HKS Architects's podcast

Mixed-use development has been with us for centuries. In essence, it’s a 2,000-year trend. Today, Americans are finding their way back to the city as well as collectively in the suburbs. JOIN US as an all-star line-up of experts talk about smart growth, the rebirth of cities and the vibrancy of mixed-use development. We’ll discuss places that provide a better way to live, work and play and the behavioral aspects behind it as well as the functional aspects of development including politics, economics and real estate implications.

  Are conventions and large meetings headed toward obsolescence? This question has been in the back of the minds of convention and meeting industry leaders since the advent of the Internet more than 20 years ago. Futurists predicted that the need to interact face-to-face would be met by technology and that conventions quickly would become unnecessary because such gatherings could take place virtually. But, Ken Stockdell, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, NCARB, vice president and convention center practice leader, HKS, Inc., believes this isn’t so. Join him to hear why.

Dr. Sandi Chapman, Founder & Chief Director, the Center for BrainHealth, The University of Texas at Dallas and author of Make Your Brain Smarter, shares with you “the why” need to get seriously committed to our brain’s health. Be inspired to make brain health personal with “the how” to enhance your intellectual and innovative capacity and to strengthen brain function every day. Design with the brain in mind to ignite the inner genius of your clients’ environments. Without brain health, we do not have health. We can take steps to insure we have the mental resources to support the gift of our extended lifespan.

Want to know the latest in healthcare design rules and regulations? Join Joe Sprague, FAIA, FACHA, FHFI, principal, and Sheila Ruder, AIA, ACHA, LEED AP, senior medical planner, HKS, Inc. as they share more information and updates about the release of the new edition of the Facility Guidelines Institute’s Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities. In 2014, for the first time, the Facility Guidelines Institute published two Guidelines documents: the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities and the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities. Also, new to the Guidelines are chapters devoted to critical access hospitals, children’s hospitals, cancer care facilities and dental facilities, offering healthcare providers, federal agencies, local and state regulatory agencies, architects and engineers a glimpse into the next four years of healthcare design.

At HKS, we believe that every key design decision is a performance hypothesis, and are committed to testing the success of our designs after occupancy. As part of this ongoing commitment, HKS has developed a Post-Occupancy tool, a Functional Performance Evaluation (FPE), focused on evaluating the current operations in the overall facility, and in its individual departments, after the facility has been in full operation for at least one year. Kate Renner, Medical Planner, and Jennie Evans, Associate Principal, Programmer, HKS, Inc. walk through the FPE process and key findings from evaluations conducted over the past seven years.

Whether you’re at work or at home with your family, how can you give your best and be your best, if you don’t feel your best? “To be fit at your work and at home, you need to be fit in other areas of your life,” notes Candace Stone, Certified Nutritionist and Holistic Health Counselor, Wellness Life Plan, LLC. She believes all of us must strive to achieve a holistic balance of body, mind, spirit and emotions. She focuses on five key areas including diet, exercise, spiritual/mindfulness, sleep and connection. Candace will share her most highly recommended lifestyle modifications to improve our overall health, energy and emotional well-being.

When traditional Revit modeling was not feasible for the façade cladding and structure on the new Minnesota Multi-Purpose Stadium, scripting was used to rationalize complex surfaces as well as generate and place structural steel members into the Revit model. Our healthcare practice is developing and using new tools to better evaluate the relationship between unit layouts and nurse walking distances. These are just a few of the ways HKS is utilizing computation to find better solutions to project challenges. Join Ryan Gathmann, AIA, HKS Laboratory for INtensive Exploration (LINE), HKS, Inc., as he shares real-world examples of using computational design on projects around the globe.

Mary Seale, communications designer, and Kathryn Stouffer, intern, both with HKS Integrated Communications, discuss how to bolster both business and personal social media platforms. Learn how to debunk hidden algorithms, enhance "sharability" and create content that is interesting, engaging, inspiring. Our presenters provide tips on creating and strengthening a cohesive and singular brand image through social media. In addition, they unveil recent HKS social media survey results. Join them to talk social media ... what’s new, what’s trending and what you need to know.

Ileana Rodriguez, intern architect with HKS, Inc., joined the world's top athletes at the 2012 London Paralympic Games as one of only eight Paralympic athletes on Team USA. Her JOIN US speech uncovers her journey to become a top Paralympic athlete and encourages us to see beyond the devices. Ileana also talks about the many ways architecture celebrates a person's abilities. How can the design of a space change the perception of the user? How can good design change the way we interact? She believes that accessibility issues can be solved via simple design solutions just by really paying attention to what we see.

HKS has been a leader in promoting transparency among building product manufacturers. So, let's talk about how transparency truly improves building products. Nancy Hulsey, LEED AP BD+C, sustainable materials specialist with HKS, Inc., shares real-world examples of manufacturers listening to the design industry and developing healthier products. She also reveal tools that can inform our healthy design selections. She asks, "As we learn about the chemical content of building products, how do we use that information to inform our design decisions and our specifications?" JOIN US for a candid conversation about building product transparency.

