Entries by Sarah Hempstead

Multipurpose Facilities (MPF’s)

Multipurpose Facilities (MPF’s) exist in many forms. As we consider the transformation of existing facilities into part-time athletic venues – ad hoc “field houses” – a plethora of sports can reasonably be considered. Indoor track and field, cheerleading, dance, and gymnastics, indoor soccer, baseball batting cages, tennis, and competition court activities (e.g. volleyball, basketball, and handball) should […]

WOYS #4

Summer is almost here! Time to pour a tall glass of lemonade, find a shady spot, and start a great book! We are back with another edition of “WOYS” – What’s On Your Shelf to help you out. I have listed three books that are worth reading while soaking up some good Vitamin D:   […]

Brain-Based Design

Your brain is a vastly complex system with billions of neurons and interneurons constantly firing. And with billions of people in the world, with their own unique neural pathways to process daily experiences, it is safe to say we all think, interact, work, and learn differently than the next. That said, our brains are similar […]

There Is No Box

Milton, red stapler guy in the classic scene from the movie “Office Space”, whines on the telephone from his cluttered cubicle “if they move my desk one more time…” Milton wouldn’t last at Schmidt Associates. He probably wouldn’t have met our employment predictive analytics criteria at the outset. As the CEO, I often remind staff […]

Creative Culture : Smooth Sailing

  Walk into our lobby early on the second Monday, and you’ll hear energetic applause rocketing up the stairway from the monthly all-staff meeting. One set of applause is a rhythmic cadence – one, two, three claps. Another starts with one clap – escalating to 15 claps in unison. This isn’t a random party. Each applause […]

Sympathetic Design

Towards A More Sympathetic Aesthetic In so many situations when designing for the higher education facilities, the values of context and continuity are every bit as important as the desire for the cutting edge. The art form is to harmonize the old with the new, without tensions, so as to create a worthy next chapter […]

Making Art a Priority

How do you balance two priorities for a new building: a need for high-tech learning and the desire for a beautiful and inspiring space? It’s working at the new Evans Center for Health Sciences at Marian University. The building was recognized at the Monumental Affair with an Achievement Award in the Public Art category in 2013. It […]

College Attendance. Don’t Drop Out. Do Tune In!

40 years ago that forerunner of virtual learning, the correspondence course, was mostly the preserve of those either struggling to gain acceptance to college, unable to attend for financial reasons, or looking to gain very precise professional qualifications while working fulltime. Today, the choices and access points for remote education are growing exponentially. The social […]

I’m Considering Your Offer

40 years ago, most undergraduates were delighted to gain acceptance to their college of choice. The “honor gradient” ran from the institution, at the notional “top”, down to the individual undergraduate, very much at the “bottom”. Today, the situation could not be more different with fierce competition for prospective students. With roles reversed, and the […]