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Ashley Fruhwirth, AIA
Converting a warehouse into office and manufacturing spaces? Explore challenges, design tips and strategic planning to stay ahead of construction delays.
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Michael Jelinek, RA, NCARB
Designing lab vacuum systems requires strategic planning. With options ranging from whole-building to point-of-use systems, the ideal choice hinges on each lab's unique needs.
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Jeffrey J. Bogart, ASID
An interior designer in EUA's Living Studio reflects on his four-decade-long career.
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Jennifer Sodo , AIA, LEED AP BD+CDan Schindhelm, AIA
EUA recently hosted the inaugural Meaningful Edges event on the terrace of its Milwaukee office, bringing together leaders in senior living and related fields to learn from one another and seek inspiration through shared experiences.
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Zoe Limbeck
Zoe Limbeck is an interior designer in the living studio, working on various senior living and mixed-use multifamily projects. Jennifer Sodo sat down with Zoe to learn more about her unique perspective on design.
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Lynsey Grace, AIA
Enter workplace standards – guidelines for designing physical office environments. Workplace standards are a company’s “north star” for program and space requirements, office design features, lighting, equipment, furniture, finishes and technology needs.
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Dale Garfield, PEMike Schwindenhammer, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB
An architect, a plumbing designer, and an HVAC engineer explain the value of making sustainable building systems visually accessible to students and share examples from their work with three Wisconsin school districts.
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Mike Oates, RA, CDT
Across the country, mixed-use and senior housing developers are turning to adaptive reuse to stand out in a competitive rental market. As Milwaukee looks to attract more residents and employers to the city, the need to provide new – and unique – living environments only grows. Mike Oates discusses bringing new life to the former headquarters of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper by converting the building into a vibrant mixed-use residential and commercial space.
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Mike Smutny
Jennifer Sodo sat down with Mike Smutney to learn more about his unique perspective on architecture – from bringing his design sensibility into the field to his personal connections to environments for older adults.
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Karen Davis, NCIDQ
Today, hospitality designers meet their client’s expectations through four guiding principles: aspiration, experience, destination and novelty – techniques that architects and interior designers are increasingly adopting in other markets. Karen Davis's blog examines each principle and how different industries implement them.
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Join EUA's Emily McNamara, Kevin McNamara and Phil Meyer in discussing the steps to take in creating strategies behind planning a sustainable facility.
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Carolyn Glime, AIA, NCARB
Over a third of college students in the United States lack access to adequate meals and housing. It will only worsen unless higher education takes a more proactive approach to holistic student wellness instead of a reactive one. EUA's Carolyn Glime discusses new options offered at higher education institutions to address the eight dimensions of wellness in a student's life: emotional, environmental, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, spiritual, and, often times forgotten, financial.
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Renee Kubesh, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP
Healthcare providers increasingly turn to micro-hospitals to deliver quality care to their communities. These fully licensed, 24/7 facilities can help patients with myriad medical issues – including critical care – within a fraction of the space of their full-sized counterparts, typically less than 20,000 square feet. EUA's Renee Kubesh touches on how providers adapt them to meet their evolving needs.
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Mike Schwindenhammer, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB
Think back to your experience as a child in school. Where did you fit in? Did you feel welcome at your school? Was it a safe place for you? EUA's Mike Schwindenhammer discusses an architect's responsibility for making schools more inclusive by engaging diverse student voices throughout the design process.
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Andy LyonsRoberto Jaimes Jr.
In part two of the Outdoor Learning Environments series, Andy Lyons and Roberto Jaimes Jr. will identify and discuss six key factors to keep in mind when designing an outdoor learning environment.
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Andy Lyons
Learning happens indoors and outside. We know outdoor learning environments are welcome alternatives to traditional classrooms, but does research suggest they benefit students? The short answer is yes. In this three-part series, Engagement Specialist Andy Lyons discusses the importance the outdoors brings to learning environments.
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Healthcare Studio Director Paul Stefanski discusses five recent trends we've noticed with outpatient facilities in a recent Medical Design + Construction magazine article.
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John Ford, AIA, NCARB, EDAC, LEED APEd Anderson, MBA, EDAC
EUA's John Ford and Ed Anderson's article called, "Planning and Design. The Big Picture" published in Healthcare Design Magazine. The team discusses UW Health and the lessons from pandemic care to combine with evidence-based design and Lean practices to inform an acuity-adaptable expansion.
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Sam Bell
Over the past few decades various building certification programs have entered the industry, so what’s next? EUA's Sam Bell discusses Net Zero Energy by way of Passive House design.
