A Different Perspective on Architectural Drawing – ACE Mentor Program

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A Different Perspective on Architectural Drawing - ACE Mentor Program
ThenDesign Architecture has proudly participated in the ACE Mentor Program for years. This year, we taught a session on the importance of communication through architectural drawing. In order to best engage high school students in a distanced format, the team needed to come up with a unique way to demonstrate these architectural conventions.

ThenDesign Architecture is a proud participant of the ACE Mentor Program in Cleveland, Ohio. The ACE Mentor Program is an afterschool, educational program that exposes high school students to the architecture, construction, and engineering industries. Partnering with schools across the United States, including the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, designers from TDA recently explained the importance of communication in our field. For this engagement session, Jeff Henderson, Claire Bank and James Cowan built a “super-sized” architectural canvas to emphasize why we need to take a different perspective on architectural drawing.

About the ACE Mentor Program

The ACE Mentor Program of America is an afterschool program which was crafted to attract high school students to the architecture, construction, and engineering industries as well as the skilled trades. With over 70 affiliates across 37 states in the continental Unites States, the program is mostly based in metropolitan areas and allow students to explore different design projects in the industry.

The program brings together more than 4,100 professionals, high school teachers and students at events, with each one covering a different aspect of the architecture, engineering and construction industry. Trade professionals deliver educational sessions, engagement activities and take students on site visits to help them better understand how the built world is shaped. ACE also awards approximately $2.5 million annually in scholarships to those who are pursuing industry centered careers.

Interestingly, more than 70% of ACE seniors enter a skilled trade program or enter college with an industry-related major. According to ACE’s student surveys, the majority of students passing through the program felt motivated to attend college and picked up skills and knowledge that weren’t covered in their formal education.

At TDA, several of our designers, have participated in this important program. We have seen firsthand the difference it makes.

"Just as a writer uses words to create a verbal story, an architect uses drawings to tell a creative visual story."
Jeff Henderson
Architect

A Different Perspective on Architectural Drawing

Jeff Henderson, a 12-year ACE mentor at John Hay High School in Cleveland, who presented this year’s session on drawing commented: “Architectural drawing is really about telling a story. It’s a story about a building. Just as a writer uses words to create a verbal story, an architect uses drawings to tell a creative visual story.” A foundational principle of architecture is that a designer must communicate their ideas to a client or other professional on a collaborative team. To be a leader in this industry, we must be able to communicate effectively.

For Jeff, the importance of drawing touches on three vital areas–learning, thinking and communicating. He states: “For me, drawing is a form of learning. When architects see a building or walk into a space, they suddenly shift into “architect mode” and they begin asking themselves questions. “Why does it look like that?” “Why did they use that material?” “How was that detailed?” It is said that inspiration comes from anywhere and that is absolutely true. So, we analyze good buildings and good spaces and record them through drawings and notes. The second part is that drawing is a form of thinking. It is in the process of drawing where you start to think about the design of a building and it becomes a process of testing, looking at different ideas and making decisions to move the design along. The third portion is that drawing is a vital tool for communication. The ability to clearly communicate designs, visually and verbally, to clients or stakeholders is crucial. That is probably the most important skill an architect can have.

“Behind the Scenes” Setup

As a firm dedicated to educational design, we continually think about unique ways to engage students, educators, and communities. While these sessions are normally conducted in person, during this time of distanced learning and remote workshops, the mentorship team devised a new way to communicate architectural drawing conventions.

They devised a setup that involved suspending a high-definition camera, with a wide angle lens 10′ in the air in our unfinished office building. Then we laid out (3) 4’x8′ sheets of wall board side by side creating a “life sized canvas” that was 12′ wide x 8′ high. The team then took turns sketching plans, sections, elevations, and perspectives on the sheets to demonstrate how designers use these different types of drawings to communicate their ideas.

In the presentation, Jeff used these examples to illustrate how a simple drawing can communicate a complicated architectural idea.

This unique presentation method allowed us to engage with students in a novel way, forcing them to take a completely different perspective on architectural drawing and its impact on communication. For Claire and James, longtime ACE Mentor participants, they found the exercise helped them see drawing in a new light. It gave the whole team an opportunity to think through the best way to engage a remote audience using technology, while underscoring the necessity of drawing throughout the architectural process.

For Claire, education has always been a focus of her career, “So I try to find other ways, besides designing schools, to weave education into what I do with my career. I think ACE brings architecture and its related fields to schools that may not focus on it as much. Especially serving schools in Cleveland, we are focusing on developing skills that could lead to opportunities for underprivileged communities, leading to more diversity in the industry.”

