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. …

The HOK Sustainable Roadmap contains a couple of key components that direct us to achieve its goals: Design, Services, People, and Practices. Within the Practices, there is a main goal to “embody exemplary green operations” and it includes a checklist that can consistently measure each office’s performance towards a sustainable workplace.

This checklist known as the “HOK Sustainable Operations Plan” is organized much like the US Green Building Council’s LEED™ Rating System. Credits are divided into categories and each category includes Prerequisites (required items) and recommended Credits. Offices were given the opportunity to be rewarded for innovative ideas not already included in this Plan and earn up to 2 additional credits

I asked the …

The St. Louis Diversity Task Force concocted an exciting office-wide event blending elements from four popular games: The Amazing Race, Survivor, Lego and The Game of Life.

Designed to lower the barriers that separate practice neighborhoods, The Amazing HOKLife encouraged people to collaborate with members of other groups while promoting a deeper cohesiveness among the people and teams that form the HOK St. Louis community.

Armed with maps and instructions, 20 teams visited “neighborhoods” and gathered as many Lego pieces as possible to build the most creative structure to enter in a prestigious design competition (juried by HOK practice leaders, who are still deliberating…)

Congrats to our …

I’ve just finished a charrette for a master plan project in Southern California in which our LA office is collaborating with Chris Fannin, Director of Planning from our St. Louis office. One of the great intro that Chris brought up that I thought worth sharing here was raising the question ‘What is the google image of our project?’

This has not been an option to look at architecture until few years ago when google maps go mobile, which was planned to run on any Java-based phone or mobile device with free navigation that will definitely have a major impact on the navigation industry. And this is even a bigger question for …

The HOK Miami office is making a difference in response to the Haiti earthquake that will reach thousands in the disaster stricken communities.

Last month while listening to NPR on the way home, Sam Ward realized that Haiti was becoming a forgotten tragedy and started looking for a new angle to help and decided to approach his collogues for ideas. In order to make this more than a design exercise they needed to work with an entity that already had the infrastructure in place to institute their design, whatever that may be.  They started emailing governmental agencies, US and Haitian, about how they could get involved.

They came across an article about …

Earth Day also happened to be Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work day for many schools throughout the country. I have 10 year old twins who really enjoy spending the day at my office…who am I kidding? They get out of school for the day! This year was the first year I had them both join me on my daily journey. It was also a unique opportunity to teach them about the ‘green’ aspects of my workday.

First, was the low-carbon commute. We walk to the train station, take the commuter line into New York City, then a short ride on the subway and a one block walk on a beautiful morning to the office. No cars, no traffic involved. …

Today is Earth Day and HOK offices everywhere are celebrating through participation in “Lights Out: Go Barefoot Day.”  Beginning at 10:00 am, and for four consecutive hours, we are working in the studio with the lights out! The Tampa office is located on the 18th floor of an office tower therefore we coordinated with building management to manually shut off our lights to work under natural light conditions.

Coincidentally, a few designers were able to attend a Lutron lunch and learn presentation on office daylighting and the integration of dimming and shading.  Juan Figueroa explained that 39% of energy use in an office is for lighting and shared this graph that illustrates how much it costs to generate ONE watt and …

If you work at a design firm of any sort, you’re probably very familiar with vendor presentations (and I’ve written about them before here).  Most of the time, they’re pretty straighforward presentations either showing off new products, introducing a new vendor, or perhaps an AIA-credit course.  Every once in a while, a vendor will do something fun and different.

Last week, Coalesse stopped by with their Spring 2010 Sidewalk Show.  They decorated the HOK courtyard with a truckload of cool new chairs (and some healthy and tasty snacks).  The best part (besides having a great reason to go outside and enjoy the beautiful spring day): for each person who sat in the new X-Stack chair, Coalesse donated $1 to …

Every year HOK holds an event (pending copyright, so it’s super official) to celebrate Earth Day. We call it “Go Barefoot Day” and it all revolves around decreasing your environmental footprint. I’m not going to spoil the update from corporate, BUT I will share the cool events that we have planned for “Go Barefoot WEEK” in Chicago. I would like to highlight the effort that we are having on Friday with other design firms in Chicago (Gensler, OWPP / Cannon, Goettsch Partners and Perkins and Will). Competitors on paper, but allies when it comes to the sustainable design movement around Chicago and the world.

