Archinect - University of Tennessee, Knoxville - Interior Design 420

Week 8 - CBI - Rachel Mingle

2016-08-14T21:38:32-04:00

Summary –

This week I was able to help design workstations for a large new build office. This was cool because it was a big project and I did most of the work from the beginning to the end. This included drawing the workstations in CAD and then transferring them to a worksheet for pricing using CAP. This project took most of the week. I also learned how to order COM (Customers Own Material) memos so the furniture vendor can test the COM to make sure it will work for the product.

Focus –

CBI uses mainly CAD plans and Visual Impressions renders to communicate design ideas to the clients. Visual Impressions is a rendering software that works with CAD/CAP that renders any furniture that is placed into the plan in CAD. Everything is linked so it’s a really easy program to work with. In this program you can chose your finishes and upholstery options and it automatically prices it out for you. We layout the content of the project all in a proposal folder in a universal format that all client...

Week 7 - CBI - Rachel Mingle

2016-08-07T22:36:08-04:00

Summary:

This week I had the opportunity to lay out preliminary solutions for a project that has not even started construction yet. This was fun because I was able to let my creativity come through a little and come up with some furniture solutions I thought would work best for the project. I also had to interpret a CAD plan for an office renovation that had barely any dimensions and then had to place furniture, which took me a whole day. On Wednesday, one of our vendors came for an update on all the new products he represents. Friday, I started on a new build bank project so I had to draw, specify, and price out all the furniture.

Focus:

Client interaction is one of the most important things at CBI. Whether it be the end user, or the interior designer, it is very important that CBI makes the right connection with the client and finds out exactly what their needs are. This helps the furniture selection process go a lot smoother. CBI continues checking up on all projects even after sub...

Week 9, Patsy Terry

2016-08-06T16:38:28-04:00

Week 8, Patsy Terry

2016-08-06T16:37:59-04:00

1. Week's summary of activities

This week, I have been spending much of my time working on a Hampton Inn project. My coworker and I went back and forth deciding on how to implement our use of 3Form in a recent renovation for this hotel. Our team wanted to keep the installation cost effective, while still maintaining a professional design that would meet the client’s expectations. The 3Form product we envisioned for the space would serve for multiple purposes, such as: the use of a spatial divider, a privacy barrier, and really, a standalone piece of art. While this idea deemed attractive at first, we remained cautious of the cost and time it would take to complete. We developed four different elevations to discuss our options, and then determined the most cost-effective solution for the product. After contacting the 3Form representatives and comparing the costs of each elevation, we came up with the most favorable scenario to show to the client. While our investment in this par...

Week 7, Patsy Terry

2016-08-06T16:37:38-04:00

1. Week's summary of activities

Lately, I’ve been very busy completing projects; a therapy center, two separate hotels, as well as consulting with representatives from various companies. One project in particular, Kramer Therapy Center, was especially challenging due to my lack of experience designing an accommodation for this type of space. Most of my projects are focused on hotel design, so switching venues to a therapy center required transition in thought. Taking time to learn about the programmatic functions of a therapy center and the types of clientele services that are provided really helped me understand how I can design a better space to suit the specific needs of the healing environment.

2. Week's focus

At Ballard Design Group, our main source of business occurs with clients we have previously worked for, as repeat customers of the firm. We mostly receive new jobs on a referral basis, so it is crucial for us to build strong, reliable relationships with the clients in ...

Week 6 - CBI - Rachel Mingle

2016-07-29T15:41:27-04:00

Summary –

This week we had an install for a new build relocation for a local business in Knoxville. I helped draw the existing furniture that was being relocated into CAD plans so the installers could know where to place the furniture. Wednesday and Thursday I was able to be on site to help install furniture myself so I could learn how Knoll workstation systems were assembled. I also helped oversee the installation of the product we had specified and ordered for the project. At some point during installation two of the chairs for the reception area and a small table went missing. As the furniture dealer, the situation ultimately falls back on us even though the installers handled receiving, offloading, and installing the product. I was taught a very important lesson on how to handle the situation when things don’t work out as they are supposed to. In the end, the client was happy and was able to move into the new space on time even though the move in date changed last minute. I help...

