Blog 11

Parkhill Smith & Cooper is a design firm based in Lubbock, Texas. They provide engineering, architectural, interior design, and landscape design services. They are a part of every stage of the built environment. They currently have around 170 employees in their home office in Lubbock and approximately 270 counting their offices in Amarillo, El Paso, Midland/Odessa and Las Cruses.

            Parkhill Smith & Cooper is an extremely distinguished firm that has received many awards. They are ranked among the top 500 design firms in the United States, along with many other awards received on both a local and national scale. Among their most recognizable accomplishments, Parkhill Smith & Cooper built the first LEED certified building in west Texas. After receiving a tour of the LEED certified building, it became quite obvious that a lot of time, knowledge, money, and resources are required to build a building of such a high standard.

            Parkhill Smith & Cooper has many unique features that contribute to its LEED certification. Exterior views are available to 90% of the occupants in the certified building. This provides a significant amount of outdoor light streaming in, reducing the reliance on electricity. All of the interior finishes within the building are low in VOC, saving employees from the poisonous gases found in many products. Outside there is a green parking lot. To cut down on the use of concrete, some of the parking spaces outside the building are grass with only a concrete grid framing each space. The grass also acts as an absorber of the harmful oils and other chemicals that leak off of automobiles. Possibly the most interesting feature at Parkhill Smith & Cooper is the green roof. The roof of the LEED certified building is home to many low-irrigation plants. There is even a camera feed from the roof that can be observed from the building. All of the plants landscaping found at PSC is watered from an underground cistern that collects water runoff from both the ground and the roof. Each of these unique features required great planning ahead of time and while the upfront cost was quite expensive, in three years the savings at PSC with outweigh the initial costs.

            Parkhill Smith & Cooper is to be commended for their efforts in becoming LEED certified. It is clearly not an easily accomplished task, but they have worked very hard to become the first LEED certified building in West Texas. They have made a great point that interior designers and architects need to always take into consideration- thinking of both the future and the environment.  The results speak for themselves with 10% less sick days in employees that inhabit the LEED certified building as compared to PSC’s previously built building next door. Our environment has more power than most people give it credit for- it can affect us in almost every way. That is why it is important, as designers, to never forget how simple choices such as furnishings and wall-coverings affect the population in a very big way.

Blog 10

Jeff Seal is a custom home builder based out of Lubbock, Texas. Along with his team, he creates some of the most beautiful homes with an exquisite attention to detail. It is a pleasure to marvel at his work, and to have an opportunity to get a personal tour of two homes with Jeff Seal himself was an absolute treat.

            Around every corner of these homes, there are custom pieces, beautiful finishes, and tremendous design. Jeff assists his customers with every aspect of the building process, from planning and finishes, to interiors and landscapes. This helps to create a harmonious space with consistent details and design throughout.

            Jeff is a custom builder, which means whatever dream the customer has for their house, it is Jeff’s job to make it reality. Many of his homes reflect European looks like Tuscan villas and other old world designs. It is astonishing how unique and different each home is, even after Jeff has built many homes. The custom touches on each home is what truly makes it spectacular. Almost every ceiling throughout Jeff’s homes is different. From groin vaults and barrel vaults to domes and reclaimed beams, the ceilings stand as a work of art. Each kitchen in a Jeff Seal home is also custom with stunning cabinetry finishes and details. Refrigerators and island are built to look like pieces of furniture. This affect gives a kitchen a much more inviting and “homey” feeling. Custom built-ins and vanities are another unique detail found in each home. As a designer, it must be extremely rewarding to have a vision and see it come together and create a breathtaking space.

            There are no words to truly communicate the detailed features in each of Jeff’s homes. To fully appreciate his building style you must experience it firsthand. Jeff has captured the essence of a remarkably beautiful home. It would be an honor and tremendous opportunity to intern or work under Jeff. Touring his current projects was a reminder that I have chosen the right career path in life and I hope to one day be associated with such legacy in residential design.

               

Blog 9

               Leftwich Chapman Flooring America is a flooring distributer in Lubbock, TX. They offer a variety of flooring products that fit a wide variety of budgets. Leftwich Chapman has experience in both residential and commercial applications, and is sure to meet the needs of a wide variety of customers.

                The store offers three main categories of flooring: hard surface, carpet, and tile. Hard surfaces include a variety of hardwoods, bamboo, cork, and leather. Leather is a particularly interesting choice for flooring. It wouldn’t seem to be very durable, but in fact it can be sealed and is installed in many homes. It is very aesthetically appealing, but unfortunately is also very costly.

                Hardwood is a very popular choice for many residential and commercial applications. Hardwood offers a wide variety of stains, textures, and prices. It is durable and easy to clean, but can also tend to be noisy compared to other flooring alternatives such as carpet. It is not ideal for use in areas that see high volumes of humidity or water such as kitchens and bathrooms. Over time this water and humidity can actually begin to separate the pieces of wood from one another. Bamboo is quite the opposite. Bamboo is often found in a rainforest and grows very quickly. It is cultivated by an environment that is high in humidity. For this reason, bamboo is not a good choice for areas that tend to be dry and desolate like Lubbock.

