I just met a new awesome woman of HOK: the Planning Group’s fabulous Amy Roots, from HOK’s Toronto office. No, I didn’t meet her because of a project or any official reason. I met her because another awesome woman of HOK (Jeannette Thompson) decided that we should connect. And we did!
Amy’s about the same age that I am (we refer to ourselves as “tweeners” – not quite at the senior executive level, but well into our careers), and has been at HOK for about the same amount of time. We giggled about how being in your early 30s is fantastic because it’s the “whatever” years. Whatever you do …
In her role as HOK recruiter, Nikki Duffner is always on the lookout for new design talent. She’s also attuned to noticing how design can improve people’s lives – sometimes in fresh and unexpected ways.
I think it’s safe to assume that design probably wasn’t top-of-mind when Nikki had to accompany her young son Max for a seven-day stay at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Yet that’s where they came face-to-face with a bright green alligator wagon. It wheeled past them and helped turn what could’ve been a stressful hospital experience into a playful one.
She later discovered the wagon was the creation of a good friend of hers, Jack Heller. …
I recently read a New York Times Magazine article that resonated with me, challenging me to take a step back and evaluate what this whole 20’s thing is really about. Having just celebrated my 27th birthday this past weekend, I can’t help but think about what I’m supposed to be doing over the next three years as I move closer and closer to the notorious big 3-0. The author of the aforementioned article, Robin Marantz Henig, poses the question, “Why are so many people in their 20s taking so long to grow up?” I think that it’s because we are using this time to explore our options and test the waters. I’m often advised …
No, I’m not talking about the 1983 Grammy Award Winner for Best New Artist, I’m talking about Planning Group employees Matt Friesen, Josh Daniel, Todd Arnold, + Chris Fannin.
Based on Matt’s Facebook status update earlier this week: “the weather in Doha tomorrow: 104F H 80% humidity – heat index 125F”, I’m suddenly feeling a lot cooler in this 90 degree Atlanta weather.
And, I don’t know about you, but I hope they keep sending pictures like this until they return to the States.
This project relocates Cisco’s suburban Chicago office into Class A office space on three floors of a new speculative office building in Rosemont, Illinois, and includes a customer briefing center, field sales office and system engineer’s lab. To see more, check it out on Flickr…
Please welcome the incomparable Marjanne Pearson to Life at HOK as a guest blogger.
I had the great privilege of participating on a social media panel she moderated at this year’s SMPS Build Business Conference, and I’m honored to call her a friend. She’s better known as Chief @NextMoon on Twitter, where she inspires a whole bunch of us daily.
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First, I must admit that I love the talent-based reality TV shows. My favorites are “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Top Chef,” and “Project Runway.” (And I always cheer when someone reveals that he or she is a design …
The bobblehead created for Bill Valentine is an award that will travel worldwide to recognize offices and teams for advancing the HOK Sustainable Roadmap.
The Roadmap is taking sustainability to the next level at HOK globally. It was launched with a series of workshops at offices worldwide that generated ideas to reach the goals of the Roadmap. I previously blogged about the goals in an earlier post “On the (Sustainable) Road | Some Ideas from Tampa” (http://hoklife.com/2010/07/07/on-the-sustainable-road-some-ideas-from-tampa/), which briefly described some ways HOK is measuring and recording our progress.
“Bill” has visited a few locations to award ideas that included incentives for becoming a new LEED® AP and creating a green scorecard for catering office luncheons and L-n-L presentations. …
What happens when the St Louis Planning Group receives the following email from one of our Vice Presidents?
“This is to whoever enjoyed nearly my entire jar of peanuts…I would appreciate you comp-ing me with a replacement. The brand I bought came from Walgreens but you can replace them with any brand as long as they are lightly salted. Much appreciated.”
The answer: Jeff gets a whopping 9 jars of peanuts on his desk today. That’s 9 pounds; 4086 grams, about 23,040 calories, 1008 grams of protein, and (since they’re LIGHTLY salted) only 12,240 miligrams of sodium! Enjoy, Jeff!
Data.
Most of you had one of two things pop into your mind, the guy from Star Trek or Microsoft Excel.
While I’m not necessarily mocking either of those, neither are good examples of data that I’d want to party with. However, it’s these mind-numbing misinterpretations of what is potentially an exciting way to look at our society, the things we know and the things we create.
On the sustainability front, I’ve written about things like IBM’s ‘Smarter Planet’ campaign and how the notion of public policy and connected information can help us create the types of communities and societies that build better cities and infrastructure. I’ve also written about exciting things …
Not sure if you have seen this video yet or not…but it is pretty amazing. There is a cool article in Fast Company this month that describes these TED talks as the new Harvard…I find them incredible and try to watch one each day…Talk about Life-long Learning…I hope you ‘go back to school’ too!
