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A Self-Sustaining Educational Outlet (E-Pod) was envisioned 8 years ago & now has the possibility of becoming a formal yet trans-formative icon, representative of its time. E-Pod will be easily modified & installed at low cost & has the potential to encourage personal expression & embrace a sense of belonging to its users through art & education. In an effort to share these ideals, I hope to inspire others to following any irrational concept or passionate through irreversible pursuit. As architects it is our responsibility to address and bring forth awareness and global consciousness deemed as creator of infrastructure. The spread of this typology may prove as a catalyst to renew the investment of our society’s most valuable asset, our youth. E-Pod will show the youth of tomorrow that anything is possible. More than just a study, I will create a spatial experience that engages exuberant opportunities.
Casey Kent tested the potential uses of Google Glass by DLR Group and the greater AEC profession.
As a nation, we are consuming the Earth’s natural resources at an alarming rate and the way we live plays a large part in this.  But the bigger consumer is architecture.  On every project, we design a building and assume that it is functioning as designed.  We use climatic data and energy modeling software to give us the best guess on how the building will perform.  But that’s it!  It’s just an educated guess.  How do we really know?  Is the energy consumption more or less than what was designed?   The goal of this grant proposal is to develop a DLR Group Energy App that will contain the design and operations data of 25 DLR Group projects and compare them to the “original design” to determine if we are designing energy conservative buildings or energy consumptive buildings.  Once this energy app becomes operational, it can then be used by all trades to monitor a building's energy consumption as well as educate designers and others alike on how design can impact energy consumption.
Melissa Lindberg created a DESIGNED residential play structure - a modern design that encourages curiosity, discovery, and imagination, with ambitions to look at production methods that are affordable, prefabricated, and composed of readily available materials.
Last year was the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Highway. LHW was the first transcontinental improved highway for automobiles across the United States of America. Over 5000 miles or road, communities, buildings, people and memories. The idea is to drive from New York to San Francisco, documenting vestiges of the influence that the LHW had in specific communities along its path.  The end result would primarily consist of a short documentary film that could help us understand the socioeconomic importance of the LHW.
Michael Ellars and Dana Schwartz collaborated to investigate how we can use virtual reality technology to elevate our design and as a presentation tool to literally enable clients to “step into the design.” After submitting two separate but similar applications, Michael and Dana agree to team up. See their separate applications by clicking here (for Michael's) and here (for Dana's).
Consolidatation of our Electrical Engineering Revit content for various offices into one DLR Group location. This includes our Revit Families and standard Details.
Ryan Cameron and Michael Vander Ploeg pursued "Data Streams": investigation of personal energy consumption; development of program monitoring software (to ultimately integrate with the Veri Energy app); and development of a live building monitoring system that could be integrated into our design services.
Dennis Bane, Jason Lembke, and Shona O’Dea (joined by Ruairi Barnwell as a contributor and co-presenter) teamed to research the potential of Passive Design Strategies for K-12 Schools, including research of international trends in passive design methodologies used to achieve net zero buildings and compilation of suggested passive strategies for each U.S. climate zone that can be applied by DLR Group design teams.
Scott asks the question of why “must we wait for clients to originate a project idea?” His PDG proposal centers on exploring an alternative business model that inverts “the traditional model, utilizing our creative skillset to visualize transformative concepts before then presenting our ideas to selected partners with the capital and connections to make them a reality.” A means of becoming “proactive agents for the betterment of our local communities.”
Brice Aarrestad – Elevate: The Pro Bono Playbook In his application, Brice states that “Vision 2020 sets out to build upon DLR Group’s strong ethic of volunteerism by making it a goal to provide design services for those who can’t afford it, yet we lack a formal way to engage our talents for these communities.” Through this PDG, he will create a guide to “help us identify partners, understand financial and legal implications, track our success, inform the public about our good work, and equip our designers to ensure maximum impact.”
Elizabeth and Chris will be looking at R&D in the context of our profession and our firm. Specifically, they will be creating a model and a platform through which DLR Group professionals “to become experts in their chosen area of interest through research and development.”
Our Revit Project Templates hadn't been updated since 2009 and were in dire need of an overhaul. We addressed many of our best practice innovations. The process of maintaining these templates will be an on-going effort as new annual versions of Revit rollout, and we discover new ways to affect design and increase productivity.
Sabrina’s application outlines how “mental Illness is a prevalent and under-addressed issue within current jail and prison populations” and that “DLR Group has an opportunity to become a part of creating a better facility to address these issues.” Through this PDG ,she will research and “develop tools that incorporate normative environments and emerging therapy models to bridge the gap that these vulnerable populations keep falling into.”
Jill and Dillon proposed producing an external publication that acts as “a collection/funnel/lens into production.” They’ll be parting the curtain of design as a deliverable, and revealing “the dirt, grit, and the true evidence” of design as a process in a format that “promotes research, reports on the individuals and teams [involved], and ultimately to harness design culture.”