                Cork is a material that is often thought of as soft and absorbent, such as in bulletin boards. Cork flooring is quite the opposite. It is almost as hard as a hardwood floor and can be sealed for easy clean-up. Cork does tend to absorb more sound than hardwood and is a practical flooring choice for dining rooms, living rooms, and bedrooms.

                Carpets come in a wide variety of colors, textures, patterns, and prices. Leftwich Chapman offers carpets made of many different materials and fibers: Nylon, Olefin Blend, PET Polyester, Polyester, and SmartStrand. Each carpet is suited for commercial and residential use, but a less plush carpet with higher stain resistance would be more acceptable for a commercial application. Carpets are constantly evolving and coming out with new and innovative products that meet the needs of the customer.

                Tile is another option offered at Leftwich Chapmen. It can be used in commercial and residential applications. In residential use, tile is more often seen in kitchens and bathrooms but can be used in many different areas such as showers, countertops, backsplashes, and flooring. It is a very hard surface that tends to be cold to the touch. While tile is relatively easy to clean, grout lines can show dirt and stain quickly.

                Leftwich Chapmen also offers very cost efficient flooring options such as vinyl laminate. Some products in this area tend to look cheap, but manufacturers are finding new and innovative ways to make a product that mimics real tile and hardwood beautifully. It is extremely easy to clean, but often doesn’t have the same lifespan of a real material such as hardwood or tile.

                Each flooring material has positive and negative aspects that need to be taken into consideration when choosing the right flooring in a space. One flooring isn’t superior to another; it all depends on the purpose it needs to serve the consumer. Flooring is often not given the attention it deserves and has the power to affect a space in a big way. Leftwich Chapman is sure to offer a quality flooring product for each unique application.

Sources:

http://www.leftwichchapmandesignerfloor.com/

Blog 8-Collins Tile & Stone

Collins Tile and Stone is a business based out of Lubbock, Texas that specializes in tile and stone application. The owner, Tim Collins, gave us a tour of their location and educated us on tile and stone. His business is highly diversified with a wide variety of materials and the ability to serve both the residential and commercial worlds. I found it very interesting that a business like Collins Tile and Stone would concentrate more on the commercial world. It seems like most self-made businesses would be more successful on the residential side, but Tim has built a very diverse company, and has been rewarded by staying in business for over 27 years.

              While Tim first started with tile, his business now is in majority stone application. He educated us on the different durability and maintenance levels of a wide variety of stones. Granite is the most durable with quartz coming in a close second. Both can withstand heavy use and are stain and heat resistant. Granite however is more natural looking because quartz is an engineered stone. They are both comparable in price with a wide variety of cost options. The “builder grade” granite is relatively budget-friendly starting around $40 per square foot installed. These colors are normally neutral and are found often in nature. More exotic granites would be much more expensive running anywhere from $100 per square foot installed and up.
           Laminate and solid surface materials are also offered at Collins Tile and Stone. Laminate isn’t as durable as granite and quartz. It is easily burned and scratched. On the positive side, laminate is a cost efficient option. It runs anywhere from $10-$30 per square foot installed and is much easier to install. Solid surface materials are more expensive than laminates and are more burn and stain resistant. Solid surface countertops give a more uniform stone look and are seamless as opposed to laminate. Solid surface countertops range anywhere from $35 per square foot installed and up.
             Marble is another option available at Collins Tile and Stone. Mr. Collins said that it is a very popular choice in kitchens, but also stains very easily. Some people like the look that marble acquires over time, while others would think of it as dirty and old. This type of material would need to be sealed often and is in the same price range as granite.
             Mr. Collins also showed us around the stock he keeps of stone and the shop where the stone is cut and prepared for installation. He has many different options in stock, allowing the customer to see what you really get when it comes to natural stone. Many times a sample isn’t a good example of all the movement and color that you would see in an entire countertop. Often, his workers will measure the space that needs to be covered and make a clear plastic template of it. The customer then comes into the store and they can lay the template over the full piece of granite so the customer knows exactly what they are getting. They have two large, expensive machines in the shop that actually cut the stone for them. The template is first designed in a computer program like CAD and then taken to the machine for cutting. While this type of machinery isn’t cheap, it allows for a higher and more efficient production volume.
            Collins Tile and Stone is a very successful business. Tim Collins knows a lot about the materials offered and was very helpful in educating us on the pros and cons of each material. Mr. Collins seemed to genuinely care about imparting this knowledge on us and I learned a great deal from his tour. It is much more helpful to actually see and experience the materials and the knowledge gained will be helpful in all stages of my career as an interior designer.