Entries by Steve Alspaugh

The Intersection of Comfort and Sound: How Quiet HVAC Systems and Good Acoustics Contribute to Higher Learning

Acoustics and Well-being Well-designed classrooms are central to learning. While students and staff may not immediately consider what they hear (or don’t hear), noise control is fundamental to their learning environment. As architects and engineers specializing in higher education design, we have an obligation to minimize these distractions, making acoustics an integral aspect of design […]

Six Biophilic Design Tactics

“Biophilia is the humankind’s innate biological connection with nature. It helps explain why crackling fires and crashing waves captivate us; why a garden view can enhance our creativity; why shadows and heights instill fascination and fear; and why animal companionship and strolling through a park have restorative, healing effects.” – Terrapin Bright Green What is […]

Iterations and Evolutions

Design discovery is a process, not an event. It involves developmental steps which consider and refine more and more information as it moves towards becoming a reality. It is not always a linear process, sometimes turning back on itself to reconsider a previous direction and chart a new one. The path of a design process […]

Fourth in the Series of Four Core Principles of Design at Schmidt Associates – A Closer Look at the Integrity Principle

Design at Schmidt Associates flows passionately and intentionally out of our Core Principles of Design. The third of these principles is Integrity. Design solutions should be conceptually clear at all levels of design – with aspects as broad as the overall layout and spatial relationships to the detailing of elements to be consistent with the […]

Third in the Series of Four Core Principles of Design at Schmidt Associates – A Closer Look at the Stewardship Principle

Design at Schmidt Associates flows passionately and intentionally out of our Core Principles of Design. We covered the strategic principal in our previous post of the series. The second of these principles is Stewardship. Design solutions respond to this principle through their functional usability and the way in which people are able to flexibly activate their […]

Second in the Series of Four Core Principles of Design at Schmidt Associates – A Closer Look at the Strategic Principle

The purpose behind design at Schmidt Associates is to act passionately and intentionally out of our Core Principles of Design, which are the mirrors of our kaleidoscope. The first of these principles is to be Strategic.  Design solutions respond to this principle most strongly by responding to the context of the client in the built […]

Four Core Principles of Design at Schmidt Associates

The purpose behind design at Schmidt Associates is to act passionately and intentionally out of our Core Principles of Design, which are the mirrors of our kaleidoscope. The components of a design project are like the pieces of a kaleidoscope. The pieces can fit together in countless ways, and with each turn of the kaleidoscope […]

A Different Perspective

There is an old saying that says “there is nothing more dangerous than a person with only one idea.” Having one brilliant idea is a great thing, but it was likely honed from multiple ideas at some earlier point in time. Building design is like this as well. When each of us is first presented […]