I am certainly not qualified to predict the future and my crystal ball broke a few years ago, but I do have an observation that I believe may be an indicator of the future.  I have been traveling to Scottsdale, AZ for the past 18 years.  Over that time period I marveled at the hot air balloon sightings.  It would not be uncommon on any weekend morning or evening to see 10-15 balloons in the air at one time.  It truly is a great sight.

I had the opportunity to charter a balloon for my daughter’s birthday a number of years ago so I know it is not an inexpensive venture.  Over the past two years hot air balloon sightings have been rare.  I repeatedly commented to my wife that the empty skies must be the result of the poor economy.  This Thanksgiving, and the weekend before, the air was filled with 15-20 balloons.  Are hot air balloon sightings an indication people can again afford luxury items and the economy is recovering or is this prediction just full of hot air?

Dave Raysich, AIA, NCARB
Managing Partner

Part 1 of a series on the potential impact of the Cloud, Mobility, and Virtualization in the Architectural Profession.  While appearing at first to be a broad topic, the blending of the 3 technologies is already setting the stage for a major impact on the manner in which the design profession interacts with clients and collaborates as a project team.

A recent real-world conversation between an Architect and an IT Professional in a recent team meeting…

IT:  So hey I see you have an iPad?
Architect: Yeah!  It's great I love the graphics.
IT:  1 or 2?
Architect: Ah, I don't know, I think a 2 since it has a camera.
IT: Ah so do you use Skype?
Architect: No, cause I don't like how I look on camera.
IT: {puzzleed look} So do you like the camera?
Architect: It's OK.  Images are kinda grainy, however, it's great to take pictures of the kids and look I found this really cool picture of Gehry's New World Center for my background!
IT: Yeah, that's always a lot of fun, do you use it for work?
Architect: I've tried but it's a pain because I either have to email the pictures or sync them to my PC.  Our IT Dept doesn't want us connecting to the server at the office for some reason.  Not sure why.   They also won't install iTunes on my system.  They say it's unstable.  Not sure why either, it works fine at home, although our home PC has been really slow lately.  Do you know why?
IT: Well that could be something else...
Architect: But, hey I've got 12 gig of music loaded, and I can watch movies!
IT: Cool, which movies?
Architect: Well I got Twilight Eclipse off of iTunes so my daughter can watch however I can't connect a DVD player and it doesn't have a connection to my flat panel TV.  I did get the new Rem Koolhaas movie off iTunes.  Do you know if I can burn a DVD?
IT: No you can't due to DRM.
Architect: DRM?
IT: Digital Rights Management.
Architect: Ah, I thought it was a techno band from Copenhagen.  Ever been to Denmark?
IT: So the lack of video-out or HDMI is an issue.
Architect: Sure is.
IT: So do you use it for work at all?
Architect:  I can check email! {excitedly}
Architect:  I can also browse the web when I can find a hotspot.
IT: OK.  Do you use it for VPN?
Architect: VP what?
IT: VPN…   {pause}…   do you connect to the office and access intranet information.
Architect: ahhhhh, no.  Can I?  What's an intranet?  Isn't that something I can access anywhere
IT: No, that's the "intErnet", not "intrAnet".
Architect:  Ah, well I can get to my work email.  Is that the intranet?
IT: Technically no.
IT: Do you use it for client meetings or anything else other than checking email?
Architect: Well I found this cool app called Note Taker.  I sketch and take notes just as if it were a paper notepad.
IT: OK so now we're talking.  Does it convert the notes to text?
Architect: No.  That would be great if it would.
IT: Can you save it anywhere?
Architect:  No I have to email it or post it on Google Docs.  Then I have to re-type it.
IT: Hmm.  Sounds like it's somewhat limited.
Architect:  Well I think it would work better if I could also access my project files from Google Docs or Dropbox.
IT: So wouldn't it be great if you could access all your project information from the cloud?
Architect: That would be very convenient.  It would be really beneficial to be out of the office and be able to access not only my contacts, but marketing information as well.  I can't tell you how it would be nice to be able to access the same information outside the office as I can while at my desk.  Besides, I keep finding myself less and less at my desk.
-------------------

For those of you in the industry you may already have an idea where the next post is headed.  The above exchange not only provides a exciting glimpse of the potential for mobility and cloud services to facilitiate collaboration, business agility, and productivity, but it also identifies a couple key inhibiters to adoption that I believe will be addressed over the next few years.  What does the cloud, mobility, and virtualization have in common?  Stay tuned for Part 2 as we continue to break down each technology and address the issues encountered in the above conversation..

