As I am sure it has been heard, “dorms just aren’t what they use to be”.  And yes, they aren’t, and for a good reason.  The word “dorm” has become the new four letter word across college campuses today. Students now want something more than the institutional block walls, furniture, and open, shared style bathroom facilities.  They need a place that feels like they can call home.  Many colleges and universities are realizing that they need to provide residence halls that can accommodate the desires of today’s students or risk losing them to competition.

However, it’s not just about the tangible items that students care about such as private bathrooms, plush and trendy furniture, game rooms, lounge spaces, etc.  It’s about a lifestyle.  One way to create this lifestyle in addition to the items mentioned above is to give the students the opportunity to interact with one another and create an environment that expands on just a “living” arrangement.

Mixed-use facilities can accomplish this in a variety of ways.  By creating a facility that combines living with social programming such as cafes, restaurants, and retail clients, universities can create a lifestyle community that many students desire.  In addition, placing these facilities along the edge of campus versus inside the campus core, universities “open up” their campus boundaries to the “town” aspect in town/gown relationships.  As land becomes less available, universities are exploring options to create a more efficient and effective strategy when it comes to student housing.  In addition, as state funds dwindle, it also presents an opportunity for colleges and universities to explore various opportunities developing private-public relationships to help give them that extra “edge” on planning these lifestyle facilities.

The Ohio State University Oxley’s By The Numbers Cafe’

One great example is the Gateway at The Ohio State University.  By creating more of a “lifestyle” district with a movie theatre, café, nightlife, restaurants, and other services in addition to housing, students are within walking distance to a variety of options in addition to their classrooms.  Not only does this attract students, but other individuals from a variety of demographics as well.  The Gateway’s placement on the fringe of campus “invites” the community in, instead of creating an academic boundary.

The Ohio State University Jones Tower

Drexel University in Philadelphia is another example of how universities are turning more to a mixed-use housing approach.  Through a public-private partnership with American Campus Communities, one of the nation’s leading developers in student housing, they are working to create a gateway into the university set to open in September of 2013.  With national retail and restaurant tenants, this new facility is set to attract a variety of individuals creating more of a “destination” for students and the community.

A final example can be seen at Kent State University.  While not as dense in population as Columbus or Philadelphia, it is a great example of how public-private partnerships can work together to create a destination for students and the community.  Kent State University, the City of Kent, and Fairmount Properties, have transformed the community to include a mix of student housing, retail, a hotel and conference center in addition to other services.  This $75M+ mixed-use district will help the university strengthen their marketability and differentiate themselves from other universities when students are trying to decide where they want to spend the next 4+ years of their life.

Mellow Mushrom Pizza Bakers, Tabor Center, Denver, CO

With the appropriate engineering these systems can make barrier between interior and exterior dematerialize and disappear. Overhead door systems are popular for their economy and ease of operation.  Located adjacent to one another, this door system need only steel columns every ten feet to achieve very large unsupported openings.  This dining room edge transparency promotes interest, interaction, communication and community by bringing the inside out.

Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs, Denver, CO

Folding Window systems achieve a similar effect while maintaining a sill for seated privacy or a sloping site condition. A knee wall and sill remain in place but the visual plane is uninterrupted between interior and exterior.  Through a ribbon window effect the space between inside and outside remain very continuous through the lines of site from inside to out and outside to in.

Patio view from both directions at Mellow Mushroom, Denver

Folding doors systems can increase circulation as well as visual connection between inside and outside dining rooms. Increasing the openness to the outside of the building provides the design opportunity for canopy systemsas intermediate ceilings.  Continuous awnings provide the best environmental protection from the direct sun at most times of the day.  Individual umbrella systems are also popular and can be made architectural as a result of a large span folding door system.

Other wall opening systems also exist.  The hydraulic horizontal bi-fold door is another option for opening up a facade.  The motorized mechanical operation of the hinge system makes this wall opening system a very convenient opening system.  Bi-Fold action to the door also creates architectural interest in the retracted position as well as makes an instant awning which can provide shade from the sun.

