Welcome to Part 2 of our multi-part series about modern library design. Senior Design Principal Rick D’Amato is back to share more helpful ideas and insights about the library design process, and the components involved with making it a successful community space. With more than 15 libraries under his belt, D’Amato is a wealth of information and we’re grateful to feature his expertise.
SECURE AND VISUALLY ACCESSIBLE
Visibility is the key to successful security systems and strategies within today’s libraries. The more contiguous the space and the more direct visibility from staff areas, the better the opportunity to monitor and discourage inappropriate activity. While traditional library security systems concentrate on controlling theft through the use of electronic gates, the concern for today’s libraries seems to focus more on the protection of children and the dissuasion and deterrence of anything or anyone that will harm them.
Security can also be handled through high technology systems such as cameras and video systems, and simple low technology systems such as well positioned mirrors and staff work areas. Creating a more open and visually accessible space also has the potential to reduce staffing needs within a library through consolidation.
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Libraries today seem to be incorporating more sustainable design features than ever before. This naturally leads to improved indoor air quality. Specific strategies such as displaced air systems which release conditioned air from down low rather than high in the space tend to improve the quality of the air as well as control energy use and cost. Also, more organic and sustainable building materials and adhesives and sealers lead to less harmful off gassing.
Today’s libraries seem to have a better connection with the external environment in the form of outdoor gardens and large expanses of well protected glass. This all tends to result in a healthier environment. Today’s mechanical systems can also adapt to the needs of the more specialized spaces within a library such as archival storage, technology rooms and large community gathering areas. These areas are typically more efficient if placed on a separate system which can be controlled independently of the rest of the library spaces. The result is each space within a library performing optimally instead of all of the spaces performing the same.
SUSTAINABLY DESIGNED AND RESPONSIVE
The advent of sustainable design has led to a much more efficient, open and pleasant library interior. The control and use of natural daylight is probably one of the most important aspects of smart sustainable design strategies. The important thing to remember is that smart daylight control begins outside the building and should not rely on window coverings or tinting alone. Proper orientation is the key to a successful design. This combined with solar shades and awnings, and high performance glass leads to a pleasant daylit internal environment. Acoustics and the specialized nature of some of the more specific library spaces is best handled through proper material selections and efficient mechanical systems which respond well to the local climate as well the demands of the library.
For more library design secrets, be sure to subscribe. In our next post, we’ll ask Rick about media center, library planning for changing technologies, trends in library storage, shelving, fixtures, and more.
As I quickly realized during my time in the Windy City, one of Chicago's greatest urban amenities is its waterfront parkland, open to the public to use and enjoy. Stretching miles along the shoreline and culminating in magnificent Grant Park, this land, deemed "public ground forever to remain vacant of buildings" well over 150 years ago, serves as a verdant front lawn for the city to Lake Michigan, providing a beautiful connection to nature right in the heart of the city, as well as popular congregation space for public events and large scale exhibitions.
Unlike most major metropolitan cities, Chicago can boast that its waterfront was never tainted by the harsh hand of industrial development. The area along Lakeshore Drive never had to be salvaged from smoky factories or dusty shipyards and redeveloped into fresh, inviting public space; it was always open to the residents of the city. In the mid-1800s, foresighted citizens and planners successfully lobbied to protect the area east of Michigan Avenue free of development. Over the decades, city magnates like Aaron Montgomery Ward successfully sued to maintain that condition and preserve green space for the city. Today, the area around Grant Park remains relatively untouched by developers--the only exceptions being facilities devoted to public use, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, Schedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium.
In my opinion, the rewards have been well worth whatever economic benefits that might have been lost from undevelopment. Today, Grant Park and its relatively new park-within-a-park neighbor, Millennium Park, function as the city's central gathering spot. These grounds provide a welcome respite from the urban jungle of downtown and successfully act as a vitalizing hub of public congregation. "Cloud Gate," Anish Kapoor's famous reflective bean-like sculpture, is a magnet for citizens and tourists alike, a place for strangers to revel in the appeal of something so novel and yet universally attractive. Nearby, off Michigan Avenue, the Boeing Gallery serves as an outdoor art exhibition space. Crown Fountain provides a popular splash down for families on warm, summer days, while Frank Gehry's Jay Pritzer Pavilion and Great Lawn functions as a fantastic outdoor concert and public event venue. Those seeking more tranquil reserves will find it to the south, at the Lurie Garden, where overgrown wildflowers and stepped streams impart the feel of a wooded meadow amidst the forest of skyscrapers that is the Chicago skyline. And that doesn't even include the acres of more traditional park space in the area and the waterfront biking and running trails--all of which is open to anyone who wishes to use it.
