Nothing symbolizes professional success quite like the creation of a bobblehead likeness.
Obama’s got one. The Beatles have a set. LeBron even inspired one as a Cavalier and another to chart his migration to Miami.
It was only a matter of time before our own Chairman and resident “less-is-more” pioneer – Bill Valentine – inspired a similar tribute.
Bill’s bobble is actually a new award to recognize exceptional examples of sustainability in action. It will show up at HOK offices worldwide, honoring individuals and teams for tangibly advancing the HOK Sustainable Roadmap. Introduced in early 2010, the roadmap is a framework to take sustainability …
We don’t have to wear uniforms here at HOK (thank goodness!) but some days getting ready for work I feel I’m wearing one anyway -
The Typical Michelle Uniform:
Funky Skirt + Cardigan + Sensible Low Heel
For the guys I work with there also appears to be a bit of a uniform:
Some form of Khaki Pants + Any Variation on a Plaid Shirt + A Brown or Black Moccasin
Growing up, I never had to wear a uniform to school, and I …
Recently, Jaki, Michelle and their fellow cohorts of the HOK St. Louis Diversity Task Force unveiled a scheme to get us on our feet and out of our comfort zones. An ingenious mashup of The Amazing Race, Survivor, The Game of Life and Lego, The Amazing HOKLife encouraged everyone to mix, mingle and learn about the diversity of our practice neighborhoods.
Here’s a video postcard from the event to give you a taste of Life at HOK in St. Louis:
These days, it isn’t easy to land a job interview. But Daphne O’Leary recently broke through the clutter to score an important meeting with HOK Alaska HR Manager Rob Pilkington.
See how Daphne fares in this dramatic depiction of her interview experience.
Any similarities to actual individuals – real or imagined – are purely intentional.
St. Louis Sustainable Practice Leader Tim Gaidis seems to have confused Bike to Work Day with Bike AT Work Day. Here he is trailing Brok Howard, who just joined the Interiors group and clearly is a conscientious bell-ringer, on a tour around the office. Not visible in the video is Sustainable Design Specialist Mary Ostafi, who was holding onto Tim’s wheel and gliding in his slipstream. No HOKers were harmed in the making of this film.
Kim Passmore, Seth Teel, Eric Schneider (RCGA), Jim Alexander (RCGA), Mark Rosen, Tim Gaidis and obviously not Photoshopped Abdel Ferhi
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Sent to me by our BIM manager, technology guru, sustainable enthusiast, former industrial designer, enlightened thinker and jack of all trades… Dave Ivey. Thanks for a funny start to Monday Dave.
Typically, I have to admit that I’m not that into watching buildings come down. But, sometimes, a good demo comes along that just needs to be passed around. With many thanks to Charlie Lutz, I present…
Good Bye To A Texas Stadium!
Click here for the amazing interactive video…
Rain’s in the forecast and so what better excuse do I have to post-pone that massive amount of yardwork I would love to be doing to bring you a bit more….Freno! Matt showed me the video he and Javier, another co-hort from Planning who also sits next to Matt, created showing the features of this product. I’ve embedded the video below, but for those of you more literary types, here’s the deal in print.
To touch on what we covered in the last post, Freno is what we call a segmental wall system, it’s basically a kit of 3 concrete parts that are precast just like building blocks in a variety of arrangements to accommodate any site’s installation …
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 …
Patrick MacLeamy, FAIA, HOK’s chief executive officer, has a unique vision for the future of the building industry. He believes that today’s buildings cost too much to build, don’t work as well as they could and don’t last long enough. In this five-part video series, Patrick explains why he believes this to be true and offers a solution for creating better buildings at much more affordable prices.
Patrick’s story begins with A Tale of Three Domes, in which he chronicles the gradual separation of designer and builder and suggests that Integrated Project Delivery is an idea whose time has come again:
Part 2 – Team Organization: Owner-architect-contractor teams should be reorganized into a single-contract buildingSMART organizational model that mandates teamwork and thus leads
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In December, Life at HOK released its 2009 reading list which turned out not only to give us great gift ideas, but aslo to be an awesome glimpse into the minds of HOK. In the same spirit, we thought it would be great to bring to you a list of HOK’s favorite documentaries. What better way to get to know us then to see what we spend our free time watching? Each title will link you out to either streaming video, a site where you can purchase the video, or some other informative website. So without further ado:
Cosmos
Carl Sagan
Recommended by Blake GallagherComment: “Okay, so …
Workplace specialist Angie Earlywine has worked with many a business whose senior managers are shocked to realize their employees are much more “mobile” than they thought. She likens it to a ’Where’s Waldo?’ scenario.
