JL Architects

building renovation

Using Technology in Project Management

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Technology continues to expand and evolve, changing the way we do things as architects. As the industry had to become comfortable with virtual meetings and screen sharing in 2020, we have seen a change in how projects are now coordinated and managed. In some locations, construction inspections are still virtual, and we wonder if this too may become permanent.

How Will this Benefit our Clients in the Construction Phase of Their Project?

Coordination Prior to Permit Drawings: When you are working with a contractor on a project in a distant location, there is always the challenge of issues arising that need to be resolved. From showing pictures or video of a hidden condition on a project, to verifying various aspects of the material finishes, technology has improved RFI (Request for Information) submittal quality.  With the supply chain and lead times being an issue in construction today, the less back and forth conversation to gain understanding and to get to permit, the better!

Coordination Calls with Building Plans Shared on your Screen:  We have had calls with clients, project engineers and contractors where a coordination item needs to be discussed. When using a screen sharing program, we can proceed quickly to show the options and getting the construction documents updated to not delay projects. This also helps to verify dimensions that are vital to laying foundations and where to take penetrations off during a project.

Technology has made coordinating projects easier and less prone to errors including missing data, miscommunication, inconsistent documents, inexperienced personnel, mistakes in resource allocation, etc.  Going from the 2D paper world to the 3D world of a screen share allows for fewer change orders, and better coordination. Something good has come from 2020!

-Alex Schleicher, Architectural Designer and Project Manager

 

Designing Your Food Establishment

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Restaurant design is more than branding and a sign; diners are looking for an authentic dining experience.  To provide such an experience, clarity surrounding your brand and desired atmosphere is a must.  Creating the right experience includes the coordination of architectural design, menu selections, menu layout, marketing, and operations. As an architectural firm, we work with you to deliver the physical design and environment that tells your eatery’s story.  For our discussion example let’s say you are opening a café that is coffee centric, sustainability conscious, and has roots in the French culture.

The Core of the Establishment:

  • The core value of the business should be clear, and repeatedly emphasized so it is recognized by the customer.
  • Often the core is the product provided. For our example the coffee beans would be the core.
  • Try to reiterate the core to consumers through each of the senses.

-Taste: the exceptionalism of the coffee itself

-Sight: Brown hues in the space for the beans and off whites for the foam of drinks.

-Smell: the aroma of freshly ground beans

-Sound: Crushing of beans, the foaming of milk, music to sit and relax by.

-Touch: Warmth, bean resin, coffee grounds

Sustainability Conscious:

      • I have recently traveled to another state that enforces much more detailed recycling guidelines than where I reside. It felt a bit foreign to me, but afterwards I became appreciative of the efforts.  Try to instill this feeling to customers during their time at your establishment by asking them to separate all the items needed to consume your product.
      • If recycling is not the route you would like to convey, look for alternate functional wares. Use cardboard or paper instead or plastic.  Offer in-house ware only.  Suggest reoccurring customers to being their own travel mugs to be filled.
      • Upcycling is a great sustainable practice. Reusing old types of furniture can give life to something old and provide a unique eclectic experience.  If you have a target consumer, say baby boomers.  Reuse wooden desks as table seating that they can relate to from their past.

Roots from a French Culture:

        • If you want the experience to feel like a café in France, provide that. Include outdoor café seating that everyone thinks of when they think of France and cafes.
        • If the French make something slightly different than other cultures offer or are trained in, make it how they would so when someone orders it the taste and technique is accurate to the core of your establishment.
        • If a French café provides something to their consumers with every order (like a mint or cookie) provide one as well.

There are many layers of design to make a business operate successful, and the core of the establishment is always in the forefront of a customer’s experience.  JL Architects has been designing and working alongside restaurant owners for 30 years and can help these design layers equal success. Reach out to see how we can help.

-Nate Houser, Restaurant Designer

Space Planning for the New Workplace

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March of 2020 began a significant period of adjustment for our everyday lives that included working from home, virtual learning, and social distancing. Now, as we go back to in person school and back to the office, we must again adjust to a new way of doing things. COVID is still with us, and distancing guidelines and restrictions still apply. As we work to keep our offices healthy and safe, redesigning your workspace may be a necessity.

What does this mean?

