February 1, 2008
  Three Hospitals Spring from One Design
Kaiser Permanente medical complexes are a template for expedient functionality
To complete three hospitals in California on a compressed time schedule, Kaiser Permanente and a joint venture between SmithGroup and Chong Partners Architecture formed an integrated team of architects, state regulators, and general contractors that was able to create a pre-designed template applicable to a variety of sites. By working together as an integrated team even from the earliest stages, the group was able to counteract design problems and discrepancies before they became a drain on time or budget.

HOK’s Toronto Park Redesign is Going to the Dogs
Human users also get their shares of a delightful urban space
HOK architects from the firm’s Toronto office have transformed the city’s Cawthra Square Park with a redesign that introduces dedicated zones to create a positive experience for the different and often incompatible users of the one-acre property. It also breaks new ground in accommodating dog lovers—a touchy issue in downtown Toronto—with a dedicated dog park area, complete with special surfacing, gates, and a dog drinking fountain with a spray, and seating (for the owners).

BOOK REVIEW
Frank’s Last Stand
Frank Lloyd Wright in New York: The Plaza Years, 1954–1959, by Jane King Hession and Debra Pickrel (Gibbs Smith, 2007)
Garo Gumusyan, AIA, sets the stage for his review: “Frank Lloyd Wright, the suave, romantic playboy, at 85 years old, has one last mission—to seduce that faithless woman of a certain age, New York City. She has been on his list for a long time. This time, though, he will do it his way. Everything is meticulously planned…down to the Plaza Hotel’s Suite # 223, which Wright will completely make over; for Christian Dior’s previous “inferior desecration” of the room simply will not do.”

 

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This is the home of the weekly Best Practices column, news of tips and tools that you can use in your day-to-day practice and case studies illustrating “how-tos” and “lessons learned” for all stages of practice. The Practice Zone also features reports of research in architecture and related fields.