Week 6, Patsy Terry

2016-07-24T21:27:49-04:00

1. Week's summary of activities

summary:

I worked on two major projects this week. The first was a hotel property from Hilton Garden Inn that needed renovation. I revised the tile pattern on the floor and started making millwork elevations and details of important public spaces. Most of the task was mindless work, so it was almost a meditating exercise of drawing things in and making sure details are correct. The second was a therapy center that was looking to expand their building, and wanted preliminary plans for a proposal on the augmentation. My boss had previously drawn some sketches of her plan for the revision, so my job was to transfer the idea to a technical drawing. The proposal for the new addition was to mirror the current plan, then make a few changes as necessary. This would essentially double the size of the owner's space for her business. The owner loved the idea and is now looking forward to starting construction as soon as everything has been finalized!

2. Wee...

Week 5 - CBI - Rachel Mingle

2016-07-24T19:25:35-04:00

Summary –

This week was rather slow to start out again. Our only sales associate was out of the office all this week in Haiti. She is the main one who generates business and brings in projects. In our industry the business is very fluctuating and some weeks are slower than others. I worked on a few preliminary projects that have not even been built yet. This week I had the opportunity to drive down to our Charlotte office for their annual A&D night. This is a night for the CBI Charlotte office to invite their local A&D partners to come and bring their interns for a night of food and mingling. We also had the opportunity to ask them questions about the industry and learn about the wide variety of job options the industry has to offer. I stayed overnight in Charlotte and the next day, Friday, the interns got to sit down with the CEO, David Longo, and learn a little bit about CBI as a business and him as a person. This was a really great experience to hear how he built CBI from the gro...

Week 4 - CBI - Rachel Mingle

2016-07-18T21:33:34-04:00

Summary –

This week started off slow and I almost thought that I was not going to have anything to work on. I worked on little miscellaneous things Monday. Tuesday, it was slow but we spent half the day volunteering and hanging drywall with KDM (Kingdom Design Ministries). It picked up on Wednesday when I attended a bid opening for a library in a city about an hour away. I had worked on helping pick out some furniture for this bid so it was exciting to attend the opening. A bid opening is when a bid is put out for anyone to bid on and then there is an opening held where the client, architect and in this case, the mayor, come together and open the bids in front of the dealers that submitted. I attended this with the associate in training at CBI. We were the only two to work on the bid. Unfortunately, when they opened the bids and read the final pricing we were not the lowest bidder. In most cases this means that we probably won’t win the bid, but for this one they contacted us and sai...

Hannah Starnes, McCarty Holsaple McCarty, Week 9

2016-07-18T10:07:50-04:00

summary.

In my NINTH week here at MHM, I spent a lot of time organizing projects, printing off various things, and working some in Photoshop. It is hard to believe that nine weeks have gone by. The information I have learned has been invaluable to my future and in going through this, I have learned how critical an internship can be. There are so many ins and outs to this business that are physically impossible to learn in school and I am so grateful to have learned just a few of them here in the past few months.

focus.

“MHM’s collaborative effort between the design team and the client is paramount to the success of the project. The design process is balanced by research, observation, and introspection. MHM has found that a personal, collaborative approach is the most successful means of integrating the client’s unique requirements. Ultimately, MHM is dedicated to enhancing a client’s culture, image, and brand while balancing a project’s complex parameters.”

When I asked Doug McCarty h...

Week 3 - CBI - Rachel Mingle

2016-07-10T22:31:11-04:00

Summary –

Well this week has been rather slow after the holiday weekend, it seems that everyone headed out for vacation, including our president. I worked on miscellaneous little tasks it seemed like all week. A few of the tasks included checking drawings, checking purchase acknowledgements, organizing our fabric sample collection, and updating our sale representatives contact information. This is the nature of a furniture dealer company; some weeks we may be there until 7pm every day, and others we may be finding ourselves leaving as early as 4pm. On Thursday evening we were invited over to one of the local firms to network and meet some potential clients. Friday was a hot day in the office since our AC went out early in the day making it almost impossible to work. I had a conference video call with the other CBI interns on Friday to discuss the LeadingEDGE project that the interns do every year. It is typically a video we work on together to showcase our experience here at CBI. I t...

