AUID Conference 2016

• January 5th, 2017
• in News

The University of Alabama was recently represented at the Association of University Interior Designers (AUID) Annual Conference for the first time in several years. The goal of the conference is to bring together professional interior designers from colleges across the United States. These individuals design high-use spaces that must meet the needs of students, staff, and faculty, be aesthetically pleasing, and be easily maintained. This can be much harder than you would imagine!

Three UA interior designers attended the event and brought back with them not only new ideas, but also confidence in knowing that the guidance provided by our department is standard in most higher education settings. Michael Hand was awarded a 2nd Place for New Construction in the 2016 Design Competition for his work on North Lawn Hall. Please join us in congratulating Michael! In addition to that, they learned about the similarities and differences among the colleges in areas such as branding and advancing their core missions. As you can imagine, all colleges are looking to increase enrollment and retention of students. The design staff was able to see how this unified mission is accomplished in different ways, depending on the strengths of the college and requirements of prospective students in varying regions.

Updated Design Request Form

• December 9th, 2016
• in News

In an effort to make more efficient use of time and resources, we have converted our Design Request Form (DRF) to a fully electronic form. Printing, signing, scanning, emailing, faxing, and mailing are all things of the past when it comes to the DRF. Now you can fill the form out electronically and a copy will be sent to our design staff for quicker processing. The requesting department will also receive a confirmation via email to both the contact and department manager. By streamlining this process, we will be able to get to your project a little faster and have better tracking for incoming requests. Thanks for helping make this a smooth transition!

The Search for Knowledge

• October 4th, 2016
• in News

When Michael Hand was given the task of creating a design for the interior spaces in the newly opened North Lawn Hall, he knew that he needed an eye-catching divider screen to define the tech lounge space but leave it open enough so students could see what was going on. He wanted it to be a unique statement piece, so he decided to design it himself. Hand researched what the building would mean to freshmen coming onto the campus of The University of Alabama and what they would gain from attending classes in the new building before settling on the theme of “knowledge.”

Next, he selected the material that would be used. Hand explains, “I knew the finished product would have to be constructed of something substantial…a material that would help convey my concept on the strength that knowledge is and what someone gains from knowledge at The University of Alabama.” Hand chose to collaborate with a local metal artist to create the wall in steel. It is constructed in 3 panels, each measuring 8 feet in length and standing 10 feet tall. Once it was all welded together, each panel was powder coated for a “baked on” finish that would be sure to last for many years to come. The final piece is attached to a metal i-beam installed above the ceiling for stability.

Hand’s comments on the finished product, “I am beyond pleased with the outcome of the knowledge wall and hope to create more installations like this on campus.” Michael Hand is a UA alumnus with a degree in interior design. He works in the Furnishings and Design department as an Interior Designer II.

The Search for Knowledge (Literally!)

Can you find the word “knowledge” hidden in the design?  Click the image for a larger view.

Furniture Project Deadlines

• September 1st, 2016
• in News

With the end of fiscal year 2016 quickly approaching, we want to ensure all design projects are handled in a timely manner so that funds are used properly. Please note that furniture does not have to be received by September 30, 2016 in order to use current year funds. Your department needs only to obtain a quote and submit an order in buyBAMA prior to Purchasing’s year-end deadline for requisitions.

To accommodate this deadline for requisitions, all projects which require the use of year end funds should be submitted no later than Friday, September 9. This is to ensure that our staff members have adequate time to design the space and work with an outside vendor to quote the project. In the same regard, Chair Lab appointments will be available during the month of September, however, no sample chairs will be sent out during the month. This is due to the increased volume of appointments that our department sees during each year-end.

Bryant Retail is Now Open!

• August 3rd, 2016
• in News

After many years of planning and work, Bryant Retail Center opened to the public on July 22. Interior designer Mary Kathryn Holt was assigned to the project and did an outstanding job designing this state of the art retail space. The newly constructed building is home to a branch of the SupeStore as well as a Starbucks, which features a drive-thru.

The building boasts large exterior windows, which bring in the natural light and illuminate the space. The space also incorporates natural elements like wood finishes and exposed brick. You can find an eye-catching light fixture above the cascading stair case, located in the heart of the building. This space is elegant, inviting and functional. We hope it will be a popular spot for students, faculty, staff and visitors for many years to come.

Congratulations to Mary Kathryn Holt on a job well done!

NeoCon 2016

• July 6th, 2016
• in News

This past month, three of our designers as well as our Manager of Interior Design traveled to Chicago to take part in NeoCon 2016, the premier commercial interior design conference. This conference allows our designers to see the newest commercial interiors products and trends so they can gain inspiration for upcoming projects.