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Bob Morris, RA
Bob Morris shares what he learned about school design during his two years working as a school facilities administrator at Milwaukee Public Schools. Hear thoughts from his time at MPS and how he plans to apply these principals to designing learning environments.
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Carolyn Glime, AIA, NCARB
Everyone has likely heard of the trend to consolidate office space by implementing various strategies such as desk sharing and free-address employee workstations for hybrid work schedules or smaller touchdown stations for remote workers. Many people have likely even experienced some of these strategies in their own space or in other office environments they have encountered.
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Michael Jelinek, RA, NCARB
While making a series of trips to the Chiropractor, I realized that our fields of expertise – medical care and lab planning – were actually very similar. Although the scale has increased and the stakes are much higher, at the heart of our fields, we are still figuring out puzzles.
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Sam Bell
Sam Bell is a project architect with a passion for sustainability who recently joined the living studio from the healthcare studio. Jennifer Sodo sat down with Sam to learn more about his unique perspective on architecture – from his formative experiences traveling in Wisconsin to his hopes for a sustainable future.
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Relationships are vital to our overall happiness and well-being. We all know this and yet it is so easy to take them for granted or not carve out the time. Why?
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Michael Jelinek, RA, NCARB
When designing new lab facilities, a floor-to-floor height of 16 feet is a good minimum to start with; however, clients are not always able to construct a new building, and many choose to renovate exi…
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Michelle DuPont, AIA, WELL AP
Launched in 2013, the WELL Building Certification served as a roadmap for designing and operating healthy spaces and buildings. How has this changed over almost a decade since its creation? Join EUA Project Manager Michelle DuPont in discussing the significance WELL certifications carry today.
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With the total backlog of corrective maintenance at higher education institutions estimated to be over $40 billion, it is likely one of the largest expenses higher education faces in the future for an institution with a "bricks and mortar" campus to succeed.
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Back in April 2017, I wrote an article titled “I want innovation!….that I have seen before,” which somewhat showed my frustration with getting clients to take a leap and to do truly innovative things. Since that time, I have seen great strides with clients willing to take risk and be truly innovative.
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The social, economic and psychological drivers for what we call the Great Resignation phenomenon are many, and the complexity of why people leave their jobs can be unpredictable. The pandemic taught us that working from home can work. Many in leadership are driving people back into the office for “cultural reasons.” But for many, working from home is a benefit they do not want to give back.
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Jennifer Sodo , AIA, LEED AP BD+C
A recent survey of senior living workers indicated that 90% of leadership reported high or elevated levels of stress, and 80% of caregivers and hourly employees are facing critical levels of burnout. We know there are a lot of challenges contributing to these numbers, many of which require systemic economic, political, and social shifts well beyond the scope of what an individual provider or community can address.
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Facility managers are challenged with managing limited financial resources while addressing the constant depreciation of their assets. Annual funding for general maintenance, preventative maintenance, and renewal and replacement is often insufficient to cover an organization’s yearly maintenance needs.
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In my previous blog Part One : Change Continuum Loop, I discussed the various phases employees and workplaces undergo when changes occur. In this second blog installment on the Change Continuum Loop, I’ll be discussing how our teams can help support you and your organization through workplace changes.
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David Groth, AIA, EDAC
Behavioral health continues to receive increased attention from patients, health systems, the media and government. The challenge of providing safe, accessible, dignified, and affordable mental health in Milwaukee County has been a longstanding issue. The need for a new behavioral health crisis center remained a community need. Milwaukee’s Mental Health Emergency Center (MHEC) was envisioned as a micro-hospital crisis center.
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Since an organizational change effort aims to create strong adoption with the people delivering results, it is necessary to implement change management in parallel with the design of new work and workplaces. To build a solid and impactful change management process, we must first understand the patterns and influences of change on individuals and within teams at work.
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Abie Khatchadourian, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
Value Engineering (VE) is a means of reconciling scope and budget to arrive at a base value that aligns with the priorities defined by the owner. Value engineering has always been important, and in a time when construction industry costs have risen three times the rate of our normative long-term increases, it becomes even more so. Value engineering is most effective as a budget planning tool where design alternatives and associated costs are examined early in the design process.
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None of us knows how long the pandemic will continue to bounce. While natural attrition in the workforce is logical, losing people at the rate of The Great Resignation is damaging. Through caring and diligent study of your cultural evolution, your work process agility, your technology interfaces, and your brand equity, you can achieve much today to embrace the changes that are currently happening to you instead of for you.
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Teresa M Wadzinski, RA, CDT, LEED BD+C
When we think of school curriculum, we often envision traditional core classes like English, math, science and social studies. But what about all the other classes that expose students to non-traditional career or post-education paths?