Design Achievement - DLR Group was attracted to the potential in this historic 1929 refurbished car dealership and showroom, as an integrated design firm whose mission is to elevate the human experience through design. Our design of the second story of this two-story building honors the historic context of the building while offering a dynamic workspace for employees that showcases the company’s culture and capabilities. Large windows on three of the four facades and three large skylights make natural light a key component of the design. The former showroom portion of the space in filled with light and serves as a multi-function area for welcoming clients, open meetings, and a gallery of the firm’s portfolio. A wall with a large window separates the more public “showroom” area from the more internally collaborative work area. The workspace plays off the available light with white walls and workstations and bright accents including purple, blue, and red. Collaboration is prioritized through an open seating system and multiple formal and informal gathering spaces ranging from small rooms for private meetings to large charrette spaces included an in-filled elevator shaft. Overlooking downtown Des Moines’ “Western Gateway” public garden and event area, DLR Group’s move to the center of a city in which they have been an integral part for decades allows a more direct experience of place for their employees and clients.   Scope Summary - The renovation includes 6,600 SF on one floor of a 1929 building that is registered on the national historic registry. The registry dictated that finishes, including white plaster, match the original aesthetic. The design team paired a blonde wood pattern to complement the white plaster. Energy efficient florescents were used in the lighting design, as well as a multiple switched system to take full advantage of the natural light and save energy. The original wood flooring and brick walls were refinished, and a freight elevator shaft was in-filled and retrofitted into a meeting space. Exposed wood framing and timber columns were included to uphold and display the historic character of the building. DLR Group provided architecture, interior design, and engineering services.
In her proposal, Lindsey proposed implementing a “Garden to Table” concept for her local school, and using that experience to development a DLR Group toolkit for implementing such programs in schools around the world. The Garden to Table concept is intended to advance sustainable food growth and eating habits as a means to making sustainability the norm for our youth and helping them live and grow as sustainable natives. It also aligns with evolving standards in sustainable design. “One focus of the WELL Building Standard is Nourishment,” says Lindsey, “specifically Responsible Food Production. Developing a toolkit for my peers to use…would be a game changing factor that would elevate human health and well-being of our built environment.
Live model access across the Wide Area Network (WAN) was a performance bottleneck. With more worksharing between offices occurring, it became apparent that we needed a solution NOW. We looked at various options and concluded that Revit Server gave us the best option.Workshared project from the East Regions (SE, NC and Central) will be on DLRREVIT1 server, and the West Regions (NW, SW and Calif) will be on DLRREVIT2.This will also allow non-DLR Group partners to participate in live models.
Seth’s proposal outlines how he will use architecture and design thinking to directly help The Fortress of Hope, a children’s home in Managua, Nicaragua. A local funding organization has purchased a site for the home which has electric and septic service, but no running water. Seth will design a new facility on the sate with “focus on the integration of the rainwater and plumbing systems necessary to support twenty-five plus people in their new home.” He will also document how this community specifically thrives through the highly efficient use of the limited materials and systems at their disposal.
Levi’s proposal describes how he will create a framework around specific questions intertwined with how the rising ethical aspirations of designers are informing the business of design. His final book, microsite, and presentation materials will detail “simply and systematically” his investigation findings into where ethics and design intersect. “Where is the design and construction profession being led by the ethical concerns of our day? Perhaps most importantly, how can we as individuals think about these diverse topics in a cohesive way that informs our professional practice?”
Catherine proposes to create a podcast that elevates and amplifies those voices of women in the architecture and design professions. Design Voice Podcast aims to unpack some of the issues through interviews and conversations with women in architecture, engineering, and construction. By telling their stories, this podcast hopes to both discuss the challenges facing women in our industry, but to foremost serve as a source of education, inspiration, and empowerment.
Design Achievement – DLR Group’s growing team prompted a move into new office space in Chicago, and provided an excellent opportunity to make manifest the firm’s promise: to elevate the human experience through design. Drawing upon its foundational values of integrated design and sustainability, the entire staff participated in design charrettes to envision a space that optimizes an interactive and integrative work process, with a particular eye to incorporating reclaimed materials and artisinal furnishings. Flexible spaces accommodate multiple working styles and teaming configurations, with the coveted window wall and its views to the river devoted to public space. True collaboration is supported in open work stations with integrated teams working in close proximity, sharing design ideas and cross-disciplinary innovation. Individually controlled light fixtures complement the 100% daylighting, and differentiate between the work stations, meeting and social areas. A palette of wood and metal, concrete and soft upholstery, glass and exposed ductwork establish an authentic, tactile, modern urban environment to foster the creative spirit of the DLR Group design professionals.   Scope Summary – This tenant build-out project encompassed programming and design of an approximately 5,000 SF space on the fourth floor of the iconic 333 West Wacker building, a curved, green-glass building that follows the Chicago River’s bend. The office provides a mix of an open-plan desk area, large- and small-group meeting space, kitchen and casual collaboration and social space. The firm’s commitment to sustainability was reflected in materials and furnishings, including an entryway paneled in reclaimed wood, post-recycled office furniture, low-VOC paint and polished concrete flooring, and custom hand-wrought, solid-wood joinery chairs from a local artisan. The project was designed to LEED Gold standards and is undergoing certification. DLR Group provided architecture, MEP, and interior design services.
