Parkerhill, Smith, and Cooper

This past field trip was to Parkerhill Smith and Cooper. It is a design firm located in Lubbock, Texas and is the first LEED certified building in the Lubbock area, with a silver certification. PSC does commercial work and employs interior designers, architects and engineers. The firm consists of two main offices next door to each other and a few smaller satellite offices. The first building was built before LEED and is therefore uncertified but was built with many of the same materials and concepts seen in the second building.

On this trip one of the things we discussed about materials was the length of their life. I had never thought about how sometimes a product that is cheaper upfront ends up costing way more in the long run. For example, flooring typically chosen by schools is damaged easily requiring frequent replacement. It also requires a lot of up keep with cleaning and regular stripping and waxing. Not only do you have to pay for all that labor but it also dangerous because it uses harsh chemicals. Therefore a product with a longer lifespan can help accumulate building points for LEED.

There were many interesting “green” features about the LEED office. The first was the sock air ducts. These were made out of fabric instead of metal. It is basically a fabric bag with small holes running along the sides that allow air out. These ducts are more efficient than metal ducts because it provides more direct air circulation. Metal ducts also require frequent cleaning because of dust build up. The bags don’t need this as often because they deflate when air isn’t blowing through them. Also, air seeps through the fabric itself blowing the dust off the round duct.

The second interesting feature was their green roof. This means that part of the roof is a garden like area with lots of plants. Dirt is a very good insulator but is very heavy so you need a larger structure to hold up the green roof. The structure makes the building more expensive upfront but ultimately a green roof saves heating and cooling costs. It typically takes three years before you start seeing a return on the investment.

The third feature was the parking lot and it tied in with the green roof. The parking lot is part of a water irrigation system that helps water the plants on the roof. In past years when there hasn’t been such a harsh drought, the system actually provided all the water needs for the roof. When it rains, water runs down the slanted parking lot towards a trough that then takes the water back up to be used. However, because the parking lot carries oil from cars and other debris, the water must first pass through a patch of grass that acts as a filtration system. PSC had to get special permission from the city of Lubbock to allow the workers to park on grass. To prevent the cars on the grass from contaminating the water, they made thin strips of regular parking surface right where a car’s tires would rest. This way it made the parking lot less expensive and greener.

The field trip to Parkerhill Smith and Cooper was a very informative trip. I gained a lot of new design ideas, and how to apply them to an environmentally friendly space. I learned a lot about LEED certification also. It was really cool to see all the neat things that are aesthetically pleasing, helpful in saving money in the long run and beneficial for the environment.

Collin's Tile and Stone

Leftwich Chapman

Leftwich Chapman flooring is a locally run flooring retailer in Lubbock. They sell a variety of hardwood floors, carpets, tiles, and vinyl/laminate products. Their primary market is residential with some small commercial clients. They also work with insurance companies replacing ruined flooring in fire or water damaged houses.

On our tour we were first shown their hardwood floor section. Along with the typical wood floors like maple, oak and cherry, there were a couple of different ones. One product was a leather plank made of recycled pieces of leather. Surprisingly, it is harder and more durable than one would expect. Another interesting product was cork flooring. An important thing that I learned on this tour was that wood flooring is not a good idea for kitchens and especially bathrooms. It warps very badly with water which is abundant in a steamy bathroom, and it isn’t uncommon to have at least one leaky pipe or dishwasher at some point in a kitchen. I also learned that bamboo is only suitable in very humid climates; it doesn’t do well it dry places. However it should still not be used in bathrooms or kitchens.

Next we were shown a variety of different carpets. One product that really stood out to me was called. It is a recycled product but is very very soft. It also cleans very easily. There are lots of cool different things going on with carpets right now. There are lots of interesting colors to choose from along with a number of different patterns. Some carpets have patterns made through different texture or thicknesses instead of color. These are very popular right now.

After carpet, we were shown tile products. Leftwich Chapmen not only sells flooring in this department but also backsplashes and different wall applications. There are a great variety of tile sold on the market today. Glass tile is very popular even though it is expensive. There are also a variety of shapes including circles and octagons instead of just squares and rectangles. One of the downfalls of using tile is the grout. Dirt and stains get trapped in the grout and it is hard to clean and almost impossible to keep stain free. Apparently there is a new type of grout coming out on the market that is supposed to do better in that department, but we will see how well it holds up as time goes on.

Finally we were shown the vinyl products. This market has come a long way from where it first started out. These products look way better than they did even 5 years ago; they look more real, and less fake. Another plus is that compared to tile and hardwood floors they are cheaper. They are also more durable, easier to clean and install, and easier to repair when damage occurs. Vinyl is also sold in planks like hardwood floor and also in large sheets.

This was a very good field trip. I learned a lot of useful information that is easily applicable to the interior design field. The people at Leftwich were very nice and friendly. They also had a wide range of great quality products so I would recommend this place to anyone in the Lubbock area.

Principles and Elements of Design

While looking for an image of an interior of this assignment, I came across this restaurant called Duck Duck Goose. It’s a high end restaurant located in Melbourne, Australia that serves a unique concept they came up with called French Tapas, which fuses French techniques with Japanese and Chinese flare. Their interior design is also just as unique. The entrance is a glossy tunnel that opens up into the waiting area and the dinning is separated into two different areas; the posh black dining room and the less expensive bright white area next door.

The picture I’m analyzing is a photo of the “posh” side. There are lots of horizontal lines on the ceiling and horizontal lines created by the order of the tables and the chairs. There are also a couple of different textures at work in this interior. There’s the glass on the table, the hard black table and chairs, the light, sheer window treatments and the water feature in the middle of the room. The interior also makes good use of color and light. The color scheme is black but it is not overwhelmingly dark due to the light colored table setting, and because of the way they lighted the room. The very interesting pendent light fixtures reflect of the golden ceiling and off the water, while the candles on the table light up each individual table.