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I had been employed for 35 years without pause in the design consultant industry. In June of 2021, I separated from my job without an immediate plan to acquire a new job. I called my unemployment a sabbatical, which brought light to what seemed like a possible dark time.
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Ryan Bakke, AIA, NCARB
Sustainability can sometimes be a dirty word in the built environment. For some, it elicits negativity with thoughts of over-budget projects and difficult checklist requirements. However, high performance building design (HPBD) can maximize every dollar of a capital budget and help an organization better compete.
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Kim Frerichs, RA, LEED AP
Over the last 30 years, school spaces and classrooms have evolved. More flexible spaces and classrooms are now needed to support these programs; this need can decrease the capacity of a facility without any change to the size of the school.
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Chris Michaud, RA, LEED AP
The environments where students spend the majority of their waking hours should support all facets of development, which is why it is critical to create educational spaces that embrace all students, reflect our society and foster diversity, equity and inclusion.
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Charles Robertson, RA, CDTJennifer Sodo , AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Jennifer Sodo and Charlie Robertson's join in conversation over Roberson's time spent during his architectural schooling as a certified nursing assistant working with older adults.
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Jennifer Sodo , AIA, LEED AP BD+CDan Schindhelm, AIA
Bathrooms are spaces we all use frequently, and we have well-established standards for their design. But when it comes to laying out bathrooms for older adults, the design considerations become much more complicated.
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EUA's Green Bay office (formerly Performa) partnered with Gut+Science, a weekly show with the nation’s greatest leaders and CEO’s, on a sub-series of podcasts.
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Susan Kohuth, ASID, LEED AP
Even before the pandemic, companies were taking closer, more objective looks at how to improve employee engagement within the workplace. Now, this topic is magnified as leaders determine next steps for their businesses. Here are a few suggestions to help determine what modality of work - in office, work or hybrid - will be the most effective for your company and lead to the highest level of employee satisfaction.
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Jennifer Sodo , AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Across the country, shopping malls face an uncertain future. The pandemic has highlighted or even accelerated the decline of many malls as consumers turn to the convenience of online shopping. Retail and the experience economy are certainly not dead, but many of these suburban meccas of shopping show fewer signs of life year after year. What if the solution to revitalizing these sites lies with our aging population?
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Stress and burnout are not new phenomena in the healthcare industry and consistently contribute to challenges with workforce shortages. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated pressure on care providers, with physical and mental repercussions causing more to consider making career changes.
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Chris Johns, AIA
Are you wondering what clear height is best for your facility? Building a 'right-sized' building has a life cycle cost and economic benefit to your company. By taking the time to figure that out at the beginning of the project, it allows for the best value and design solutions.
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Ed Anderson, MBA, EDAC
EUA’s Healthcare Studio recently hosted a virtual Advisory Board event and focused on the unsettled issues facing leaders of the Healthcare industry as the country emerges from the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. While it has impacted and disrupted healthcare payments, consumer choice and alternative means of care delivery, the window of influence will ultimately be closing and the final decisions shaping the future of healthcare have yet to be made.
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Heather Turner Loth, MCR.w
Heather Turner Loth spoke with the Wellness Council of Wisconsin (WCWI) on their “Changing the Narrative of Employee Wellbeing with WCWI” podcast. Heather discussed the intersection of the workplace environment and employee wellbeing, and how these concepts should be strategically connected to make the employee experience better.
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Heather Turner Loth, MCR.w
Change can be hard, but it can also be healing. As a society, we’ve found ourselves unable to avoid change and are facing new realities to the way we live, work, and play as a result of a global pandemic. Virtually everyone has been touched in some way, shape or form.
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Jennifer Sodo , AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Today’s seniors are not kicking back and retiring peacefully – many of them are seeking new opportunities to provide meaning and excitement in their later years. Growing numbers of seniors are seeking opportunities for part time work, learning new skills, volunteerism, and even political involvement. What better place to find all these options than at a university?
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Abie Khatchadourian, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
Educational facility master planning is a crucial tool for Districts to decide what to do and what not to do with their facilities. At the end of the process, the goal is to establish an elegant solution for the District with the greatest opportunity and flexibility given all short- and long-term costs.
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Kristin Dufek, AIA, LEED AP
In this episode of the MGMA Insights podcast, we’re joined by Kristin Dufek, president of EUA, a leading architecture, interior design, and master planning firm located in Milwaukee. Kristin’s here today to talk about designing for patient access to improve the care experience.
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Micro-hospitals, also known as neighborhood or community hospitals, have been around for over 15 years and have become a major part of the healthcare conversation in the last decade. In short, they are fully licensed, 24/7 hospitals with footprints that are a fraction of a traditional hospital and equipped to respond to almost any medical issue, including critical care.