Angie is a “distributed work” expert, recently co-authoring a research report on distributed work strategies for the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). The landmark study documents the trends and bottom-line impact of 21st century workplaces at Bank of America, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T, Microsoft, Sprint Nextel and other companies.
During the past several months, Angie has been spreading the word at a series of IFMA conferences, industry gatherings and office events.
We tracked her down (together with co-presenter Tom Polucci) during a March 12 …
This is a little advertising that IBM does at the end of some of the sponsored TED talks, but it’s absolutely inspring on a number of different levels.
1. The Big Idea: I’ll start of with the quote in the beginning. “US traffic accounts for 45% of the worlds air pollution.” That in itself is staggering, but not surprising. The big idea behind IBM’s technology is that they have developed a way to charge (toll-booth free & convenient for the driver) a “congestion charge” for Stockholm, Sweden. This is to ensure that those who drive are paying for the convenience (and pollution) that they account for. It’s like sub-metering energy or water consumption. Once people realize that others aren’t …
This is my first time posting to HOK Life – hello to all!
I thought I’d dive in (ha) by sharing an update on the condition of our oceans in just the century since the invention of plastic (the history of plastic can be found here)…
The picture above shows an actual sample of the ocean near an area of the ocean affectionally called “The Garbage Patch.” Many think that this is like a floating garbage pile – a physical location of trash. Instead, it’s more like a rich depository, a sample of the incredible concentrations of plastic that now pervade our entire planet. Natural waste has collected here since there was a here …
Hello everyone!!
I have an issue. I don’t know if you share it with me.
I feel that sometimes the architectural exercise that we do every day and that drives our lives crazy stands very far from the idealistic concept of architecture as an “art expression.”
I forget due to the stress and the business-oriented job that we do, that through architecture we can create ART.
Art that is visible, palpable, reacts to the place where it is, to the light, to the wind, it shelters us… it can be an artistic exercise that collaborates with so many other disciplines and shares with us, the users, its protagonism.
Have you forgotten it same as me?
Yesterday I watched a video that reminded me off all that. A video that …
The Jean Canfield Government of Canada Building, designed by HOK in joint venture with Bergmark Guimond Hammarlund Jones in PEI, delivers on the federal government’s pledge to embrace new technologies, methodologies, partners, and means of delivering service to Canadians. Thoughtfully planned, the JC building has revitalized an underused neighbourhood, uses design to reflect the local flavour of the community, encourages employees and residents alike to use the space and sets the standard for environmentally-progressive government buildings.
The following video explores how the design team successfully met the federal government’s objectives of sustainability, supportive work environments, and connectivity, and highlights HOK’s integrated design approach to the project.
Click to …
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
This holiday season, we are drawn to the uplifting stories of individuals whose resilience is an inspiration.
Our 2009 holiday e-card honors the creative spirit of Andrew Reach, an HOK architect whose career took an unexpected turn when he was diagnosed with a debilitating spine disease. Today, Andrew is an accomplished digital artist whose work inspires all of us.
Sometimes, adversity illuminates a new path.
Here’s to the new decade…
Hello everybody!!! Maybe I’m naive or just a dreamer, but I truly thought our world leaders would make a REAL deal out of the Copenhagen!!! Of course, after what happened it was like a bite of the dusty reality!!!
I would like to have your opinion about this matter – please answer my questions:
1. Can we expect anything from the world leaders?? Shall we wait for actions from them???
2. Can we do something about it??? Are you willing to do something???
3. Being American, do you realize your country has the big power to change things? Do you think people in general in the US care?
4. Do you think HOK really cares and does all we can? Do you think HOK could do more?
I …
In 1987, HOK Co-Founder George Hellmuth, FAIA (1907-1999), who retired in 1980, sat down to reflect on his career. Here are a few clips from the interview:
I like his quote about marketing an architectural practice: “There’s no way in God’s world you can get work in a hurry, on command. Nobody can get it! You’ve got to buy the field, cultivate it, plant your seed, tend it and then go out and pick it – all of which takes years.”