In a sustainability-conscious age where public urban green space of any sort is a valuable commodity, Chicago's "front lawn" serves as a pristine example of what can happen when urban planning gets it right. This marriage of landscape, architecture, and urban design is an obvious hit with denizens and visitors alike, and it demonstrates how the integration of a variety of programs devoted to public philanthropy can generate an energetic, self-sustaining property that enhances the value of a city. It is the right combination of location and design, and it teaches a valuable lesson on how positively designers can affect the built (and unbuilt) environment, as well as the numerous people who use it.
Albert Lam is a Technical Designer at California-based LPA Inc. He is a LEED accredited professional who specializes in the design and implementation of K-12 schools.
By Guest Blogger Matt Kingdon
It was the best of times … it was the worst of times. It was about a year ago that I faced the exciting idea of graduating from an esteemed university. It was about a year ago that I faced the daunting idea of entering that thing they call “the real world.” Talking with friends facing graduation made me realize the job search is something similar to Pan’s Labyrinth -- an infinite amount of paths, all hopeful, but rarely leading to anything more than a dead end. Coming out of school, I felt the same bewildered feeling, but my path led me to a wonderful opportunity at LPA, an outstanding architecture firm.
While you may think the experience section of your resume doesn’t catch any eyes compared to other job seekers, I would say your lack of experience is your greatest advantage. See, the energy and creativity of a student is infectious to a firm and people in general, which is why firms participate in internships, and other student programs including design competitions and charrettes. Maybe it brings people back to the glory days of college, or maybe it is the naivety and innocence of a student that people are attracted to. Either way, the fact that you are a student is what sets you apart from every other aspiring employee.
Think about this … you just spent a year or more developing a thesis on say, conventional design versus sustainable design. You find a firm that you are interested in, and you give them a call or send them an email. “As a student at ‘esteemed university of wherever,’ I am researching this ‘interesting topic here’ for a thesis project. I would love the opportunity to talk with your firm about your work in ‘said expertise’ and get your feedback and insight on my research.” Now doesn’t that sound more enticing than, “I was wondering if you had any positions open?”
Spending the time to talk about one of your student projects is more valuable than handing over a resume. We all talk about making an impression, and there is no greater first impression than an in-depth conversation on a topic that both parties are interested in. 
Now you are not depending on the graphics on your resume as a lasting memory. Instead, a firm remembers you by the research and conversation you have developed as a student. And even if you don’t get a job offer out of it, you have now created a contact to add to your network, which saves me some material for my next post!
Is it a dirty trick? Or could it be inside information? No, but it worked for me, and as a job seeker, you have to sell your greatest assets. As a student with little or no experience in the industry, carrying a portfolio of sleepless nights and tiresome exploration, it is simply that, the greatest asset you have. So this inspirational rant is not meant to try and paint a pretty picture over this disheartening task at hand for so many graduates, but rather, it is to try and share some knowledge a little earlier than most would have realized, hopefully soon enough to help find a job. And also, to remind the profession that the inexperience of a student can be a great asset to a firm.
Matt Kingdon is a Technical Designer who specializes in K-12 schools at California-based LPA Inc.
Recently, I spent ten days on vacation in Chicago, Illinois, and in my customary fashion of travel, I tried to soak in as much as possible of what the city had to offer. Through visits to the top sites and attractions in town, stops through many of Chicago's architectural icons, and immersive pedestrian exploration through the urban fabric of the city, I discovered a fantastic metropolis bustling with infrastructure and amenities that befit a modern, advanced city. I began to notice how many of these items, set in motion by urban planners decades ago, paralleled aspects that urban planners advocate today for sustainable cities of the future. Among them:
1. Public, Urban Green Space - freely accessible by anyone, providing a vibrant gathering area for major events and general park use.
2. Integrated Network of Public Transportation - efficiently serving the central core, but also radiating outward toward numerous major suburban areas.
3. Exceedingly Convenient Walkability - especially around the Downtown area, everything is relatively close together, allowing a full experience of the city by its users even without public transportation.
