Our Steelcase buoy chairs are finally here! We’re testing out furniture for education spaces in preparation for our upcoming office renovation. The buoys let us fidget, spin, and be more mobile at work. Plus, they bring a kind of techno hobbit vibe to the space. No work injuries have occurred so far, but our cores are definitely feeling it.
Innovative Learning
H+A designers recently attended the Innovative Learning Conference at Nueva School where they were able to hear about design thinking, neuroscience in education, re-imagining education, and digital learning firsthand from experts such as Kim Saxe, Paul Chapman, Dacher Keltner, and more. We were particularly impressed with the interdisciplinary, project-based learning presentation about Brunelleschi’s Dome by Nueva students and teachers. We also got to tour the school’s Innovation Lab and hear directly from dschool’s Scott Doorley & Scott Witthoft who helped design it. It was great to talk with students, teachers, and thought leaders about how education is changing and what we as designers can do to facilitate further innovation.
SFO T3 Construction Tour
Hamilton + Aitken Staff toured SFO’s Terminal 3 Boarding Area E project (BAE), led by Jay Wilson, the Construction Manager from Gensler. Hamilton + Aitken partnered with Gensler/ Hensel Phelps on the LEED GOLD, Design Build BAE project, and we were able to tour the construction site while a number of activities were going on.
All of the spaces were framed and finishes were being applied to the floor, walls, and ceilings, so we got a good idea of the look and feel of the finished space. The exterior curtain walls were also installed, and Hensel Phelps was beginning to install the fins at each mullion for daylighting control. The new skylights provide a generous amount of natural light to the center of the space.
We talked with Jay about the new fire suppression system and toured the HVAC system rooms to see the equipment for supply and return air, which were so large you could walk through them if there were no grills. We also saw a small portion of our T3 East Renovation project including the connector to BAE and the temporary tunnel that the public will pass through while work is being done on the surrounding areas. It was exciting to see the progress of our work.