Category Archives: Design

January 20, 2014 · 11:24 pm

Local Beta – the ARTesian Gallery and Studios

ARTesian Exterior

I am making a trip to the Visitor Center to check in with the project manager for the Chickasaw Nation to see how the project close-out is coming along and to see the facility in operation first hand. While I’m there, I take the opportunity to check in with other Chickasaw projects and Chickasaw acquaintances. I call ahead to see if I can get a special tour of the ARTesian Gallery and Studios. This project was a part of a trio of projects that celebrated a joint ribbon cutting dedication which included the Chickasaw Visitor Center. Corrine Gallup/Operations Manager for the ARTesian agrees to meet me when I arrive. Continue reading →

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January 14, 2014 · 7:02 am

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary

Well, it’s time for another celebration. Happy 2nd Anniversary

This marks the second anniversary of the FSB Blog that launched two years ago in January of 2012. By all standards we have beaten the track record of the majority of blog launches that have not sustained this timeframe and many others that have not been able to maintain an unbroken string of a new post every week.

Thanks to all of you whether you are followers, fellow bloggers,  Continue reading →

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January 7, 2014 · 11:04 am

On the Drawing Board

drafting

“On the Drawing Board” is an old school term that still gets kicked around and I’m curious just how many of you are familiar with the saying. It’s one of those terms that is most relevant to the design industry; architects, engineers, graphic artists, interior designers, etc. It goes back to the day of drafting tables and drafting stools when designers would actually draw up their ideas on paper taped to the boards and eventually would create construction drawings on paper taped to the same boards using mechanical and hand-held devices to draw the line work.

But then the automated world came into the design workplace. Continue reading →

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December 31, 2013 · 8:16 am

Starting a New Year – a time to reflect

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Kicking off a new year is always exciting; a fresh start, new hopes, new aspirations, getting out the black-eyed peas, remembering to put the correct new year on dated documents and making New Year’s resolutions.

“Set goals this New Year. Reflect on those things that will make a difference. Goals give your life direction. fcs”

For the Chickasaw Visitor Center the New Year was a milestone that signaled we were moving forward into another year of progress on the project. The first new year’s milestone in 2012 signaled the transition from schematic design (preliminary design) to design development (final design). The second New Year’s milestone in 2013 signaled construction was well on its way. Continue reading →

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Filed under Background, Construction, Design, LEED ®

December 24, 2013 · 1:48 pm

Happy Holidays – the seasons schedule

IMG_0965 - Copy

What a scene to wake up to in this special and festive time of year; fresh unexpected snow on the ground for my visit to family in Greeley, Colorado. Wishing all of you a wonderful Holiday Season with your family and friends. With some reflective opportunity, let’s look at the events that shaped the Chickasaw Visitor during this time of year. Continue reading →

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December 17, 2013 · 12:46 am

The Project Schedule – a view in retrospect

CN Visitor Center Schedule

Hindsight is 20/20; it doesn’t matter what you’re reflecting on. Compared to forecasting, the clarity of retrospect brings everything into crystal focus. Now that we are at the end of the ride for this project, the project schedule is a matter of pulling the dates of actual events and placing them into a timeline. The Gantt chart above is a documentation of those dates and events. This chart is a broad band look at the project with only the major activities noted. However Continue reading →

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December 10, 2013 · 8:34 am

Retracing Our Course

SD sketches

Forecasting and projecting the anticipated course of a project is not an exact science. From experience, we know about how it is going to play out. But now that we are at the end of the trail, we can create an accurate reflection of exactly how we got here. We can retrace our course step by step. I am pulling together the milestones from all of the project phases we traipsed through to recreate the project schedule in reverse and see exactly what it took to get here. But let’s revisit the first activity of real substance Continue reading →

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November 12, 2013 · 10:21 am

FF&E in the Raw

FF&E Floor Plan

FF&E Floor Plan

Earlier in the design phases when we are designing and exploring furnishings, we typically put together a rendered floor plan that provides a suggestion of how furniture would lay out in the spaces. The process we go through is shared in the post “FF&E what duh heck are we talking about.” We have reviewed the approach to FF&E planning and had a conversation with the interior designer for the project, so now it’s time to look at the documents that were produced for pricing and installation. No pretty pictures, no touchy feely material samples, just plain raw data for getting ‘r done. Continue reading →

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November 5, 2013 · 11:18 am

The Transformation of a Site

Site Banner

 

Over the past year, the site has seen a major transformation from a dusty piece of property with concrete remnants left from a previous structure. It has been a while since we talked about exactly where this site is located. The site for the Chickasaw Nation Visitor Center is located in the town of Sulphur, Oklahoma. Sulphur is known as the City of Springs because of the local mineral waters and was initially named Sulphur Springs. Within twelve years of being formed as a township in 1892, the city has a unique history of being moved between three different sites. The population of Sulphur in 2009 was 4900. For you geomappers, the current location of Sulphur is 34˚30’33” N 96˚58’31”W on the globe. Continue reading →

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October 29, 2013 · 9:32 am

Getting to Know the Players – Take Ten

Players - Take 10

Interview by Fred Schmidt

Sharon Richardson, ASID, Senior Interior Designer, is a certified interior designer with FSB and has been leading the interiors effort on the Chickasaw Visitor Center.

Sharon, tell the Blog followers about your role on the project.

Sharon: Interior designer. Choosing finishes and furniture for the project. Helping the architects with some of the exterior finishes as well. Getting the furniture and finishes to function appropriately and work with the clients’ needs and desires for the spaces. And it’s fun. It’s a fun process for me. I love doing this. Continue reading →

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