Still hell hot in DC…still a good time to curl up somewhere cool and surf great posts on Work+Place. This week’s “best of” includes:
- Vision for the Workplace. A colleague asked me a funny question about vision sessions – essentially, who wants a crappy office? Sadly…some people do!
- Telecommuting. Catherine Haley exhaults the US government for encouraging employees to work from home (and wishes they’d do it more often for the sake of her commute among other reasons).
- Fonts? Susan Baerwald explains how Gothic can save the environment.
- Etiquitte. Sometimes you just need to tell people how to be considerate in the office - some snarky ideas via the New York subway system!
Check …
Like a phoenix from the ashes, Building Design + Construction magazine has defied the odds and is re-emerging from its five-month publishing hiatus. A new, spiffed-up version of the magazine is scheduled to relaunch in September under new ownership: SGC Horizon, LLC (a division of Scranton Gillette Communications, publisher of Roads & Bridges and other titles).
We welcome back our publishing partners and eagerly anticipate new opportunities to do even more great things together!
What to expect from the new BD+C.
…Or, My Adventures in a Sustainable Wonderland…
Last weekend I had the pleasure of staying at my aunt’s newly finished, sustainable cottage in Stockholm, Wisconsin (population: 97) along the Mississippi River. I knew it was going to be full of creativity and packed with sustainability, but I had no idea it was going to be THIS incredible…
My aunt and uncle began their renovation journey with a European style stone cottage built in the 1860s and an incredible vision. The original stone walls remained while an L-shaped addition to the main floor was added to provide a little more space. Five years later, the cottage is a renovated beauty, tricked out with the latest …
This past year I have had the pleasure of getting to spend time in the City of Birmingham. And, I must admit, as I learn and see more of the City, I just can’t get enough. (One of my favorite destinations is Pepper Place… great shops, restaurants, businesses, and people!) Pepper Place also happens to be the introduction location of HOK to the amazing team at Green Building Focus… thanks to Cathy Crenshaw.
Green Building Focus will be holding its annual conference in downtown Birmingham at the end of this month. Not only does the GBF team do a great job of bringing international technologies, trends, and products to the region, …
I recently read a book whose subject matter typically would not hold my attention. The writing style of the author however was fluid, satirical and warm. After a few paragraphs of this curious read regarding web analytics, I found myself making connections between the microcosm of binary coding and the macrocosm of human culture. I readily concede that a good portion of this book’s content would be perplexing for most. One of the author’s topics worth communicating is in regards to the benefits of aggregating small bits of data. After compiling and analyzing these billions of tiny bits of data, the information can be used to cultivate and maintain better web environments. …
By now we know from her Five Questions and Women Across HOK profiles that HOK IT Manager Penny Malina rocks. Last night she ratcheted up her rockitude to new heights by getting this photo with 61-year-old rocker Jackson Browne, who was in St. Louis for a show at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. “He is such a cool guy and the show was awesome,” said Penny.
Once in a while you are lucky enough to meet someone who you think is the embodiment of what all the books and journals tell you would be the perfect developer. Chris Brown is that person. Not only does he genuinely understand what good design is but he also implements it. He also instinctively knows that true regeneration is about social, physical and economic aspects and not just the by-product of an architect’s pretty picture.
Chris is chief executive of Igloo Regeneration and director of Isis Waterside Regeneration, a joint venture between Igloo, British Waterways and Muse that regenerates brownfield waterside sites around the UK and of Blueprint, Igloo’s public/private partnership with the …
You may only know her by one of her many HOK “personas”: tireless champion of diversity in the workplace; seasoned marketer (in experience, not years!); Life at HOK blogger; social event planner extraordinaire. But, if you know Jaki Jefferson at all, you know she’s a force of nature, ready to embrace any opportunity or tackle any challenge that comes her way, all while remaining perfectly coiffed in a super-sassy ensemble. Ever the fashionista, if Jaki were a superhero, her signature weapon would no doubt be her scarves!
I’ve had the privilege to work alongside Ms. Jefferson for a number of years now, and am always amazed by her ability to enthusiastically corral the …
Slated to open to the public in early 2011, the 66,000 square-foot Salvador Dali Museum’s signature spiral stair is a nod to Dali’s fascination with DNA. Visit Flickr to see more…
How many times do you get the opportunity to climb on the roof of a house in the suburbs of London of a misogynistic man who remarried six times and killed off two of his wives?
No, I didn’t fall asleep whilst watching Jerry Springer.
This was for real.
The man in question was Henry VIII and this was no pebble dash semi, but Hampton Court Palace.
I was lucky enough to be the guest of Alison Tero, the Director of Planning at CBRE at a Women in Property event on a day in late July that could be aptly described as being typical of the great British …
It’s August and if your climate is anything like that here in Washington, DC, it’s probably a good time to take your laptop (or iPad) and a glass of lemonade somewhere nice and cool and browse through the greatest posts on Work+Place. This week’s “best of” includes:
Check back soon for Episode VIII…and stay cool!