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Jon Robelia, AIA
Operation Fresh Start (OFS), a local non-profit organization serving Dane County, Wisconsin, strives to support these youth as they transition to adulthood and achieve self-sufficiency. Recently, I had the distinct pleasure of working with them as they renovated and relocated to a larger space that support their continued growth.
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Renee Riviere, NCIDQ, IIDA, WRIDJennifer Herr, NCIDQ, LEED AP ID+C
Productivity and engagement are both critical factors to a business; productivity is an important element in an employee’s performance, and engagement correlates to longevity and a desire to stay with an organization. Moving forward, how will organizations, and specifically the office setting, support employee productivity and engagement?
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Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic brought major disruptions to all industries, with health care being no exception. EUA Healthcare Studio Director + Expert Paul Stefanski touches on the healthcare industry's disruptors that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and how that will affect healthcare design as a whole.
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Tze Chieh (TC) Lin, RAKen Seelow
Imagine a building that can learn about the people who pass through it, studying their preferences and responding to them almost like a living entity, even self-regulating to harness efficiencies. These buildings already exist and are called smart buildings; they are facilities not just of the future but the present.
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Andy LyonsAbie Khatchadourian, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
During our long-term facilities planning work with school districts, a key threshold question is often asked: do we build new or renovate? At EUA, we never answer that question for our clients. Rather, through deep listening, engaging stakeholders and analyzing data, we help school district leaders find the answers that best fit their individual circumstances.
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Blake Sabo, AIA
Keeping classified information secure is paramount to aerospace and defense companies, especially when working with government contracts. A truly successful SCIF project should address three key design considerations.
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“Can you just pull over for a minute?!” Have you ever been on a road trip and gotten to a point where you weren’t sure if you were going in the right direction? You are speeding along, and things start to look different, strange, not what you expected or, they become familiar because you passed this way an hour ago. We are at a point where we need to pull over for a minute to figure out where we are going.
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Heather Turner Loth, MCR.w
As companies adapt to a post-COVID world, many are moving towards a focus on employee well-being. In addition to HR policies, the built environment can help support wellness in multiple ways.
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Sara Schesser, RA, ALEP
When we all suddenly found ourselves working from home last year and no longer commuting to and from the office, I got back about two hours every weekday. Some of it went to work, some to leisure activities, but a fair bit went to research and learning – learning more about what it is we, as learning environment architects, planners and interior designers, put our heart and soul into: exceptional school design.
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Ed Anderson, MBA, EDAC
According to the National Health Council, rural areas cover over 90 percent of the nation’s land area but contain somewhere around 20% percent of the total population (about 60 million). This underserved and remote population has gone unnoticed for far too long.
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In a world where we are bombarded with instant news feeds and ubiquitous social media, discrimination in many forms seem to be ever present. One of these that has rarely been in the headlines is ageism.
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Tony Breitlow, AIA
“So, can it be done?” A healthcare client asked me this question after we surveyed a building they were considering for a new specialty care procedure center and clinic. The building was in the exact location they were looking for and it was the perfect size. There was just one hang-up: it was a car dealership and auto shop.
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Dan Schindhelm, AIA
Choosing the right senior living facility and care for you or a loved one can be an overwhelming process. As care providers and environmental designers in the senior living and care professions we have an intuitive sense not only of the options available to seniors in our communities but also the myriad of services, payment options and social ramifications specific to each housing and care service type.
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Margo Duffy, AIA, CDT
Through my work as an architect, it is a gift to work on building projects that I know will be impactful and valued by our community at large for years to come. This past year I worked on such a project.
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Gretchen Butterfield, NCIDQ
The potential for a hybrid workforce poses a challenging real estate equation. Enter the Free Address workplace.
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Dan Schindhelm, AIA
Why the de-emphasis on “aging?” We are moving away from stereotyping aging, age-restricted communities and the negative connotations of aging.
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Kim Frerichs, RA, LEED AP
The era of identical square classrooms where students sit in perfectly aligned rows of desks while teachers stand and lecture at the front of the classroom has faded. As districts expand their educational goals we find the “cells and bells” method of school design no longer supports these directives.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has been a disruptor for how the business world views office space, provoking designers to re-envision their approach towards workplace planning.
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Abie Khatchadourian, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
I believe the foundation of life is much like a structural building foundation, as both need to be strong to succeed.
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Abie Khatchadourian, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
I challenge us to ask ourselves, can we create a better connection between future job market needs and setting students up with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful? Is there a correct balance between soft skills and technical skills?
