SoL Blog

Mount Vernon Nazarene University

01 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Harris/Day and The Knoch Corp (construction managers) have been working with officials at MVNU to develop plans to improve existing athletic facilities and to provide for a new competition sports arena for varsity basketball and volleyball teams. The proposed improvements would benefit student life at MVNU by providing more gymnasium space for both varsity and intramural sports. The new sports arena would increase spectator capacity and bring MVNU athletic facilities to a level comparable with other universities in their conference. The proposed Athletic Center addition includes: varsity gymnasium with sports arena seating for 3,000 spectators, four varsity team locker rooms, new athletic department office for all varsity team coaches and their assistants, new varsity team weight training room, new athletic training facilities with classroom for certified university educational program, new 2,700 sf wellness center for general student life population, two new classrooms/meeting rooms for academics and community/public relation events.

The concept for the proposed Athletic Center complex has gained approval of the campus leadership team, and is currently pursuing fundraising options before the next project phase begins.

New Stark State Digital Library Complete

01 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Students at Stark State College are enjoying their brand new digital library, which was completed in November. The space features plasma tv?s, computer workstations with privacy partitions, and a sleek contemporary design, intended to feel more like an internet cafe than a traditional computer lab.

"We were very pleased with the design of our new Digital library here at Stark State College. Domenic and his team at Harris Day designed a functional room that has been well received by our faculty and students."
- Steve Spradling, Director of Facilities, Stark State College

LEED Silver Project: Aultman Compassionate Care Center Coming Soon

01 Sep 2008 12:00:00 GMT

SoL Harris/Day Architecture is proud to announce the completion of plans for a brand new LEED Silver project right here in Stark County. The Aultman Compassionate Care Center, a 25,000 square foot inpatient hospice and grief counseling center, will begin construction in Spring of 2009. The project will incorporate many LEED features, including a 29% reduction in energy costs and 37% reduction in water usage. Other "green" elements include: geothermal heating and cooling, minimal site impact, use of recycled materials, use of locally manufactured materials, thermal barrier insulation system, recycling of construction waste, underground rainwater filtration system, and use of no incandescent Bulbs (compact fluorescents only).

SoL Harris/Day Architecture is a strong proponent of green architecture and sustainable design. The firm is a member of the US Green Building Council and has six LEED? Accredited Professionals who have successfully completed the required examination. Matt Sutter, Domenic Ferrante, Burt Marzley, Chris Wojack, Lee King, and Melinda Smith work side by side with our designers to integrate "green building" strategies into every decision we make.

Thank you to Aultman for their commitment to "green." Our team at Harris/Day is excited about the project, and hopes that it?s just the beginning of a migration toward green design and building here in Stark County and throughout the northeast Ohio region.

The True Meaning of Spring...

01 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Ask just about anyone what "Spring" means, and you?ll get responses that range from "spring break vacation," "Easter," "Tribe baseball season starts," to maybe even "the possibility of warmer weather." However, ask that same question around the Harris/Day offices, and you?re more likely to hear "groundbreakings" and "construction begins" ? if Mother Nature cooperates, that is.

In the world of architecture and construction, with the impending change in the weather comes new beginnings for projects that were designed during the cold winter months. Spring 2008 holds a lot of promise for a number of H/D projects. Construction projects that are currently scheduled or in progress include: North Canton YMCA, Trillium Family Solutions, Central Catholic High School, RG Drage Career Center, Carroll Hills Workshop, and Paramount West Tennis Club.

North Canton YMCA
This 8,000 square foot project will result in a number of changes for the popular community wellness center, all within a very tight turnaround time of just four months. In that short amount of time, there will be a complete reorganization and renovation of all existing locker room facilities, as well as the creation of a brand new family locker room space. In addition, a new whirlpool unit will be located adjacent to the natatorium.
General Contractor: Olivieri Construction Co.
H/D Team Members: Bill Griffith, Project Architect, and Melinda Smith
Construction Budget: $1,500,000 (actual bids under $1,400,000)

Trillium Family Solutions
An ideal example of re-use of property, Trillium Family Solutions will relocate its new agency offices to the former Huntington Bank Operations Center on North Market Street in downtown Canton. The project is a complete interior demolition and renovation of 30,000 square feet of space ? three floors in total. The new space will be made up of administrative offices, counseling offices, program rooms and multi-purpose training spaces. The six-month construction project is expected to be complete and the space ready for occupancy in November.
General Contractor: Jeffrey Carr Construction
H/D Team Member: Amanda Lee, Project Architect
Construction Budget/Estimate: $1,400,000

Central Catholic High School
When the end-of-school-year bell rings, work will begin on the summer renovation project of a number of CCHS? academic departments, specifically science labs/classrooms, and art studios/classrooms, in addition to the entrance lobby, main academic corridors and cafeteria. This phase follows up on last summer?s renovation of infrastructure improvements including upgrades to the school?s mechanical and electrical systems.
H/D Team Member: Amanda Lee, Project Architect
Construction Budget/Estimate: $1,500,000

Domenic Ferrante named Partner

01 Mar 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Hard work, strong leadership skills and design talent have paid off for Domenic A. Ferrante, AIA, LEED AP. It was recently announced that Ferrante has been named the newest Partner at SoL Harris/Day Architecture. The Perry High School graduate earned his degree in Architecture from Kent State University before starting his career with SoL Harris/Day Architecture in 1998.