The expandable edge of the dining room has numerous functional benefits.  Fresh air exchanges and the introduction of natural cooling to the restaurant can save energy.  If the ambient outside air temperature is cooling the dining room the mechanical systems are used less.  Operable glazed door and window systems will also provide generous amounts of natural light.  Natural light promotes a healthy user experience and engage views of landscape or streetscape.

The greatest value for the restaurants business model is increasing dining room seat counts.  With continuous patio and dining room the restaurants seating size and production capacity increase. In addition, patrons just like to dine outside so opening your space creates an inviting marketing visual for your restaurant and an opportunity for a new experience for your customers.

For architects and designers, this is an important question to understand.  How will a sustainable restaurant design be measured?  What are the steps to take in the planning stages of a restaurant to understand best practices can be carried out in the projects built form?

The Green Restaurant Association, which has been certifying restaurants for more than two decades, rewards foodservice operations with points in seven environmental categories:

• Water efficiency,
• Waste reduction and recycling,
• Sustainable furnishings and Building materials,
• Sustainable food,
• Energy,
• Disposables
• Chemical and pollution reduction

While several of these categories will be defined by a restaurants operation, others have the ability to be defined by the restaurants design.  Those influenced by design there are three principal categories; water efficiency, energy use, and sustainable furnishings and building materials.

There are numerous components of a restaurant which use water including rest rooms, prep sinks, hand sinks, bar sinks, mop sinks, ice makers, dishwashing systems, water lines for cooking equipment and the list goes on.  Specifying low flow plumbing fixtures and water efficient equipment can assist in reduced water use.  Energy use in a restaurant will be most defined by power consumption.

There are three categories that electrical load may be analyzed with in a restaurant use, plug load, lighting and mechanical equipment. Plug load will be driven by kitchen equipment.  Things like refrigeration, cooking equipment and food preparation equipment can draw substantial power to do their job. Reducing the quantity of required kitchen equipment to develop a menu is one approach to reduce energy use of a restaurant.

Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs, Denver, Colorado

Lighting is an area where design can make a substantial impact on the energy use of restaurant.  New LED lamp source technology provides tremendous energy saving opportunity.  This light source takes very small amounts of energy to run them.  In addition their lamp life is ten times the length of fluorescent sources.

Mellow Mushroom, Tabor Center, Denver, Colorado- uses 95% LED lamp lighting sources

Power for mechanical equipment is largely driven by the equipment requirements for the kitchen design.  Less kitchen equipment will result in less need for conditioning of air from heat rejection of equipment use.  Grease cooking equipment is the worst offender because exhausted air requires additional air to be supplemented to the space to be made up.  Integrating natural ventilation into dining rooms in temperate climates in certain parts of the year can reduce energy costs of conditioning air as well.

The good news is that in the category of sustainable furnishings and building materials virtually all materials are gravitating towards a sustainable manufacturing process.  This is happening through the use of recycled content.  These are materials that have been bi-products or waste that are repurposed in the manufacturing process.   As an example all ceramic tile products are currently manufactured with recycled content.   Other building materials that are manufactured with recycled content are ceiling tile, solid surface countertops as well as vinyl flooring and wall covering products.  Low VOC paints and formaldehyde free casework are other examples of sustainable approaches to materials.

The design of sustainable restaurant concept starts with the menu and types of food preparation required to support that menu.  The environmental design of that restaurants sustainable story can be further supported by reduced water use, reduced energy use and use of sustainable furnishings and building materials.

Organixx Restaurant, Denver, Colorado

Tom Davis is a licensed architect and interior designer with more than 19 years of experience delivering projects ranging from corporate office environments and healthcare facilities, to retail stores and destination restaurants. Bringing versatility in all aspects of design and production, he excels at balancing client needs with highly articulate design solutions.