4. Programmatic Diversity Within Urban Density - zoning of every type is located close together, often integrally woven into the city fabric, providing a host of amenities such as commercial, residential, civic and cultural centers to promote continued use, residence, and growth.
Amazingly, these items weren't the result of the recent surge in awareness of sustainable issues, but rather the foresight of urban planners decades ago. As early as the late nineteenth century, after the Great Fire of 1870, city leaders laying out the new organization of Chicago were already trying to mold it into a forward-thinking city that would be prepared for the demands of tomorrow. Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago crystallized these plans into written and diagrammatic form. It called for the preservation of public green space along Lake Michigan, development of automobile and rail arteries to accommodate various travel demands of an expanding city, expanded streets that integrate the coming of new automobiles while still preserving the pedestrian intimacy of a busy city, purchased parkland around the city to buffer decreasing density, and a cultural district that could bring art, science, and history to the masses.
Today, Chicago is a truly international city that is managed with sustainable goals in mind. Grant Park, and Millennium Park, among others, provide a "front lawn for the city" that draws citizens together with vitalizing concerts and public venues as well as a verdant escape from the harshness of a concrete, glass, and steel built environment. The Chicago Transit Authority operates a highly effective system of subways and elevated rail lines that bring Chicagoans into and around the heart of the city. The density and programmatic diversity of the Downtown core and the Magnificent Mile invite businessmen to work there and residents to live there, propagating a sustainable cycle that drives itself forward. And there is always action toward active environmentally friendly policies, such as water management, energy reduction, urban heat island effect mitigation, and much more.
But none of this would exist to its contemporary degree of success without that foresight of city planners a century ago. It takes time to implement this sort of infrastructure, and even more to allow it to grow and perform its function. This suggests that we must always think ahead when planning our next projects. We cannot simply calculate for the present time; we must also calculate for the future. And we'll undoubtedly require inherently sustainable principles to reach that point. Otherwise, even the best-laid plans will be outdated before the first ground is dug, and that would defeat the entire purpose of architecture and urban design. It would be the opposite of progress.
Albert Lam is a Technical Designer at California-based LPA Inc. He is a LEED accredited professional who specializes in the design and implementation of K-12 schools.
As part of a continuing feature on this blog, we’ll meet each of the firm’s associates and get their take on LPA, architecture, and of course, sustainable design.
RICK MUSTO, LEED AP
Q. How long have you worked at LPA?
A. I can’t believe it has already been 8 years!
Q. What do you love most about your job?
A. All of it. There is simply no better place to practice architecture than LPA. I have worked for several design firms in my life, both large and small, but there is no comparison to the integrated firm we are building here at LPA. I am surrounded by so many talented professionals; it demands me to be the best I can at what I do.
Q. What does a day in the life of Rick Musto look like?
A. Do you really want to know? My day typically starts as my wife and 10-year-old figure skater are rushing out the door to the neighborhood ice rink. Once I satisfy my Starbucks habit, I am usually off to visit one of my K-12 school districts, either up north to Pasadena or Arcadia, or south to Chula Vista. After my meeting(s) I head back to the office to check in with some of my project teams and catch up on e-mail I was not able to get to from my iPhone. After my “day job” is over, I head home for dinner, kids’ homework, baths and usually a little late night e-mail.
Q. What project are you working on this minute? What does it entail?
A. There are so many great school projects I have the pleasure to direct. One in particular is the Montgomery Middle School classroom addition for the Sweetwater Union High School District. This project consists of a two-story, 16-classroom building with spaces for a library, counseling center, Associate Student Body (ASB) space, and cafeteria. The building will total 45,200 square feet (in space) and if constructed as planned, will be the first LEED platinum public school facility in California. We are currently completing the construction documents; construction is scheduled to begin in 2011.
Q. What do you love most about sustainable design?
A. I am fortunate to be focused on K-12 schools --I can’t think of a better place to practice sustainable design. Providing healthy green schools for our children isn’t a tag line, it’s our reality. My kids are both in elementary school and they’re already way ahead of where I was at that age as far as our environment is concerned. Green school facilities can enhance and reinforce the sustainable ideas our children are now learning and, if done right, can be integrated within their school curriculum.
Rick Musto is an Associate and Architect with California-based LPA Inc. He is a LEED Accredited Professional who has worked on more than 60 K-12 schools.