Hannah Starnes, McCarty Holsaple McCarty, Week 8

2016-07-08T15:27:51-04:00

summary.

This week, a new interior designer was finally hired so I have had a much less busy week than the past few. Tuesday, I mainly caught up on some projects that are hot in the office. I have continued to spent a good bit of time on the new build project, too. I have also been working on desk/furniture configurations for Jeff. Furniture configurations are something we do not focus on too much in school, and to anyone else, they feel like second nature. It has been a seemingly challenging task to think about every aspect with the systems. I have already learned so much in Revit but still, I feel like I know nothing! This internship has been really critical to my learning so far, and I have been really thankful for that.

focus.

For the most part, as far as presentations go, MHM has many different facets of ways to present. Some people in the office have incredible hand drafting skills, so for them, it is just as easy to hand draft as it is to pull something out of Revit. For most ...

Hannah Starnes, McCarty Holsaple McCarty, Week 7

2016-07-05T09:44:05-04:00

summary.

Monday, I had a meeting with Barbara, Stuart, and Doug McCarty on the new build project (the one I have been working on all summer). We discussed some various design decisions that would need to be made during the week and were given the task of completing a rather lengthy list of ‘to-dos’ for Dough on Friday. We had a design luncheon where Barbara presented everything she saw/did at NeoCon. This was a neat experience because I had seen the Merchandise Mart from our trip to Chicago during second year, but I had no idea how crazy packed it got during the convention. She had really great pictures of new things being introduced to the market. Tuesday and Wednesday I worked mostly on the Revit model for the new build. This was a little challenging for me… I do not consider myself to be proficient in Revit by any means and I hate when I can’t figure things out immediately. However, there are people in the office who know Revit like the back of their hand, so whenever I needed hel...

Week 2 - CBI - Rachel Mingle

2016-07-04T12:20:27-04:00

Summary –

This week at CBI was a busy one with lots of travel. Monday, we started the work week off with our weekly team meeting to go over the coming events within the next week and the projects we have coming up or are currently working on. We then had a project kickoff meeting on a big project that just went out for a soft bid. They are mainly worried about furniture pricing so we discussed our opportunities, the people we were up against, and what we could do to win the bid. I then helped with the soft bid by figuring out furniture counts and creating solution pages for the client. Tuesday, the president, the sales director, and I met with one of our A&D firms to market our solutions and try to win some more projects with them. We then headed back to the office where I continued to help on the soft bid. After work on Tuesday, three of us headed down to Charlotte, NC. We were staying in Charlotte until Thursday because we all had different reasons we needed to be in the Charlotte...

Week 1 - CBI - Rachel Mingle

2016-07-04T10:20:54-04:00

Summary -

My first week at CBI was definitely a fun one! The LeadingEdge Internship program requires that all interns travel to CBI headquarters in Charlotte, NC for their first day. On Sunday, June 19th, I met my supervisor or “boss”, Cassidy, at CBI Knoxville at 5pm and we headed to Charlotte. This car ride was a great way to get to know her. CBI also requires that any time CBI employees travel that they room with another CBI employee. So on the first night I also got to meet another LeadingEdge intern, Connie, from the Rayleigh location who I would be rooming with for the next two nights. The next morning we met down in the lobby at 7:30 and made a quick stop at Starbucks before heading to the Charlotte office. At the office I met three other interns for a total of five of us. Two of the interns were from the Charlotte location, and one from the Greenville location. They served us breakfast and gave us each “welcome gifts” including a new moleskin, a CBI toy truck, a water bottle,...

