creating worlds real and imaginary
Last year, I found a competition that I really wanted to do, but ran out of time. This year, I'm excited to see they're hosting another competition for a Family-Centered Cancer Care Environment. I hope to compete this year. You should to. Today's Writing101 prompt asks you to travel to a room, so I figured …
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I don't run into it much, but there are still gender-bias and stereotypes in architecture. Sometimes it's from an employer (mine is not like that at all), sometimes it's from the guys on a construction site and sometimes, it's from the client. I didn't expect to find gender-bias in the design of a high-tech fertility clinic …
The Transformable Mobile Containment System (TMCS), showcased on the Discovery Channel's Daily Planet television show, inspired me from the moment I saw the clip. (Watch it here.) A self-contained shipping container, Excalibur Canada created a self-loading, self-leveling system complete with generator for electrical, and pumps. In the video, they set up a modular healthcare unit in an hour …
If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between zoning and building code, especially if you’re looking at a new site for a project, Lee Calisti has an amazing post over at his blog think|architect. It applies to Canada just as much as the United States.
Please pardon the break from my esoteric soap box to address something important that comes up often in my practice. I have slipped in a few sarcastic statements if you’d like to count them – consider it a game.
Frequently I have property owners (or soon to be property owners) contact me interested in developing property or renovating an existing building where the early discussion revolves around what will the code permit. It is common for them to mention a discussion they had with local municipal officials where something goes wrong (often horribly – no offense intended to government officials). They state something that demonstrates a misunderstanding of the difference between a local zoning ordinance and a building code. I tried to say that politely.
When I get involved and start to do research, I find that people often misunderstand the difference and it is not uncommon that decisions are…
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I'm a bit delayed posting about Day 3 of the forum because I was catching up with work. While Day 1 and Day 2 were amazing, the speakers finished hard on day 3 of the UIA/PHG Healthcare Forum. I've learned so much from the packed day of speakers discussing what's happening around the world. Highlights of …
I'm a bit delayed posting about Day 2 of the forum because I was catching up with work. While Day 1 was amazing, the speakers kept up the pace on day 2 of the UIA/PHG Healthcare Forum. I've learned so much from the packed day of speakers discussing what's happening around the world. Highlights of …
The speakers were amazing on day 1 of the UIA/PHG Healthcare Forum. I've learned so much from the packed day of speakers discussing what's happening around the world. Highlights of my day included: my tour of the new Bridgepoint Hospital realizing how lucky I am to be in a country that has a public healthcare …
LEED v4: Built to Perform I'm reading through the July edition of EDC Magazine. In general the magazine provides a great synopsis of buildings, providing how they scored on LEED and what rating they got. It also provides helpful information about trends, materials and details for design options. What caught my attention in this edition …
The Evolution of US Tribal Health Centers Healthcare Design Magazine interviews James Childers about "the legacy he’s building, as well as the process behind designing facilities that proudly demonstrate the tribal values and cultural wealth of a historically underserved population." (Healthcare Design Magazine: The Evolution of US Tribal Health Centers by Kristen D. Zeit.) Childers …
A Corian product rep sent me a link to Healing Machine - by Metropolis Magazine, which shows the design of Patient Room 2020 by David Ruthven and his team. It features a room design with technology, quality, safety and patient health in mind. Patient Room 2020 Patient Room 2020 is "a prototype hospital room on …
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Remembering Joy I bought a bicycle last week. It's a beautiful and inexpensive 1950's single speed replica, but it's all I need. I live near Lake Ontario, and I wanted to take advantage of the lakeshore bike routes this summer, though I'm terrified of riding through the city. I haven't cycled since I was 14, …
Update: The Conference Program is now available! Pick the PDF or the Website! Conference During September 24-27, 2013, Toronto is hosting the UIA/PHG Forum + GUPHA Meeting and conference, coinciding with IIDEX Toronto! This year's theme is Get Better and it's presented by the RAIC, Architecture Canada, and IIDEX. Registration is open! I'd love to meet …
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During September 24-27, 2013, Toronto is hosting the UIA/PHG Forum + GUPHA Meeting and conference, coinciding with IIDEX Toronto! This year's theme is Get Better and it's presented by the RAIC, Architecture Canada, and IIDEX. I've been on some of the committees for the event, and I can tell you some of the presentations are going …
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I don't know why she swallowed that fly. My job feels sometimes like I'm chasing down the logic behind decisions. We switched our software at work from a 2-dimensional computer-aided drafting (CAD) software program to a more robust and intelligent building information modeling (BIM) program. It's an interesting change, making you think about the building …
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I received an email from the LinkedIn Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) & Quality Innovators group advertising an NICU design competition. You can download a PDF of the information package from the website: Institute for Patient-Centered Design, Inc. Design Competition. There are two categories for this competition - theoretical and actual facilities. From the website: …
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