Understanding Sightlines: What Are Sightlines?

Sightlines refer to the ability of audience members to have a clear view of the stage, screen, or playing field, regardless of their seating location. These lines are carefully calculated, not just drawn, to ensure accuracy. The calculation of sightlines is done using C-value equations, which ensure that every seat provides an optimal view, balancing comfort with function.

What is Air Infiltration and Why Does It Matter?

Air infiltration occurs when uncontrolled air flows into or out of a building. This can include external air sneaking through cracks in the building envelope or unintended air exchanges between interior spaces, such as an office and a pharmacy.

For healthcare facilities, where maintaining strict temperature, humidity, and pressure levels is critical, air infiltration can lead to significant operational challenges. Left unresolved, this can impact sterile environments, compromise indoor air quality (IAQ), increase energy demands, and disrupt patient safety.

Types of Air Movement

There are three types of air movement:

1. Infiltration: Uncontrolled air entering the building from outside.
2. Exfiltration: Uncontrolled air leaking out of the building.
3. Ventilation: Controlled air movement designed to ensure proper IAQ.

By understanding these types, facility managers can identify infiltration patterns, assess risks, and implement targeted solutions.

A SYMBOL of growth and unity

In 2023, Design Collaborative teamed up with the Harvester Neighborhood Association and the City of Fort Wayne for a master plan study aimed at revitalizing the area. This partnership, which included work sessions with local residents, led to a series of recommendations that would help shape the future of the neighborhood, including the development of the new bus shelter.

The Harvester Neighborhood proudly celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023, and the new bus shelter serves as a symbolic marker of both the neighborhood’s past and its promising future. The larger master plan identified the need to replace an outdated bench located outside the Jesus Named Church on New Haven Avenue with a new bus shelter. The result is a modern, aesthetically pleasing bus shelter that offers a safer and more comfortable waiting space for commuters.

The thoughtfully designed bus shelter is much more than a simple stop—it’s an embodiment of community spirit and collaboration.

Understanding the Vision

What inspired you to transform a residential home into a center for natural birth, and how did that vision evolve over time? What specific atmosphere or experience did you want to foster for families who will visit?

Well Body and Birth Center: Our inspiration for transforming a residential home into a center for natural birth came from our deep belief in creating a space that feels warm, nurturing, and intimate, much like a home. We wanted to offer families a place where they could experience birth in a comfortable and supportive environment. The vision evolved as we further considered the needs of the community and the importance of empowering families to feel confident and safe during such a transformative experience.

Over time, we focused not only on ensuring that the atmosphere was peaceful and calming, but also that there were spaces where education and empowerment could thrive. We are aiming to create an environment where families could truly feel at ease, surrounded by warmth and care every step of the way. Our goal is for every family to walk in feeling supported and leave with a sense of fulfillment, knowing they had an empowering and beautiful birth experience.

Were there any specific values or elements from Well Body & Birth’s mission that resonated with you? How did you incorporate these into the design?

Design Collaborative: What really resonated with me from Well Body & Birth’s mission was their focus on creating wellness-centered, inclusive spaces for reproductive health, birth, and beyond. The vision of transforming a residential home into a nurturing space for natural birth was particularly inspiring. It emphasized the importance of creating a setting that feels like home—very much in contrast to a clinical environment. The goal was to design a space where families could feel safe, supported, and comfortable during such a transformative experience.

To incorporate these values into the design, we prioritized calming colors and natural materials that would contribute to a peaceful, soothing atmosphere. Throughout the design process, we worked closely with the client and the authorities having jurisdiction to preserve as many of the existing residential elements as possible. This was intentional—to maintain the warmth and familiarity of a home rather than a clinical setting.

Additionally, we focused on creating spaces where education and empowerment could thrive. One of the key design features was the conversion of an existing detached garage into a classroom. This space was specifically designed to encourage community support and learning, aligning with the mission of offering families not just a safe space for birth, but also the tools and confidence to navigate their journey. The intention was to create a nurturing environment that feels personal and welcoming, supporting families throughout the entire process from conception to postpartum.

1. Program and Purpose — Building with Intent

Every branch must start with a clear purpose. While some branches may focus on facilitating transactions, others may prioritize financial consultations or customer engagement.

For transaction-focused designs, it’s essential to:

• Allocate space for efficient, simple transactions.
• Remove perceived barriers between staff and guests to create a sense of openness and accessibility.