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Zak Kvasnica, AIA, NCARB
A follow up to "The Benefits of Virtual Reality in Architecture Design," here are four tips to get the most out of design presentations when using VR
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As I headed into 2020, I had no idea how much change the year would bring. I had big vacation plans, new career goals and whispers of two principal-level retirements at our firm (Rick Burkett and Michele Ponicsan). But pandemic impact aside, the retirements still moved forward, so here are some of the lessons I learned planning for a leadership transition.
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Heather Turner Loth, MCR.w
Businesses who make purposeful decisions around ways to support an employee’s well-being through the built environment, can see significant positive impacts on an individuals’ physical and mental health. As Expert Contributor on Workplace Environment, Policy, and Design, Heather Turner Loth shared her 2020 well-being take-aways with WCWI members.
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Dan Schindhelm, AIA
In these unprecedented times, Senior Living Communities more than ever need to find ways to maintain the health and safety of their residents and staff while maintaining a sustainable business. Lean-led design offers insight into how operators can provide more value using fewer resources, resulting in the highest quality of life and experience for everyone involved.
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Dan Schindhelm, AIA
One of the most important first steps for developing any new senior living community is identifying a viable project site. There are many key metrics which go into site considerations from target market area, neighborhood, community, tax incentives and land development costs to name a few. Aging libraries may present the opportunities developers have been looking for.
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Zak Kvasnica, AIA, NCARB
Published in the Colorado Real Estate Journal's Healthcare & Senior Housing quarterly issue, this article discusses the benefits of virtual reality in architecture design.
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Emily McNamara, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
When most people hear the word ‘sustainability,’ with architecture their focus immediately goes to visible building components such as green roofs or solar panels, and their assumption is that sustainability costs a significant amount of ‘extra’ funds.
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Charles Robertson, RA, CDT
There is little question that the buildings in which we work, live, shop and play have an impact on many aspects of our existence. This impact can be so subtle as to be unnoticed, but no less impactful, or can be so overt as to force us to a point where we want to exit the structure. What makes a building a “well” building?
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Chris Michaud, RA, LEED AP
Chris Michaud, the Designer of the new Verona Area High School, shares his insights and inspiration behind the design of one of Wisconsin's largest and most innovative high schools
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Jonathan Parker, RA, LEED AP
EUA is helping transforming the East Washington Corridor in Madison, WI through several projects, including Arden, a high-end, mixed-use development
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EUA recently hosted a virtual presentation and discussion with the Advisory Board entitled, “Planning for Future Outpatient Shifts,” which takes a deeper look at what may be head of the healthcare industry and how to prepare.
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However you are planning to emerge from 2020, whether expanding, shrinking, moving or remodeling, an effective approach is to start by having a professional construction feasibility study prepared. The physical needs of your business, your plant, your laboratory, and your office are always changing, but probably never more than this past year. Most companies are moving ahead to develop plans and capital budgets for next year.
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Jackie Posselt , ASID, LEED AP ID+C
In so many settings—from museums to schools to the workplaces—lobbies play an important part in creating a first and lasting impression for visitors. With the right approach and intentional design, lobbies can communicate brand, illustrate a company’s story, engage employees and clients, ultimately impacting a company’s performance.
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Renee Riviere, NCIDQ, IIDA, WRID
Insurance Industry Design Experts Renee Riviere and Jen Singson reflect on the evolving landscape of this industry, including what they've noticed as unique and how design is re-shaping the enterprise.
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Katie Keahey, LEED AP ID+C, NCIDQ
Published in the Colorado Real Estate Journal's Building Dialogue, this article discusses the importance of maintaining privacy in open office settings, especially in light of COVID-19.
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Cassidy Wartenweiler
With the future of healthcare and digital health on the forefront of everyone's minds this article is focused on the past, present and future of digital health and its impact on the state of digital strategy among health systems today.
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We know the workplace will never be the same. The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are unprecedented. So where do we go from here? Our goal is to provide support, guidance and leadership as you transition back to your post-pandemic workplace.
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When helping clients take on the challenge of site selection, Senior Project Designer Troy Jacoby recommends to keep these 5 things top of mind.
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If the design of building lobbies can more adequately control infection, preventing it from progressing beyond the lobby and making the space feel clean, then the building will be a healthier place in which to live, work, learn and heal.
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Chris Michaud, RA, LEED AP
Safety and security are at the forefront of all environments that we design, and this is never more important than when we’re creating spaces to serve and inspire learners. While the conversation on safety and security today is dominated by “active shooter” events, the reality is there are multiple risks that our students face each day, such as bullying, natural disasters, sexual misconduct, sickness and many more.
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David Groth, AIA, EDAC
To answer the building orientation question we used cove.tool to study the impact building orientation has on energy use in a medical clinic. We used a “typical” design and cove.tool energy modeling to see what the pEUI would be for eight building orientations in Southeast Wisconsin. The results were surprising and somewhat of a relief.