During the last three years with Davis Wince, Ltd., Tom has worked primarily on commercial interior and restaurant projects for large national brands as well as single‐location dining concepts. Tom manages several key restaurant and retail accounts, including Green Earth Restaurants, Biker Jim’s, Charcoal Restaurants, Complete Nutrition, and Mellow Mushroom Pizza Baker’s.

Davis has published several byline articles on the restaurant and retail design process for the Colorado Real Estate Journal and Columbus Metropreneur Magazine, and he blogs regularly on industry trends.

By now most of us are familiar with those small square boxes that look like a pixilated bar code on communications ranging from advertisements to business cards.  If you own a smartphone, you probably have a QR-code-reader app to decipher messages embedded in the black-and-white maze.

Retail innovation

The latest innovation in QR (Quick Response) codes in retail stores involves first enticing customers to use their smartphones to scan the code.  By doing so they can view video, audio, images, and text, which present special offers, direct product purchasing capabilities, entertainment, interactive product information, advice, how-to guides, fashion and home decor tips, localized promotional offers, and interaction with social media.

During the past two years, retail marketers have made a concentrated effort to bring stores directly to customers, and a new era is upon us.  According to Mobio Identity Systems, QR-code scanning worldwide increased by an astounding 772% in 2010 and 1143% during the first six months of 2011.

 
   
Tesco’s virtual store at the Seonreung subway station in Seoul, Korea
 
Buy your meat at the train station

The British retailer Tesco has taken virtual marketing to a new plateau.  Realizing that Korean customers were time pressed by the workday and long commutes, the company used the tried-and-true merchandise presentation technique of “billboarding” to attract attention and sell over 500 supermarket products via QR codes in Seoul’s subway stations.  Here the “merchandise” is literally a photo billboard with QR codes embedded next to each product.  Customers can scan the QR codes using the Tesco Homeplus app on their smartphones and get their purchases delivered right to their doorstep.  The Tesco video describing the virtual store is worth watching.

    
Calvin Klein billboard                                               Brookstone ad

Fashion shows, social media connection, store window promotion, consumer research

QR code applications are increasingly becoming more varied and creative.  To promote its fall advertising campaign, Calvin Klein Jeans replaced three of its billboards — two in downtown New York and one on Sunset Boulevard in LA — not with images of sexy models, but with a bright red QR code under the words “Get It Uncensored.”  Passersby can’t resist using their smartphones to take a photo.  They are rewarded with an exclusive video ad featuring top male and female models displaying the new jeans collection.  After the spot plays, viewers can then share the code with their Facebook and Twitter networks.

This year, Brookstone, began a test of QR code usage in 30 of its New York City-area stores.  The test involves placing QR codes next to products and delivering real-time customer reviews, product videos and a link to Brookstone.com.  The unique home products retailer’s Rockefeller Center store was used to promote the test in shop windows via big-screen TVs that mimic the Apple iPhone.  The screens show consumers what they will see when they scan a code.

The Home Depot’s national communications strategy, launched in March 2011, featured QR codes in its nearly 2,300 stores, on in-store signage and in direct mail pieces.  The company’s technology has the capability to edit the codes as new content is available and retrieve customer demographic and shopping-pattern insights.

Restaurants get code creative

Restaurants are also finding a variety of marketing opportunites with QR Codes. A few examples include using them to promote loyalty programs, daily specials, bouncebacks, nutrition facts, coupons, take out ordering, table top signage, and to make reservations. Customers waiting for a table? Invite them to scan the QR code for the menu or restaurant information. Want to know how you’re doing? Add a QR code to the check holder with a customer survey. Entertain and inform the customer by inviting them to watch food being prepared by adding a QR code to the menu linking them to a video of the chef creating that specific menu item.  Cincinnati, Ohio based Skyline Chili is currently running a QR code scavenger hunt through SCVNGR where customers can earn points and unlock rewards like free cheese coneys, fries and drinks.

Not just for the big guys

Project 7, a non-profit consumer goods retailer based in Southlake, Texas, sells products such as bottled water, gum, mints and coffee to create sustainable revenue streams for worthy causes.  The organization uses QR codes on signage to promote biodegradable water bottles.