LPA Inc. has recently become an industry partner with the
Center for the Built Environment (CBE), an industry/university research cooperative at the University of California, Berkeley. CBE's mission is "to improve the design, operation, and environmental quality of buildings by providing timely, unbiased information on building technologies and design techniques."
CBE is managed by faculty and researchers from the Building Science Group within the Department of Architecture at UC Berkeley (where several LPA staff earned their degrees). They operate under the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center program.
CBE's on-going research projects strive to "take the pulse" of occupied buildings, particularly indoor environmental quality issues. They also study emerging technologies that hold promise for making buildings more environmentally friendly, more productive to work in, and more economical to operate. CBE's research is highly valuable to those who manage, operate, and design buildings and is a great fit for the design work we do at LPA.
In April, LPA President Dan Heinfeld, along with Associates Keith Hempel, Steve Newsom, and I attended CBE's Integrated Façade Symposium and bi-annual Industry Partners Conference. The CBE research findings presented over these two days were enlightening and thought provoking. Additionally we gained valuable insight and touched base with colleagues (and some competitors) in our industry who are also members of CBE. LPA's experience with CBE has already begun to influence our design work.
Some of the (many) CBE research findings and discussion items that resonated with us include:
- U.S. fire and life safety codes are among many reasons why double skin facades are much more common in Europe than the US.
- Overall U.S. buildings are over-cooled in the summer, when the majority of occupants would prefer somewhat warmer interior temperatures (say 74 or 75 F) than what is typically provided (72 to 73 F).
- Well designed overhead "advanced VAV" HVAC systems are as energy efficient (or more) than underfloor air distribution systems and radiant heating and cooling systems.
- Poor access to or understanding of thermostats and operable windows is a significant source of frustration among K12 school faculty and staff surveyed at schools across the country.
- Low ventilation rates in buildings is associated with increased respiratory health issues and reduced productivity across of range of research studies.
LPA is inspired and excited to be part of this research collaborative and is working to disseminate CBE's research findings to our staff, as well as to participate actively in future CBE research projects. We believe that our participation in CBE will support our mission of "creating sustainable places and spaces that enrich the lives of those who use them."
Erik Ring is an Associate and Mechanical Engineer at California-based LPA Inc. He is the first engineer to join LPA since its inception in 1965. Ring helps ensure that all LPA projects exceed California's Title 24 requirements by at least 15 percent. He's a LEED accredited professional, a LEED exam instructor for the U.S. Green Building Council, and he's consulted on or designed more than two dozen LEED certified projects.
By Guest Blogger, Winston Bao, LEED AP
Have you ever thought about how much your campus is like a model of a city? From libraries to academic, recreational, performing arts, food service and administrative buildings, they are very civic in nature. Just on a smaller scale.
No city, or campus for that matter, is complete without its law enforcement facilities. Campus Police Stations also have the opportunity to connect the architectural language and fabric of your campus. They're buildings with a very public purpose and must function on the level of an actual police department.
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY FULLERTION
The University Police Department at CSU Fullerton went from outdated portables to a new, 12,000-square-foot facility. Programs and amenities include:
- Administrative offices and meeting rooms
- Report writing rooms
- Showers, lockers and changing rooms
- Detention rooms in compliance with the requirements for law enforcement
- Evidence room and armory
- Dispatch Center with every new technology for monitoring the campus
- Emergency Operation Center (EOC), which in the event of an emergency, converts into a command center that operates independently of the University.
Durability is key. You'll want surfaces that can stand up to the wear and tear of gun belts, batons, and other gear, that will inevitably rub against your walls and finishes. Linoleum flooring is not only rapidly renewable, but friendly in terms of maintenance (i.e. soap, water and a mop). When guests from the community come for a parking pass or Live Scan fingerprinting, they enter into a space that is welcoming and bright and doesn't feel like a dreary detention facility.
Recycled steel and a floating V-shaped metal roof are durable, cost-effective and sustainable. Effective use of artificial lighting and direct/indirect daylight allow the building to glow, while clerestory windows, geometry and the ceiling plane are used as a reflector and daylight collector that maximize energy efficiency. Most, if not all, of the spaces have access to daylighting and views.
IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE
A smaller version of the police station above, the IVC Campus Police building needed to stand out -and boost its presence next to a very utilitarian looking maintenance and operations warehouse. With a small budget, designers opted for a pre-fabricated building made unique by shaving off edges at an angle, exposing the structure, and creating little places where one side was open and the other, covered parking for police vehicles to dock and charge. Programmatically, this area was perfect for the Sally Port (a place to bring detainees in a private, more controlled environment).
Both of these buildings were designed as constant evolutions of each campus. They set new trends while acknowledging existing materials giving them a current, more relevant significance. Whether it was brick, glass, metal, or plaster, we used them deliberately in ways that were visually meaningful, functionally durable, and low or zero-maintenance.
To learn more about our design work at CSU Fullerton and Irvine Valley College, visit our Higher Education design portfolio. Winston Bao is an Associate and Interior Designer at California-based LPA Inc. He is a LEED Accredited Professional who has made sustainable design the focus of his career.
As part of a continuing feature on this blog, we'll meet each of the firm's associates and get their take on LPA,
architecture, and of course, sustainable design.
BRANDON DE ARAKAL, AIA, LEED AP
Q. How long have you worked at LPA?
A. 25 years.
Q. What do you love most about your job?
A. Aside from working with one of the most talented and fun groups of people in the business, I find the quick pace of projects under construction always stimulating and with the myriad of twists and turns along the way, there is never a dull moment. Good stuff.
Q. What does a day in the life of Brandon de Arakal look like?
A. It typically starts with a quick trip to Rancho Santa Margarita Middle School (with the occasional side trip to the donut shop) to drop my daughter off at school. Then it's a visit to my good friends at Starbucks (Grande; Non-fat; No whip Mocha ... in case you were wondering) and once I get to the office it is the constant flurry of e-mails, phone calls and meetings that are inherent with buildings under construction.
Q. What project are you working on this minute? What does it entail?
A. Currently I am shepherding six new buildings, through construction, for the Paramount and Arcadia school districts. They cover the gamut of uses which include a library, mini-gym and field house for Paramount Unified; and a science building, lecture hall and student services building for Arcadia Unified. Most of the teams' efforts are focused on responding to RFIs, reviewing submittals, dealing with clients, DSA and general contractors.
Q. What do you love most about sustainable design?
A. The most fascinating aspect of sustainable design to me is that it is really not a new concept. While in college, I had the good fortune of being exposed to two instructors that were heavily influenced by what was then referred to as passive solar design; James Lambeth and E. Fay Jones. Their emphasis, simply put, was about a building's exposure and orientation. The materials and equipment aspects of it, while important, were more difficult to manage 25 years ago because of the lack of support from the manufacturing sector.
Today, with society's heightened awareness of its impact on the environment, all aspects of the building process from design, construction, operation and the maintenance of a facility are integrated into what we refer to as sustainable design; which 25 years ago really couldn't happen. I think it gives the concept a tremendous amount of momentum.
Brandon de Arakal is an Associate and Architect with California-based LPA Inc. He has managed more than 25 projects, which include K-12 schools, higher education facilities, civic and religious establishments, and even a terminal at John Wayne Airport. He is a LEED Accredited Professional, and an active member of the American Institute of Architects. Brandon lives with his wife, son and daughter in Foothill Ranch, Calif.
Why do people love libraries? Cindy Wang loves them for the free knowledge. While Lindsey O'Connor tweets, "they comfort me with sweet childhood memories of hours lost in other worlds, books as friends." To uncover how a library's design can support and enhance these user experiences, we've asked Senior Design Principal
Rick D'Amato to share all in a multi-part series. With more than 15 libraries under his belt, he's a wealth of information and design expertise.
DESIGN BALANCE
Libraries are experiencing a wonderful transition from traditional storage facilities for books, to expressive community spaces with enhanced media and digital capabilities. For quite some time, the more contemporary aspects of library design have been awkwardly positioned throughout the typical library with little or no relation to traditional library service.
Today's library is a complete and total blending of community space, media and the digital world. We are experiencing a renaissance of library design which will help carry lifelong learning into the future. Interactive kiosks, expressive, group based children's and teen centers, flexible community rooms and technology centers help to attract a wider patron base while also offering many more services than the traditional library of the past.
This combination of books, technology and community space is changing the very nature of library planning. No longer is technology cramped into a corner or locked into a dark room. No longer are libraries rigid and static. The library of today seems to be taking cues from the retail world in both the visual aesthetic as well as the incorporation of more diverse media and community offerings.