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As we continue to support clients with their healthcare facilities, our healthcare team is looking ahead to how design will be impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic response. We know our clients will need to anticipate future disruptions and patients are anticipating changes in the way they receive care once they return. Our team of healthcare designers and planners has been looking at ways our clients may ask us to design differently in the future.
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Dan Schindhelm, AIA
Senior living is built on community and finding strength in numbers. For communities that are nonprofit, there can be many cost-saving benefits of partnering and sharing resources.
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Sharing a work setting seems counter-intuitive when thinking about spreading germs, but with Free Address it can actually be easier than ever to keep the workplace clean and ready for your employees.
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Our healthcare team continues to support clients with their healthcare facilities by taking a detailed look into immediate design changes that can help healthcare facilities in managing their COVID-19 responses.
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Renee Kubesh, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP
In recent years, the healthcare industry has seen the steady rise of neighborhood hospitals, also known as micro-hospitals, across the country. Drawing from recent experience, we have identified several unique propositions neighborhood hospitals give to existing healthcare systems.
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John Ford, AIA, NCARB, EDAC, LEED AP
Facilities are valuable tools that aid in recruiting and retaining talent, especially for healthcare workers who have very demanding jobs. When looking for ways to create a better workspace and in turn improve their patient experience, our client SSM Health engaged us to deliver their WELL vision to the built environment.
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We recognize that school districts are faced with many uncertainties and change as the pandemic evolves. Our number one goal is to be there offering the support, guidance and leadership that people expect from EUA.
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While COVID-19 has forced many to work from home, we still see the physical workplace playing a vital role in fostering culture and providing a place for innovation and connection among coworkers. We see changes across the entire landscape of office types, with some specific areas of focus.
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Andy Lyons
Engaging stakeholders virtually can be a tricky thing to do, here are some great techniques and easy online based forums that can make your engagement sessions not only successful but extremely productive.
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Heather Turner Loth, MCR.w
We recognize that our clients are faced with many uncertainties and change as the pandemic evolves. Our number one goal is to be there for our clients offering the support, guidance and leadership that people expect from EUA.
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Sara Schesser, RA, ALEP
As decision makers, choosing the best team to complete a project for your organization can be a daunting task. Read on to learn some tips from our interviewing staff on what questions should be asked during the interview process.
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Gretchen Butterfield, NCIDQ
As an Interior Designer, people often ask me what's in, what's out and what definitely shouldn't be missed in their office design. While there are many factors and trends to consider, my essential recommendation is the same – don’t skimp on environmental branding.
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If you are a front-line workers in healthcare, research or manufacturing facilities, by now you are likely "getting by" in your current space amidst COVID-19, while keeping a wish list of things you'd like to change.
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Regardless of pandemics, isolation and loneliness can be a part of everyday life for the elderly and can have devastating effects on their physical and emotional health. Read on to see how architecture and design can help combat loneliness in our elderly population.
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National Nurses Week was a timely occasion for EUA to virtually host our annual presentation and discussion with the Advisory Board. This installment was entitled "A New Focus for Health System Facility Strategy." Guiding our discussion was Miriam Sznycer-Taub, a Senior Consultant with Advisory Board’s Health Care Industry Committee.
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Emily McNamara, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Here are some sustainable habits to implement while working from home to improve your daily routine.
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Heather Turner Loth, MCR.w
As companies are preparing for the day they welcome employees back to the office, many leaders I have been talking to want to know, “should our workplace design and layout change, and what are the short and long-term modifications I should make?”
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Ed Anderson, MBA, EDAC
I could only wish that this pandemic was like a real roller coaster with a finite end and the choice to take another ride (or not). As we flatten the curve and approach the top of the hill, I think it will be very important to pause, look around and remember what we saw.
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EUA brought together seven workplace designers from our Milwaukee, Madison and Denver offices over a remote discussion from their homes to talk about workplace design following the COVID-19 pandemic.
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As we consider our charge as designers of safe senior environments, here are some of the design changes that will emerge to protect our senior residents.
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COVID-19 is shedding light on the ways school districts meet crucial – often overlooked – needs for their community beyond the classroom.
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Jenni Eschner, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP
Not only is telemedicine a convenient platform to receive healthcare, it has come in handy as an efficient way to deliver care without exposing staff or patients to COVID-19.
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Working in a laboratory or healthcare facility during a pandemic? How can your space be improved to to be more efficient?
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With the majority of students learning from home and parents the substitute teacher, the learning space at home is a critical aspect to memorable learning moments.
