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.

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!

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.

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.

When the First National Bank of Orrville approached Harris/Day regarding its need for a new branch in Kidron, there was one priority that was agreed upon. The new 3,000-plus square foot facility needed to fit aesthetically into the look and feel of the local community.

“Our intent from day one was to design a bank that was sensitive to the context of Kidron, and not force a plan that ignores the town’s heritage,” said Burt Marzley, project manager. “We used materials that achieved a similar look and feel of the town,” said Marzley. Among the materials used were cementitious wall panels (resembling wood siding) and stone that both offer virtually no maintenance. “Overall the design is simple and straight forward, maximizing efficiency and understanding of the spaces,” added Marzley.

In addition to providing the client with a physical structure that met their needs, H/D was able to build the bank for approximately $50 per square foot less than a typical branch bank of similar size. “Thanks to our construction manager, Chris Wojack, we were able to work together to design a bank that would fit within the owners budget,” said Marzley. “With minimal site costs, simple forms, efficient spaces, local suppliers, and an outstanding general contractor (Campbell Construction), we were able to achieve an affordable end product.”

With the result being a brand new structure that fits well within its surroundings, and the fact that it came in under budget, Vice President of Operations, Jim Huntsberger couldn’t be happier.

“This new building has allowed us to meet our customers request for expanded services and increased privacy with a design that reflects the local community,” said Huntsberger. He added, “The efficient design has allowed us to do what we wanted to do while remaining within our budget both for construction and operations.” The interior look and feel of the bank was also an important part of the project. “The use of natural light and warm colors helps create the warm atmosphere our customers appreciate,” said Huntsberger. “We are happy to have served our communities since 1881, and look forward to doing so for years to come in our new building.”

As of late, it seems you can’t drive through a neighborhood and not see numerous ‘FOR SALE’ signs in front yards or vacant lots. The reason is the market is saturated with sellers and not enough buyers. Residential construction has declined significantly since last year, and experts say it will be another couple of years before we see growth in the housing market as a whole.

However, those same experts are saying that according to construction cost trends, the right time to build is NOW!

“Overall construction prices have been leveling off in most part due to the decline in the housing market,” said Chris Wojack, Construction Manager. “Now may be the most economical time to build,” added Wojack.
The supply and demand for certain building materials are way out of balance, causing prices to be less than anticipated. From July to December 2006, a number of major construction material prices have declined due to three major events, which are not likely to be repeated:

The plunge in new home construction

Prices of internationally traded commodities weakened with slowing of the world’s economy

Dropping of crude oil prices from over $70 per barrel to nearly $50

According to Wojack, we could expect it to be a buyer’s market, at least throughout the winter. “Investors looking to make the best of the current situation, need only look at the numbers to see what an opportunity this is” said Wojack.

The numbers at a glance...

13% fall in lumber prices
8% drop in plywood prices
5% fall in gypsum prices
15% fall in non-ferrous pipe prices
2% drop in structural steel costs
2% drop in plastic prices
15% drop in diesel fuel prices
Concrete prices have remained steady

As luck would have it, these numbers aren’t expected to stay level for long. Reed Construction Data forecasts a 5% to 7% annual inflation pace late in 2007 and through 2008. “Owners should be aware that construction material prices are still likely to continue rising at a faster rate than the 3-4% increase in the Consumer Price Index,” said Wojack. However, this will fall well short of the 2004-2006 inflation pace which was at 15% plus for many months. Should building owners elect to push construction from Spring 2007 to 2008, they should expect to pay a 7% premium, or $70,000 on a million dollar project.