July 5, 2006

Design Detailings: Callison designs ‘sleek’ store in Dubai

Photo courtesy of Callison

Callison's design of the Harvey Nichols' Dubai store has minimalist detailing and modern finishes.

“Sleek luxury” is the theme Callison principal Dawn Clark chose for the Harvey Nichols’ Dubai store. Callison incorporated strong structural elements, minimalist detailing, modern finishes and lighting. The mall-side façade is repeated on each of the store’s three levels and has an articulated geometric design with large show windows.

The 137,000-square-foot store has a three-level escalator lit with circular LED fixtures that shift colors. The escalator is at the heart of the store and offers glimpses onto each level.

“Our goal was to entice the customer to explore the entire store,” said Clark. Callison created rooms or halls that combine similar merchandise. Each area is delineated with its own architecture and finishes, including ceiling treatments and flooring patterns.

Flooring throughout the store is mostly hard-surface, and other surfaces include polished wood and stone. For lighting, a backlit stretch matrix ceiling system on the first floor creates a glowing, colored light.

Spend marketing money wisely

Market research may or may not be a good use of an architecture or engineering firm’s money, according to Mark Zweig of ZweigWhite Consulting.

Here are some research ideas Zweig recommends:

• A study of clients who used the firm once but didn’t come back. Try calling 25 of the clients from the past two to three years and ask them why they haven’t done any more business with you.

• A study of employees who quit the firm over the last five years. What made them leave?

• Determine who the 10 biggest potential clients are in each market you serve and get the names of decision-makers from each.

• Determine who your top five competitors are in each market you serve and build a file on each. When you hear about a job won or lost, add that to the file. When you see they hired someone you know, add that information to the file.

• Determine three additional suppliers are for everything you buy and get quotes from them, including legal services, accounting services, recruitment services, PR services, insurance, office supplies and printing.

Simon Fraser seeks design profs

The School of Interactive Arts & Technology at Simon Fraser University in Surrey, B.C., near Vancouver, is accepting applications for assistant professors and lecturers. The areas include design theory, and performance and technology.

A full description is at http://www.siat.sfu.ca/faculty_positions. For more information, contact Ron Wakkary, associate professor at the School of Interactive Arts and Technology, (604) 268-7425, or ron_wakkary@sfu.ca.

Duvall plant wins APWA award

The Duvall Wastewater Treatment Plant has been named the Public Works Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association. The city of Duvall, along with primary contractor IMCO General Construction and primary consultant Parametrix, will receive the award in September.

APWA Projects of the Year awards promote management and administration excellence in public works.

The treatment facility was done in two parts. The new outfall was completed to bring effluent discharge into compliance more quickly and to expedite the permitting process. Part two included installation of site drainage adjacent to wetlands.

Construction sequencing was carefully planned and included in the contract to ensure existing facilities were operable.