George was a masterful marketer, and in 1944 he wrote a 23-page memorandum on how to create a recession-proof architectural office. In his 1984 book, Architecture in the Real World: The Work of HOK, author Walter McQuade highlighted some …
If your holiday travel plans will take you through the city of Indianapolis, you’re in for an uncharacteristically uplifting experience. The Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal at Indianapolis International Airport (the first from-the-ground-up terminal constructed in the U.S. since 9/11) is light, airy, dramatic, fun – and a showcase of sustainability.
During a recent visit to Indy, I brought along my camcorder and recorded some perspectives of the building and its occupants.
http://www.vimeo.com/7938311
If this is the future of air travel, I’m encouraged.
When I wrote about Eric Lewis my prior TEDx post, I was supposed to continually update you with video’s from the conference/gathering here in Atlanta. However, I’ve been waiting to write about the lecturer’s so that I could include video footage which was taken by Unboundary.
Ciannat Howett is the director of Sustainability for Emory University and has done quite a bit for the development of the way Emory operates everything from buildings, to courses, to social events. She is a wonderful speaker and you should definately check out this video.
I love it when she talks about the expectations of the students and reveals that it’s much less about Emory marketing, and more about Emory Education and defining …
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):
- Onward to Zero Emissions
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Like any cinematic production, our video experiment at Greenbuild ‘09 elicited a fair share of blooper moments. We’ve compiled a few outtakes and humorous quips below.
Check out a complete selection of Green Aha! moments on YouTube and Life at HOK.
It was a truly an inspiring moment to witness Al Gore speaking to the 30,000+ participants at Greenbuild 2009. He began by mentioning that the “Green” movement is a non-partisan initiative and that he is a retired politician – possibly as a disclaimer or possibly to engage those still living in the mindset of 1999. The sustainable movement has evolved greatly in the in the last decade and this “disclaimer” voiced to me a rallying cry that speaks to all that make simple daily decisions based on creating a better tomorrow.
I wish I could relay the message as eloquently as Gore, so I have included a clip of his speech.
It shares a comparison of old building habits and practices that …
Our first crop of Green Aha! moments harvested at Greenbuild ‘09 range from:
the Simple…
to the Illuminating…
to the Downright Quirky…
Even our very own Barb got in on the action, accompanied by a special “prop.”
Keep checking out our Green Aha! feed from Phoenix on YouTube and Life at HOK.
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 …
“Mary Ann and the Green Aha! Moments”
Armed with a low-carbon camcorder, two director’s chairs and a boatload of salsa mix, this quirky band of environmentalists is heading to the Great Southwest.
Our plans include rubbing elbows with Al Gore, Sheryl Crow, Anica Landreneau and dozens of other celebrity performers/speakers at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Phoenix. We’re also on a mission to gather Green Aha! moments on video (not since An Inconvenient Truth has there been such raw anticipation for an environmental production).
Here’s a short video preview of our approach:
If you’re planning to be …
In celebration of ‘the Fifth of November’, aka ‘BIM Day’ I thought I’d post some ideas of what BIM (Building Information Modeling/Management) might look like in the future. This could be 20 years or 30 years, or never, but we should never stop thinking ‘what if’. In fact, recently I’ve been thinking about the possibilities so much that I’m getting scared that I don’t really know nearly as much as I should.
At any rate, I’m going to post possible future-casting ideas for the way in which we could be using BIM in the future to harness the power of the ‘building in vitro’. Some of these ideas are simply and process software related, but a majority of the focus is …
This guy is blowing my mind – and the minds of people all over the world. I recently saw a documentary on his work and himself on tv, but this video just captured the incredible nature of his crazy-awesome talent. What a way to see our world!
Stephen Wiltshire was born and raised in the UK, he was diagnosed with autism at age three. Soon his talent and interest for drawing came to be evident, specifically his desire to draw cityscapes. Now, Stephen has gained notariety for his uncanny ability to draw stunningly detailed panoramic views of cities after only brief rides in a helicopter over the city.
The drawing shown in the …