Rushville and the people who live there have become very special to Kayla. She has been a fellow with the Sandhills Institute since its inaugural year in 2015 and has fallen in love with the landscape and the people. The opportunity to use her professional skills to positively impact this community continues to push what she can accomplish as a placemaker and an artist, but also as a DLR Group employee-owner.
Consolidatation of our Mechanical Engineering Revit content for various offices into one DLR Group location. This includes our Revit Families and standard Details.
As time moves on and the potential risks posed by climate change become part of our new reality, resilience must be at the forefront of each design discussion. Unfortunately, words like "sustainability" and "climate change" are becoming more taboo in large portions of our population, thanks to the divisive and uninformed rhetoric in the US today. It is time to create a new dialog about these key issues, which affect each and every person around the world. In order to promote resiliency in our society and culture, we must educate the people it stands to benefit most, which is everyone. This proposed podcast, "The Willow Bent: How Resilient Design Thinking Will Save Us All" will provide a relevant platform from which to share the story of resilient design with a potentially limitless population.
Design Achievement – DLR Group’s growing team prompted a move into new office space in Chicago, and provided an excellent opportunity to make manifest the firm’s promise: to elevate the human experience through design. Drawing upon its foundational values of integrated design and sustainability, the entire staff participated in design charrettes to envision a space that optimizes an interactive and integrative work process, with a particular eye to incorporating reclaimed materials and artisinal furnishings. Flexible spaces accommodate multiple working styles and teaming configurations, with the coveted window wall and its views to the river devoted to public space. True collaboration is supported in open work stations with integrated teams working in close proximity, sharing design ideas and cross-disciplinary innovation. Individually controlled light fixtures complement the 100% daylighting, and differentiate between the work stations, meeting and social areas. A palette of wood and metal, concrete and soft upholstery, glass and exposed ductwork establish an authentic, tactile, modern urban environment to foster the creative spirit of the DLR Group design professionals.   Scope Summary – This tenant build-out project encompassed programming and design of an approximately 5,000 SF space on the fourth floor of the iconic 333 West Wacker building, a curved, green-glass building that follows the Chicago River’s bend. The office provides a mix of an open-plan desk area, large- and small-group meeting space, kitchen and casual collaboration and social space. The firm’s commitment to sustainability was reflected in materials and furnishings, including an entryway paneled in reclaimed wood, post-recycled office furniture, low-VOC paint and polished concrete flooring, and custom hand-wrought, solid-wood joinery chairs from a local artisan. The project was designed to LEED Gold standards and is undergoing certification. DLR Group provided architecture, MEP, and interior design services.
Using modern technology, we can change the way we work and think. Applying modern technological advancements to a centuries old profession, we can see our projects from new perspectives, increase efficiency, and leave a positive lasting impression of DLR Group. Our goal is to gather data on technology within the construction and design industries, explore their potential usage within CA, and outline easy-to-follow steps for daily implementation.
Investigation of various software an in-house rendering, walk-through and fly-by animations
Design Achievement - The Phoenix DLR Group studio had reached its max capacity and lacked amenity space, while having a 25% higher employee density than typical in the firm. This inefficiency and absence of collaborative spaces, along with the shift in culture from “me space” to “we space”, signaled the need for a change. DLR Group’s design creates six neighborhoods, each with varying types of meeting spaces, dependent on the discipline of the group. The spaces range from layout tables with mobile ottomans for chairs to restaurant-esque booths. Each neighborhood is branded by a color that can be seen in the ancillary furniture, carpet pattern, and the tack panel at the workstations – all of which can be easily changed with the life cycle of the space. Additionally, more huddle space was created at the garden level, and 75% of the storage space was converted to conference rooms. The material palette within the studio reflects the classic sophistication required of an AE firm, while also incorporating firm-wide cultural values- fun, flexibility, and uniqueness. To allow natural light to penetrate deeper into the space, workstation heights were lowered to 42”; as a result, and in conjunction with new acoustical tiles and LED lighting, the office feels 50% brighter and actually uses 60% less light fixtures.   Scope Summary - DLR Group renovated 25,000 SF of existing space while maintaining occupancy throughout the duration of the 12-month project, thanks to a phased construction. In addition to an open office work area, five conference rooms of various sizes, eight huddle spaces, a classroom, a deadline room, and open collaboration areas, the updated office includes a new employee kitchen and bar. This large, open space allows employees to host up to 150 people for seminars and cocktail hours. The “Oasis”, a large, living-room like space allows guests to view the day-to-day activities of the office while enjoying a beverage from the coffee bar. All spaces received upgraded technology to fully support the mobile workforce, and sustainable solutions, such as Mechoshades, were incorporated wherever possible for increased efficiency and user comfort. DLR Group provided fully integrated services, consisting of interior design, architecture, engineering, AV/IT and graphics.