USER COMFORT AND ERGONOMICS
One of the main goals of library design is to not only attract new patrons, but to hold onto those patrons once they are inside. Making a library as comfortable and as accessible as possible leads to a patron feeling "at home" within the space.
Furnishings seem to be moving away from the hard wooden chairs of the past. Today's library is furnished with a wide range of seating and lounging options, all designed to promote a longer, more comfortable stay. Group study rooms are starting to incorporate more ergonomic seating choices while children's areas are furnished to promote interaction between parent and child.
COORDINATION IN PLANNING
For successful library design it is imperative that the librarians are an active participant in the design and building process. It is even good practice to have librarians on the selection committee for designers and contractors to assure a good working relationship.
Libraries can be very personal spaces to a community and no one understands that better than the librarians. Regular meetings to review the design intent as well as the construction process are necessary to keep everyone on the same page. The integration of community workshops and presentations are also a great way to understand the nature of the community and the type of facility that they need and deserve.
For more library design secrets, be sure to subscribe. In our next post, we'll grill Rick about security, indoor air quality, historic book archives and more.
By Guest Blogger Matt Kingdon
Over the years, LPA has welcomed hundreds of interns into our midst. And unless you're an architecture student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo -one of the top architecture schools in the nation-you may not know about their partnership with our firm. A byproduct of this partnership is the Professional Studio program, which is now in its third year.
For approximately 10 weeks, the students are required to spend Mondays and Fridays on their assigned studio project, under the advisement of assigned LPA designers; Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays the students are paid employees of the firm, working with project teams throughout the office and taking on a multitude of tasks. For most, this is their first experience in a firm setting, so just the work experience is a huge learning opportunity. Beyond that, we try and incorporate as many LPA resources as possible to open up their minds to different disciplines and realms of the profession; aspects they probably haven't seen in academia.
The students attend project meetings, lunch-and-learns, office meetings, and more informal LPA social events. All of these are great experiences that help them decide what they want to pursue in the profession. While the studio project is the focus of the quarter, it is really the interactions and daily occurrences that they learn from the most.
This week, we'll feature two Professional Studio program participants and read about what inspired them, challenged them, and most importantly, what they learned during their work/design studio program. The challenge was to design an innovative K-12 school that provided supportive learning environments for students with diverse learning preferences. The Cal Poly Studio team was encouraged to think outside of the classroom "box" and design from the inside out.
Working in a group of three, the students spent a significant amount of time researching the principles that shaped their approach. They were to focus on the process of developing design concepts then defending how these concepts translated into space planning, and ultimately the overall campus master plan through the project's progression.
First up, we have ... student Paul Hedgcock.
INSPIRATION
Initially it was research that inspired my studio project but reading deeper into it, I saw that the approach to education was something that was ever evolving. Not that architecture holds all of the answers, but it can provide a dialogue between the built form and how people learn. This dialogue can tell the designers and educators what works and what doesn't work, and how to adapt to an ever changing process. This could have a large impact on society and could actually make a difference in the lives of the students.
CHALLENGES
The greatest challenge was developing an idea and concept that could be meaningful to each member of the team. It was interesting because each of us working on the project attended a different type of school and had gone through our own experiences. Bringing these experiences to the table inevitably brought disagreement, but we had to distill the problem to its fundamentals and really start from scratch.
We had to place ourselves into the positions of educators and school programmers and think about what education meant and what it needed to do. This was the hardest part because none of us had this professional educator experience, and what experience we had as the students, varied among us. Even though it was the greatest challenge, I believe it gave us the best reward because we were able to think through the project in a new way and it gave us a chance to verify our concept throughout the design process.
LESSONS LEARNED
The greatest learning experience I took from this project was that having a strong concept can really help develop the architecture further. Since we went through the exercise of being the educator, we were able to create processes that were meaningful to the program.
I never once felt that anything in the project didn't belong there, or that we added anything in because it was 'cool'. I felt everything served its intended purpose and helped in the overall scheme. I have never quite worked on a project in such depth or clarity. I think this was only possible because our team had several experiences and we worked hard to distill them to the core values.
For more information about the LPA-Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Professional Studio program, e-mail dgilmore[at]lpainc[dot]com.