Similarly, James learned about educational design through mentors involved in the ACE program. This led him to a love of this kind of design. “What’s funny is I didn’t know I would be as passionate about educational design until I got to TDA. They had a mentorship program through ACE and I started to learn more about them. Once I got here, I started understanding the impact within a community, and that’s something I wanted to be a part of. It’s very exciting to see the groundbreaking, then openings and kids running into a new school. You can see how it impacts someone’s life.”

We are committed to bringing a different perspective on architectural drawing, educational design and developing new ways to engage with communities on their projects. We look forward to providing new vantage points for the next round of high school students entering the AEC industry.

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Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.

ThenDesign wins NorthCoast99 2020 Award of Excellence

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ThenDesign Architecture, Honored to Be Named a NorthCoast99 Award Winner and Receive a 2020 Award of Excellence
TDA is honored to receive NorthCoast 99's, 2020 Award of Excellence. We firmly believe as designers, we can positively impact the lives of generations to come through good design. Whether an architect, construction administrator or support staff, this core value informs our unique culture and drives us to be better each day.

ThenDesign Architecture is thrilled to receive NorthCoast 99’s, 2020 Award of Excellence in the small business category. Organized by ERC, they work to highlight companies making an impact in our region.

Northeast Ohio has faced many challenges in 2020. A volatile job market caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has caused major problems for companies operating in this part of our state.

The City of Cleveland, which was once a powerhouse in manufacturing has had its difficulties over the last century. Between 1950 and 1990, the population nearly halved, while simultaneously the city lost over half of the manufacturing jobs as this market constricted. In order to rise to these challenges, Cleveland laid groundwork to surge back and is now decades along in redeveloping its economy. A 13 year plan, which started in 2007, sought to put developmental measures in place for revitalization. The focus was on developing connections, between people, places and opportunities. This included buttressing the medical industry, universities and entertainment outlets. The city hoped this development would spread into the surrounding metro areas, ultimately benefiting all Northeast Ohio.

Before Covid-19 hit, Cleveland was ranked #5 in Glassdoor’s ranking of the 25 Best Cities for jobs. This online employment website, calculated the ranking from three factors: hiring opportunities, a median base salary vs. home prices and surveys of job satisfaction. Cleveland outranked all other cities in Ohio. This, along with being the 33rd largest metropolitan area in the US, makes it continue to be a major economic market. While times are still difficult during the pandemic, there continues to be hope and great working opportunities in Northeast Ohio.

One organization spotlighting employers offering these opportunities and making an impact in our region is ERC.

2020 Northcoast 99 Award Winners Video:

ERC organizes NorthCoast 99, which is an awards program that recognizes the top 99 employers in Northeast Ohio. The basis of the award is to promote organizations that prioritize positive organizational culture, HR policies that align with the company’s mission, good work-life balance, staff growth and employee satisfaction in the workplace.

During the application process, employees provide feedback on the workplace environment. This is calculated into the overall judging process. Since the applications are often completed by team members in different fields, (whether in human resources, leadership or production), collaboration on the submittal is encouraged.

This year, we are thrilled to receive the NorthCoast 99’s, 2020 Award of Excellence in the small business category. In order to honor the winners, a video production was assembled with select leaders talking about how their culture has fueled their success.

Chris Smith and Angie Staedt Interviews:

This year, our firm president Chris Smith and Angie Staedt, our Human Resource Director spoke on what drives our culture and the core belief that we can enrich lives through good design.

Typically Northcoast 99 hosts a gala each year for the winning firms to celebrate and network with others in adjacent industries. This year due to social distancing guidelines, the event was held online with a live keynote and comments from several award winners.

For those dedicated to furthering their workplace environment, culture and the lives of their employees, it is an excellent opportunity and an honor to be selected for this award.

Online Event:

Starting over 30 years ago, TDA began prioritizing organizational culture long before it was common in business. Bob Fiala, who is a Founder and Executive Chair at TDA, along with others on the leadership team, often take time during the week to engage with employees on their work and provide updates through regular staff meetings which provide strategic insight into architectural design and furthering company culture.

A huge thanks to ERC for continuing to spotlight the various organizations who call Northeast Ohio home and are committed to developing their firms as a viable place to live, grow and work.

Also, a big thanks to Mark Wayner of Wayfinding Creative for putting together the video shown during the award ceremony.