A newly opened surf-and-skate shop, Friction, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, installed QR codes on each clothing rack which, when viewed via smartphone, reveal custom mobile sites delivering coupons, information on product lines, and product-related videos.

How can you unleash the power of QR?  This slide presentation by CDG Interactive gives an 11-step “how-to” approach to reaching customers with QR code.  Click here to view.

Davis Wince, Ltd. is an Architecture firm with locations in Powell, Ohio and Denver, Colorado.
Learn more about us by scanning our QR. 

Remember when mystery meat, instant mashed potatoes, and canned vegetable medley were a standard in your higher education dining hall?  Those days are gone!  Campus dining services operators in higher education are listening to students and finding that they demand non-fried, transfat-free, low-calorie foods, healthful options to burgers and fries, lifestyle choices including vegetarian and “flexitarian” (choosing meat occasionally), and sustainable food supporting local farmers.

Today’s digital-savvy college students are culinary literate and expect authenticity in their eating options.  They are particularly well versed in international and ethnic cuisines, with an appreciation for how these dishes should look and taste.

Innovation in form and content

How are these student demands being met?  At The College of New Jersey’s Eickhoff Dining Hall, renamed The Atrium at Eickhoff, a $5.8 million update of the 1992 vintage dining hall increased transactions by 29% and sales nearly 22% since the opening of the new facility. Faculty and staff alike have contributed to an increase of 17% in voluntary meal plan purchases.

The Atrium offers ten options in a diverse destination-dining arrangement that permits students to enjoy a trayless dining experience.  A unique design, naming, and branding distinguish each dining area.  Digital signage and kiosks placed throughout the foodservice area enable student diners to check out the daily menu offerings and access a database of nutritional information for the foods served.

Green Farm Salads offers fresh vegetables, proteins, dressings, and flavored oils to create a healthful side or entrée salad, and three hot soups daily including a vegan chili.

91.3 Wokery with seating in the style of a traditional Asian eatery incorporates the call numbers of the student radio station.  It has two woks dedicated to vegetarian cooking.

Gen Y – sophisticated tastes, environmentally attuned

Campus dining services at Philadelphia’s Villanova University, influenced by students’ requests for healthful, freshly prepared food, has converted an entire dining hall to a “Cooking with the Stars” program, in which university chefs prepare dishes from a select cookbook.  The cookbook program includes recipes from Mark Bittman, The New York Times food writer known for healthful, minimalist recipes.

Cal Dining at the University of California, Berkeley offers Korean barbecue in a bar format with such dishes as kimchi, lettuce or other leafy greens, various sauces, and a short-grain sticky rice.  A Korean specialty, kilbi short ribs, are cooked in small batches, constantly refreshed to ensure that the delicious aromas spread throughout the dining area.

What does the future hold?

Convenience!  Many higher education foodservice operations are increasing the number of on-campus dining options and extending open hours at existing dining halls. Ohio University  in Athens, Ohio recently decided to remain open for dinner service until 8:30 p.m. rather than closing at 7 p.m.  The University of Massachusetts takes the convenience concept even further by providing meal-delivery services and a food truck.

U Mass’s food truck gives new meaning to the concept of “meals on wheels.”

Experts in the field of higher education campus dining predict that special dietary needs, self-imposed or due to health issues, combined with more food choices relating to variety and evolved taste, grab-and-go options, and sustainability will be among the key influences of campus dining halls of the future.

Davis Wince, Ltd. Architecture has offices in Powell, Ohio and Denver, Colorado and provides comprehensive architectural, design, and branding services for the healthcare, restaurant, retail, commercial, and higher education industries. For more information visit daviswince.com, or contact Jennifer Bobbitt at jbobbitt@daviswince.com.

Since the completion of a building project is a maze of planning, regulations, guidelines and financial considerations, partnering with a local architectural firm can add value in many ways. A local architect will have good working knowledge of local building industry conditions, resulting in eliminating stress, saving you money, and reducing construction time.