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Though it may be difficult to visit our loved ones in time of crisis, here are a few ways to remain connected.
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Nick Gates, RA, NCARB
Swing or surge rooms can put healthcare providers in a unique position to be able to provide care when certain events require additional patient care spaces with short notice of high demand.
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Jane Crisler, AIA, LEED AP
In a world that is increasingly dominated by virtual rather than human contact, our job of connecting to our clients in a personal way is increasingly important.
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Kristin Dufek, AIA, LEED AP
I didn’t start my career intending to become the Vice President at a large architectural firm, and certainly couldn’t have predicted the steps that led me here, but I am very grateful for all of it. Here are five things I've learned about leadership.
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Kelly Wemple, AIA
Why fear historic buildings when there are many benefits to reusing them?
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Dan Schindhelm, AIA
Wellness initiatives in Senior Living are influencing many communities. Explore a few strategies to elevate wellness through the built environment.
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Companies all over the world are producing the next generation of products using leading edge technology.
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It’s no secret that brick and mortar retail stores are struggling to stay afloat, but what if these buildings can be repurposed into senior-focused uses?
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Recently EUA’s Jen Singson spoke with John Miles, Global Business Leader - Electric Vehicle & Battery, about how Rockwell Automation’s (RA) new Electronic Vehicle Innovation Center, designed by EUA was changing the way they do business. Here is their conversation.
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Andy Lyons
The importance of communication throughout each stage is critical to keep stakeholders on the same page about budget, resulting in a carefully planned project.
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Ed Anderson, MBA, EDAC
EUA recently hosted an Advisory Board presentation on The State of Our Services Lines: Modernizing Strategy for the New Economics of Care. What are the major healthcare trends to watch?
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As a Project Architect, I enjoy helping clients transform their healthcare environments like we’re on a home makeover show. It takes quite a bit longer than a 1-hour episode to show the results of the transformation, but the reveal is just as impactful.
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Emily McNamara, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Recently, we have seen more and more of our clients transitioning from a traditional, linear model of care to an on-stage/off-stage approach which better separates patient from caregiver spaces.
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Jackie Posselt , ASID, LEED AP ID+C
In the last ten years, the gaming industry has seen an incredible revolution. No longer are video games just an annoying hobby of your teenage kids – it’s now taking over as a nine to five job. Having worked on a couple eSports projects now, it’s clear that a new, contrary market has emerged.
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Heather Turner Loth, MCR.w
Take a moment to ask yourself an honest question, do you feel stressed?
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While designing UW-Whitewater's newest residence hall, which opened this fall, we became students ourselves as we learned how to go beyond minimum accessibility requirements to design with truly everyone in mind.
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“The world has seen more change in the past five years than the past 30 years.” When you consider this statement in the context of law office design, it is exceptionally relevant.
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At a recent ACHE regional conference, the WIU team presented the new Ambulatory Surgery Center and Clinic as an effective example of people-focused healthcare design.
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LaVonne Langlieb, RA, NCARB
While the exterior establishes the overall brand visibility and presence, the interior can make the largest impact on the comfort and experience of staff, patients and their families.
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Each project has a unique definition of success. Evidence-based design can help ensure design solutions are tailored to a client's goals and vision.
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Andy Lyons
The planning process for new school facilities takes months, even years which usually includes a school tour or two (or three!) of newly constructed or renovated school buildings. These tours can easily overload the senses...so, what should one be looking for during a school tour?
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Teresa M Wadzinski, RA, CDT, LEED BD+C
Getting team chemistry right from the beginning is key to ensure a smooth process throughout a project. Here are the top three team chemistry catalysts believed to be impactful for an AEC project team.
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Sparking Inspiration: Insights from 2019 Lean In Design conference. How we can carve out time to cultivate innovative ideas, collaboration and results?
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Jane Crisler, AIA, LEED AP
With full-day kindergarten becoming the new norm, how are schools able to accommodate the additional students? Here are five cost effective ways to change your school without completing new construction or a major renovation.
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How can we be different together and design workplace environments to support those differences?
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Moving from individual contributor to leader of a group can challenge our sense of self, but also open us up to new ways of bringing value to our teams and our organizations.
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John Ford, AIA, NCARB, EDAC, LEED AP
When I started working with SSM Health on projects for the St. Mary’s Madison campus, the hospital was just wrapping up a new, 28-bed Behavioral Health inpatient unit.
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Cassidy Wartenweiler
Healthcare design can affect both your patients' and your staff's experiences. By focusing on creating environments that can positively affect the experience, healthcare systems can better attract, retain and engage with their communities.
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Quality design begins with a bold premise. “I want a place where Picasso would like to paint.” This statement exemplifies the attitude of today’s CEO’s who recognize the significance of a well-designed work environment.