"Domenic has been an integral part of Harris/Day?s success over the last couple of years," said Jeff Day, firm president. He added, "His project management style, as well as his enthusiasm regarding sustainable design and green architecture - an important initiative of the firm - are leadership qualities we?re looking for as we plan the future of the firm and building its book of business."

As Partner, Domenic will continue to focus on K-12 education and public sector work (MRDD, libraries, municipal). In addition he will be responsible for expanding and growing the firm?s higher education and LEED markets, as it?s "knowledge leader" for LEED (?green?) buildings. Currently SoL Harris/Day Architecture is designing five LEED Silver buildings in which Domenic is involved.

Domenic and his wife Christine reside in Jackson Township, and are the proud parents of Olivia and Christian.

Harris/Day Designs Library Addition To Meet The Changing Needs Of A Community

01 Jan 2008 12:00:00 GMT

When the main branch of the Carroll County District Library found itself cramped for space and unable to meet the growing needs of its patrons, decision makers decided that they needed a design solution that would satisfy a number of different user groups. A 2,200 square foot addition and 8,600 square feet of interior renovations, designed by Harris/Day, exceeded everyone?s expectations.

The main focuses of the project were to reorganize the entire library by enlarging the children?s reading area, as well as adding a young adult reading section. Also, the reference and information technology area needed to be enhanced in order to accommodate the increased amount of use. Along with library staff, board members and community representatives, State Librarian Jo Budler toured the facility during the recently held Grand Opening. She spoke of the necessary changes libraries have had to make due to evolving technology needs, namely the internet. "You have created a wonderful space here for the people to come to," said Budler.

Helen Skinner, retiring librarian, used the phrase, "You?ve come a long way, baby," to illustrate the evolution of the library from its humble beginnings as a storefront in downtown Carrollton, to the current structure built in 1994, and now to the over 10,800 square foot learning facility. From the feedback given, it appears that the new learning spaces are exactly what users of all ages are looking for. In fact, it has been referred to as a great example of a small community, rural library.

The new interior spaces and use of vibrant colors throughout aren?t the only physical changes to the library. A new front entrance and circulation desk were designed, changing the orientation to the North facing Second Street. And there will be a new face on staff, that of Robert Antill, who recently took over as Director.

Harris/Day?s Domenic Ferrante served as Project Manager, and continues to work in the Carroll County area on an addition to the Adult Workshop for the Carroll County Board of MRDD.

?One Stop Shopping? Process Proves Ideal for Community Legal Aid Services

01 Oct 2007 12:00:00 GMT

When a company or organization is growing, they are faced with a lot of scary questions such as: Do we need more office space? Can we renovate where we?re at? Do we have to relocate? More space means more furniture, more furniture means more money. How much is all of this ?growth? going to cost?

These are just some of the questions Sara Stratton, CEO and Andrea Sandej, CFO, of Community Legal Aid Services in Akron asked themselves when it was determined their current space was no longer going to meet their needs, or those of their clients.

SoL Harris/Day Architecture provided a "one-stop-shopping" approach to solving the space needs being faced. The necessary services included: space programming, search for available office space, design services, construction estimating, scheduling and management services, interior design, moving coordination, and much more. Together with Cutler Real Estate and Morris Office Environments, SoL Harris/Day Architecture worked with Community Legal Aid Services to come up with the most effective and economic solutions.

"It was SoL Harris/Day Architecture?s demonstrated experience with this type of project ? moving an entire agency from one location to another ? that helped us make the decision to hire them," said Andrea. "They have the experience in-house to accomplish all tasks ? from planning to real estate to design to construction and finally the move." She added, "To add to our overall satisfaction, they accomplished the entire project on time and within budget."

From the SoL Harris/Day Architecture perspective, this approach allows for better service and value to be provided to the client for the right price. "By controlling all aspects of the job, we can turn out a better product which makes it a "win-win" situation for all parties involved," said Jeff Day, SoL H/D president. "The entire project process goes more smoothly, and we can better control the elements that relate to quality, cost and schedule."

The Evolution Of Design

01 Jun 2007 12:00:00 GMT

Back in the day you would find architects hovering over their drafting tables using a slide rule to design the next great architectural wonder (ie Mike Brady). Jump ahead to the computer age when designing using CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) was all the rage. As we all know, technology is non-stop and if you don?t pay attention you?ll get left behind. At Harris/Day, we?re proud to say we?re paying attention and we?re evolving too.

BIM or Building Information Model is the current best practice being used by H/D designers. What is BIM you ask? It?s not really a ?thing?, it?s more of a change in philosophy vs a change in technology. Until now A/E design professions have created a 2-D representation of a vision of a building. With BIM, we essentially create a virtual model of that same building, but that?s not all.