Since I can’t see the entire room it is hard to know precisely if it is symmetrically or asymmetrically balanced but I would call it asymmetrical. However, the tables are set in a symmetrical fashion. There is also rhythm with the chairs and tables going down the left side of the picture as well as the arrangement on the tables themselves. These principles along with the elements discussed created emphasis on the water feature.

It is easy to see that this posh dining room is extremely unified. There is no variety from table to table and the colors used are either black or white. However, variety comes into play when you look at lines and shapes of the different pieces used in the room. There are the very square tables with the water feature, while the chairs are curved and organic. Also, on the ceiling there are the rectangular shinny boxes with the long wavy light fixtures. All of the unity and variety comes together to form harmony throughout the room that gives the design sense and beautiful.

Unusual Materials

For this assignment we were asked to find an interior made out of unusual materials. In class we talked about the Ice hotel, which is an actual livable space completely constructed out of ice. It was a very interesting concept. Other unusual materials that have been used include everything from glass bottles, to beer cans and chocolate. I did a little research and ended up finding a tire house.

This unique house was designed and constructed by Michael Shealy in Colorado. He got started in 1989 when he retired. He and his wife owned some property and they wanted to build an earth-friendly house. The plan they ultimately came up with was built on the “Earthship” design by Michael Reynolds. After getting the plan approved Shealy began work on his new house.

The construction began with the formation of the walls using tires. A single row of tires would be laid out and then packed very tightly with earth before another layer was added on top. After the walls were erected, Shealy found 40 trees on his property that fit his parameters for his roof system. After cutting them down, he removed the bark off of each trunk. He then placed each log across the top of the walls creating the roof. Oddly shaped gaps were then filled with aluminum cans. After the structure was completed it was then covered in the clay naturally found on the site. The final outcome was a plaster-like look.

The final product was a very earth friendly, economical house. In the winter the temperature inside the house never goes below 63° with no additional heating, even when it got to -27° outside. At first glance, the house does not appear to be made out of tires, which I think is a very good thing. I don’t think I would ever want to live in the house or recommend it to anyone, but it is quite unusual. For a house made of tires it looks very decent and is actually a livable space.

Coalesse

Every fall semester Texas Tech University hosts an event called Design Expo. Design Expo features a wide range of vendors with products related to the field of interior design. The companies represented range from Sherwin-Williams to Daltile. It’s really fun to see all the cool new products and what’s in style this year. This year one vendor, Coalesse, really caught my eye.

Coalesse features a line of furniture for professional work settings and lifestyles. One of the reasons that I found Coalesse’s booth so interesting was one of the chairs they had sitting out for people to sit in and try out. It was a teal metal chair, and had a small cushion. It didn’t look like it was going to be very comfortable but when I sat in it I was happily surprised. It was a very comfortable and supportive chair for all its metal! I was also surprised to learn that it was an outdoor chair.

Typically when I think of office furniture, an outdoor setting doesn’t come to mind. However, innovative Coalesse new collection features just that; an office in an outdoor setting. The Emu Advanced Collection is the indoor/outdoor response to the new imperative of work and life as the line between them blurs. Coalesse’s thought is that “work can now go anywhere.”

The chair that was at Design Expo is part of the Re-Trouvé series by Patricia Urquiola. The series also has armchairs, poufs and vases and is inspired by the meeting of the present and the past: nostalgic design from the fifties with its curls and spirals combined with modern production. I loved the light airy feeling of the series and the colors available are so bright and fun. The rest of the collection is also fun and light. I really like the idea of being able to have an outdoor work area; it would be a nice change of pace from an office or cubical.

Coalesse is a great office furniture company that looks at how the piece of furniture can be used and the different settings it will be placed in, instead of just the piece of furniture itself. This gives their products a unique aspect that is different than other office furniture that I’ve seen. In the future when I have a career I plan on using Coalesse’s products because they are versatile, different, and beautiful pieces that will work well in many different offices.

*Information was taken from the Emu Advanced Collection brochure and www.coalesse.com  

Fabric Applications

I believe that fabric is one of the most versatile materials used in interior design. It can be put on seating, floors, walls, panel systems and used in many other applications. Fabric can be both functional and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. There are also many different fabrics to choose from especially in seating applications. Sadly it seems that typically function is more important than aesthetics especially when one is on a budget.

That is the case I believe for these studio chairs. I don’t know how old they are but they are definitely used a lot since they are classroom chairs. I also don’t know what kind of fiber it is made out of but my guess would be a man-made fiber like polyester because it is cheaper and very resistant to wear and soil.

Personally this isn’t my favorite chair. While the fabric isn’t rough, it isn’t necessarily soft either; it’s more slippery then anything. It also picks up a lot of dirt which really amplifies how dirty the chairs look. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them look clean. While the chair has failed aesthetically in my book, it’s highly functional in the sense that as much use as it gets it doesn’t show much wear. None of the threads are broken nor are any seams coming out. In the setting of a classroom, I understand why they made the choice they did. They probably had a tight budget or wanted to spend more money on something else. They also needed a chair that would be very durable. The fabric on these desk chairs was probably part of a standard line with limited choices. There are fabrics that are both good looking and durable but those tend to cost a little more money and with a large order it isn’t very practical or possible to use a nonstandard fabric.

 For this assignment I chose to look at something that I use practically every day; the chairs in studio. I had never really looked at them very closely nor paid much attention to them before and I think I discovered new things while I completed this assignment. As aesthetically displeasing these chairs are when one looks very closely at them, I think the purchase was a wise one, if the chairs have been used for many years. They are highly functional and I’m sure a smart purchase.