Smooth start, seamless execution
At Davis Wince, Ltd., we have learned that our design teams’ complementary and experienced relationships with local general contractors can add significant value to a project.  This is especially true in the food service industry. In restaurant work, local health department requirements can vary greatly.  Having a local architect with an understanding of local jurisdictions and relationships with local health officials can greatly reduce time and administration of health department review and approval on a project.  This can not only get the project started sooner, but also keep the momentum going smoothly throughout the duration of the project.

Cost-saving sourcing
A local architectural firm will have knowledge of economical materials- sourcing and labor rates. The architect is more likely to be able to reduce project costs by taking your design standards and suggesting labor sources and “equal” substitute finished materials from the local building market.  Davis Wince, Ltd.’s knowledge of local building climate and finish materials helps us provide accurate project costs estimates through our extensive regional project experience.  We can accurately forecast and control your budget because of our extensive financial knowledge of the local building industry and potential pitfalls.

Local building department relationships
While most building departments use 2006 or 2009 International Building Code regulations, each local jurisdiction has its own requirements as well.  Using a local design team can speed the building permit review significantly, leading to added value in reducing permit and construction time and project cost savings.

Relationships with local General Contractors
Davis Wince, Ltd.’s relationship with numerous local general contractors can bring value and cost savings to the project.  Our team- based approach ensures we will work together with owner and contractor to quickly resolve issues without conflict and delays.  We can also assist in creating a competitive bid format of expert general contractors to provide a competitive pricing atmosphere, while insuring a quality construction product.  

Davis Wince, Ltd.’s clients benefit from our team based approach to the regional market.  We have established our client relationships based upon successful on-time, on-budget project delivery.

Click on the photos below to learn more about Davis Wince, Ltd. registered Architects in your area. 

By Tom Davis, AIA LEED^® AP

Trend-setting restaurants such as Elway’s, Venice Ristorante, TAG, and soon-to-open Charcoal  in Denver are using the time-tested merchandise presentation technique of mass display with accent lighting to excite, entertain, and suggest purchases to their clientele.

For most people, a fine dining experience is incomplete without the right choice of wine to accompany the meal.  The best restaurants have trained staff to provide information on the complicated task of sending diners home with pleasant memories of wining and dining, but now restaurant design is facilitating the wine selection process.  What is behind the rise of this trend?

Charcoal in Denver’s Golden Triangle

Suggestive Selling

Davis Wince recently created Charcoal, a new restaurant concept based on adapting traditional bincho-tan charcoal-style cooking to contemporary European cuisine.  The European fusion menu is complemented by a minimalist, yet warm dining interior with a reserved focus on concealed light sources and natural materials.

The restaurant’s design features an open kitchen with the bincho grill in the center.  At the grill is a seated bar, similar to a Sushi bar, where one may observe the food preparation.  A bar and bar lounge area are separated from the dining room seating area by a transparent wine wall which is visible from both the lounge and seating area.  The wine wall is multi-functional as space divider, light fixture, display element, and dominant representation of the wine menu.  No matter where seated, diners are constantly reminded of the opportunity to have wine with the meal.

Another dimension of the wine soft sell is the wine area at Venice Ristorante, also in downtown Denver.  Like Elway’s the dramatic display is visible in all areas of the dining area, but here the presentation is more than a wall.  It is a walk-through library of fine wines where wait staff can escort clientele and educate them on the qualities of various wine choices.  With a selection of 800 Italian wines and 300 international varieties, the wine vault is a potent selling tool that also adds to the visual pleasure of an evening out.

Venice Ristorante, downtown Denver

Market Positioning    

Denver’s TAG, a place where the young and hip meet to be part of the scene, offers up an incredible selection of unconventional dishes such as sushi tacos, Korean pork belly ssam, and duck-fat French fries.