Design Achievement – DLR Group’s new  Charlotte studio sets the foundation for their future as a creative community fixture. With recruiting new talent as the top priority, the design centers around expressing DLR Group’s core values with an emphasis on fun. A Charlotte-centric vibe through interior details showcases the state’s history. An artistic mash-up of Charlotte people and place connects employees and visitors through a graffiti-style mural that highlights iconic landmarks from around the city. A welcoming front door features a forward-facing café and conferencing space to provide an immediate immersion into the firm’s culture. The connecting seating area is an artful take on the “hornets’ nest,” a long-standing symbol in Charlotte, and places occupants in the heart of activity. Pops of color, natural textures, and biophilic accents accentuate the vibrant, collaborative, and innovative nature of DLR Group’s culture, while supporting employee wellbeing. An abundance of natural light filters throughout the studio area, minimizing the use of overhead lights.   Scope Summary – Located on the edge of Uptown Charlotte, the new office will accommodate approximately 20 employees in an environment tuned to DLR Group’s research into diverse work modalities, from hard focus to socialization. To support the hands-on, integrated design process, a materials lab hosts in-house and virtual presentations, and includes a makerspace to develop 3D models. The café is the connection point and functions as the hub for monthly staff meetings, happy hours, community events and client entertainment. The conferencing space provides easy-to-use technology for in-person and video conferencing meetings. Multiple enclaves and small spaces serve as retreat areas for heads down or private conversations. DLR Group provided interior design services.
Design Achievement – DLR Group Orlando’s office promotes the firm's culture of design through carefully planned areas that encourage collaboration. Throughout, the space utilizes color to orient the individual – both within the local culture by drawing on greens and yellows inspired by Florida’s landscape, and within the office by gradating into red and blue as one moves between design sectors. This subtle interplay of vibrant colors represents the office’s place as an oasis of creativity and collaboration. Our design boasts pin-up walls, vibrant collaborative spaces, and a makerspace. Communal orientation shapes the design, fostering different engagement methods without compromising a sense of community. The space is intended to adapt to the ever-evolving needs of the team, allowing them to work with specialized tools and resources. To address space constraints and maximize optimal views, the floor plan configuration paid back the loss of private desk space with abundant coworking space. This also allows the office to easily adapt to hosting various local and professional community engagement groups, having already had the privilege of hosting AIA’s Women in Architecture committee as well as several universities to support emerging professionals.  Scope Summary – This 11,500 SF office is Fitwel certified, which recognizes operational and policy-based practices that promote a healthy work environment. The materials throughout were chosen based on their sustainable sourcing, ability to work well with green cleaning initiatives, and their status as Red List free products wherever possible. Nowhere is this more evident than in the centrally located gathering space, affectionately known as the “Sandbar” for the brown of the reclaimed barnwood utilized throughout. While being a prominent example of the office’s orientation toward community, the stunning views of Lake Eola also testify to a dedication to the mental wellbeing of the creatives who occupy the space. This focus is reiterated by several privacy booths and a dedicated wellness room that provides refuge when needed. DLR Group provided architecture, interior design, engineering, and experiential graphic design services.  
Design Achievement – In the heart of our nation’s capital beats DLR Group’s new creative studio designed to convey the new face and place after the merger with Bowie Gridley Architects. Paying homage to the context of its historic surroundings while recognizing the significance of dynamic placemaking at a city, company, and individual scale, the new DLR Group office is a celebration of Washington, D.C. Within the space, different quadrants mirror the District’s neighborhood-centered layout, each with unique amenities to themselves yet equitable as a whole, allowing users to travel as far as they choose to achieve their desired outcome. An assortment of plants infuses a biophilic touch creating a sense of vitality and reflect the parks and greenery found throughout the District. A balance of historical and modern details honors the past while looking towards the future; polished concrete floors, open ceilings, and unfinished columns are paired with more traditional elements of white marble and elegant wood grain treatments. Employees and guests are visually guided through the space by light fixtures dressed in an elegant pop of DLR Group red, ultimately arriving at two cozy red chairs in front of a DLR Group logo. This design moment is a nod to our clients' trust in our firm to guide them through their projects – the destination is DLR Group, and the end is a satisfying result.   Scope Summary – The new 11,000 SF workplace is an interdisciplinary collaboration of design voices and environments. Employees as a collective were given the opportunity to provide feedback and input during the design process instilling deeper ownership of the new space. A collection of varying space types maximizes face-to-face interaction and choice to accommodate greater demand for collaboration and mentorship. Medium and larger meeting spaces are digitally enabled to bridge distributed national design teams and a hybrid work model. At the same time, huddle rooms and phone rooms provide closed collaboration spaces for single or paired use. As a design firm committed to impacting climate and environmental change, we must also hold our own spaces accountable. Material selection focused on Red List Free products: a product containing none of the harmful chemicals known to pose serious risks to human health and the greater ecosystem. Our engineering team worked to establish an HVAC monitoring system to optimize usage needs versus constantly running. A smart lighting system operates around the circadian rhythm; imperceptible throughout the day, the lighting changes in color and intensity to reflect the live solar conditions outside. This strategy reduces the contrast between inside and outside, facilitates improved brain function, and reduces eye strain while lowering energy usage. DLR Group provided interior design, engineering, and experiential graphic design services.