Prior to ever becoming an architect, prior to going to architecture school (25 years ago) I imagined as an architect that I would be busy at a workstation of some kind designing fantastic structures in three dimensions at once, charting unknown design territory and making lots of money.  Then, I went to architecture school, designed in two dimensions, on paper (sometimes forced to draw in pen and ink (really, what was that all about?)) and concentrated on energy modeling.  I thought that once out of school things would certainly be different in the real world.

After graduation reality hit as I picked up my pencil (at least it wasn’t a pen) and began my architectural career.  Luckily, the firm that I started with could at least see the benefit of CAD (not CADD) and I was allowed to develop systems on the Apple Mac that would allow us to replicate drawings and details.  True, I was only drawing electronic lines and using electronic pens, but at least it wasn’t completely by hand and I could easily copy work I had already produced once.  I thought for sure that there must be a system for working within three dimensions, and there was, ArchiCADD.  It was rough, difficult to use and wasn’t compatible with anything, but it was 3d (and 2d).  I convinced my employer (a design-builder) that there was some 4d capability that could be eked out of the product and we did a couple of small projects with some time scheduling elements.  The 3d aspects were used minimally for some client presentations which were warmly received but were crude.

My next employer (also a design-builder) utilized Autocad and had little interest in producing anything in 3d.  Most of their portfolios were developer-driven buildings that required little or no 3d explanation, requiring only 2d site plans and working drawings.  One facet of their business became custom financial institutions that required more design and more customer renderings.  At that time the solution to renderings was to hire an artist, give them the facades, plan and roof plan and let them create a pretty picture to be sold to whomever needed selling to.  There was no process or product intelligence within the CAD system, just lines.  We were able to produce adequate drawings and reasonable building designs in a timely, cost effective manner.

Moving on, my current employer saw an even greater concentration on Autocad with some architectural add-ons (such as wall and opening tools).  Some advantage was given to the overall document production process but the work was still 2d and more lines than anything else.  It seemed to me that we were stuck utilizing electronic forms of the pen and ink system, all we lacked was the velum sheets of old.  True, there was some design work done in 3d and some client visualization work done but the focus was generally on the ability to sell the design.  Often the 3d work was not translatable to the production side of the house.  There were viable 3d products available, but compatibility, viability and investment issues kept blocking those product adoptions.

Then along came REVIT.  As soon as the product was introduced to our company, myself and my team trained up and implemented it.  The REVIT we trained on at first didn’t seem that much better than the ArchiCADD of old, but the interface was better, the computers were able to handle the graphics demands (unlike the systems of old) and most of all, it was published by the industry leader which would help ensure some degree of acceptance and compatibility and hopefully longevity.  We rejoiced (briefly) and were excited to open the new (to us) world of 3d and beyond.  As with other teams new to BIM, we first delved into the areas that were familiar to us, producing some rough renderings, elevations and plans, but the balance of the project was still produced within CAD.  New to our thinking was the sharing of the model within the design team and outside of the design team; legal issues; liability issues, compatibility issues and the lack of 3d input from consulting engineers.  How would we balance owner expectations with the reality of what could be done within the contract time framework?

As projects proceed and the design teams are able to more fully implement the 3d aspects and produce the entire project within REVIT, it has become more and more apparent that the lack of an industry standard approach to modeling the families utilized within the projects, the lack of engineers willing to provide 3d design services at a reasonable fee, a retracting construction industry (great recession of ’08) and the continuing forced adversarial contractual relationship between architect and constructor all add to the challenge of taking BIM beyond a simple 2d production tool utilizing 3d elements.  As we become more familiar with the BIM process, more potential aspects of an improved project delivery through the use of BIM become apparent.  Better project coordination (within the architectural discipline as well as within the overall design team), project scheduling, project estimating, building energy analysis, building design analysis, 3d design, 3d detailing all are awaiting further implementation.

Ultimately, though life with BIM is more fulfilling than not, we are all forced to march down the path of the ultimate design process taking baby steps as those around us realize the advantages of an integrated design approach.  My original imaginings are now closer to reality than not and I think that I see the light (3d?) at the end of the tunnel that can open up new opportunities for designers and building owners alike.