                       Tag restaurant in Denver’s LoDo area

The owner aptly refers to the menu as “Continental Social Food.”  In this establishment the wine wall is part of the entire ambiance package of polished wood natural brick and burnished metal, gleaming with warmth, and arranged so that the restaurant feels crowded and alive even on a slow night.  The wine wall is part of an environment that attracts the city’s young cognoscenti and keeps them coming back.

Elway’s, located in Ritz Carlton Hotel in downtown Denver and named for Denver Bronco’s quarterback John Elway, is a steakhouse that caters to an upscale business crowd.  Here the curved winewall highlights a refined interior that features multicolored light, soft wooden walls, blown-glass sculptures, and posh leather chairs.  The wine wall, focal point of the dining experience, helps position the restaurant as the select spot in Denver for business meetings, entertaining clients, and having a top-notch steak dinner while traveling.

                            Elway’s 

The Future of the Wine Wall

                 Brasserie, Manhattan, New York                                                          Ozone, Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong

Will wine walls serve as a suggestive selling or market positioning in restaurant design of the future, or will they be essentially part of the design package?  Will function win out over form?  There’s room for both in the world of creating the ideal customer experience.

By Sonja Mirsky LEED^® GA

On June 21, 2011 I attended the Third Annual Retail Owners & Managers Conference and Expo at the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center in Englewood, Colorado. This is Colorado’s largest gathering of retail owners and property managers representing more than 120 shopping centers across the Front Range of Colorado. The conference featured a number of industry leaders, real estate professionals, and retailers who spoke on a wide array of topics and provided updates on the retail, investment, and capital markets.

As someone in the architecture business, attending conferences like this keeps us up to date on commercial real estate trends, gives us additional insight into best management practices, and is great for helping us put deals together with developers all across Colorado.

The format of the conference was divided into panels of discussion in which anywhere from 5 to 10 experts would address the conference and respond to questions from the emcee and from the audience. The panel topics included: “Broker Panel/Retail Market Update”, “Investment and Capital Markets Update”, “Property Management Panel”, “Shopping Center Redesigns”, and “Owner and Developer Panel”.  The purpose of this blog is to use the greater Denver, Colorado area as a case study for the retail situation in the United States and use the topics addressed during certain panels to gain insight into what is currently working in this retail market and how that can be applied to the business of architecture.

Each of the conference panels both directly addressed the financial realities of 2011 and what patterns of behavior by developers, property managers, owners, contractors, and architects would be valuable to emulate. The current trends that impact the financial situation include reduced consumer spending, a change in consumer behavior, redefined retail concepts and channels, and technological advances. A prime example of each of these trends would be the movie rental industry. A few years ago Blockbuster was a wildly successful corporation with store locations all over the country. In 2011 many of the locations have been closed and consumers are ordering their videos online or at new rental boxes.

In order to have the most financial gain in a retail concept, the most vital action an owner should do is to investigate the following areas according to the “Owner and Developer Panel”:

1. Research the market for the product type you plan to sell,

2. Research the market potential in the specific region that you plan to open your retail concept in,

3. Investigate the competition and what their successes and failures have been,

4. Study the art of site selection, and in the end,

5. Create a plan, both business and design in nature, for the product and site you have selected.

Currently, the Metro Denver region continues to see solid summer retail numbers and property indicators show positive momentum according to data compiled by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. The first panel of the day addressed this current situation of rise and trends, the “Broker Panel/Retail Market Update”. While vacancies in Colorado’s property retail market have not yet returned to pre-recession levels, they continue to drift downwards. Denver’s current retail vacancy rate is 7.2% while Boulder’s is closer to 5-6%. What are Denver and Boulder doing differently than cities such as Chicago, Las Vegas, and Atlanta whose vacancy rates are between 10 and 14%? The most important aspects of retail to investigate are the trends. Despite the fact that luxury retailers may continue to struggle for some time, success will come to those who find continued growth in specific sectors.