Thanks to all the wonderful members of the HOK Chicago sustainable design group that made this upcoming …

I’ll be honest, I was a bit intimidated by Rosa when I first met her.  She’s only a few years my senior, but she has the confidence (and the goods to back it up) of someone with several times her experience.  Plus, she hangs out with the cool people.  Over the years, I’ve learned that Rosa is not only extremely talented and motivated; she’s nice, funny, and supremely helpful too.  I had a great time with our questions session (and every time we work together) – hope you enjoy Rosa as much as I do:

I have been at HOK for slightly over 12 years.  HOK has been a big part of my life …

This month’s First Friday Event (which is usually not on a Friday nor the first week of the month – we like to keep things following organically)  took place at the DC office on Thursday, February 18th. The event, Design by Designers, besides being a resounding hit, showcased the design projects our talented HOK’ers work on when they are not at their 9-5.

I must confess I wasn’t able to exhibit at the event, so I’m putting my 2 cents in by showcasing my writting “flair” through the blog, and I’m very happy to say I will gladly participate in the next exhibition!

You …

We have entered the digital era and the use of Virtual Technology has become more acceptable and readily available.  As we entered the new decade – 2010, HOK FL has been immersed in the virtual world.

Upon returning to the office after the holidays, we were finally able to experience the new ACR (Advanced Collaboration Room) also known as the “Thunder” room.  The ACR is used for virtual meetings between varous locations and other HOK offices.  It is a sustainable option to business travel and  easily facilitates collaboration throughout the design process with the added ability to view the smiling faces of the meeting participants.

 We also had our first virtual Lunch – n- Learn presentation. Usually, the rep travels in from where ever, sets up, and provides …

Some days, you get hit by a little poo water.  Usually “poo water” is figurative (such as Worst Week Ever).  Sometimes, not so much.

The HOK WDC office is located in a beautiful historic building (Canal House) in the Georgetown Section of Washington, DC.  Located right on the C&O canal, the building was originally industrial (see smokestack), and more recently was a Conrad’s store (now out of business).  Today, the lower two floors are occupied by HOK, while the upper levels are residential (pricey condos).

This week, one of our upstairs condo neighbors had a bit of a problem with their plumbing:

…

About a year ago, we were fortunate enough to have Rebecca Nolan, Associate AIA, IIDA, LEED AP, join HOK’s St. Louis office as a senior vice president and managing principal. Her one-year anniversary seems the perfect time to spotlight Rebecca in our first Inside the Designer’s Studio post of 2010.

On the “very special kind of ambiguity” that has been designed into HOK:

On the importance of diversity in the practice of design:

On creating an environment for people to do their best work and ”selfless leadership:”

Thanks Rebecca!

Previous edition of ITDS: George Hellmuth – HOK Co-Founder

As 2009 comes to an end, one theme prevailed at HOK Florida- BABIES!!!!

Of the mere 40 employees, only half are in “reproducing” mode, and we were able to introduce FIVE new lives into our family. Here they are in their first HOKlife debut …

William  is HOKer Karen  Carvalho and her hubby David’s new arrival. His older sister Emily was runner up in a baby photo contest, so it runs in the family!

Liam is HOKer Brent Cutshall and his wife Elana’s new baby boy.  Brent has stated that the rash of boys are because of the recession. It is a trend so far!

To …

Former HOK Chairman Jerry Sincoff described the key components of leadership at HOK in a presentation he has been sharing at offices around the nation. At his Tampa stop, he spoke of leadership as guidance and cited examples of leaders within HOK that support community, truth, and communication. Jerry’s lesson on leadership was formulated as ABC’s, relating to Action, Behavior, and Communication as a means to become a leader in our everyday experiences at HOK. Two examples of leaders shared their experiences with us. 