Design Achievement - As DLR Group tripled in size over three years, over a dozen employees were “forced nomads,” all-staff meetings had to be held in three separate rooms connected via video conference, and the need for more office space was abundantly clear. As an integrated design and engineering firm, DLR Group is driven by its employee owners. Diverse creative and technical professionals guided the design concept of “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” The plan celebrates the individual, while promoting what they accomplish together. Known as “The Hub,” an adaptable multi-use space at the office’s entry includes a café bar, tiered lounge platform, and conference space with Nana-walls that expand to the larger area. In the spirit of learning and sharing, the Hub is open to events hosted by like-minded community and industry partners including the Denver Art Museum, Denver Water, and the United States Green Building Guild. Sketches from the staff form a layered graphic that extends from the reception to the café backsplash, reflecting a culture of communal creative expression. The Hub is just one alternative work environment throughout the studio. Employees are encouraged to move and change their perspective to whatever space supports the task at hand, be it a model shop, tech-enabled touchdown space, materials library, deadline “sprint” room, or more traditional sit-stand desk. By focusing on both the individuals and on the group as a whole, the office celebrates the design process, the firm's identity as a global design leader, and most importantly, the people who are its lifeblood.   Scope Summary - Approximately 70 employees work out of the office, while about a dozen touchdown spaces allow visitors from other locations around the nation to drop into an immediately effective work environment. There are no private offices; instead, panoramic views from Longs Peak to Pikes Peak are enjoyed by desking and collaboration spaces. DLR Group provided architecture, interior design, and SMEP engineering services.
Design Achievement - DLR Group's Colorado Springs team needed a new home – a welcome oasis to accommodate a collaborative, creative group of designers and technicians in a space with character, history and a flavor of the local culture. This all had to be packaged within a bright, efficient, 21st century office environment to support their needs, showcase their work and the various wares used to create (and continually re-define) the space. DLR Group's design re-purposes a former trolley car maintenance shop of the early 1900's into a new home for innovation and design. The result meets and exceeds expectations with a creative solution for a smartly consolidated footprint for multifunction work and collaboration, an inviting storefront design and modern showcase for products, systems and solutions, super graphics and elegant, clean architectural detail celebrating the unique culture of the company and the local history of the space.  Scope Summary - The 2,450 SF space supports teams and visitors by flexibly providing the space they need to conduct their work in a highly changeable environment and industry. Design elements delivering on our objectives include: A welcoming glass store-front entrance. Collaborative, multifunctional workstations with additional bench seating / storage to accommodate visitors for impromptu collaboration. Flex space to accommodate small and larger-scale public gatherings or private meetings. An open kitchen and dining area with space to support employee needs and office events. Highly functional, technical work areas to support the firm's equipment such as printers and plotters, as well as the ebb and flow of products exhibited on site by reps. Universal design elements such as sliding restroom doors and wide egress throughout the space. Several walls covered with IdeaPaint™ to make any space a collaborative/thinking space. Other elements helping to define and brand the space reflecting the company culture and local environment include supergraphics featuring an image of the trolley car formerly housed there, as well as other graphics integrated into the floors, walls and finishes featuring the DLR Group logo, tag line and colors. Energy efficiency was integrated into the design through extensive daylighting (windows and skylights), highly efficient building systems (HVAC and energy efficient lighting systems), and durable finishes of concrete floors, natural wood and masonry. DLR Group provided architecture, engineering (MEP and structural), space planning, interior design, and environmental graphics services for the space.
Design Achievement - New 51 University tenant DLR Group is an integrated design firm whose mission is to elevate the human experience through design. For the tenant improvement to 1.5 floors in this waterfront area building, DLR Group designed a space for itself that enables creative collaboration, agile teaming, and deployment of new and emerging technologies keeping pace with evolving working methods in design and project delivery. Collaboration is encouraged through an open benching system for individual work stations, teaming stations, and open and flexible areas that cover one-third of the square footage of the office. Enclosed conference and teaming rooms of diverse sizes support a range of small, medium and large group activities with acoustic separation from the open office environment. Conference, teaming and collaboration areas include videoconference system, integrated displays and puck-based connection systems mobile technologies. The design respects the existing high ceilings with minimal construction, and the integration of glass as well as a bright, clean color and materials palette takes full advantage of daylighting and views through extensive windows along three perimeter walls. In addition to fulfilling the working needs of users, the design's spaces, furnishings, and organizational principles allow the space to serve as a showroom to DLR Group's clients of opportunities in forward-thinking workplace design. Scope Summary - The renovation included 21,522 SF over 1.5 floors of the century-old waterfront office building. Scope of work included demoing the space to a shell and a complete renovation of the space including HVAC, replacing all power distribution back to the electrical panel, new LED lighting, installation of two café areas, an interiors material library, and furnishings of workspaces with capacity for more than 100 employees. The space is currently in the application process for a LEED Gold certification; all adhesives, and (FFE) Furniture, Finishes and Equipment were chosen with regard to creating a healthy environment for the construction workers and staff during and after constructions; all appliances are Energy Star Rated. DLR Group provided architecture, interiors and engineering services.
