12
BUSINESS NEWS UCLA PRITZKER HALL PROJECT WRAPS; TANGRAM DESIGNS NEWLY RENOVATED PSYCHOLOGY TOWER UCLA Pritzker Hall, formerly known as Franz Hall, located in Los Angeles, CA is an eight- story building plus three basement levels that house a large psychiatry complex. The UCLA Psychology department received a $30 million commitment in 2020 from the Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Family Foundation to fund the renovation and tower upgrades. The building was named Pritzker Hall in recognition of the gift. Pritzker Hall is home to the Psychology Undergraduate program, one of the largest at the university. The tower was originally completed in 1967 by famed architect, Paul Revere Williams and has received minor changes since then. CO Architects enlisted Tangram Interiors to provide attractive research and collaboration spaces and modernized classrooms fitted for learning and research. Along with functional updates desired throughout, an upgraded aesthetic that would attract and retain employees and students was the priority. In addition to classroom upgrades, private offices, updated research labs and active learning classrooms, a variety of collaborative spaces were requested. Tangram worked closely with CO Architects to complete the LEED Platinum Certified two-year project installation. The renovated double-height lobby highlights the original architectural elements exemplified through contemporary finishes and student- oriented furniture choices. The space has multiple study and lounge areas fit for both individual and collaborative needs. A variety of seating options were provided throughout the lobby including, the Steelcase Joel lounge chair, Circa lounge seating and Montara chairs. Steelcase Bassline coffee tables along with Avelina meeting tables by Arcadia were used in various locations. The structural waffle
slab of the second floor and the marble-clad walls within the lobby and mezzanine renew the study and student space with ample light and an open concept. Upgraded research space was designed to achieve both state-of-the-art and functionality features(this sentence feels awkward to me). The dry research areas were customized to fit specialized equipment, modular furnishings, and shared testing rooms. The shareable testing spaces received a sectional approach for small and large research teams to utilize the space. Wet labs were designed to be a shareable space, and were equipped with modular benches to support specialized, hands-on work. Furniture used for these areas were Steelcase Cobi chairs, Universal tables and storage along with Currency mobile pedestals. The clinic research spaces were designed and outfitted to serve students and the community. These areas now have waiting areas and observation corridors along with digital control rooms. Student-oriented elements and active learning classrooms with ample collaboration space were woven into the elemental design of the space. Each classroom can house up to 300 students and required capabilities to support evolving courses and grade levels. Therefore, technology-driven spaces with flexible seating, movable furniture and team-focused learning was best suited for the classrooms. In conjunction with the new research spaces, Pritzker Hall supports faculty research in areas including anxiety and depression; substance abuse and addiction; human relationships; stress, resilience and health; neuroscience; and cognition and consciousness with a need for flexible classrooms. Many upgraded conference rooms throughout the eight-story building were thoughtfully designed to also support collaboration and academic research. The technologically advanced rooms were
fitted with Steelcase FrameOne tables, Potrero tables, and Montara chairs. “UCLA Psychology students and faculty alike are humbled by the thoughtfully designed Pritzker Hall renovation project,” said Victoria Sork, Dean of life sciences. “CO Architects together with Tangram, were able to honor the building’s history while providing the needed cutting-edge facelift. From the collaborative spaces throughout to the newage research labs, the innovative furniture and overall execution of design gives our program renewed confidence as one of the top psychology departments in the United States.” Pritzker Hall was awarded the Westside Urban Forum Merit Award in the public/institutional category. The project was recognized for its emphasis on collaboration between students and faculty, while elevating the program’s candor and highly sought after psychology programs. Los Angeles-based CO Architects is nationally recognized for architectural planning, programming and design in the higher education, science & technology, civic and healthcare sectors, and works with leading institutions from coast to coast. In 35 years of practice, CO Architects has led innovative and successful projects in 29 states and the UK. The firm’s specialized expertise includes transformative projects for schools of medicine and the health professions, advanced research and teaching laboratories, leading- edge museums and civic landmarks, and innovative clinical facilities on higher education, healthcare and urban campuses. Tangram Interiors collaborates with clients as a creative partner to create and manage interior environments that enhance the client’s brand and culture through the expert integration of technology, furniture, flooring, and service solutions.
own business. Not all sources have equal value and not all recipes will work with your particular situation. The “art of management” requires you to be discriminating and thoughtful in terms of how you use all this stuff. If there is a use for it, you need to decide what that is. You also need to be wary of how every change you want to make will be perceived by your people – most of whom won’t have the same perspective that you have. MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com. “While it’s great that there is so much free information, too much of it in my opinion offers up what I would call a magic bullet for whatever problems or issues you are facing.”
MARK ZWEIG, from page 11
There are some people out there – some of the largest “consumers” of this kind of information – who are “management junkies,” for lack of a better term. And while I respect their constant quest for how to do things better – because that in itself is admirable – I don’t appreciate the schizophrenia that comes from it. I also know how costly it can be to the leader’s credibility with their people when they go from one trendy initiative to the next. They (the employees) view it as a lack of consistency and a lack of some kind of substantive and comprehensive business philosophy that guides everything the leader does. I guess the point of my treatise here is that if you are running a business – let’s say an AEC business, since that is the bulk of The Zweig Letter ’s readership – you have to pick and choose carefully what information you consume and how you process it and employ it in your
© Copyright 2021. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
THE ZWEIG LETTER DECEMBER 6, 2021, ISSUE 1419
Made with FlippingBook Annual report