Week 5, Patsy Terry

2016-06-24T23:16:55-04:00

1. Week's summary of activities

I had many different obligations this week, including several meetings with product representatives, a CEU (continuing education unit), and some site visits to the field for one of my current projects. The most interesting part of my week was going to the CEU, because I have never gone to one before and did not know what to expect. The topic was on "designing for the aging population" and was presented at a lunch and learn event. Ironically, my last semester's studio project involved the design of an elderly facility, so I was quite familiar with the subject already. The presentation lasted about twenty minutes, and for the most part, it was a reiteration of what I had previously learned about aging design considerations. During the CEU, one of the speakers mentioned how great it would be if we designed spaces that aided the elderly (such as using contrasting colors and low-glare products) as a corollary to designing spaces so that they look prett...

Week 4, Patsy Terry

2016-06-24T20:46:18-04:00

1. Week's summary of activities

I took two site visits during the week to one of the hotel properties our team designed, which was in the final stages of a renovation. We were sent to place the accessories and adjust the furniture sets for the photography of the new improvements. It was exciting for me to see this part of the process, where designers get to review the project results and make adjustments as needed to give the best possible presentation of our work. When we arrived to the site, it was apparent to us that a lot more work needed to be completed before we could do our part of the job. Although it was frustrating to find this out upon arrival, we made the decision to stay and help mitigate with other tasks. It was a compromise that we made to give up more of our time than originally expected to accomplish our mission, but it was a necessary action to make to uphold the firm's reputation in exceptional customer service. After finishing at the job site, my somewhat agit...

Hannah Starnes, McCarty Holsaple McCarty, Week 6

2016-06-24T16:18:47-04:00

summary.

These weeks keep flying by! Monday was my first day back after vacation, and although it was a little difficult to get back into the swing of things, I had a good bit of things to work on. Jeff, a principal of MHM, and I met about a space off of Gay Street where a Knoxville based company would be moving into. This was the first assignment where I pulled every finish for the project. It was rather challenging to start from the ground up to pull finishes that would please the client without letting my personal likes/dislikes get in the way. Tuesday, I finished gathering more finishes for the project and worked a little more on the new build I have been working on all summer. Tuesday night, myself and a couple of others from MHM played volleyball with some other firms around Knoxville. It was good to get out of the office and it was nice to see familiar faces from school, too. Wednesday, I presented the finishes to Jeff and Barbara that I had pulled. They were pleased with the ...

Hannah Starnes, Week 5, McCarty Holsaple McCarty

2016-06-10T15:21:12-04:00

summary.

This week was off to a much better start than the last, seeing as that Barbara is back and I have someone to correspond with/give me tasks. Monday, we sort of caught up together about what went on last week and mostly I just tied ends up with some tasks that were left open. Tuesday, I selected a few samples on projects and ordered them. I updated a lot of things on a new build that I have continuously been working on all summer. Wednesday, I worked a lot with reps finishing up the fabric/chair debacle from last week. I spent some time in Revit building parts of the new build that had yet to be put in as well. I also had the opportunity to sit in on a pretty big meeting. This was really great experience for me and it was exciting to see it all in person. Thursday, I prepared a couple of floor plans for Barbara before a meeting. The rest of the day, I picked up a sample for an upcoming install and then I finished working on the building model in Revit. Revit in the office is s...

Week 3, Patsy Terry

2016-06-08T14:50:14-04:00

1. Week's summary of activities

Our team wrapped up a project this week on two hotel properties that we've been working on since I started here. It was somewhat stressful at times with the rushed demand to get everything completed on time, but it was also a valuable lesson in prioritizing work so that everything can be managed in the appropriate manner. The payoff of finishing the work on Friday was well worth the push that we put on ourselves to get it done.

I was also asked to design the tile flooring patterns for a hotel - and like most design tasks - it turned out to be far more a difficult assignment than I intended. After beginning the layout design, I realized how inexperienced and uninformed I was about tile placement. What kind of tile should be specified in which places? Do you center the tile pattern and cut off the ends, or do you start from the edge and go in? What does tile do when it's geometrical neatness is interrupted by the nebulous shape of space? I didn't kn...

Hannah Starnes, Week 4, McCarty Holsaple McCarty

2016-06-06T09:23:32-04:00

Hannah Starnes, IDS 420, Week 4

summary.