The trends in the retail market in Denver and Boulder, Colorado currently show growth in the discount sector, expansions of grocery stores especially smaller scale specialty grocery stores, the decline of box stores, small retail boxes as the most in demand property types, store-within-a-store concepts, urban in-fill mixed use projects on the rise, and a continued growth of “necessity goods” retailers. Especially in Denver, urban and infill markets remain attractive for tenants and new mixed-use construction offers eye-catching entry opportunities. Most recently in Denver the closure of Ultimate Electronics and Borders and the opening of Ikea and H&M Clothing reflect these trends addressed by the panel and what has proven to be both flourishing and ineffective in Colorado. Ultimate Electronics could not stand up to its competition, and Borders was overtaken by the world of online purchasing. Ikea saw an opportunity in the furniture discount sector, and H&M capitalized on the market for well made clothing at cheaper price points and plans to inhabit an urban infill building in an existing shopping center downtown.

Larimer Square- Downtown, Denver, CO

Once you have researched the market potential of the product you plan to sell and what retail property types have been successful in the region in which you plan to open a business, it is time to put location at the top of your to-do list. Chances are you have heard the term “location, location, location” more than a few times. Will anyone know about your product unless you get them through the door?

Careful determination of new sites is critical, and according to the panel “Broker Panel/Retail Update”, these rules should be followed strictly:

1. Check your demographics,

2. Look your competitors in the eye, and,

3. Do you need professional help?

The panel of experts weighed in on the most in-demand locations in Denver and Boulder and stated that they are in Lower Downtown in the urban historic brick spaces, on South Broadway, in the Highlands neighborhood, Boulder’s Pearl Street, and Boulder’s 29^th Street Corridor. These areas attract people because of their lifestyle opportunities, their traffic patterns, their demographic, and proximity to competitors. Making use of a real estate professional, an assistant in writing a business plan, an architect, and a lawyer will ensure a greater chance of success as well.

Pearl Street- Boulder, CO

In the “Shopping Center Redesign – Small Fixes to Major Overhauls Panel”, the discussion turned to how development has evolved in the last few years. Why does a site change? It is important as a retail owner to understand that what may have worked 5 years ago, will not necessarily work today or 5 years from now. By using different shopping centers in the Metro Denver are such as the University Hills Mall, the Arvada Market Place, and the Streets at SouthGlenn as case studies for the redevelopment of retail hubs we can show how development has changed to help the growth of retail. Colorado takes pride in its preservation of historic structures, its sense of community, and its green lifestyle that involves a great number of pedestrians and bicyclists. For example, what used to be Southglenn Mall, the Streets at SouthGlenn is a regional, urban lifestyle destination that builds on the neighborhood’s character to create a community with shopping, dining, living and working experiences. In order to develop this area into a comfortable outdoor park, it was important to design an area that is as varied and vital as the adjacent city itself and as convenient and comfortable as the suburb it lies within. These redeveloped shopping centers in Colorado incorporated reorganized parking schemes, major bicycle routes, shaded walkways, private spaces for relaxing, eclectic and activated streets with festival, concerts, and other community events, and a diverse tenant mix.

16th Street Mall- Denver, CO

Albert Einstein once stated “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” As architects, it is vital to research trends in the markets in which your business is involved in. One of the most important architectural sectors of Davis Wince is retail which is exhibited through our work for DSW Shoe Warehouse, Abercrombie and Fitch, and the development of retail in the Stapleton community through Forest City. As a retail team of a shop owner, a realtor, an architect, a developer, and a property manager, the ultimate goal is to generate an end product of a retail store that embodies local culture and has universal appeal.

Streets at SouthGlenn

The first shots of the mobile tablet war were fired in April, 2010 when Apple launched the iPad. Since then, an impressive array of tablets have fueled new levels of on-the-go productivity for architects, engineers, project managers, and project owners. But how are professionals really using tablets in the field?

Apps are the word!

Eight months have passed since we posted our first blog discussing architectural apps for smart phones. Since then, a lot has changed in the rapidly expanding tablet and mobile-device world. The iPad 2 (iOS operating system) launched with cameras and a  faster dual-core processor. And a bevy of Android OS and Blackberry OS tablets have burst onto the scene, boasting Flash support and true multitasking, features iPad users will find conspicuously missing from their devices.