KIM FREY

Vice President  |  Business Manager

Kim has been with HOK for 28 years and has witnessed many examples of leadership. She shared an experience she had at the St. Louis office …

Last Friday, the Tampa Bay AIA held its annual holiday party and Gallery AIA exhibition showcasing the Annual Thumbnail (napkin) Sketch juried competition. For those that don’t know, a “napkin sketch” is a thought or idea that is graphically communicated onto a physical napkin.

The competition displayed napkins that captured a great moment or idea on the fly, a cool diagram, or a mini manifesto, all hung on the wall for the jury to choose their favorites.  A few of us here in the studio happily shared in the competition, and our very own Tommy Sinclair won honorable mention!

Tommy’s concept:

Inspiration for the napkin sketch comes from the idea that the holidays always …

Recently, HOK Tampa employees Jillian Schultz and Kelly Betts completed the Women’s Running Magazine Half Marathon in downtown St. Petersburg.  Sarah Freeman highlights their efforts in the form of an interview. A first for both, Sarah gave their feet a day to recover and then asked Jillian and Kelly about their experience.

SF: How long have you been running?

KB: 13 years.

JS: I have been a 1 or 2 mile runner on and off for a few years. 

SF: What made you get started? 

KB: Training with the crew/rowing team in high school pushed me to start running for training purposes.  I started entering races about 5 years ago.

JS: My real efforts began when …

The team designing a zero emissions office building met virtually on September 29 to brainstorm about the exterior walls. HOK participants included Bill Valentine and Dave Troup in San Francisco, Mary Ann Lazarus, Tim Gaidis and Tyler Meyr in St. Louis, and Jeff “heard but never seen” Sanner in Chicago. Joining the charrette via “Thunder” from the The Weidt Group in Minneapolis were Chris Baker and Vinay Ghatti.

The video quality isn’t exactly Ken Burnsesque, but the clip does provide a fairly rare opportunity to watch some really talented designers bounce ideas off one another:

Previous ZEB posts (in chronological order):

1. Onward to Zero Emissions

…

The HOK Miami office participated in the 23rd annual Festival of the Trees  event. It took place at the Coverings Showroom in the warehouse district of Miami, which has earned LEED CI. Over 600 guests attended the festival in which the trees are auctioned off and the net proceeds fund scholarships for FIU’s (Florida International Univ.) interior design department.

This year’s concept addressed sustainability through the reuse of materials in the design. HOK Miami was sponsored by the ICF Group representing Nienkamper, and Unika Vaev. They used extra metal beads from the materials library shimmer screen installation and recycled bottles to form the base. Lights were integrated into the base and lit up the bottles.

It was a great …

This is a report on the zero emissions building design charrette that took place on September 17. HOK and The Weidt Group participants in San Francisco, Toronto, St. Louis, Berkeley, Calif., and Minneapolis saved carbon emissions from air travel by using Cisco Telepresence Technology, Polyvision THUNDER Express, WebEx and HOK’s Advanced Collaboration Rooms to meet virtually.

The team designing the a zero carbon emissions office building has made lots of progress since my last ZEB post. With the final meeting fast-approaching and an affordable carbon-free solution on the horizon, it’s time to crank out some posts to catch you up on what they’ve been up to.

Finally, a Focus on the Building …

It will be hard not to notice the impacts that this year’s economic struggles will have on our communities during the holiday season.  We will all be paying more attention to our budget, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. With this in mind, many acts of community outreach have been in the forefront of some HOK employees at the Tampa office. I want to highlight some that are notable and tell them “Thank you, your hard work appreciated.”