Most architects with the prominence and portfolio of Gyo Obata are expected to publish some type of vanity book honoring their work and career.
Gyo wanted to mix it up a bit.
Rather than producing a standard puff-piece homage to himself, he decided to include the perspectives of his clients (what a novel concept). Active listening has always been a signature element of Gyo’s work, so the approach is fitting – and refreshing.
Published by The Images Publishing Group, Gyo Obata: Architect | Clients | Reflections features 30 projects spanning five decades – and stretching from St. Louis to Saudi Arabia.
The new book also includes …
HOK San Francisco has been consistently recognized by the AIA for many stellar accomplishments in Architecture, Interior Design and Planning, and also for the wealth of talent that this office is home to. Both recipients for the Young Architect + Associate Awards in 2008 (Jason Dale Pierce and Rachel Bannon-Godfrey) were from HOK, and this year’s award recipient for the AIA SF Young Associate is HOK San Francisco’s own Charles Lee. Besides being on the Aviation/Architecture team at HOK and involved in research work on bio-mimicry, Charles is also one of the friendliest people in the office and always ready for a chat (….and we are cubicle-neighbors too!). Read on for an interview with Charles, as we talk about his background, career focus and …
Carnival House is the new headquarters space for Carnival UK (the holding company for five of the best-known cruise lines in the UK: Cunard, P&O Cruises, Ocean Village, Princess and Yachts of Seabourn).
Previously located in five different buildings around Southampton, these brands now share a single space, one designed to facilitate the cross-pollination of ideas between teams via open plan areas and free access to different departments. (Not to mention it floods the place with tons of daylight!) Check out the cool cruise-ship-like atrium and the whole Flickr set to see what we mean…
I have a confession…I moonlight…
Yes, it’s true, I have another passion outside architecture and design. I advise on urban policy to political parties in the UK. This is a rather un-architect thing to do, or so I’m reliably informed, but I’ve always fervently believed that if you want to improve things and have a say on issues that directly affect you, then the only way to make a difference is to be involved and make your voice heard. To steal a phrase from our current government, I call it “Professional Localism”.
About two months ago, whilst we were in the throes of poltical wrangling amidst post general election uncertainty, I was asked by the New London Architecture to write for their quarterly publication on my …
Not all of you have been to Los Angeles office, and that’s a shame. We’re awfully friendly and remarkably good-looking in person. We do neat things here, like Parking Lot BBQs, pot-luck lunches, World Cup Match parties and (lest you forget), really creative work on some incredible projects. But don’t take my word for it, you can ask bobblehead Bill Valentine. He’s just left our office with a fistful of memories from our sunny state.
Bill(ette) visited us after the Los Angeles office secured the inaugural “Bill Valentine Award” for tangible action supporting HOK’s Sustainable Roadmap. HOK LA’s plan to encourage …
Last Wednesday, HOK’s Toronto studio celebrated the summer months with a Great Gatsby themed staff event at the Island Yacht Club. There was plenty to do; croquet, badminton, bocce ball, and tennis…
… and even more to eat!
The day finished with a live performance by Sweet Thing; a five-piece Toronto band that plays music ‘to dance like a dork to’, fist pump and all!
Check out their debut video for ‘Dance Mother’
Congratulations to our …
Summer is a fun time here in HOK San Francisco, what with the farmer’s markets, the street festivals, the kooky (read: foggy) weather, and most importantly, the summer interns! 2010 was a high-yield year for the internship program: We received 876 applications from across the globe, from both Graduate and Undergraduate degree candidates, from which five were selected. Who were the chosen few, you ask? This year’s interns are an engaging and diverse bunch, and since we consider our interns to be an essential part of “Life at HOK”, I bring you 5 for 5 2010: five questions for five interns!
- Carrie N./ Urban Planning-Landscape Architecture/ Harvard University/ Graduate Student
What is your background
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It was a hot day in St. Louis and I’m not just talking about the weather! Today we had our first community work day for the Dewey School Learning Garden, a project near and dear to my heart. About a year ago, the kids started back to school on a hot August day, much like today and I noticed that the playground (a sea of asphalt) wasn’t helping the situation. I started paying attention to the fact that in some places, plants were starting to crop up in broken spots and on rainy days, the bottom corner of the playground became what is affectionately known as “Dewey Falls.” Working in the Planning Group as I do, I …
We’ve talked before about HOK’s aviation group (Indianapolis Airport, New Doha International Airport, National Air & Space Museum), so when I saw this article on crazy airports, I had to share: Enjoy Your Fright: The World’s 10 Scariest Airports. The article shares fantastic photos and descriptions of each of the “ten scariest airports.” I’ve included some of my favorites from the article below.
Most of my flights are to pretty major airports, most of which are not so scary; however, there are definitely days flying to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) that I’m concerned we might land in the Potomac River, or when I’m riding my bike past, that a plane might land on my head. …