In CAD, a door is represented by a 2-D line with a quarter circle. A 2-D elevation of that same door would have to then be drawn to indicate the height and style of the door. With BIM, as soon as the door is placed in the wall it has a thickness, a height, a material, a cost and anything else you can imagine a door to have (and more!). To the untrained eye, this might not mean much. However, to a designer this technological advancement is a dream come true.
But there are other benefits to using BIM besides making a designer?s dream come true.

Better communication of ideas between a designer, a client and consultants takes place. Now instead of looking at a drawing on a piece of paper and trying to visualize the design, a more realistic view is available. 2-D drawings are then produced directly from the virtual model reducing production time allowing for more design time up front. But most importantly, using BIM results in better project quality resulting in fewer change orders. Missed information and conflicts have a better chance of being identified during the design process while building the model.

As with any ?new technology? there are challenges. However, the challenges deal mostly with educating the more ?traditionally minded designer?, and getting them to feel comfortable with a new way of doing things. Another obstacle is getting manufacturers to have their products available to be inserted directly into the model. But just like any other ?new? approach to something, it?ll just take time.

What can?t be denied is that the future of BIM is limitless. Everyone is familiar with 2-D and 3-D design methods, but few have heard of 4-D or even 5-D. With BIM, it?s just a matter of time.

4-D allows designers to identify construction conflicts before the first shovel is even put in the ground. BIM is able generate a project schedule by creating a construction simulation as part of the model. Budget and cost estimating come into play with 5-D, where every piece of steel, door and window in the model will have a cost assigned to it. A bill of materials and cost estimate can then be generated directly from the model. Facilities managers will be able to use the model to store/track everything from operations manuals to maintenance procedures. In the not-too-distant-future, BIM will also be able to predict a building?s energy consumption in order for designers to identify opportunities to further reduce the reliability on our natural resources. Currently buildings are responsible for nearly 40% of our energy consumption. This future benefit of BIM alone will save not only money, but natural resources too.

In the mean time, know that H/D has been using BIM for over five years, and that 100% of our projects are currently utilizing the most basic form of BIM. For the last two years, we?ve been creating virtual models for approximately 20% of our projects. By 2008, our goal is 50% of H/D projects will be utilizing the virtual model, and 100% by 2009!

Improving Your Community Tuscarawas County YMCA

01 May 2007 12:00:00 GMT

For over 150 years the YMCAs have been at the heart of communities across the US. Today there are over 2,600 facilities with over 20,000,000 members. Harris/Day is proud to be involved with the expansion and renovation of the Tuscarawas County YMCA located in Dover, Ohio.

In order to meet the growing needs of the community, a $2.5 million addition/renovation is needed to keep up with the growing demands of the community. A 6,500 square foot addition will house a large multi-purpose room, a youth multi-purpose room, new entry canopies, and storage rooms. The renovation part of the project includes a new whirlpool, a pool filtration system, four updated locker rooms, racquetball courts, a larger family changing locker room, and renovated administration offices.

?The intent is to create a brighter, more inviting environment by improving the lighting, opening up spaces, and introducing as much natural light as possible,? said Burt Marzley, project manager.

The impact and importance of YMCA?s is astounding. Forty-two million families and 72 million households are located within three miles of a YMCA. ?The YMCA is known for providing children with all sorts of activities such as swimming lessons and sports activities, but there?s so much more available to its members,? added Marzley. ?With the addition of the multi-purpose spaces, the Tuscarawas YMCA will be better able to serve the community as it grows.? And taking care of the community and its members is what the YMCA is all about.

Preserving Neighborhood Feel Is Goal Of New Senior Development

01 Apr 2007 12:00:00 GMT

Ask just about any baby boomer to describe the neighborhood he/she grew up in and more times than not you?ll hear about close-knit neighbors, a grocery store within walking distance, and maybe even a park where families and friends gathered. Unfortunately, most Gen X?ers can?t even visualize the setting just
described.

With the growing populationof baby boomers comes the growing need for meeting their changing residential needs such as downsizing for empty nesters or assisted living accommodations. SoL Harris/Day, in collaboration with a local development group led by Carl Bates, is working with the City of Green on the design of a $30 million senior housing complex located off of Koons Road.

The design concept of the 61-acre property includes an assisted-living facility and approximately 200 town homes (both singles and two-story). Also included in the ?new neighborhood? will be some of the amenities from the past that contribute to an active community: parks with walking paths and playgrounds, a pool, fishing ponds, a shopping area with a coffee shop, general store, barbershop and hair salon. ?We want to recreate the feeling of ?the old neighborhood? in a new and exciting setting,? said Matthew Sutter, Project Manager and Partner with SoL Harris/Day. ?We also wanted to create a place where multiple activities will attract visits from younger families with or without children.?

The guiding principle of the new development is to use smaller lots and combine the leftover land into multiple parks and open spaces. Instead of each house sitting on its own half acre, each townhouse will sit on a lot one third of that size. The difference in the smaller lot sizes will not be used to create more homes, instead, the land will be used for parkland and naturally preserved green space. Multiple wetland areas will be preserved in an environmentally responsible way so that each home will share a large, open green space. This will create a remarkable park-like setting in which to live and play.