I have mentioned in a previous post that Kim Frey has literally stepped up to the challenge and just participated in the Breast Cancer 3 Day over this last weekend. She has shared a few words about her experience…

“Despite record high temperatures and …

HOK President Bill Hellmuth talks about one of his favorite projects: the Sheraton Timika Eco-Hotel in New Guinea, “where the neighbors are the people who ate Michael Rockefeller.” 

We recently came across evidence that Nora Akerberg, senior project manager in HOK St. Louis’ Interiors group, also worked on the Sheraton Timika project:

Here’s Nora’s description of the photo: “It was 1993 and we were in the town of Agats, which is located in the Irian Jaya province of Indonesia on the island of New Guinea. My five friends were enjoying a lazy afternoon chewing their betel nut. We had just come up the river after sourcing some small villages for local artifacts for the Timika hotel project.”

Previous edition of …

What makes a design great? We posed that question to David Chassin, an architect and SVP who has seen more than his share of great design over 26 years in HOK’s St. Louis office (Yes, he joined the firm when he was 13).

Previous edition of ITDS: Gordon Stratford – Toronto

This is a report on the zero emissions building virtual design charrette that took place on August 26, 2009. HOK and The Weidt Group participants in San Francisco, Toronto, St. Louis and Minneapolis used Cisco Telepresence Technology, Polyvision THUNDER Express, WebEx and HOK’s Advanced Collaboration Rooms to communicate.

In this meeting The Weidt Group’s Chris Baker and Vinay Ghatti pushed the team closer to a zero emissions office building design by talking the group through a whopping 89-page Strategy Report describing the potential energy use, carbon emissions and cost implications of hundreds of specific energy conservation strategies.

The report documented the results of DOE-2 building simulations for each …

HOK Canada’s design director talks about the Edmonton Clinic.

“Our client, the University of Alberta, has asked us to help them change the world of health and wellness. So it’s not a small goal in any way, shape or form.”

In this next clip Gordon talks about topics ranging from why he is a designer to his team’s design process. “The client holds the secret,” he says. “What makes a really great piece of design is when the actual people who are making use of that design are living and working within it and they are completely enjoying their lives — they are being productive and effective. That is when the design is truly successful — when they are engaged.”

Previous edition of …

HOK Chairman Bill Valentine reflects on the design for King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The airport opened in 1984.

“We were sitting around drinking beer at midnight and then we started drawing. … A billion dollars in construction later, there it was. It was just that idea that came out of the group in the time of need.”

Previous edition of ITDS: Don Crichton – Toronto

This is a report on the zero emissions building virtual design charrette that took place in HOK’s Advanced Collaboration Rooms in San Francisco, Toronto and St. Louis on 31 July 2009. Lots of video clips at the end!

This meeting began with a restating of the goal of designing a zero emissions building design that will reduce the energy requirements for a traditional St. Louis office building of 150,000-200,000 square feet by 70-80 percent. They will use on-site renewable energy sources to get the rest of the way to zero emissions.

Because energy conservation typically costs less than energy generation, the team is using off-the-shelf technologies to design a building that consumes 17-18 KTBUs …

 Last Friday we had an office bowling party at Pinorama here in Tampa. It was the classic bowling alley scene, shoes and jukebox included! Many of us discovered a hidden talent and bowled a really nice game, others decided this was not a skill we possess (I opted to use the bumpers!).  We really could have a bowling team here in Tampa; many of us were successful at clearing all the pins, strike or spare. If I had to call it, I think Foard’s team won- but we were all pretty close!

We’ve been talking a lot about The Green Workplace recently, which is great for the greenies…but did you know that HOK also published our Monograph this month?!

The Monograph is the brainchild of Bill Hellmuth, HOK’s president, and was brought from a twinkle in his eye into a 416-page tome designed by talented HOK WDC Director of Graphics Jim Doussard.

A “coming of age” book, this document shares gorgeous photography and fascinating stories about HOK projects from across the globe.  Some numbers for you list geeks out there:

• 18 months to complete
• 3 continents (published in Australia, printed in China, shipped to WDC)
• 105 projects
• 416 images
• 2400 headshots

…