How do you draw a phone?

I'm reminded of a story about my kids from several years ago, when they were still pretty young. As we often did at home in the evenings, we were doing crafts at the kitchen table. My daughter, three years old at the time, said “how do you draw a phone”?  As my mind started to think about how to draw a base unit with the key pad, curly cord and a handset, her six year old brother said “I will show you”. I was thinking that he is very talented and he can likely draw the phone I had envisioned in my mind. He grabbed the piece of paper, drew a rectangle, another rectangle inside the first, a circle at the bottom (back when iPhone still had the home button) and a small line on the top. My daughter looked at it and said “ok, but where are the apps?”  My next thought was “wow” how things have changed from generation to generation. Technology has given us the opportunity to perceive things differently today than we would have been able to just a few short years ago.

The idea of technology giving us tools to help communicate ideas or solutions more effectively has never been more prevalent in Engineering & Architecture than in the use of 3-D modeling. In the old days we would use 2-D blue prints to indicate solutions to our client’s requirements. Sometimes the client was able to visualize those solutions from the 2-D blueprints and sometimes not so much. Today with the aid of 3D software we are able to give the client a better visual perspective of the solutions to meet the needs of their project. 3-D modeling of the project allows our clients the opportunity to See It- Then Decide. So what can they see?

• How people and space interact within the facility.

• How the scale (feel) and materials (look) of the facility interact with people.

• Where conflicts occur between building systems or facility flow.

Contact us about how we can use our 3-D modeling tools to deliver a project you can see before you decide to build.

Small Changes, Big Results

We have a client that we’ve done many projects with over the years. They develop and build rental duplex apartments. Normally they stick to a uniform traditional design (nothing like the ultra-modern picture that I chose here!), both with regard to floor plans and the exterior “look” of the duplexes. It has been a successful model for them over the years as these buildings are meant to be money making investments. The investment is sound and they keep them rented on a monthly basis, which is the name of the game.

We recently started working with this client on a new investment project in southern Indiana. The premise is the same as always - duplex investment rental apartments. However, the old way of building the same thing has gotten a bit stale, so they have asked us to change a few things this time. They did not have any specific ideas related to the changes, they just knew they wanted a fresh look on both the exterior façade as well as some interior layouts. 

PDMi took on the challenge and we came up with multiple different exterior designs that would give a more updated look while still being cost effective. We also looked at the interior layouts and changed little things to help the flow inside each apartment. In the end, the results of a few minor changes such as mixing up exterior colors, slight changes to roof lines, added façade details and alternative kitchen layouts will give this set of new duplex apartments its own identity.   

This is a prime example of a few small tweaks that can make a big difference. These changes will make the new duplex apartments more desirable to potential tenants and thus more successful in the long run.  Give us a call so that we can help make your next project more successful in the long run as well.

Solve the Right Problem

We received a call from a past client about an expansion project they were looking to do. He said his boss must have been looking at one-too-many aerial photos of their facility because his instruction was to "make the building square".  This building had been added on to multiple times over the years which made it sprawled out and not well connected. His boss’s solution was to tear down the parts that stick out and fill in the areas between. This may be a solution that will make the facility look good to the birds flying overhead, but it would do very little to solve their real problem which is a need for “more efficient space”. His boss was correct in that his operation was not efficient. His mistake was that he jumped to a solution before he identified the real problem, which has everything to do with the flow through the facility.

You may have a building that has been added on to many times, one that has never had an addition, or maybe you are looking at building new. Whichever the case, how the building flows should always be the starting point for your building needs. Before you start thinking about walls and square footage, we suggest that you:

• Identify each of your work areas and the tasks that will be accomplished in those areas.

• Determine the type of relationship each task has to the other tasks (Absolutely Necessary, Ordinary, Undesirable, etc.)

• Create a flow chart of how your organization functions from the information gathered

Had his boss done these steps he would have identified the right problem and found an effective solution. Whether your facility is used for manufacturing, retail, offices, or a church, PDMi we can help you create a flow chart and develop a facility plan that will be the right solution to the right problem. Give us a call.