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One of the most valuable things about using the RACI Matrix is that it provides groups with a platform to have honest discussion and come to agreement about each person’s role or roles on a project.
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More than a display, memory boxes can serve as personalized, helpful tools within Senior Living environments for residents to remember themselves and learn about others, while also functioning as a wayfinding aid.
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Emily McNamara, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Investing in an energy efficient building creates a more comfortable space, positively impacting occupant satisfaction, performance and ultimately costs. Focus on Energy's Design Assistance Program will allow you to do just that.
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Heather Turner Loth, MCR.w
Companies with higher levels of employee engagement equate to higher profitability, higher productivity, lower absenteeism and lower turnover. What if the work environment could be the differentiating factor in elevating your people’s potential?
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While most basic needs generally stay the same, demographics, preferences and lifestyles do not. More and more, we are seeing two different generations--Millennials and Baby Boomers--gravitating towards similar lifestyles.
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Everyone learns a little bit differently. In order to design a senior living community that truly meets the needs of its residents and staff, it's important to not only hear different voices but allow them to experience the design in different ways.
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Eric Romano, AIA, EIT, LEED AP
With the US labor force projecting low unemployment rates, it is crucial that organizations invest in attracting + retaining the best talent. What if wellness in the workplace was the gamechanger to setting your company apart for prospective talent?
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Companies crave talent that makes a difference – enhancing culture and thinking smarter to achieve innovation. The workplace is a complex ecosystem and very often stress is a symptom of an ineffective workplace and by tuning into the conditions that impact individual and team success, we can identify necessary changes to align place with worker needs.
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"Hey Siri, can architecture effect human interactions?" As today's workforce becomes increasingly digitally connected, it seems that people are longing more and more for true human connection. Through intentional design, we can help foster communication and collaboration, while still meeting the needs of people desiring their individual space.
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Jane Crisler, AIA, LEED AP
Often the temptation with schools (or really any building) is to believe that newer is better. But I don't buy that. Sometimes the best answer for a school system and community is to preserve and protect what they already have. Although historic preservation isn't the right solution for everyone, it's worth not writing off.
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Success can be, and often is, measured in many ways. Success for me covers the spectrum from having fun, to creating learning spaces that students don’t want to leave. Set expectations will chart the course and get you started down the path to a successful project.
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Deciding to expand, renovate or build a new lab is an exciting, big opportunity – it’s also a lot of work and something that many scientists have never done. Who should they call first? What can they do to facilitate the best process to guide the expansion and protect themselves from making mistakes?
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This November, as the weather started to turn toward winter, EUA invited The Advisory Board to give their “State of the Union” presentation to our healthcare clients, as well as our entire group of healthcare design professionals.
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Abie Khatchadourian, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
Senior Project Manager Abie Khatchadourian explores the differences between a traditional, top down leadership approach and distributed leadership.
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Allison Pfeifer, NCIDQ
With the understanding that generational traits and values differ, and given that Gen Z is the first generation to grow up in a wireless world, how will Gen Z’s life experiences swing the pendulum of workplace design?
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Emily McNamara, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Perhaps it’s the millennial in me, but after relocating to the Midwest, it took me over two years and four visits to urgent care before I finally selected a Primary Care Physician (PCP). As a new patient, urgent care became my point of care for its ease of access and affordability, and I’m not alone in this choice.
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This summer, the interns at Eppstein Uhen Architects participated in a design charrette that generated creativity, helped the group bond, and illuminated what it means to work at a supportive and enthusiastic firm.
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Defining Value, Creating Impact - Part 1Jennifer Sodo , AIA, LEED AP BD+CDan Schindhelm, AIA
Donors have many choices when it comes to giving money, time or talent to causes they care about. The challenge for nonprofits is communicating their values in ways that resonate with donors. Accordin…
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Defining Value, Creating Impact - Part 2Dan Schindhelm, AIAJennifer Sodo , AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Identifying and prioritizing potential donors, partnerships, and volunteers for nonprofit organizations requires a targeted approach, patience and an understanding of the organization’s unique value p…
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Defining Value, Creating Impact - Part 3Dan Schindhelm, AIAJennifer Sodo , AIA, LEED AP BD+C
The panelists underscored the power of compelling narratives that are emotionally compelling, relatable, and reflective of the values and experiences of the audience. To grab the attention of media an…
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Defining Value, Creating Impact - Part 4Dan Schindhelm, AIAJennifer Sodo , AIA, LEED AP BD+C
The panelists all stressed the vital role of board members as ambassadors for their organizations. But there is no one-size-fits-all approach to effectively engaging board members because each is diff…