisements...

A small sample of 125 years of projects.
(Read left to right and across the text.)

Idanah Hotel (1900)

Central Fire Station (1903, remodeled for CSHQA office 1985)

Bank of Idaho (1963, now Key Bank)
Boise Air Terminal (1967)
The Kibbie Dome/University of Idaho (1976)
BSU Pavilion (1982, now Taco Bell Arena)
Albertsons Stores (1981 – 2002)
Boise Art Museum Addition (2007)
Idaho Power Building (1991)
Whole Foods Markets, Boise (2012)
Blue Cross of Idaho (1997)
10^th and Grove (est. 2015)
Idaho State Capitol Renovation and Restoration (2010)
Boise Air Terminal (2004)
Mulvanney Medical Office Building (2009)
Treasure Valley Community College (2010)
BSU Engineering Building (1999)
C.W. Moore Building (1995)
CSHQA (2013)
–