CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

• Flawlessly coordinate deep South Texas project with UT leadership, multiple vendors, and large multidisciplinary team remotely.
• Perform bolder, better, faster furniture planning and technical specification early in the project timeline to head off errors and protect the schedule and budget.

OUTCOME
UTRGV’s new Interdisciplinary Engineering and Academic Building tells a highly successful—and uneventful—furniture project story. Kimiko designs made the complex undertaking “look easy” through detailed coordination and proactive communication.

GOAL
A refreshed, beautiful, and functional space that better reflects the experience, process and care in the way Edward Jones values their clients.

FEATURES

• Large desk that provides privacy and functionality
• Comfortable beautiful and accessible seating options
• Relevant floor coverings and lighting for acoustics and aesthetics
• Multiple storage options

As objective experts in the commercial furniture industry, St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System (SLEHS) hired our firm to develop a program of furniture standards for the hospital. Pulling from decades of experience in the furniture industry, we worked closely with the Facilities and Capital Projects team at SLEHS to:

• Determine the goals and vision of the hospital
• Define “Best Value” as it pertains to SLEHS
• Determine criteria based on the needs of SLEHS to be used as guidelines for furniture selection
• Develop methods to ensure the process is maintained for the future

The development and use of such a program allowed SLEHS to reduce and avoid a buildup of obsolete product in inventory, reduce furniture expenses, effectively manage/implement projects, efficiently recycle furniture throughout the facility, and create a consistent brand cohesive with the care provided by the hospital.

CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

• Skillfully manage budget, quality, and complex installation schedule by creating meticulously detailed, accurate furniture plans and technical specs.
• Remedy inaccuracies and avoid costly dilemmas by obsessively examining project documents, samples and submittals.
• Engage the multi-disciplinary team through interactive communication and forward-thinking management of immense volumes of information and materials.
• Deliver a smooth multi-vendor, multi-phased activation using hands-on problem solving with surgical precision.

OUTCOME
As technical product and process experts, kimiko brought a stakeholder level of quality assurance to UTMB’s Furniture Planning experience. This healthcare system giant values professional furniture planning and looks to kimiko as its furniture consultant and advocate.

The goal of this project was to develop a furniture package and specifications that reflected department needs, furniture standards, hospital regulations and fit within the project budget.

• Identify and utilize furniture and products that are movable, flexible, easily configured, durable and adaptable.
• Work closely and effectively with the architect, VA designer, VA project manager and end users.
• Maintain ongoing relationship with service dealer by facilitating clear communication through planning and mutual technical respect.

OUTCOME
With so many stakeholders involved in the process, attention to detail was critical. Kimiko continually referenced the guiding principles and priorities established at the beginning of the project to create a cohesive solution.