Cannon Design Blog

Brenda Onnen - 21 May 2013

Healthcare Design’s Architectural Showcase competition brings a comprehensive compilation of state-of-the art architectural and interior design projects from firms that have achieved outstanding and innovative design solutions in healthcare environments around the globe.

In this annual program, only a few projects are selected by the Healthcare Design jury to receive a prestigious Citation of Merit award.  This year, we’re very excited that the Tata Medical Centre, Cancer Hospital in Kolkata, India, is among four recipients earning Citation of Merit recognition.

About  Tata …

A unique project – The high aspirations and creative thinking that characterizes the Tata Medical Center presented fertile ground for the development of exceptional architecture. While resolving the technical and pragmatic requirements of the project, it is elevated to inspiring architecture through its intangible aspects. 

 It expresses universal ideals, while being authentic to time, place, and culture. In a country where family-centered care is the norm, the design of the campus fosters a sense of community through the infusion of gathering spaces, gardens and places that promote dialogue and support care. In taking a humanistic, culturally resonant path to healthcare design, the Tata Medical Center has become an inspiring civic landmark for the city. 

Creating a healing environment – Natural light, views to nature, a sensitive use of materials and color, an abundance of space and carefully crafted spaces, have a remarkable power to lift the human spirit, and this building shows that it is intrinsic to the healing process. The materials’ palette for the project is grounded by locally sourced natural materials—bringing refinement, sustainability and identity to the spatial  experience. 

The exterior expression weaves inside to create a seamless progression; beautiful stone facades are complemented by the warmth of wood and exquisite local art.  Though the Center houses state-of-the-art clinical facilities, its atmosphere is far from sterile.  The transition from public to private spaces is accentuated through the materials’ and color palettes: vibrant communal spaces with colors drawn from traditional artforms give way to contemplative places of retreat in private rooms and wards.  By offering glimpses into adjoining areas, framing views of the gardens and providing access to terraces for pause and reflection, a sequence of spaces unfolds that surrounds patients, caregivers and staff in an environment of gentle hope and inspiration.

The Tata Medical Centre, Cancer Hospital will be featured in the September 2013 showcase issue of Healthcare Design.   

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Daniel Niewoehner - 21 May 2013

Interesting numbers in this recent Scientific American piece about laboratory safety. It reports that “86% of the roughly 2,400 scientists who responded to a recent survey believe their labs are safe places to work. Yet, just under half had experienced injuries ranging from animal bites to chemical inhalation, and large fractions noted frequent lone working, unreported injuries and insufficient safety training on specific hazards…”

This is probably something we should think about as we design these spaces. How can we create safer laboratories or make safety more intuitive for researchers?

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@cannondesign - 21 May 2013

Our The Third Teacher+ team recently featured this Ted Talks video of Angela Lee Duckworth talking about the a key ingredient to success – grit. Thought it would be good to share.

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Roland Lemke - 20 May 2013

Our team is currently immersed in an exciting project at the University of Florida where we are helping create a new Reitz Student Union. The Reitz Union effort has been branded as Making It Reitz and is one of the best examples of how to engage students and an entire campus community in the design of a student union. Today, we released new renderings to the University of Florida team. Several of the renderings are featured below and you can see a full gallery on our Facebook page.

Feel free to comment on the renderings below and visit the Making It Reitz site to learn about the project in greater detail. It has been an exciting opportunity to work so closely with Gator Nation.

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Robert Johnson - 20 May 2013

Several Cannon Design offices celebrated National Bike to Work Day last Friday including St. Louis which took the opportunity to turn the day into a week-long celebration of eco-friendly commuting. The office witnessed incredible participation showcased by the numerous bikes lined up in the office gallery (image below) throughout the week. Ridership was four times higher than normal and the office logged hundreds of miles commuted and many lbs of CO2 diverted. Riders commuted anywhere between 1 mile and 40 miles per trip to the office. The week’s events included a raffle for bike-related prizes, an interoffice commuter challenge and an office wide photo contest.

Across the city, there were definitely more commuters getting to work by bicycle and stopping at one of the 6 commuter stations around the area distributing breakfast to cyclists. With its strong support, Cannon Design continues to prove it is a steward of healthy cities and healthy workplaces. Many thanks to all those who participated – keep riding your bikes all year long and we can have an event better Bike To Work Week in 2014.

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Colleen McKenna - 20 May 2013

Keystone Edge, an online publication focused on the people, places and companies driving the state of Pennsylvania forward, recently released a list of the Top 5 Coolest Green Buildings in the state and included the Gettysburg College Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness. Four of the buildings – two office buildings, a private residence and the Gettysburg facility – are new construction. The fifth building on the list is a reuse of an old industrial building.

The Gettysburg College recreation center offers students 55,000 sf of gym space with green features that maximize daylighting, glass expanses that heat the building and ventilation systems that draw in cool air. The building’s defining architectural feature, an 85′ glass tower creates a campus icon and a place for the center’s dramatic climbing wall.  The tower is built of high-performance glass segments, each rotated 15 degrees from the one below. The tower acts as a thermal chimney that enhances the building’ natural ventilation and reduces energy consumption. Convection air is heated by the sun and discharged at the top of the tower through dampers activated by temperature sensors, drawing in cool, fresh air at the bottom.

Learn about all five of the cool, green buildings in PA and see photos via this link.

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Chris Whitcomb - 17 May 2013

Inspiring? Scary? Fascinating? There’s a lot of things to feel / think as you watch this bird’s eye view of the topping of One World Trade Center. A fascinating look at the topping of the landmark building.

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@cannondesign - 17 May 2013

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@cannondesign - 16 May 2013

Christian Long and Trung Le of The Third Teacher+ team recently visited Denmark for a week of exploring school design and creativity. Below are a number of images from their travels.

Le and Long were able to meet with the amazing global school architect and creative extraordinaire Rosan Bosch. Her team’s Vittra School project(s) speak to the very soul of what is possible when you design for the spirit of young imaginations.

The TTT+ team delivered the co-keynote for the “Campaign Drøn på Skolegården” summit in Vejle, Denmark. It gave them the chance to explore the relationship between children and outdoor learning / play environments, as well as how teams of diverse creative professionals can spark innovation across entire cities.

The TTT+ duo take a “Systematic Creativity” challenge with the LEGO Foundation today at LEGO HQ in Bilund, Denmark.

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@cannondesign - 16 May 2013

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