For relational purposes, branches can:

• Incorporate flexible furniture in the lobby to spark conversations.
• Create spaces like private offices with soft seating to make guests feel comfortable.
• Add multipurpose conference areas to host events or meetings.

When a branch’s purpose is clearly defined, it creates an intentional space that serves the exact needs of its clientele.

1. Will Their Design Reflect Your Culture and Values? 

Buildings aren’t just structures—they tell stories. Your physical space is often the most visible expression of your brand, culture, and mission. With this in mind, ask yourself, “Does this architect prioritize creating a design that reflects our identity?”

You want an architect who goes beyond functionality and creates a building that feels uniquely “you.” Look for clues in how they interact with you. Are they asking meaningful questions about your vision? Do they seem genuinely invested in learning what’s most important to you? If a building they design could just as easily belong to someone else—or worse, your competitor—that might be a sign they haven’t fully embraced your unique story.

Culture

“We’ve always said we can’t really create the culture that a company has, but we can definitely help to create the spaces that foster a company’s culture,” says Senior Interior Designer Lauren Elliott. “Space impacts behaviors, and over time, behaviors become your culture, so we’re always asking people, ‘What kind of interactions are you hoping to create within your team or within your facility and how can we build the physical space that supports those interactions?’”

Essentially, Elliott says, it’s important to focus on how you want people to experience the facility, whether they’re visiting one time or working there on a daily basis.

Building Envelope and Energy Consumption

The building envelope—essentially, the outer shell of a building, including walls, windows, and roofing—is a significant factor in energy efficiency. Energy data from the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECs) shows that while education buildings tend to be more efficient than the national average, the envelope still plays a crucial role in energy savings.

In particular, increased insulation and high-performance glass are powerful tools for reducing energy loss. High-performance glass, which reduces solar heat gain and minimizes heat transfer, not only reduces the need for heating and cooling but also helps decrease the size of HVAC systems required, resulting in further savings

Additionally, reducing infiltration (unwanted air leakage) is vital. Thermal cameras can be used to identify leaks in the building envelope, ensuring the building maintains energy efficiency.

Key Building and Life Safety Codes for Healthcare Facilities

In each of the United States, model building codes are adopted by law to establish the minimum requirements for all residential and commercial buildings. Most states have adopted the International Building Code (IBC) with their own specific amendments. The IBC provides regulations that establish minimum standards for the construction, design, and maintenance of buildings to ensure public safety, health, and welfare. It provides a comprehensive set of rules that govern various aspects of construction, including:

1. Structural Integrity: Ensuring buildings can withstand environmental forces like wind, earthquakes, and snow loads.
2. Fire Safety: Establishing fire prevention measures, fire-resistant materials, fire exits, and fire suppression systems.
3. Accessibility: Promoting accessibility for individuals with disabilities by requiring features like ramps, elevators, and accessible restrooms.
4. Building Systems: Regulating plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and energy systems to ensure efficiency and safety.
5. Occupancy and Use: Defining how spaces can be used based on their occupancy type (e.g., residential, commercial, industrial) and the number of occupants.
6. Hazard Mitigation: Addressing risks from natural disasters, hazardous materials, and other potential threats to occupants and first responders.

For hospitals, the IBC provides specific guidelines for designing and maintaining the facility to ensure safety and security for patients incapable of self-preservation. For example, each floor of a hospital must be divided into at least two “smoke compartments” of no more than 22,500 square feet each. Smoke compartments are established and divided with one-hour fire and smoke rated walls that extend full height vertically from the floor to the floor or roof deck above and horizontally from an exterior wall to another exterior wall or one-hour fire barrier wall. This configuration allows patients to be temporarily moved from a smoke compartment experiencing a fire event to an adjacent safe smoke compartment without leaving the building. This “defend-in-place” strategy is the solution recognized by the building and fire codes to address the hazard that fire and emergency events pose to hospital patients.

In addition to the building code adopted by each state, there are two other critical building codes that all hospitals and healthcare facilities receiving Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement must comply with. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is the federal agency that provides health coverage to millions of U.S. citizens through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. CMS has adopted by federal law the 2012 NFPA 101 Life Safety Code (LSC) and the 2012 NFPA 99 Health Care Facilities Code (HCFC).