These projects break down into two basic categories, those focused on manufacturing and those focused on retail. Each project is unique and fascinating in that they allow us to dive deeply into a particular industry, learn about its processes, and develop solutions that will facilitate their work while creating a pleasant working environment for their employees.
One unusual issue our industrial clients have is the need for “clean room” technology. This is a space for the assembly of high tech parts where dust and debris are prevented from getting into these components. It is well isolated, well-controlled from contamination, and actively cleansed. Both our neighbor here in Cazenovia, Marquardt Switches, and TTM Technologies in East Syracuse require careful design to maintain the “clean-room” standards required for their assembly processes. The design elements required include: carefully planned ventilation systems with sophisticated filtration, careful coordination of circulation and egress elements to maintain required isolation, and signage to ensure everyone is aware of the requirements of the specific spaces.
Another industrial design element is the receiving area and warehousing. While designing a “loading dock” might at first seem mundane, in actuality, this is a highly sophisticated and integral function for our industrial clients. The ability to conveniently and easily receive, dispatch, organize, and store raw materials as well as completed products is vital to their facilities operations. Dock seals and levelers provide easy access between the trucks and the warehouse. Classification areas that can then move the materials to high density warehousing ensure that everything is where it should be and available when needed.
Our industrial clients allow us to learn a great deal about the specifics of their industries. A recent example of this was the new addition for Upsco Manufacturing and Distribution, who make gas meters, gas infrastructure, and underground pipeline equipment. An important part of their process is the powder coating of many of their components. The powder coating line is a moving assembly space. This process is so integral in Upsco’s work that their space was designed around this specific equipment.
In addition to our industrial clients, our commercial projects also include work for retail clients. Retail projects tend to involve more interior design work, as these are presentation spaces for the public to engage with the retail client. Whether for an automobile showroom at a car dealership or a formal dining room in a restaurant, these types of spaces involve a higher level of finishes.
The intricate design needed for retail clients often creates opportunities to restore and/or recreate historic elements of buildings that may have been lost over time. At the Brewster Inn here in Cazenovia our team worked closely with the owner’s contractor to re-produce the carved “rosettes” that were part of the original 1890 building’s millwork. This kind of historic feature adds an element of elegance that many projects have difficulty achieving. Another client of ours has a Victorian era building and we assisted in the re-creation of exterior trim elements. For this project we recreated the original wooden finials in PVC to ensure they wouldn’t rot.
These projects and their unique needs have taught us a lot over the years. Additionally, it is always interesting to us to learn how different industries work. We are always excited to start a new commercial project because we often get to tap into skills that we may not have utilized in a while.