Our staff came back to campus with fresh ideas to implement in University spaces. They noticed a trend for more organic shapes in furniture – fewer hard corners and more rounded, soft edges. Lighter woods were popular as were glass surfaces which reinforce the organic nature of the furniture.

Another trend our designers picked up on was the strong move away from panel supported work surfaces. Most of the open or shared office spaces were filled with free-standing workstations. This is in line with the big trend of last year’s conference – collaborative workspaces.

The Furnishings and Design department is dedicated to keeping up with the latest developments in the commercial design industry in order to provide our campus with well-developed spaces.

Why do I have to give a budget?

• May 2nd, 2016
• in News

For the Furnishings and Design department, budget information is essential to providing our clients with the highest quality of service. Furniture projects, upholstery projects, and Chair Lab appointments all benefit from having client-provided budget information. When a client has a figure in mind, the designer knows which furniture or fabric manufacturers to choose from to stay within the appropriate budget. Likewise, Chair Lab appointments require a budget so that clients can choose from seating in their price range. You don’t want to shop among high-end manufacturers if your department has only allocated enough money for a more budget-friendly solution!

The Furnishings and Design department strives to exceed customer satisfaction, especially when it comes to staying within budgets, and we appreciate our clients working with us and providing that vital budget information. If you have any budget questions or concerns, please contact Sarah Robinson, F&D Manager of Business Processes.

Office Chairs

• February 26th, 2016
• in News

Why can’t I just go to an office supply store and purchase a new chair for my office? They’re so much cheaper!

This is the most frequently asked question we hear regarding the chair lab. As part of Procurement Services, our department is certainly mindful of how the University’s money is spent. But to do that, we must consider the bigger picture. Instead of looking at individual purchases, we must consider that there are over 6,200 employees campus-wide who may, at some point, need a new task chair. With that “big picture” in mind, we have created the chair lab to serve the University’s need for ergonomically designed task chairs for its employees.

The chairs you see in the big box stores are considered residential furniture – meaning, they are not intended for long-term use. Commercial furniture must undergo stability and durability testing in order to meet commercial grade standards. They are designed to last for many years in a work environment without obvious signs of wear and tear. The chairs we offer in the lab meet these high-quality standards and are considered some of the best task chairs available nationwide.

All of our chairs also come with a warranty. Should you have any trouble with a chair you have purchased, our department will coordinate a repair with the contract vendor and file a warranty claim. Even if the particular issue is not covered under warranty, we will work with the contract vendor to provide a quote for the repair. This reduces the need to buy a new chair when an existing one becomes damaged.

Lastly, with all things considered, purchasing a chair from an office supply store is not necessarily “cheaper”. The chairs offered in our lab are all under the UA furniture contract as negotiated by the Purchasing Department. Those contract prices typically reduce the cost of your chair by 40-70%.  While the price may seem higher than what you can find at an office supply store, the combination of the University’s discount and the ability to use the commercial grade chair for a longer period of time provides greater value over a longer period of time.

If you’re ready for a new task chair and would like to visit the lab, please fill out the Chair Lab Request Form on our website or call Katie Ball at 348-8433.

Trash to Treasure

• February 4th, 2016
• in News

We’re sure you’ve heard of the line, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Recently, one of our designers and upholsterers had the opportunity to bring to life that famous cliché. A discarded executive-style chair was found in surplus and given new life for a client who greatly desired a beautiful new chair.

Designer Leah Shepherd found the chair for her client and worked with Upholsterer Janice Burrell to come up with a design. The chair was in really rough shape. The arms were scratched, the fabric was worn and stained, and the metal nailheads were dull. After sending it to the cabinet shop to have the arms and base refinished, Janice recovered the chair in a durable vinyl. She added decorative tufting to the back and piping around the edges of the chair. She also changed out the lackluster nailheads with new ones.  And in just a few days’ time, what one department considered trash is now another department’s treasure!

Houser Hall

• January 7th, 2016
• in News

Jessica Owens of Furnishings and Design has been hard at work, completing the renovation of Houser Hall. Originally built in 1949, Houser Hall is the former home of the College of Engineering’s Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering departments.  The building now houses the Office of Disability Services, Testing Services, and the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs. The Office of Disability Services provides academic accommodations for University of Alabama students with disabilities. Testing Services administers both undergraduate and graduate admissions tests, GED, CLEP, and UA Placement exams. The Office of Veteran and Military Affairs is aimed at providing programs and services to meet the needs of service members and their families in order to ease their transition to college life.

Houser Hall is keeping with UA’s trend towards using terrazzo flooring in high traffic areas. The beautiful custom design of the terrazzo can be seen in the first floor. A design element that makes Houser slightly different than some of the other UA buildings is its use of store front style glass walls. This allows natural light to flood the building.

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