To learn more about TDA’s efforts, read about our school projects and ways we continue to develop educational spaces in Northeast Ohio, visit TDA Insights and sign up for our mailing list.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.
Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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ThenDesign Architecture – Imagining Better Ways to Educate

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ThenDesign Architecture: Imagining Better Ways to Educate
ThenDesign is an architecture firm located in downtown Willoughby. For over 30 years, we have been pioneering educational facilities in Northeast Ohio. Focusing on the evolving design of educational buildings and imagining better ways to educate, we specialize in architecture, planning and interior design. Get to know our team!

ThenDesign Architecture (TDA) is an architectural, planning and interior design firm that has been involved in cutting edge educational and municipal facility design, established 68 years ago. A firm with over 50 employees, it is comprised of licensed architects, architectural designers, construction managers, interior designers and communications specialists. Focused on the evolving design of educational buildings and imagining better ways to educate, TDA employees specialize in community master planning, architectural design, construction management, project financing, bond campaign assistance, as well as marketing, public relations and video production. Since the company’s inception, TDA has worked with over 120 school districts, along with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) in Northeast Ohio and established themselves as leaders in school design–pioneering this field by rethinking how educational spaces could be imagined.

The firm, headed by two partners, Bob Fiala and Chris Smith, have assembled a group of international creative professionals in the Cleveland area that come from 7 different countries, which employ skillsets that span the AEC industry. Their design philosophy is simple. “Think, Design, Act.” They are driven by an insatiable desire to learn and ask a series of “What if?” questions. They seek to deeply understand the needs of a project and doing so create a “tailor made solution.” This is woven into the fabric of the community, fostering a sense of “place” in its environmental context.

Some History

TDA was originally founded as Huston Associates in 1951 by the late architect, Bruce Huston. Based in Willoughby, Huston Associates was a recognized leader in educational facility design. In 1989, Huston retired and Robert (Bob) Fiala, a former employee of Huston Associates, became the managing partner and renamed the firm ThenDesign Architecture. In 1998, Chris Smith joined the firm. He was named partner in 2004 as part of a well-crafted succession plan.

Mr. Fiala, the firm’s founding partner, now is also the recently elected Mayor of the City of Willoughby. He feels a deep responsibility to build an economically strong and vibrant city and give back by to the community through his tireless service, civic leadership and the promotion of education and the arts. Even though he no longer works directly, in the day to day operations of TDA, he continues to provide strategic leadership and enhance the firm’s culture. He brings a deep belief that by designing the best education and municipal buildings possible, we can impact the lives of people in our community for years to come.

Good Design Matters

We believe that good design begins with intentional thinking and this mindset transcends architecture to touch everything we do. We can find good design anywhere, whether it is “rocking out” to an inspiring guitar ballad, enjoying challenging park trail or holding our favorite coffee mug. Good design enriches lives. We recognize our responsibility to enhance the environment through our architectural efforts. From schools and hotels to sports parks and retirement centers, we have fun in the collaborative, creative process. We love challenging educators, stakeholders and the public to be a part of our projects, by collaborating and imagining better ways to educate. By using this approach, we strengthen the fabric of each community, ensuring a useful structure for many decades to come.

A common question we get from clients and the public is: “Who designs your building?” While, many architectural firms have one “primary designer,” this often results in every building looking the same, despite the fact it’s grounded in a completely different place. TDA is different in design approach. Each building we produce is a collaborative effort among our designers, consultants, and many in the community.

We recognize our responsibility to enhance the environment through our architectural efforts. From schools and hotels to sports parks and retirement centers, we have fun in the collaborative, creative process.
ThenDesign Architecture

"Educational Visioning Sessions"

Early phases of design include “Educational Visioning Sessions.” These unique events bring together teachers, students, administrators, board members, local safety forces and local clergy to discuss the project, imagine possibilities and ultimately serve as the genesis of the design. Ideas and concerns generated by these participants are captured as they are shared in round-table discussions and other activities. Grassroots ideas from those who will actually be using the new structure are distilled and ultimately presented to decision-makers (whether that is a school superintendent, mayor or other administrative representative). We encourage all parties involved to begin imagining better ways to educate. This is why TDA is different. This is why districts return to us again and again to provide architectural services–because we listen to our client’s needs. We empower them to drive the initial designs which results in a product that best meets their needs and produces a completely unique building.

This diversity of input is a hallmark of our design strategy and one element that strengthens our portfolio.