6/3/15 chg'd CL to Corey W. from Brian A. per CW. jking.
Design Achievement - The tenant renovation for DLR Group’s Portland office aligns with the varietal workflow of the creative people it supports. DLR Group’s design provides a creative environment through flexible space for multi-modal user experience. By researching the various ways we work a variety of work-space environments of varying scale and privacy were created. Existing tall cubicles were removed to provide an open work space to promote collaboration, harvest daylight from all sides, and maximize available workspace. The work station layout are bench-style pods which radiate around a central collaborative area. The central collaborative area is both the ‘living room and ‘the maker space’ for the office supporting our evolving design culture. The theme for the project is a ‘balance of analog and digital’- supporting the extreme variety of work-flow and creative thought. Digital display monitors, mobile conference teaming areas, wireless smart projectors, and light-box monitors are spread throughout the office to both share ideas as well as create them.   Scope Summary - The scope of work for this project encompassed minor interior tenant improvement renovations of approximately 4,500 SF of space on the 12th floor of the Commonwealth building in downtown Portland, Oregon. The project focused mainly on new and reused furnishings, selective demolition of carpet and ceiling areas, and technology upgrades to support work-flow. This included re-planning work area configuration, new environmental graphics at the main entry, new paint, and polishing the existing concrete slab in select areas. Selective demolition of the existing ceiling in the collaborative center area was replaced with LED fixtures meeting office lighting requirements. The program includes a central collaboration area framed by two partial height dry-erase projection walls, a renovated kitchenette, back of house storage reconfiguration, and reconfigured workstation areas.
Design Achievement - DLR Group's entry into Texas brought the opportunity to build the brand in one of the largest commercial real estate markets in the United States. DLR Group's design positions the new workplace as not just a highly functional office, but also a gathering space for the Houston AEC and creative industries. The space is packed with creative custom details: an entry wall subtly informs visitors of DLR Group's values in gray tone-on-tone; a map of Houston wraps another wall; and a central column is adorned with a local graffiti artist's exuberant tags. Storefront windows grace this corner suite, and the design leverages the walk-by visibility with DLR Group branding.   Scope Summary - The 3,200 SF office includes an open desking area that accommodates 10+ employees, an entertainment kitchen / cafe, closed small group meeting areas, with touchdown space for up to six visiting clients or colleagues from other DLR Group locations. DLR Group provided interior design and experiential design services.
Design Achievement – DLR Group’s Austin studio has expanded to a downtown high-rise opposite its previous location. The new location offers breathtaking views of the Texas State Capitol for the entire studio and access to a xeriscaped rooftop patio where employees can unwind during lunch breaks, hold client meetings, or simply bask in the enchanting ambiance of the urban landscape. DLR Group’s design celebrates the unique aspects of Austin. Experiential graphics throughout the space are themed “Austin Weird” and showcase the distinctive elements that make the city a one-of-a-kind destination. Scope Summary – The 7,500 SF SF renovation accommodates 24 employees in a cohesive and engaging environment. Visitors are first greeted with a laser-etched wooden display showcasing DLR Group’s brand promise, “Elevate the Human Experience Through Design”, and core values. This versatile display can also be utilized to share seasonal messages such as birthday wishes, upcoming events, or visitor greetings. As the office evolves, this message board can easily be rearranged or relocated to accommodate future needs. Large-scale wall graphics and custom framed prints adorn the space, harmonizing with a consistent design language in terms of color and style. DLR Group provided interiors and experiential graphic design.
Design Achievement In DLR Group’s new  Portland office, a growing team comes together in a creative studio designed to embody their collective cultural pillars: sharing, making, and place as identity. Sharing and making come to life in spaces where the creative process is made visible: a working studio in which analog handcraft and digital tools alike incite experimental iteration. Place as identity is brought to life in work neighborhoods shaped by the grid of Portland’s streets, the organic fluidity of the Willamette River carving through the city, and the strong diagonal born from the grid and the river colliding. Portland’s vibrant neighborhoods – from Forest Park to Sunnyside – inspire a thoughtful color and material palette. Expansive murals reinforce place as identity with colorful aerial abstractions of river, street, and forest. “Easter eggs” across the finished space celebrate the group's design voices and the spirit of making, from reclaimed pivot doors reimagined as a transformable pinup wall / space divider to custom laser-etched icons in the cafe.   Scope Summary The 19,000 SF workplace includes a variety of desking, open collaboration zones, enclosed focus rooms. Layers of activity build across the studio. Teams move through the creative process in a makerspace, VR immersion space, transformable pinup areas, and a basement-level sprint room. A raised social mezzanine is accessible to all via an extended ramp and seat-stair that becomes a central magnet for gathering. Above this area soars a three-story atrium. The original atrium design naturally attracted employees with volume and natural light, but it also presented heat gain, acoustical, and privacy challenges with overlooking upper-floor tenants. DLR Group’s acousticians, building performance analysts, engineers and designers worked as an integrated team to design oversized baffles anchored to existing columns. This elegant solution generates a delightful play of light and shadow, connecting people to the natural environment and circadian rhythms. The studio is targeting WELL and LEED certification. DLR Group provided interior design, engineering, mechanical engineering, acoustical, building performance, and experiential graphic design services.