How did HKS CEO, Dan Noble, begin his journey as an architect? How does one venture from North Dakota to Dallas, Texas? Listen as KAAM Radio PlayMakers Talk Show host, Steve Klein, interviews Noble, discussing his background, design philosophy and perspective on shaping the “whole architect.” Noble reveals the significance behind the phrase “intellectual capital,” while emphasizing the importance of thought leaders and the architect’s role in creative problem-solving.

Imagine a neighborhood, community or city that you've visited or lived in. In this neighborhood, you've noticed areas for improvement on a variety of scales: the need for better access to healthcare or healthy food, or smaller needs like improved lighting at bus stops or street corners. How many times have you wanted someone to address these issues? Participants attending the 2014 HKS Mid-Atlantic Design Fellowship were asked to think beyond the traditional definition of their respective design fields in order to help create socially sensitive temporary/micro-interventions. Lisa Goldsmith, associate AIA, and Heidi Swift, associate AIA, with HKS, Inc. discussed the nature of the design prompt and facilitate a conversation about how design tools can be used to empower and enable a community.

Is the cost of investing in research justified? The ethical directive for doing research, doing the right thing, often is clear but not chosen. Jason Schroer and Upali Nanda believe that doing the right thing is also the smart thing. Taking examples from the A/E/C and other industries, they show that research has always laid the foundation for innovation. They share examples of projects where using evidence-informed decisions and measured impact have been linked to improved outcomes with a clear fiscal bottom-line implication.

Simulation technology is being used to solve real-world sustainable design challenges. Heath May, director of LINE, HKS, Inc., and his team will focus on simulation: a presentation and discussion on the utility of the feedback loop in the design process. Discussions included presenting toolsets for analysis and optimization of daylighting and energy in buildings using software including Rhino, Grasshopper, DIVA, Ladybug, Galapagos and Octopus.

What will stadiums look like in 10 years? Rick Horrow, the Sports Professor, talks with HKS’ Mark Williams about future stadium designs, Vikings Stadium and the super bowl, AT&T Stadium as more than a venue for football and the new iconic stadium for the CFL Roughriders.

Bernita Beikmann, AIA, principal, director lean strategy and Andrea Sponsel, senior interior designer, both with HKS, Inc., believe Lean Process Improvement is a simple philosophy with big results. It all stems from our ability to identify waste in what we do, and eliminate it.. The healthcare interiors group has begun their lean journey to embrace opportunities for improvement and increase value. The team has spent time examining their process – from beginning to end – mapping every step to document value-added benefits and eliminate wasteful work. JOIN US to talk about changes to design processes that have had a big impact to the group’s internal and external customers.

Research. It’s relevant, vital and life-changing. It opens the door to change and innovation. How do you share research in a compelling, easy-to-understand way? Upali Nanda, director of research,  Emily Seibert, director of creative services, and Angela Ramer, anthropologist, all with HKS, work together to analyze typical research findings in an informative and, dare we say, entertaining way. The three debunk some of the common myths about research, showing that it is no more, and no less, than storytelling with data.

  This is about shifting the conversation from healthcare to health and wellness. Given the impact of healthcare reform, there is a push for health wellness and prevention solutions as systems strive to diversify how they deliver care in a population health model. In turn, an alternative model of healthcare-anchored mixed-use is gaining momentum that includes the use of big data and the concept of a healthcare provider as a partner in developing neighborhoods and communities, to foster and support a healthier lifestyle. Using a case study, we discuss the opportunities in this emerging health and wellness paradigm, and what it can mean in terms of how we approach our projects.

Want to learn about AEC collaboration up close? JOIN Katie Wood and Bill Scrantom, principals with Arup, as they explore the importance of close collaboration between engineers and architects for complex, highly-serviced, mission-critical buildings such as healthcare facilities. They will talk about the importance of collaboration in achieving the optimal solution. The two also will discuss how to support a creative process as well as unveil a cast study that demonstrates the benefits of close collaboration.

David Lancaster, senior advocate, Texas Society of Architects notes Thomas Jefferson was architecture’s political rock star. Unfortunately, he’s just about the only one the profession ever had. Generally speaking, architects don’t get involved in politics. It has been 30 years since an architect was elected to the Texas Legislature, and 20 years since one was elected to Congress. An AIA article recently said the last five years had seen the rise of a political movement committed to waging war on public spending, especially to fund capital improvements. These projects must be funded either by taxes or bonded debt, neither of which is acceptable to fiscal extremists. If you don’t participate, even as minimally as voting – just voting – tomorrow’s jobs could disappear. From now on, architects ignore civic responsibility at their own peril – threatened with unemployment, if not irrelevance. You invested too much to get where you are, so don’t le