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TKB Newsletter -May 6, 2020 – What’s Next? COVID-19 Protocols

As the world gets ready to get back to work, one question lingers in all of our minds, “are we ready?”; the COVID19 pandemic has changed the course of our life in every aspect. Before the pandemic, we would walk around freely with our coffees, enter the office and say our hello’s, come in contact with a number of persons to create a harmonious work environment. Now, we are cautious, scared and anxious to be in such environments; this has had a direct impact on how offices will be designed and how people will interact with one another in the future

Several questions pop up when we think of how an office would re-acclimate to its user needs. Would we have all our workstations six feet apart? Would we have tall shields that enclose our workstations and protect us from infection spreads? What types of materials would we avoid in order to promote a hygienic environment?

Source Image: http://www.todayssystems.com/blog/2017/7/13/6-questions-to-ask-employees-before-designing-your-office-space

These are questions everyone is asking, some industry members have initiated and brought design solutions for the workplace post COVID19. The TKB family brings to you a few design solutions from the industry all under one roof.

Stay tuned for more insight next week!

Visit the CDC website below for general guidelines and mitigation strategies at the workplace: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html

Industry Solutions:

https://www.knoll.com/design-plan/planning/considerations-for-returning-to-a-healthy-workplace

www.hermanmiller.com/covid-19/form/

https://www.allsteeloffice.com/spaces-inspiration/inspiration/designing-new-realities

Post-COVID Workplace

TKB COVID-19 Update

As we maneuver a changing world, TKB is committed to success for clients and projects and to the health of our employees and their families. Thankfully, our work is able to continue within public restrictions; our staff is based from home and continues to deliver the high quality service you need and expect from TKB.

We look forward to a time when we can all be together again. Meanwhile, TKB will be issuing newsletters with COVID-19 related materials and up-to-date information from the CDC. We are exploring and analyzing potential design and planning modifications to meet the requirements of this brave new world, and will continue to share with you.

In the meantime, TKB hopes that you’re staying safe, healthy, and sane during this time! We send well wishes to everyone out there!

(Embracing the “creature” comforts while working from home.)

January 2020 – UIUC Life Home

This month marks the completion of construction on UIUC’s Life Home: Center on Health, Aging and Disability for the College of Health Sciences at the University of Illinois. The facility offers an interdisciplinary hub for health, aging, and disability research and observation space in a simulated residential setting.

TKB was engaged by the University of Illinois to design a 5000 SF new building for the interdisciplinary center. It includes a typical residential layout with two bedrooms, dining and kitchen areas, an open plan living space, and a fully accessible bathroom with tub and shower, all for-research purposes. One-way windows allow observational research into living spaces to see how users with accessibility issues engage with various products. Cameras record the users’ experience for later analysis. The residential portion of the building simplifies the exchange of tested products.

Products and materials are tested in a laboratory space adjoined by a garage for ease of material delivery. A flexible conference / classroom space can be used by those engaged with facets of the product study: students, researchers, industry partners and the community. A movable glass partition opens the conference room to the adjoining lobby/break room for larger group access. A small administrative area, two interview rooms, and back-of-house functions also support the research function.

The residential façade faces the street, with the academic portion of the building accessed from a rear parking lot. Landscaping further enhances the residential feel.

UIUC Veterinary Teaching Hospital Surgical Expansion & Renovation – December 2019 Update

Progress continues on the expansion and renovation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Veterinary Teaching Hospital, with the arrival and setting of the precast concrete panels and below slab infrastructure. The expansion will provide seven (7) operating rooms, (1) interventional radiation (IR) suite, sterile processing and student support spaces.

The project is scheduled for completion in April 2021.

UIUC Veterinary Teaching Hospital South Clinic Renovation – November 2019 Update

Nearing completion, this project included the renovation of previously unused space on the Veterinary Teaching Hospital campus, creating a stand-alone veterinary clinic to supplement the existing clinical functionality.

The project is scheduled for completion at the end of 2019.

August 2019 – Chicago Trading Firm

The initial project scope was a basic “finishes refresh” of the current space for one of TKB’s repeat clients, a Chicago-based trading firm.

After a careful review of the client’s needs and expectations, the project scope grew to include the following additional features:

General space refresh with new finishes, expanded break room amenities, upgrade of video and teleconference capabilities in all conference spaces, added break-out and huddles spaces, and new furniture throughout.
Trading desk replacement with custom height-adjustable desks, with phased installation so as to not impact active trading.
Server room downsize, reconfiguration and creation of adjacent IT workroom.
Review and reconfiguration of cooling needs at the trading floor.

The project is set to be complete by the end of August 2019.

May 2019 – Prosser Career Academy Renovation

As an Architect of Record for the Public Building Commission of Chicago, TKB was enlisted to renovate the 38,000 SF Career Technical Education (CTE) wing of the Prosser Career Academy. Driven by the need to accommodate expanded career programs, the fast track project will accommodate a broad range of vocational programs, from culinary arts to HVAC, computer and solar labs to auto shop. Accessibility upgrades include new toilets, new building hardware and lockers equalizing opportunities for all students. The complete project budget is approximately $12 million, including equipment for vocational labs.

The final result will provide expanded opportunities for CPS students’ future workplace choices. TKB’s design work began in November, 2018; teaching in the renovated wing will resume in October, 2019.

For more information about the project, please click on the following link for an article posted by the Chicago Tribune: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-auto-shop-classes-prosser-chicago-public-schools-20190414-story.html

December, 2016

In honor of the holiday season, TKB made an employee-directed donation to the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center. ChicagoCAC is a long term client, for whom TKB has worked on multiple facility renovations and their recent building addition (see link to: PBC/CCAC project). TKB believes in the ChicagoCAC mission, and previously made in-kind donations of conference chairs and tables to help furnish their expanded facility.

ChicagoCAC provides a safe place for children and their families to report abuse and to heal. Their holistic approach is an example to other communities and organizations. We appreciate the hard work and caring demonstrated by the ChicagoCAC, and are delighted to share with them.

To learn more about ChicagoCAC, you can check out their website here. You can also visit their Facebook page here and give them a “Like” too!

You can also check out our project with ChicagoCAC here.

Photos: (top left) Char Rivette, Executive Director – ChicagoCAC & Paula McKendry, Interior Designer – TKB

(top right) Char Rivette with TKB Team (photo credit: Trevor Peterson, Chief External Affairs Officer – ChicagoCAC)

ALA Design Award of Merit – Public Building Commission Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center

The Association of Licensed Architects (ALA) recently awarded the Public Building Commission Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center Addition the 2016 Design Award of Merit.

As a subconsultant to Holabird & Root, TKB completed the programming, planning, finishes and furniture for the 20,000 SF addition. TKB was also the prime architect for renovation of the existing building, and the prime interior designer. In addition to the ALA Design Award of Merit, the project has recently received LEED Gold certification.

28th Results of BD+C Annual Reconstruction Awards Are In!

Dubbed “The Hammock” by students, the hanging mezzanine The Hinman Research Building at Georgia Institute of Technology, was created by repurposing a large bridge crane to support a tapered floor structure. “The result is a very open space,” TKB’s Martha Bell, FAIA, said. “You can see everything that is going on.”

May, 2020

Mar, 2020

Jan, 2020

Dec, 2019

Nov, 2019

Aug, 2019

May, 2019

Dec, 2016

Photos: (top left) Char Rivette, Executive Director – ChicagoCAC & Paula McKendry, Interior Designer – TKB

(top right) Char Rivette with TKB Team (photo credit: Trevor Peterson, Chief External Affairs Officer – ChicagoCAC)

Oct, 2016

Dec, 2011