Design Achievement - The new DLR Group LA office brings together employees that formerly officed in Santa Monica and Pasadena. The consolidation was precipitated by mounting frustrations with increased “windshield time” travelling between the collaborative offices, and the desire to be a part of the city’s heart on the 22nd and partial 23rd floor of the transit-connected, amenity rich office tower. DLR Group’s design celebrates identity as a central theme: the identity of Los Angeles as a City, DLR Group and its progressive place in the design industry, and the individuals who make up the eclectic group. To promote spatial equity, the office flips traditional hierarchy of workplace design inside out. The majority of hardwall spaces are clustered around the core, leaving the perimeter to desking and the coveted corners to shared spaces that alternatingly cultivate escape and engagement. These shared spaces include the “LA Love” café, featuring locally sourced materials, the “Library” for quiet focused work, the “Wellness Pod” for a biophilic escape, and the “FabLab,” serving as a Hacker and Maker space for experimental application. In support of the diverse types of people working here, and in order to create an activity based workspace, the LA office is DLR Group’s first to formally organize around freedom of choice for “nomadic” workers. Workplace Identities including Global Nomads, Local Nomads, Host Residents, and Nested Residents span the spectrum of desking, storage, and specialized equipment needs. Surveying the staff revealed 50% self-identified as Nomads. Touchdown desks, Focus rooms, telephone booths, and the corner social spaces give these Nomads freedom of choice in where they do their best work when they are in the office. The only two private offices are designed with secure storage to enable use as a small group meeting space while the executives are traveling.   Scope Summary - The 32,000 SF renovation accommodates 150 employees, organized in neighborhoods of teams who most often work together. The design team began with first generation white box conditions in the newly constructed building. The 22nd floor houses desking, corner social spaces, and conferencing. The partial 23rd floor houses an Innovation Lab, which houses quarterly demonstrations from vendor or technology partners, and serves as potential expansion space and larger group meeting space. The office is targeting WELL certification, an innovative Sustainable Design metric focused on sustainable measures that positively impact occupant’s wellbeing. DLR Group is providing programming, interior design, environmental graphics, and engineering services.
12/13/16 chg'd CL to Staci Patton from Mike Schwindenhammer. jking. 6/10/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Angela Castleton per CW. jking
6/10/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Angela Castleton per CW. jking
6/3/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Ken West per CW. Jking
 From: Schnack, Becky Sent: Friday, February 19, 2016 12:44 PM To: DLR Group Financial Administrators; DLR Group Region Leaders Cc: Wiederholt, Dennis; Davenport, Griff (gdavenport@DLRGROUP.com); Dalluge, Charles; Key, Angie (akey@dlrgroup.com) Good Afternoon and Happy Friday Everyone ~ in coordination with Griff’s Square 1 post on the 50th Anniversary celebrations today, we have established a project number to track time and expenses. That number is 00-00000-50 DLR Group 50th Anniversary and there is one task set up for each region. Please use this number for both time and expenses incurred in the planning of your open houses as well as the actual open houses themselves. Comments will be required for time coded to the project. Also use this number for your day of service – again for planning as well as the day itself. We could theoretically use a holiday for the actual day of service since we are doing this in lieu of DLR Group Day, but with each region planning their event for a different day, that will be more difficult to track – both from the standpoint of those approving timesheets each week as well as tracking here in accounting. Both are overhead costs so there won’t be any difference from a financial reporting perspective anyway.   Please communicate this project number to employees in your region. If anyone has any questions, please let me know. Thanks!
• Media Relations o Media emails, interviews o Press release writing and distribution • Thought Leadership o Content Creation o Insight interviewing and writing o Authored presentations that promote one of our projects or our people at conferences/speaking engagements o Creating direct mail, electronic news letters, or dlrgroup.com with the intent to help increase brand recognition or thought leadership efforts • Advertising/Sponsorship o Creating paid advertisements that promote DLR Group. o Sponsoring an event to increase name increased recognition via the sponsorship
• Media Relations o Media emails, interviews o Press release writing and distribution • Thought Leadership o Content Creation o Insight interviewing and writing o Authored presentations that promote one of our projects or our people at conferences/speaking engagements o Creating direct mail, electronic news letters, or dlrgroup.com with the intent to help increase brand recognition or thought leadership efforts • Advertising/Sponsorship o Creating paid advertisements that promote DLR Group. o Sponsoring an event to increase name increased recognition via the sponsorship
12/13/16 chg'd CL to Staci Patton from Mike Schwindenhammer. jking. 6/3/15 chg'd CL to Corey W. from Brian A. per CW. jking.