Imagining Better Ways to Educate

Design doesn’t stop at the built world, it continues throughout the education process. During the planning and construction phases of design, TDA engages educators who ultimately will use the new building in training sessions in anticipation of the project’s completion. At these events, a team of project designers, along with future occupants, attend a series of meetings dedicated to coaching and professional development. These sessions include, brainstorming activities and interactive projects, all geared towards training educators and administrators on the best ways to engage students in these new spaces. They are invaluable for collaboratively rethinking the way educational spaces can be used to promote student learning. This crucial component is a link between the early “Educational Visioning Sessions” and a fully occupied building. Then, through exit interviews and teacher surveys, we measure how these architectural designs impact the education experience. We have found significant benefits such as reduced behavioral issues in the classroom, increased teaching time, and additional opportunities for student engagement. All of these ensure that each student receives the best education possible.

In short, we intentionally emphasize the people and their experience as much as the building itself.

Virtual Staff Meeting
TDA, as a group of creative professionals, work to design and build the "next generation" educational and municipal facilities that are environmentally friendly, contextually rooted and inspiring to inhabit.
Chris Smith

At the core of our practice, we believe people are the most important aspect of every project. Whether it is satisfying our clients, or celebrating and empowering our diverse staff, a “people first design” permeates our culture and designs.

Our staff constantly pushes boundaries in design, acquiring new techniques, implementing technology and building support for your long-term plans.

We are not only designers, but educators and want to help every client understand the process and how it affects them for years to come.

Driving Architecture, Education and Community

TDA, as a group of creative professionals, work to design and build the “next generation” educational and municipal facilities that are environmentally friendly, contextually rooted and inspiring to inhabit.

We continue to address the challenges facing school districts, educators, and communities of the future and are committed to imagining better ways to educate.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Recent Posts:

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.

Virtual Staff Meetings: Reconnecting While we are Apart

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Virtual Staff Meetings: Reconnecting While we are Apart
Covid-19 has posed many serious challenges to normal business operations, especially for those in the creative, collaborative fields.

A challenging aspect of 2020 has been social distancing from our co-workers, our offices, and our normal routines. Staying home means a disrupted schedule and stopping into the office isn’t a reality for many of us. If we are parents, then we automatically became full-time teachers, cafeteria workers and crisis managers, juggling learning schedules, lunch breaks, and work-related deadlines. Seriously, how many times have we had our own “quarantined co-workers” (spouses, children, and the occasional dog or cat) “helpfully” join our client meetings to provide their opinions? The lines between work and home are blurred and we have to remember to find ways for self-care and manage these new sources of stress.

It’s been tough; however, we look forward to getting back together as creative professionals. Collaboration is the hallmark of the architectural field and it would be nice to see people again. TDA has been open throughout the pandemic as an essential business, and projects continue to move forward on schedule through the use of technology including video conference meetings with clients, contractors, and co-workers. Recently, we are seeing more of our staff coming back into the office to gather work, prepare for meetings, and to just check in.

The virtual staff meetings in which we’ve been engaging have been tremendously helpful to stay connected with our team of over 50 professionals in Northeast, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These forums provide updates from the partners, allow us to meet new hires, and learn about what projects are on the horizon. Also, sometimes it provides us with shared good humor and the occasional webcam hijinks (–careful, the mics are hot!)
We are characterized by "Good people doing great things!" and recognize it is more important than ever to stay connected.
ThenDesign Architecture

With some staff coming in on a rotating basis, we also have around 15-20 members of our team working in the office regularly. To support a safe and productive culture, we’ve now adopted a “hybrid work model” allowing our architects, interior designers, and support staff to work remotely when possible and come into the office as needed. This allows us to remain dedicated to supporting our clients and current projects, and to remain supportive of each other. Additionally, we perform “temperature checks” using an infrared forehead thermometer when staff and visitors enter the building, and once inside, everyone wears a mask when interacting within 6 feet of contact. (Remember to smile with your eyes, otherwise, we look angry all the time!) We continue to practice thorough handwashing throughout the day, wipe down workspaces at the end of the day, and the offices are sanitized regularly. We are determined to keep these measures in place as long as they are needed, ensuring everyone is healthy and safe as we move forward as a creative team.

TDA continues to be a firm of “Good People Doing Great Things!” and we’re using our “What If” mindset to do so in the safest possible way in this health-challenged environment.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

Get our newsletter with insights, events and tips.

Facebook Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Recent Posts:

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.