Project Tag: Plainfield

MADE@Plainfield

The vision for the Center was to provide a wide variety of educational learning and collaboration spaces, including specialty labs for robotics, PLC, warehousing, industrial maintenance, testing and health occupations. Multiple educational partners were recruited to share this facility to ensure a wide variety of program offerings. Participants include Vincennes University, Ivy Tech Community College, WorkOne, Hendricks College Network, and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

CSO led a collaborative process to program and design the facility. Visioning workshops for all stakeholders defined the important aspects of the projects. Then, during programming, looked globally across all space needs to identify opportunities for stakeholders to share key spaces to reduce the overall building square footage and increase space efficiency. Competitors, such as Ivy Tech and Vincennes University, had never shared a facility, so they were initially reluctant to consider sharing spaces. CSO’s expertise in building consensus helped all stakeholders successfully work through this challenging issue and prove out the benefits. Ultimately conference rooms, several classrooms, the community room, lounge/vending areas, collaboration/study areas, restrooms, and even the flex lab became shared spaces. The overall building design was key to gaining acceptance of this strategy.

The approach created a consistent design for the shared common spaces at the main entrance lobby and along the building’s main corridors. Stakeholder’s individual spaces were distributed along these splines and carefully positioned with enough separation to allow for individual identity.

The resulting design features a modern and inviting building exterior with large window walls surrounded by brick and metal wall panels. The two-story lobby at the main entrance is positioned at the building’s center to provide easy access for all tenants. The lobby is branded as MADE@Plainfield and features a reception desk, restrooms and dining area, offering direct views into both the flex lab and robotics lab for visitors. The main public corridors extend along the two window walls and incorporate the study and collaboration areas positioned along the outside walls. Natural light and exterior views make these inviting spaces for students. Natural light also floods into the adjacent classrooms spaces along the other side of these corridors though their interior windows. Large lab spaces are positioned behind the classrooms, allowing classrooms to have a direct connection. The project’s success comes from its unified appearance while at the same time meeting the individual needs of a diverse group of stakeholders.

Plainfield Community Middle School

Originating as Plainfield High School in 1956, the building has been expanded and renovated more than sixteen times over the last 60 years.

CSO’s design solution emphasized impacting learning environments, improving building circulation, and upgrading finishes, lighting, and technology throughout the building. The most dramatic change to the building is a new two-story corridor that cuts through a large portion of the existing building. This new space creates a student commons and a clear main entry for the building. The renovated media center and new STEAM focused ‘Idea Lab’ are placed directly adjacent to the student commons, helping to emphasize their importance to the school.

Classrooms were reorganized into grade level specific areas to breakdown the large footprint of the building. Designers capitalized on underutilized space throughout the building by removing walls to corridors to create shared collaboration and break out spaces for teachers to utilize throughout the day.

Various construction types and methods from multiple eras posed a unique challenge for CSO’s designers. By thinking creatively and relying on their expertise, they were able to breathe new life into this building.

Guilford Elementary School

Each neighborhood cluster houses an entire grade level and radiates from the central hub of the building where a two-story Discovery Center, Art Studio, and Music Classroom are all located. Near this central hub are the cafeteria, gymnasium, and main office area within close proximity to the main entry point.

The central commons space for each neighborhood contains a STEM lab, multiple small group rooms, and a large open gathering space to accommodate as many different activities as possible. Natural daylight abounds in these spaces with direct views to the exterior from every space. CSO paid special attention to transitions of one space to other, creating lower ceiling areas of compression as a response to PCSC autism program anticipated to be housed here.

In designing this new facility, CSO explored Plainfield’s rich history and were able to implement different concepts as part of the interior color palette, materials, and wayfinding concepts. The administration emphasized the desire to create a modern building with timeless appeal while being good stewards of their communities’ investment. With this in mind CSO melded modern and traditional design concepts utilizing a masonry veneer with traditional elements juxtaposed to large windows with metal panel picture frames. The result is a modern building with classic elements that will age gracefully over the coming years.