Arranging a workspace to be efficient and productive can be tricky enough – now we need to keep ourselves socially distant while still being able to work together. Conference and meeting rooms are being used less and less in the post-pandemic work force, as they cannot guarantee a safe distance from one another. So, how do you design your space to achieve all these contradictions?

  • Open workspaces – many professions have adapted a studio-like work area. Many of their employees share a large singular room, with desks arranged often in rows or clusters. This is a great start – however, with needing to remain socially distant from one another, this may not be enough. It often takes up a lot of room to create clusters of desks and creates a disjointed path of circulation through the work area.
  • Wipeable/Scrubbable surfaces and dividers – most workstations already adhere to this, but dividers can sometimes be upholstered to give a workspace a pop of color or to break up the monotony of a space.
  • Natural light – more employees are requesting access to natural light. This has been proven to contribute to higher energy levels and health overall. Of course, you may not have the option to add windows to your space. Your designer can work with you to choose the best artificial lighting for your work environment.
  • Conference and Meeting rooms – Do we get rid of these spaces altogether – or dedicate larger spaces to these needs? Many companies have gone to all virtual meetings, while others have restricted the number of people who can be in a space together at a time. This is helpful, but when a project continues to grow, sometimes it is necessary to get the whole team together in one room.

What can we do?

There are plenty of ways to keep your employees healthy and productive while still adhering to the new rules of the world. From space planning an existing space, to fitting out a building, to designing an entire new facility – the possibilities are endless. Architects can design all of these with the following in mind:

  • Open workspaces while keeping socially distant – this may include physical barriers to define space, while keeping the space open to air changes and creative collaboration.
  • Wipeable and Scrubbable surfaces – there are many ways to liven up an office while being able to disinfect the entire area.
  • Natural light – whether you are designing a new facility or retro-fitting an existing space; you need to know the best way to utilize the sunlight you can get. Even in a studio environment where rows or clusters of desks may be used, you can still expose the entire room to light, which leads to more alertness and increased productivity.
  • Conference and Meeting rooms – although unconventional, it is possible to bring the client into the studio for a meeting. A work space can be arranged around a large central conference space, which not only allows people to feel more comfortable out in the open; it also allows a peak into the behind-the scenes of what goes into your work/product.

A proper space plan can do wonders for any office space. With the world changing and being more aware of the spread of germs, we must adapt and evolve. Change is hard and many don’t know where to begin; it is more than just rearranging an office. It is changing the entire way you think about a space. Work environments should be a safe and healthy place for all. To achieve this goal, while maintaining a collaborative feeling, consult with an architect to seamlessly make this evolution to our new work world.

-Stefanie Wiegand, Architectural Designer

The Benefits of Living Walls

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Between COVID and climate change, we have all become more conscious of our well-being and its relationship to the environment that we live and work in. In response, architects, engineers, and designers are creating new platforms for a healthier living and working space.  The use of living walls is one method growing in popularity for both its physical and mental health benefits.  A living wall is a carefully selected and designed arrangement of plants, flowers, soil, and a water delivery system that is incorporated into an interior wall.

Living Walls Offer Many Health Benefits:

  • Plants improve the quality of indoor air. They absorb and reduce airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and convert them into a compound which plants use for food
  • Plants increase oxygen levels in the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen during photosynthesis
  • Plants can reduce indoor dust by up to 20%
  • Plants release water vapor into the air, which increases humidity, and this can help improve respiratory and skin health by offsetting the drying effects of heating systems
  • In offices where there is plenty of greenery, there is a noticeable decrease in absence due to illness

Living Walls Boost Productivity:

  • Plants have a proven positive effect on employee satisfaction and productivity
  • Increased oxygenation can improve our mood, energy, and mental focus
  • A living wall acts as a sound barrier to the building. It absorbs more sound than a traditional facade resulting in a reduction of noise. Employees gain focus with less distractions, allowing for more efficient decision-making on complex tasks
  • Studies have found that when people have indoor plants in their office space, their work performance improved

Living Walls Create a Pleasant and Comfortable Environment:

  • Installing living walls and maximizing natural light is a great way to bring the outdoors inside
  • Humans have a strong connection to nature and bringing nature into your immediate surroundings makes you feel calmer, more content and helps decrease stress and anxiety
  • Living walls can act as an additional layer of insulation and help reduce the overall temperature in a space
  • Plants absorb sunlight which helps to create a cooler and more pleasant climate during summertime. This means less air conditioning is required, which in turn means more energy savings.
  • Living walls are like a piece of artwork, providing an aesthetic component to your office or home

Living walls are a great addition to any space and offer many health benefits to the occupants.  Considering adding a living wall to your office, restaurant, or multi-family residence?  Contact us at JL Architects and we can help!

