Parkhill Smith and Cooper

PARKHILL SMITH AND COOPER

            The last field trip we went on was to the first LEED certified building, Parkhill, Smith, and Cooper, that is located in Lubbock and has a silver certification. There are two main buildings next door to each other, the second one being the certified one because the first building was built before LEED came about, but a lot of the products found in the first building are similar to the LEED building. This company is made up of a huge group of people that work as a team with all of their other buildings around the state. PSC contains interior designers, engineers, and architects.  Although there are probably other employees at PSC, those are the main ones we learned about. PSC is one of the only companies that build a building from the inside out.

            Throughout this field trip we were introduced to the different ways of applying materials to buildings to conserve energy, last a good amount of time,  and always looking for a good price.  When choosing a product, PSC also thinks about the installation process and what is actually used during that process of application. The application process has to be eco-friendly as well in order to pass the LEED certification because as they explained, once a chemical is inside the building, it usually stays because of the way structures are built and sealed in.

            The most intriguing and creative green idea we came about was the parking lot on the side of the building. In order to conserve rainwater, they built the parking lot on an angle so the water would run down the parking lot and be absorb in the grass parking spots. In these grass parking spots, most of the chemicals, oils, and gas are gathered and the clean water is transported through a piping system. These pipes take the water all the way up to their roof in order to maintain their green roof. The green roof usually costs nothing to keep up with because of the parking lot, water system, but with the lack of rain, they had to water it extra. The green roof contains many plants and flowers and has a huge skylight in the middle of it in order to provide light for the office work space in the middle of the building. With this skylight, a lot of energy is saved because the lights do not always have to be turned on inside.

            Going on this field trip helped the class gain knowledge on not only energy saving ways, but money saving as well. Making the best decisions for the long run is key in most of the products. This field trip was perfect timing because we are currently designing a law firm building that deals with environmental friendly issues. We were able to take what we learned here and actually put it to use in a real life situation. 

Jeff Seal

Jeff Seal is a custom homebuilder that is based and was started in Lubbock. He designs and builds some of the most extravagant and detailed houses Lubbock has every seen. When my class and I were able to go on house tours with Jeff Seal himself, we were able to see his work and the process he goes through in order to accomplish the amount of work he does.

         Each home built by Jeff Seal is unique and a one of a kind. The houses are built from inspiration seen all over the world and even from everyday life experiences. Each of Jeff Seal’s customers come to him with a new design and inspiration for their house they want to create. Jeff Seal is one of the only homebuilders I have known that puts the amount of work into details while building a home. Jeff Seal and his team do everything when building a house from drawing it out, to the actually building of the house, to the decorations inside the home. With this ability to do so many things at once, Jeff Seal draws a huge clientele.

         Throughout each house, you are able to see different ideas, materials, and creations that an everyday homebuilder company would not use in their houses. Out of the two houses Jeff Seal toured us around, the flexibility and creativity throughout the houses were extremely visible to the class. The amount of differences between his houses is unbelievable, especially since he has designed and created so many homes.

         When touring the houses, it opened our eyes to view building and creating a house in a different manner. Jeff Seal and his team are not just creating a home for a family, but a lifestyle and an art piece for the visitors eye. Each house we walked through had elements that were exquisite in detail and amazing design on the builders part. The houses are planned out to the fullest in order to have symmetry, structure, and organization throughout the space. A big factor that is important to Jeff Seal was not only creativity, but function of the space. With the amount of time, detail, and money the company and customer put in are so important to Jeff Seal in order to make a perfect beyond perfect space for the family.

         

Collins Stone and Tile

     

     Collin’s Tile and Stone was the next stop for my materials class. During this field trip we were introduced into different styles of tile and stone and their uses. We were able to look at the newest styles of tiles that are just now coming out. We were able to see stone from the raw material straight from the truck to it being cut and polished for the actual application in a room. During this visit, we were actually out in their showroom where they store all the slabs of stone and we were able to go around and feel the difference between each type of stone. It was amazing to see the same type of stone in many different colors, textures, and sizes. Each type of stone varies from one another. Mr. Collin’s told us about how the demand for certain types of stones are very high, but because of the popularity of it and it being very hard to find, it is usually hard to have enough for his customers. We were informed about the most expensive stones, to the most durable, and the most common stones used for certain applications. I believed granite to be the most common application for a kitchen area. The durability of granite, availability of it, and the color choices really appeal to the customers in today’s market.

    

     The owner and starter of the company himself showed us around the showroom, so we were able to get some insider details on how the company started and how successful it is. Mr. Collin’s allowed us to go into the workspace where all the tiles are cut. It was amazing to see the machinery the employees have to work with everyday. The machines were huge and very expensive product. Mr. Collin’s informed us about how the pieces of tile were cut and what each machine did exactly at each stage of the process. The tile is only allowed to be cut at a certain angle and direction. It was amazing to see how many different designs and cuts they could do to make each customers one of a kind countertop or flooring. The broad spectrum of design Collin’s Stone and Tile offers is a reason it is so popular to residential and commercial customers. 

Flooring America

            Another field trip my class and I went on was to Flooring America to see all the different styles and materials you could use on the floor. At the store, I learned all the new innovations and materials people are starting to put on the floor. The most interesting material was the cork and leather flooring. Although when we think of cork, automatically we think about bulletin boards, but this cork is different from the normal everyday cork we think of. Also, the leather is not the same leather we find on a couch. This leather they use on the floor is a lot more durable and tough which makes it a better application for the floor. The owner of the store told us that they usually see leather floor located in a man cave, office, or a hunting room in order to keep the same “animal” theme going.

     

`      What really interested me was all the different styles, textures, and patterns carpet could contain. There were carpets of all different colors that I would never imagine. We were able to feel each different type of carpet in order to compare each one and understand exactly where each type of carpet would be placed in a house or commercial setting. I see most of the carpets with designs and colors in a commercial setting because it would be overkill in a residential setting and you would have to base most of your design off of the carpet.

     

      The tile we were able to view was also very innovative and coming out with new designs, styles and colors. There were tiles in all shapes and sizes and colors that were mixed in order to give consumers a new way to apply tile to certain areas. There were different mosaics and types of tile that were combined to make new designs and give the area where the tile will be applied a new and different look that the normal everyday tile people are used to. My favorite tile were the rectangles placed on the showroom floor that were a copper/brown and had a green/blue overlay shine to them. It was not the normal color tiles I would put on a floor, but I really did see where people could really spice up their house with a lot of these new tiles. There was also flooring that was made to look like slate, marble and nice tiles like that were not the real thing, but sometimes looked better than the real thing. It is amazing how so many new applications are coming available to the world.