A quick search of the term “architect” in the iPad App Store returns 60 apps alone. To help wade through it all, we have highlighted seven tablet apps which our colleagues are recommending. Full disclosure: We’re all iPad users here at Davis Wince, and did our best to locate Android and Blackberry versions of each app. In some cases we were successful, but a few of the apps we discuss below are iPad exclusives.

Our “Top Seven” List.

1. Architect’s Formulator
   Available for the iPad and iPad 2, Architect’s Formulator contains over 200 frequently used architectural formulas. While there are too many to detail here, the list includes electrical, carpentry, plumbing, concrete, excavation, parking & sidewalk design, acoustics, reverberation, and beam loads formulas, to name just a few. This app currently scores 3 out of 5 stars in the iPad App Store, and will run you $9.99.
2. AutoCAD WS
   This app launched to mixed-but-largely-positive reviews on the iPad in September of 2010.  And anxious Android users were able to download from the Android Marketplace beginning April 20^th, 2011.  AutoCAD WS allows users to view, edit, and share DWG files and work with AutoCAD drawings with anyone, anywhere.  There is clearly a lot of buzz surrounding the AutoCAD WS app, with over five hundred app reviews in the iPad App Store, and an overall ranking of 3 out of 5 stars.  The app is free to download.
3. Buzzsaw
   Published by Autodesk, Inc., Buzzsaw is a cloud system which lets professionals securely access, edit, and upload project documents.  The app is available on the iOS and Android platforms, but be aware that there is a “catch.”  You must be a Buzzsaw cloud subscriber to make use of the app.  The app itself is free, but there is a charge for Buzzsaw cloud storage.  You can sign up for a free 30-day trial here. The Buzzsaw app currently has a 4 out of 5 star rating in the iPad App Store.
4. Architect Magazine
   Architect Magazinehas published a digital e-reader version of the industry magazine, currently available on the iOS only, sorry Blackberry and Android tablet users.  The app is free, and you may chose to download the digital file to your iPad, or view online without taking up memory.  There are a slew of e-reader platforms, and Architect Magazine uses Media Deck.  It is not as intuitive as iBooks, for example, but it allows for robust interactivity, including embedded hyperlinks.  The Architect Magazine app is currently rated at 3 out of 5 stars; however readers tend to upgrade and improve quickly.
5. LEED® Standards
   Also known as LEEDER Standards, this app was developed by Goede & Associates (again, iOS only), and is a quick reference guide for the most “relevant and popular” LEED® standards.  This app is currently not rated in the App Store, but for only $.99, it’s a low- risk app to explore and be the first to review.  Available at a higher price tag, Android users can download the hefty LEED® Practices, Certification, and Accreditation Handbook for $70 from the Android Marketplace.
6. Autocad iRef
   The Interactive Command Reference for AutoCAD 2011 is a free, comprehensive command reference guide for AutoCAD, and has launched to rave reviews in the iPad App store, rating at 4.5 out of 5 stars.  It stands to reason that a similar command reference guide will be available for the Android OS at some point, given Autodesk WS’s recent availability on the operating system, and iRef’s popularity.
7. Open Architecture
   Open Architecture (pictured at the top of this post) is our favorite iPad-only app, creatively speaking.  In a social-media, open-source world, Open Architecture is a forward-thinking app for the architecture industry.  Conceived to connect innovative, sustainable design projects from around the world, Open Architect allows users to explore and interact with ongoing projects from many service providers.  The app is free, and is rated at 4.75 out of 5 stars.

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Davis Wince strives to keep you up to date on the latest trends, technology, design, and innovations in the world of architecture.  We take a non-traditional approach to architecture, and provide holistic, profitable business solutions.  If you have any questions concerning the exciting new apps discussed here, please contact Jennifer Bobbitt at jbobbitt@daviswince.com.