6/3/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Ken West per CW. Jking
6/3/15 chg'd CL to Corey W. from Brian A. per CW. jking.
12/13/16 chg'd CL to Staci Patton from Mike Schwindenhammer. jking. 6/10/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Angela Castleton per CW. jking
6/10/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Angela Castleton per CW. jking
6/3/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Ken West per CW. Jking
6/10/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Angela Castleton per CW. jking
6/10/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Angela Castleton per CW. jking
**Narrative and Fast Co. award is related to Verified Materials Transparency scope of work** Jill Maltby-Abbott is emblematic of a rising consumer class that balance their purchases across health, climate, and global equity concerns. She’s also one of over 700,000 licensed architects, interior designers, and engineers who make thousands of similar decisions every year while designing offices, schools, hotels, and homes – decisions made largely in the dark. Which means people in those spaces are also blind to the impact of materials they touch and see every day. The built environment remains a final frontier in environmental and health transparency. And the stakes are high, with up to 11% of global carbon emissions tied to building products and materials, and proven health impacts including cognitive function, headaches, asthma, and increased cancer rates. Five years ago, Jill and her team selected and specified 300+ materials while designing a new flagship Fortune 50 tech company office. Historically, sustainability and health are the last boxes to check when making materials selections, but Jill and like-minded designers wanted to flip them into the first gate to pass through. “Business as usual for interiors specifications are deeply entrenched, prioritizing aesthetics, lead times, and cost. There was no rulebook for how to upend these assumptions,” according to Jill. Simply, there was no consistent, validated method to track individual materials selections.   Inspired by transparency social change movements in the food, fashion, and beauty industries, Jill and her team started “handshakes.” These handshakes forge downstream from end users, designers, and specifiers, to suppliers and manufacturers. The handshakes grew into an excel spreadsheet, which grew into a kit of tracking and reporting dashboards. Built with simple technology and real-time visibility, Verified Materials Transparency (VMT) tracks material cost and quantity alongside redlists (designated as harmful to living creatures or the environment), embodied carbon, VOC emissions, and net positive waste. It also verifies when a product achieves transparency certifications known as environmental product declarations.   The database now houses information on 3,000 materials and products, with dozens of new products added every month as VMT is normalized in the workplace design process within Jill’s integrated design firm, DLR Group. To date, the method has prompted 13 high-impact materials to produce declarations with two more actively certifying. Even just one material has a staggering impact: over 1,250 steel studs behind the walls of one typical office project. Specifying steel studs that clear VMT creates an environmental carbon reduction equivalent to 675 trees allowed to reach 10 years of maturity – with no added cost. Once materials certify, any of the 700,000+ U.S. design professionals who specify that material see the same benefit. Up the line, the ripple effect taps into corporate buying power and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals. Down the line, the people working, learning, living, or playing where those materials are used also benefit.   With a living framework in place, a commitment to continued partnerships both up and downstream, and thousands of products rigorously evaluated, one team of designers is bringing their personal values and their company’s mission together, kickstarting transformation across an industry.
slated for 2019 Q1 investment
slated for 2019 Q2 investment
slated for 2019 Q1 investment
slated for 2019 Q2 investment
slated for 2019 Q4 investment
slated for 2019 Q4 investment
slated for 2019 Q4 investment
2019 Q2 investment
2019 Q2 investment
2019 Q1 investment
2019 Q1 investment
2019 Q2 initiative
2019 Q2 initiative
2019 Q2 initiative
2019 Q2 initiative
2019 Q1 initiative
2019 Q1 initiative
2019 Q2 initiative
2019 Q2 initiative
2019 Q1 initiative
2019 Q1 initiative
2019 Q1 initiative
2019 Q1 initiative
2019 Q1 initiative
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2019 Q1 initiative
12/13/16 chg'd CL to Staci Patton from Mike Schwindenhammer. jking. 6/3/15 chg'd CL to Corey W. from Brian A. per CW. jking.
12/13/16 chg'd CL to Staci Patton from Mike Schwindenhammer. jking. 6/10/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Angela Castleton per CW. jking
2019 Q1 initiative
6/3/15 chg'd CL to Corey W. from Brian A. per CW. jking.
2019 Q1 initiative
2019 Q1 initiative
6/10/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Angela Castleton per CW. jking
2019 Q1 initiative
6/3/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Ken West per CW. Jking
6/3/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Ken West per CW. Jking
6/10/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Angela Castleton per CW. jking
6/10/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Angela Castleton per CW. jking
6/3/15 chg'd CL to Corey W. from Brian A. per CW. jking.
6/3/15 Chg'd CL to Corey Wieseman from Ken West per CW. jking
12/13/16 chg'd CL to Staci Patton from Mike Schwindenhammer. jking. 6/3/15 chg'd CL to Corey W. from Brian A. per CW. jking.
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