Speaking Of Design

Drones are leading to exciting advances in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. In the first part of a two-part episode, we’ll learn about what it takes to become a drone pilot, some of the unique challenges they face in the sky and how they’re making safety a priority while flying.

While the work of architects makes a difference in the world, rarely do designers get to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people whose livelihood depends on the very buildings they design. With that in mind, a group of architects from HDR formed Design 4 Others as a way to volunteer their design expertise to make a positive impact on under-served communities. In this episode, we’ll learn more about how they’re partnering with Construction for Change and iKure on a pro bono project to improve healthcare for rural community members in West Bengal, India.  

  In Bozeman, Montana, life centers around outdoor recreation. An afternoon of world-class fly fishing on the state’s pristine waters often follows with a refreshing visit to one of the area’s many microbreweries. The convergence of those two pastimes took an innovative twist when a group of engineers asked: What if the carbon-rich byproduct of brewing beer could be used as a cost-effective way for the city to reduce nitrogen in its wastewater? That idea led to a pilot study with the potential to benefit communities throughout the world.  

  Justin Robbins considers himself a true student of cities. In this episode of Speaking of Design, he discusses the way transportation has historically shaped the design of cities as we know them. He also shares his passion for autonomous vehicles, how they’re changing the way we design urban spaces, and some of the challenges they present to urban planners.  

As a recognized expert on transportation technology, Ben Pierce’s everyday job involves helping communities implement technologies that seemed like science fiction not long ago. He likens the rapid changes in present day technology to the Industrial Revolution, and he loves the challenge of keeping up with how it’s changing the transportation industry. In this episode, Ben touches on some of the latest advances he’s seeing improve mobility, safety and efficiency of our transportation experience. We’ll hear more about everything from Smart Cities and streetlights to warning systems for over-height trucks to the latest improvements to the airport customer experience.  

Growing population and rapidly changing transportation technologies are affecting our everyday lives. In this episode, we’ll learn how public transportation agencies are partnering with private sector technology companies to tackle that change head-on in Denver, Colorado. That community’s “mobility blueprint” may suggest a new approach for other metropolitan cities wrestling with the same issues in their communities.

What makes the ideal inpatient room for people being treated for behavioral and mental illnesses? In this Speaking of Design podcast episode, we’ll meet a team of architects, researchers, and healthcare experts working collaboratively to answer this question. Partnering with the Veterans Affairs New Jersey Healthcare System, the team’s prototype of a room designed specifically for behavioral and mental health treatment provided patients and behavioral healthcare staff an opportunity to weigh-in and give feedback. The design research collected will help architects and healthcare providers leverage evidence-based design to create therapeutic environments for both patients and their families.

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When the Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure formed in 2012, the infrastructure industry suddenly had a universal report card for sustainability known as Envision®. On this episode, you'll meet some of the industry's early adopters and experts on the infrastructure sustainability rating system. They’ll help you understand more about how the framework can help your clients, why a sustainability rating is about more than a pat on the back, and what the process entails so you can help your clients get their projects verified.

Providing healthcare for inmates poses a complex challenge with agendas often viewed as contradictory. How do you design a space for healing and treatment in a facility intended for punishment? Is there an optimal location for providing such care? Is it more cost-effective to provide medical services in-house, or transport inmates to established healthcare facilities? In this episode, we’ll explore the current state of healthcare in corrections through HDR Fellow Dave Redemske’s research Providing Healthcare in the Prison Environment. Dave and his colleagues discuss what’s being done to improve the level of care and how inmate healthcare, at its root, is a public health issue.

On the next episode of Speaking of Design, we’ll meet an architect who spent a year researching how we provide healthcare inside a prison environment. While much of the data paints a bleak picture, we’ll look at the role design is playing to improve outcomes in our communities.

Mark Ellis describes himself as a "facility design zealot," and his passion shows when he talks about any of the more than 200 projects he’s contributed to at HDR | MDG. As the technical team leader for industrial workflow and equipment on the LA Metro Division 14 Rail Operations and Maintenance Facility, Mark and his team had the daily mantra, "Okay, does this really work?" In this bonus episode, Mark discusses more of the technical details of the Division 14 facility, featured on Episode 7 of Speaking of Design.

Darren Pynn finds a common thread between his career and his greatest passion outside the office. The problem-solving process his team uses to design vehicle operations and maintenance facilities — like the L.A. Metro Division 14 Rail Operations and Maintenance Facility featured on Episode 7 of Speaking of Design — complements his songwriting process as a musician. In this bonus episode, Darren talks about those similarities and the process of realizing a great design in his role as a senior facility design manager for HDR | MDG.

The Expo Line connects downtown Los Angeles to the beaches of Santa Monica. But the much-anticipated light rail expansion brought a need for a facility to clean, maintain and repair the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 45 light-rail vehicles. However, residents of Santa Monica weren’t too sure about building a rail maintenance facility right in the heart of the Pico neighborhood — inspiring designers to create much more than a cookie-cutter solution.

Featured on Episode 6 of Speaking of Design, the Basin Creek Water Treatment Plant is the first gravity-powered facility in the United States to use a ceramic membrane filtration system. Nathan Kutil led the team of engineers behind the plant's many technological innovations. In this bonus podcast, we hear more from Nathan about why the community of Butte-Silver Bow needed a new plant, what it means to treat drinking water "on-demand," and the benefits of using ceramic filters.

  Once known as the "richest hill on Earth" for its wealth of mineral deposits, Butte became the first major city in Montana thanks to the boom of copper mining. But early 20th century mining practices led to serious environmental consequences, including contaminated local groundwater unfit to drink. The city’s new Basin Creek Water Treatment Plant has become a source of civic pride, showing off some of the flashiest technology in the drinking water industry. But on top of many engineering firsts, the facility’s story is rooted in the rich history of Butte.  

We're back for Season 2, where we'll take you to what was once known as the Richest Hill on Earth, and learn how a one-of-a-kind water treatment plant that's helping a community change its perception.

Civil engineers and construction managers often find themselves building massive bridges and interchanges capable of moving millions of vehicles efficiently through growing metropolises. But a small team from across the United States took a break from that world, volunteering two weeks of their time to venture into the rainforest of Panama and build a much simpler structure — a footbridge across a river. Despite unique challenges from travel, weather and living conditions, these volunteers partnered on a Bridges to Prosperity project to connect a community to its schools, a hospital and markets across the river. And in the process, this group of engineers and constructors saw firsthand the difference their profession makes in people’s lives.

The people of Kansas City love the new KC Streetcar, and you’ll find the vehicles packed on a beautiful summer day. But the idea of building a modern streetcar faced questions and doubts from business owners and residents in a city without rail transit since the 1950s. To get the concept on the rails, the project team played had to educate, listen and collaborate to design a streetcar the community would support. The result? Today, many of those initial skeptics are singing its praises — in some cases literally.

As U.S. forces drew down in Afghanistan, a new phase of counterinsurgency strategy took place. In support of the U.S. Department of Defense, an Air Force Civil Engineer Center program sought to strengthen Afghanistan’s national security by building new universities, government buildings, training sites, barracks, recruiting stations, air bases, roads, bridges and other facilities needed for the country’s security forces. However, for the American construction management team providing leadership, oversight and training, the program amounted to more than the facilities. It was about creating professional jobs for Afghans, boosting the economy and providing hope.