This week has been very different in that I am the only person who is in the Interior Design department. So not knowing exactly what I’m doing all week has sort of been a challenge. Monday, I had a few emails from Barbara on some things I needed to straighten out while she is on vacation, and I have a “to-do” list that I was able to start working on as well. Unfortunately, I have completed most of what is on the “to-do” list leaving not much left to do for the rest of the week. I ordered some samples from Kravet’s newer patterns, picked fabrics for some chairs in a college project and ordered those samples, and transcribed some meeting notes from last week. I am trying to keep myself busy but available for anyone who might need an extra hand around the office. Tuesday, I ordered a few more samples, this time of paint, and scanned in a whole set of drawings from 1991. While this task probably should have seemed boring, it was really cool for me...

Hannah Starnes, Week 3, McCarty Holsaple McCarty

2016-05-27T09:26:33-04:00

summary.

In starting my third week, I feel as though I am finally developing a schedule and the whole 9-5/6 every day thing is becoming less and less depressing. Monday, I worked on a finish schedule for a middle school. This, surprisingly took me ALL day Monday, and nearly ALL day Tuesday. I learned so much about how tedious finish schedules can be after doing one for such a large scope. There are so many factors to think about even after you have designed the interior that I sometimes feel we might not touch on enough in school (simply for time’s sake). After I finally completed the schedule, I printed it, redlined it, made my corrections, and was very happy to be done afterwards. Wednesday morning, I started my day off by reviving an older project and looking through the Revit model to sort of asses what was already done and what needed to be done. Thursday morning I got here a little earlier than usual and had time to clean up the library shelves and organize some extraneous samp...

Week 2, Patsy Terry

2016-05-23T00:13:59-04:00

1. Week's summary of activities

I've become really well-adjusted to my workplace this week through collaboration with other team members. I worked on a hotel project that I became familiar with during my first week at the firm alongside two of my coworkers to fastidiously edit and revise our drawings, spreadsheets, and specification sheets so that we could finalize our work drafts and get ready to send them out for ordering. It is crucial that we are meticulous in this process, because minor mistakes can turn into large financial burdens at the scale and quantity size we are working in. Together, we checked and double-checked each other's work to ensure preciseness, and really utilized a team effort in producing the documents. It was a great experience to have that type of engagement, and ingest a broader understanding with each part of the submission.

I also got to be involved in the design of a custom lighting mechanism, requested by one of our clients. Assisting in this was o...

Hannah Starnes, Week 2, McCarty Holsaple McCarty

2016-05-20T16:18:57-04:00

summary.

Week two at McCarty has been off to a quick start just like my first one! Monday I worked on renderings for the office renovations here at McCarty. This involved me going into the Revit Model, selecting views, and then rendering them from there into Photoshop. I had never done any sort of rendering in Revit before, so now that I have learned how to do it, I am really excited to try to render in Revit for my future studio projects. I sat in on a Design Committee meeting that was about the office renovations and it was really interesting to hear everyone’s opinions and suggestions on what the space should have/be. Tuesday, I changed and added finishes to the renders for the office renovations based on the comments that were said in the meeting. A rep from Interface came in and gave a brief design presentation. This presentation was mainly about carpet designs in phase two of the UC. It was really amazing to see how the in house designer for Interface could compose all of their...

Week 1, Patsy Terry

2016-05-18T15:37:22-04:00

1. Week's summary of activities

It is my first week working at my internship with Ballard Design Group and I've already been able to tremendously expand my knowledge about the firm dynamics here. My first day was spent training and observing other members' work at the firm. I was immediately welcomed into the office, where I was introduced to everyone and given a tour of the building.

During the week, I completed tasks such as filing in the materials library, revising Autocad drawings, and going to two different "Lunch and Learns" with my coworkers. My favorite part of the week was when a rep. came in and showed us the new products from Filz Felt. I was really impressed with the multitude of capabilities that could be produced from the felt material as flooring, wall, and ceiling installations. The company utilizes strategies with a laser cutter and CNC machine to implement diversity and innovation with their products.