Imagination Lab

Plainfield Schools sought to repurpose a 17,000 square foot natatorium into an educational facility. Their goal was to create an innovative, inspiring, hands-on learning facility branded as the “Imagination Lab”. A team of a passionate educators were assembled to work with the design team. They worked together to establish the program and over-arching goals for the facility. In order to enhance the ability of the educators to envision the space, designers used virtual reality to allow educators to be “in” the spaces and provide amazing feedback that designers were able to build upon. The resulting design created an environment to empower students to think for themselves, imagine their futures, and grow the confidence, desire, and drive it takes to change the world.

A large lab space establishes the heart of the facility with supplementary spaces for focused means and methods of learning, building, creating, inventing, and investigating. At one end, a fabrication lab with sinks and work benches encourages hands on, messy work while two green rooms with cycloramas for video recording, two acoustically treated sound rooms for editing, and tables designed for collaboration around a computer are at the opposite end. A centrally focused gathering stair made of solid walnut planks provides an opportunity for speakers of all ages to present to large groups. Four Thinking Studios sit parallel to the lab and house artists-in-residence and encourage community vendors to provide an on-site learning experience. A Collaboration Corridor connects the Thinking Studios and the Lab. Flexible furniture provides options for various postures and group sizes as they work together to problem-solve, create, and learn. Operable glass partitions connect the corridor to the lab as well as connecting all of the thinking studios in order to create a large, open space supporting multiple functions.

Mobility was key as the needs and experiences change throughout the days, as do the ages of the students. The space comes to life with a wall graphic that captures the concept of the flow of learning. The mission of the Imagination Lab was to empower students to think for themselves, imagine their futures, and grow the confidence, desire, and drive it takes to change the world. The District will tell you: mission accomplished.

Walmart eCommerce Fulfillment Centers

CSO has been engaged on several of Walmart’s eCommerce fulfilment centers in multiple capacities.  These massive buildings are dedicated to fulfilling Walmart.com’s online orders. They are highly automated buildings requiring extensive coordination with multiple Walmart departments.  The buildings include automated shipping and receiving sorters, order consolidation sorters, pallet flow modules, manual and automated pack stations, and an extensive manual pick module.  Additionally, office space, breakrooms, training rooms, restroom facilities, and secure entrances are included to support the needs of the associates who work within the building.

CSO’s relationship with Walmart varies based upon the project delivery for the facility.  Our role includes:

    • Working with various Walmart departments to help establish building criteria in order to accommodate material handling
    • Planning for accommodations for the associates working in the building
    • Developing overall building plans that meet the specific needs of the project
    • Coordinating with a general contractor for Walmart owned projects
    • Coordinating with a developer for facilities leased by Walmart
    • Ensuring that delivery of the project is as expected to the end users.

CSO’s ongoing work with Walmart includes the following services:

    • Continual improvements and refinements of multiple distribution and fulfillment center prototypes
    • Architect of record for active distribution and fulfillment center projects
    • Tenant Architect for developer-delivered distribution and fulfillment center projects
    • Post-occupancy renovations across multiple fulfillment centers
    • Developing, documenting, and maintaining prototypical components utilized across new builds and renovations of distribution and fulfillment centers

St. Francis Projects

St. Francis Medical Office Building I

Total Square Footage: 100,000

The four-story building is connected to the St. Francis Hospital South Campus by an enclosed walkway at ground level. Office space is leased to a variety of medical practices, including the St. Francis Hospital Physical Therapy Clinic.

 

St. Francis Medical Office Building II

Total Square Footage: 144,415

A four-story medical office building was designed for speculative tenants. The exterior of the building was developed to be compatible with the original medical office building. The exterior materials are architectural precast and aluminum store front.

 

St. Francis Medical Office Building Plainfield

Total Square Footage: 22,077

The Plainfield location was designed for both St. Francis physicians and speculative tenants. The project establishes a neighborhood presence for St. Francis and, as such, was designed to harmonize with the residential neighborhood and create a buffer from the commercial corridor.

 

St. Francis Medical Office Building U.S. 31 & Southport Rd.

Total Square Footage: 20,000

This location accommodates both St. Francis physicians and speculative medical tenants. The building occupies a prominent site at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Southport Rd. and is the first two-story variation on the architectural themes common to other St. Francis Health Centers.

 

St. Francis Medical Office Building Franklin & Southport Rd.

Total Square Footage: 22,000

Like other St. Francis Health Centers, this building utilizes a smaller massing and residential forms to harmonize with the neighborhood context.