Adrian Langhus Jr., AIA, NCARB, LEED AP
Associate, Senior Project Architect

It seems you can’t open a newspaper in Wisconsin today and find any encouraging news concerning the fiscal health of a government entity.  The Federal Government can’t agree on how to balance its budget.  Thousands of protesters descended on Madison to protest the governor’s strategy for balancing his budget.   And local governments are facing severe cutbacks in revenue from the State, which will result in additional cuts to services and public education.  Among this dearth of good news, I offer this public/private success story:

Located among the bountiful Wisconsin forests and surrounded by water, the City of Neenah grew throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries on the strength of its many paper mills, including the Bergstrom Paper Company, which was located in the heart of the city at the west end of its main street.  The wealth and prosperity the paper mills brought to Neenah was accompanied the usual environmental consequences of early industrialization, and by the time of its closing in June of 2006, the 7 acre site was a toxic maze of accreted buildings 130 years in the making.

If the story had ended there, no one would have been surprised; especially now, with cash strapped governments seemingly unable to positively affect the economy.  But in 2006, the City of Neenah moved quickly to turn the loss of an important business and 200 local jobs into an opportunity.  The mill donated the land to the City, and the City budgeted $5.6 million to raze the structures and remediate the site and the adjacent parcel.  An additional $1.6 million in Federal and State grants was to help with the remediation, but by the time the site was cleared and fully prepared for new development, the cost had ballooned to $9.4 million.

Again, had the story ended there, no one would have been surprised.  But within two years, Plexus Corporation announced it would move to the site, anchoring a new TIF District and bringing 350 white collar employees to downtown Neenah.   Plunkett Raysich Architects designed a new $20 million, 103,000 sf. headquarters to support the Plexus global contract electronic manufacturing business.  The building was located at the north edge of the site, leaving a large parcel next to Main Street for smaller retail buildings.  Parking was located mid-block to maintain the historic edge of the street.   Today, the finished project is a catalyst for new projects, including a hotel and office development, as well as a new public plaza and lakeside park.

The Plexus Global Headquarters project is the story of a civic/corporate partnership that seems almost impossible today.  The City of Neenah and the Federal and State governments, along with Plexus Corporation, invested nearly $30 million to not only remediate an abandoned brown field site, but to bring even greater vibrancy and potential to the heart of the City.  With a little luck and a lot of courage, governments can again alter the familiar tale of industries moving, jobs lost, and cities and towns struggling to survive.

Michael Brush, AIA
Partner

Two CEO’s shared their thoughts on Healthcare Reform and approaches to structure their care delivery at the Planning Design and Construction Conference. 

William Peacock, MD from Cleveland Clinic:  Currently they serve 6 million patients in 10 hospitals, multiple outpatient care centers, and pharmacies all vertically integrated.  The big picture plan is create a Main “HUB” medical center for the most acute patients and “spoke” specialty hospitals in support of the main medical center.  “All Spoke Hospitals Can’t Do Everything” he said, and still remains efficient.

The Cleveland Clinic uses a dashboard to monitor Performance Metrics. They continue to plan for the uncertain future utilizing facility strategies based on flexibility and standardization.  Currently, they have defined a system-wide goal to take $100,000,000 out of their supply chain through added efficiency and waste elimination, dollars about equivalent to the GDP of Vietnam. $100 M = $65M in devices + services + $35M in costs / case processes. Known for their efficiency of care delivery, the Cleveland Clinic is reviewing everything top to bottom revealing savings by not always doing what has always been done and structuring the right products for the right case  right now.

Joe Swedish is the President of Trinity Health, a 9-state system with $7 billion annual revenues, and 2,000 employees.  Joe provided his vision for the future of care delivery along with current system initiatives.  They are currently acquiring Loyola Health in Chicago which will provide a research and innovation component to the system.  They are moving away from silos of care and toward an integrated model from bench to bedside.  They are also moving toward an accountable care organization (ACO) through a network of clinical integration.  Volumes are shifting to Outpatient / Ambulatory Care, currently about 50% / Ambulatory and recently as the late 80’s it was about 12% within his organization.

In order to achieve their strategic goals they are focused on relationships that drive value, which have elements of sustainability, predictability, and reliability.  Their relationship to the design community is built on relationships, communications and trust.  Their capital improvement budget in 2008 was $1 billion / all in facilities upgrades. In 2010, $800 million is allocated, with only 45% allocated to facilities upgrades.  They have no interest in any designs lacking utility, flexibility, care efficiency, and cost effectiveness – His metric is: “Cost / S.F. / Bed must continue to fall.”