-Amy Estrella

Managing your Leasable Space through a Master Model

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One of the services we provide at JL architects is the creation of a master model.  So, what is a master model? It is a digital representation of a multi-tenant space which can be updated each time a tenant space is turned over.

What is Your Benefit?

  1. Keeps a living record of your building. The more information collected on the building, the less time it takes to get a LOD when you need one. This holistic view of your property allows your design professional to offer best options for your tenants.
  2. With master models, we can demise the building however you need. Once the building is surveyed the first time, spaces can expand and contract as needed, and can be combined in any configuration possible. This allows for maximum flexibility when wanting to do tenant fit outs.
  3. Site visits: the master model will cut down on site visits, speed up production time, and complete your leases faster. While a site visit is required to create the model, it is not going to be needed for each new LOD.

Using JL’s Master Models gives you the opportunity to own accurate drawings, allowing for creative space planning in an efficient and cost-effective manner. It works equally well for your shopping center, your office building, or your lab space. Let us know how we can help you!

-Alex Schleicher, Project Manager

The Future is Now for your Restaurant!

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After COVID hitting the restaurant business so hard, it is great to see our favorite dining spots not only busy, but many with long wait times. As we have all been anxious to get back to life, what we did not see coming was the unexpected re-opening challenges that many restaurants have faced -staffing, supply chain issues, mask or no mask, and now the COVID Delta variant raising its ugly head. How does one future proof their restaurant in these unpredictable and changing times?

Here are my thoughts:

Environment Creates the Experience

  • Finding and creating the needed space between tables for customers to not feel too close to their dining neighbor, while allowing you to still have your needed ROI in square footage is key, and here to stay.
  • Proper distancing for both the seating area and the hostess area will relax your customers, allow them to linger (and order more), will keep them coming back, and bring your restaurant referrals.
  • Adding plants and ambient lighting always enhances the environment and can be used to enhance various distancing needs.
  • Mobile furniture allows you to accommodate changing space needs – whether it is because of a COVID variant or to host a custom party.
  • Does your restaurant draw people in, and excite them to be there while making them comfortable at the same time? Have you considered the role of color, furniture, wall coverings and overall design in creating your environment and brand? It may be time to consult with a restaurant designer to see how they can guide you.
  • Are there activities you can create to set your restaurant apart? Maybe it is not trivia night or axe throwing, but rather a wine tasting, cooking with the chef, a themed meal, a fundraiser night. The possibilities are endless. After a year of limited activity, we are yearning for interactive experiences. This will not go way.

Enhance your Secondary Markets with Site Improvements

  • Pickup and Curbside is here to stay. Accommodate this market by providing designated parking spaces, directional signage for ease of pick-up, and 3rd party delivery for those wanting your food brought to them.
  • Can you add a drive-thru? Or add an additional lane? Drive-thrus provide convenience (especially in bad weather!) and add efficiency to the order/pick-up process.
  • Not everyone has space for a drive thru, but how about a designated pick-up window for walk-ups?
  • Where do your supply deliveries arrive? Site deliveries are critical to maintaining inventory but be sure your deliveries are not disruptive to your environment you worked so hard to create, and to your operations.

Today’s Customer Thinks Sustainably

  • Are you serving on 1 time use products? If so, how can you change this?
  • Is your To-Go packaging environmentally friendly?
  • Are you still using plastic straws?
  • Where do you source your food? Is it local and sustainable?
  • Have you looked at your kitchen design? Green kitchen design uses equipment and processes that will cut down on your energy use, helping your utility bills and the environment.
  • And, have you looked at how you cook? Eliminating fryers and open flame cooking will reduce the risk of producing acrylamide, a toxic and potentially carcinogenic chemical created when food is cooked at high temperatures.

Now is the time to make needed changes to future proof your restaurant. Did you know JL Architects has been designing and working alongside restaurant owners for 30 years? Reach out to see how we can help.

-Nate Houser, JL’s Restaurant Guru