Tech Library: A Model for Tomorrow
Appendix F: Meeting with Thomas Rochow - Associate Director for Operations, IDE
The following interview was based on three main questions. However, much more was covered than these questions. The points that were covered answering the questions will be written under those questions and the extra information will be written elsewhere.
The term “furniture” is defined as everything from couches, to tables, desks, and chairs.
How was furniture decided upon?- Building committee – formed four to five years ago
- Jay
Baehr – one of leaders of
committee, who was unavailable for comment, until later this week.
- Each department at the Ford Center gave opinion as to preferred furniture for their department
- Departments with the most “pull” (most money available)
- Institute for Infrastructure Technology
- Cooperative Engineering Office
- Master’s
Programs
- Most influential factor: department heads for their respective departments (“The ones with the most clout, were the ones with the most influence” – Thomas Rochow).
- Decision of furniture was out of the hands of most people, under most departments. Department heads might have conferred with their respective subordinates, but not more than that.
- Furniture in the main area, (the areas between departments) decided upon by building committ
It was decided that SteelCase Office Furniture (www.steelcase.com) would be the provider, as well as one of its subsidiaries, OEC Business Interiors (www.oecbusinessinteriors.com).
Contact
Ford Center’s Main Contact for OEC Business Interiors is Katie Chambers (email: KTChambers@aol.com). She will also be available for comments later this week.
What had to be considered when furnishing the building?- Each department’s head had a fair amount of influence – their tastes were predominant in choosing the furniture.
- All furniture chosen through SteelCase Office Furniture – each department choose from their furniture lines
- Master’s
and other more “richer” departments
had bigger budgets
- Ended up with more upscale lines for furniture than did their counterparts (such as idea, who have more humble desks and furniture).
- 3M donated Digital Display Screens, which could be used in rooms and classrooms. These were a very good addition to the building.
- Both SteelCase and
3M provided for the Ford Center – led to conference
rooms being name after them. This was obviously then, a
consideration as to what the furniture would be in the Center
- SteelCase made a good deal with the Center
- 3M donated their products.
- Each
department’s budget difference with what the contractor
had to offer as a cost for furniture was considered. Some departments
had to make
do with what the contractor proposed as a cost
for budget (most undergraduate departments), and those departments
that had more money to spend, ended up
with higher quality aesthetics (those departments
funded by the Dept. of Transportation and the Graduate Departments).
- Every department seems to like the furniture they were given. There have been no complaints under each department.
- Small discrepancies, such as colors chosen, were not the same colors given, etc.. These small errors became unimportant. As said by Rochow: “We would choose a shade of green, then we were given another shade by the end”. So – small errors in managing the choices made by departments.
- People have complained of the furniture in the main area (the area by the lobby and the spaces between departments). The most criticized piece of furniture, is a purple, wavy bench by the lobby which apparently “looks weird” to the building’s occupants and is not comfortable at all to sit on. This shows that choosing furniture to just “have a modern, strange look” is not the best way to go.
- The Technology used in the building is very much up to date (digital wall displays, conference rooms with proper AV equipment, and proper lighting).
- Ford Center is a “green building” meaning that it is environmentally friendly. There are plenums (raised floors) throughout the building, serving as air ducts. These help expend the air conditioning and heating, making sure the maximum comfort is provided for the occupants, with the minimum energy consumed.
- It was mentioned that Kate Igo is the director of Corporate Relations, and dealt with the various corporations that were involved with the building of the Ford Design Center (including SteelCase, OEC and 3M).