Both CEO’s focused on eliminating waste from the system and being able to deliver more cost effective care. I venture to say, they are in the vast majority of CEOs across the country, all trying to figure out the same equation. I believe we are what we measure, and today the metric is maintaining or increasing quality while reducing cost of care delivery. I am not sure if the reform bill will stay intact, but I am sure that increasing quality and reducing cost is a sustainable formula.

Michael Scherbel, AIA, NCARB
Partner

As I return from the PDC Conference here in Tampa Bay, I reflect on several themes of the conference.

PERFORMANCE METRICS

At the Planning Design and Construction Conference, a reoccurring theme of performance and its measurements was presented throughout the 4-days.  From the opening keynote by Gene Krantz and Jim Lovell and their story of Apollo 13, their metrics they talked about were oxygen levels, power availability, and angle of entry into earth orbit.  Their heroic performance and ability to innovate with available resources (and of course duct tape) are measured in terms of life and death.

My presentation on Achieving Performance Metrics through an Interdisciplinary Approach was based on our independent research of over 50 of our Clients and the return on design they have seen as a result of the projects.  A measure of current performance based on the business case goals versus future state desired results of their capital improvement projects.  Co-presenting with me was Tanya Hahn - Lancaster Pollard, Tony Ollmann - Baker Tilly and Jeffrey Remsik of Bottom Line Marketing, each representing an important sector of an interdisciplinary approach to delivering superior project outcomes in the areas of environment, operations, loyalty and capital.

Examples of  Post Occupancy Evaluations  and stories of projects and the Metrics identified at the beginning of the project were shared with Conference attendees. 

Several other presentations dealt with project performance measurement of the Built Environment and the Operations they support.  The use of a LEAN process to eliminate waste was covered in detail by James C. Benneyan, Ph.D. targeting the 25 – 30% waste in the current system or $760 billion / year.  He mentioned the waste in Healthcare relates to the 10th largest sector of our economy.

The need to conduct Post Occupancy Evaluations to be able to measure, learn and apply Lesson Learned to future projects was presented by Julie Kent.  No one seems to have the perfect process but the more information we all share the more we all will learn and therefore make our projects higher performing.

It’s good to know experts from around the country share your thoughts and aspirations regarding the use of Performance Metrics, the variables are many.  We have not arrived at our final destination but the validation of the right path on the journey is reassuring.

Michael Scherbel, AIA, NCARB
Partner

As I return from the PDC Conference here in Tampa Bay, I reflect on several themes of the conference.

TEAMWORK

The impactful story of Apollo 13 recounted by James Lovell and Gene Krantz (portrayed by Ed Harding in the movie) is a true story of teamwork.  Gene said the team was formed 9-years earlier over that time they learned success could only come as a team.  Comfort and trust in your teammates was a key; Lovell in the lunar module trusted Krantz in Houston.  Krantz believed failure was not an option no matter the obstacle.  Because of their teamwork; these heroes were able to personally tell us their story.

A fitting story to kick-off the VISTA Awards presentation, the award recognizing teamwork in creating patient centered, value based healthcare environments.  Mike Murphy of Miron Construction and I were proud to accept 1 of 3 awards given nationally in 2011, for our work with Aspirus Wausau Hospital and Henneman Engineering.  Our project team gave form to the clinician’s vision for a private room Neo Natal Intensive Care unit to serve the north central Wisconsin community.  Through a Co-Design process the doctors and nurses were able to “see” the environment through computer imagery then in mock-up prototyping and finally as implemented by the construction team.  This interdisciplinary approach resulted in achieving the projects, quality, cost, sustainability and schedule goals in a solution that focused on the families and the smallest and most fragile members of our community.

As Gene Krantz and Jim Lovell said, teamwork and trust is a key.  I would add passion and commitment as additional ingredients.  Gene Krantz and his team, along with Jim Lovell’s leadership and his crew were able to solve a mission critical crisis on the way to the moon because of their skills, commitment and creativity.  I felt that type of performance on our team in support of heroes of the Aspirus Wausau NICU, Drs. Modi and Torres, Sue McDonald and their team and the care they provide the tiniest of babies in the Anna Marie Jackson NICU.  They won’t make a movie, but I am still very proud of the entire team.

To find out more about the VISTA Award please visit ASHE's website.

VISTA Award Winning Team