A day in my shoes. Part one

A day in my shoes....Apple Tree Medical. Existing Conditions

So this is the building my client has brought for the second 'Apple tree medical'. It is situated on a nice street in the city. However the building is less than inspiring and needs quite a bit of work done to it. We applied for planning permission to extend the property which was approved-but with some conditions

1. The net lettable area 'V' the number of proposed carparks
2. The property is located in the 'surge zone' so if we have a cyclone/flood we need an offset of 'flood storage' (that one is for the engineer to sort out)
3. A small percentage of landscaping

This is all pretty normal stuff and not much to worry about.

existing building

In order to achieve the the required number of consulting rooms we will be extending the building to the pavement, so quite a large addition.  It would be nice to put a contemporary extension onto the front, but this does not suit the location or clients brief. This means the extension will be in keeping with the surrounding buildings and have that 'period look'. 
With most things in order we now start to space plan. This takes quite a lot of time and you have so many things to consider in this process (below are just a few things)

1. Circulation spaces need to comply with the disability code
2. Existing services
3. Existing floor structure
4. Existing footings-structural walls

We document all of our drawings in Revit, so this allows us to produce 3d images. Great for the client as many do not have the ability to imagine the space.
So below is a 3D of the new building and floor plans (they are a bit blurry). The next task is to meet with all of the engineers on site and brief them.

A day in my shoes

A day in my shoes....Apple Tree Medical

Introduction.

Two years ago I designed a small medical practise for a sweet English couple that now live in Cairns. The brief was, to design a doctor surgery that didn't look like a "doctor surgery" but more like a friendly Queenslander home that is aimed at new mums. Now keep in mind this surgery was located in a brand spanking new shopping centre. It was also our job to come up with a name and overall brand/image with the help of an awesome graphics design crew in Melbourne. (3sided square). I think naming a new business is the hardest part, after a few goes we came up with 'Apple tree medical'. It’s a very sweet and friendly name that reflects are client beautifully.
We worked very closely with the client and they were involved in every last detail. They would be on site everyday watching their practise come together. I would receive daily updates and photos. To be honest I have never had such an involved and excited client before. We worked with a seriously good shopfitter that's work is perfect and stress free.
Being a twenty something girl that looks about 19 in the construction industry has its upsides and downsides. Walking onto a construction site on your own can be intimidating. However the shopfitters that we worked with on this project treat you equally and they never talk down to you. All this combined is what made the project so successful.

So after lots of hard work here is the finished product.

I have now started on surgery number two. This blog will updated once a week, to show the process of what an interior designer actually does! I hope you enjoy it