I also got to look at a handmade Afghan rug, selected for one...

Hannah Starnes, Week 1, McCarty Holsaple McCarty

2016-05-13T12:19:51-04:00

summary.

After my first week here at McCarty Hosaple McCarty, I have already completed multiple tasks. On Monday, the other Interior Designer, Natalie, and I worked on renderings in Photoshop for an upcoming meeting. I spent a large portion of the day working on the renders but I also spent a lot of time meeting new people in the office. On Tuesday, I was handed keys to the building, touched up the renderings from Monday, and spent some time teaching myself Sketchup. I left a little earlier than usual because everyone had gone to a meeting and there wasn’t anything for me to do. Wednesday morning, I spent some time working on a new build that is still in the Schematic Design phase. I helped Barbara, my supervisor, work on a Budget Sheet for the FFE package of the project. This was a really great task; she explained how even though it’s a rough estimate of what will actually end up in the space, it really helps the client and the design team to get a better understanding on budget and...

Week 9: CBI & KDM

2015-08-14T10:30:04-04:00

This week, I finished up stocking the materials library, and ridding it of 2013 price lists. Tuesday, should have been a very exciting day for me, I was finally getting to install a display that I had designed and made. It consisted of a 10’ x 10’ tapestry, promoting a Knoll chair, as well as the chair, and a height adjustable table. Unfortunately for us, the space in which we were installing changed their policy on allowing outside sources to display products changed a mere 3 days before we installed. Thus, all the materials are now sitting in a corner of the office. On Wednesday, I was working at KDM, where I got to attend their board meeting and thank them for allowing me to work with them this summer. We also started working to get donations for the Harley Ride coming up this month. The rest of the week, I have been working on a bid, doing revisions and finding new products to substitute. Today has been a bit difficult, with it being my last day and all. I am going to miss every...

Week 8: CBI

2015-08-10T00:41:53-04:00

This week, on top of my normal tasks, I reorganized the materials library. This included updating product binders, finding new ways to store samples, and making it all fit. This process took up most of four days, and the library now looks BEAUTIFUL.

Presentations are tailored to be different for each client, based on the services being provided and the nature of the project. For responses to bids, it’s a matter of gathering information and compiling it in a binder using PowerPoint. Creating specific products and renderings a project is awarded is done through CAP and visual impressions. The designers as well as those in sales use the samples as a tangible visual when presenting products. Tools such as these are used to communicate design ideas in a format, which can be easily understood

Week 7: CBI

2015-08-10T00:41:21-04:00

This week, in the world of furniture, I was able to work on a response to a bid. This took up my entire week. My job on this project was to create specification pages for all of the furniture. These specifications included lead times, warranties, finish options, and basic characteristics. During this process, I learned a lot about manufacturing, and the processes of ordering products, as well as working with vendors. Friday, I finished these specifications, and everything was finished. It was fantastic to be able to see a finished packet that I had done most of the work on.

Staff and client interactions differ for each instance. For some clients, they may work completely with the design firm and have no interaction, and for other clients, they may have no go between at all. During installs, the staff works directly with the installers to ensure that everything lives up to the client’s expectations. Sometimes, this means correcting manufacturing errors in a timely and organized way, ...

Week 6: CBI

2015-08-10T00:35:44-04:00

This lovely week, I worked on some things for Chattanooga, although I mostly focused on things for Knoxville. First off, I worked on a bid creating specification pages for products, and then I checked drawings for a different project. Learning how to check drawings has been a bit of a challenge, due to the mass amount of details that go into putting together furniture. You have to know and understand what product you are looking at and how it works. Towards the latter end of the week, I spent some time pulling together finishes for a project both physically and digitally. Of course during the week, I was keeping up with the other project I have been working on. Multi tasking is ones best friend.

Speaking of best friends, in the furniture industry, everyone’s dearest friends are suppliers. Whether they are furniture, or finishes, you have to work side by side with representatives from these vendors. They keep you up to date on what they have to offer, what is going on in the industry...