| |
Three Different Projects, Same Success Strategy
Focused on Human Factors
Punit Jain, Cannon Design
The ratio of human compensation per square feet to all other expenses
in a building, including construction, is generally 9 to 1. The
value of this investment is easy to understand. Building elements
that improve the efficacy of this investment therefore define the
success of a facility. This presentation focuses on these elements
in three different projects, the Health Science Center Research
Building at St. Louis University, the Biomedical Research Building
at Kansas University Medical Center, and the Ivan Hilton Center
for Science and Technology at New Mexico Highlands University.
The presentation addresses human comfort issues that directly affect
productivity, like temperature control, light quality, and views.
It further highlights the thoughtful inclusion of spaces that foster
collaboration and interaction resulting in an enlightened human
spirit, making innovation and creation possible. Even though the
three examples are different in many ways with respect to the institutions
they are designed for and the program they encompass, it will be
interesting to note how the human factor becomes a common thread
between these projects located in St. Louis, Missouri, Kansas City,
Kansas, and Las Vegas, New Mexico.
The budgets for projects are always limited, be it a private or
public institution. Most clients, even with great intentions, are
torn between what they can afford and what they would like to have
in their buildings. Elements of design that have long-term benefits
but a higher initial investment are generally compromised and sometimes
even completely left out. Also, elements that cannot be documented
as resulting in tangible benefits are removed.
In spite of working with such challenges at each of these three
institutions, the design team was able to include the innovative
ideas in the projects due to a collaborative approach to design.
Educating the client and defining the goals and their impact on
the life of the users early, followed by repeated emphasis on the
values associated with these decisions throughout the process, resulted
in the survival of these elements in all three projects.
Labs21 Connection:
The project team took an inclusive and holistic, integrated design
approach on all three projects right from the beginning. The spaces
that would allow collaboration and interaction were always approached
as multi functional. The human comfort elements like indoor air
quality and daylighting were tied to energy efficiency through the
use of controls and sensors.
The design for these three projects is based on the principles
that would foster collaboration, interaction, and innovation. It
is based on strategies that would result in energy efficiency, human
comfort, easy maintenance, operation, and management. The design
allows for safety of its users and their research.
Biography:
Punit Jain has received his Bachelor of Architecture from
the University of Roorkee in India. He holds a Master of Architecture
and a master's degree in Construction Management from Washington
University in St. Louis. With more than 15 years of experience in
the practice of architecture in India and the U.S., he is currently
employed as an Associate Vice President with Cannon Design, an international
architectural, engineering, and interior design firm. As a leader
of the team dedicated to researching technological and industry
innovation and sustainability in the field of science and research
buildings, he is involved in the design, research, and planning
of complex assignments. He has extensive experience in designing
public, education, and healthcare facilities.
Mr. Jain is a LEED™ Accredited professional and chairs the
Outreach Committee of the St. Louis chapter of the U.S. Green Building
Council. As chair, he has established an advocacy program directed
towards local governments, institutes of higher education, and building
stakeholders to adopt LEED™. He is also the Sustainable Design
Coordinator for the St. Louis office of Cannon Design.
He is currently working on the $70 million Health Sciences Research
building at St. Louis University, the $50 million Biomedical Research
Building at Kansas University Medical Center, and the Center for
Applied Nanomedicine for Washington University in St. Louis. His
other project experience includes the Kinesiology Research Center
at the University of Calgary; the Biomedical Research Development
Complex Project at IIT Chicago; the New Mexico Highlands University
Science and Technology Building in Las Vegas, NM; and the Advanced
Technology Center at Florida Community College at Jacksonville,
FL.
A Rotary Foundation Scholar and recipient of honor awards from
the National Institute of Architectural Education, New York, and
the American Institute of Architects, St. Louis, he has been invited
to present at professional conferences nationwide including Labs21
and MOBIO. He has also taught at the St. Louis Community College
and at Maryville University.
Back to the Agenda
|
