Plans and Renderings

Contents

our storyoriginal vs new planentry and receptionconference roomcorridorcollaborative tank/auxiliary tankofficestimeshare desksextras

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our storyWhile our group was participating in a design build program in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the great Rodney Hill approached us asking if we would be interested in collaborating with some business students on an incubator or accelerator. At first, we all wondered how hard it was to design a space for eggs to hatch, but after we came to our senses, we realized that this was an amazing oppurtunity to design for people just like ourselves. Creating a space for the cultivation of creative minds is a dream come true, especially for us as students. It is a great oppurtunity to give back to the students of A&M before we even leave. Besides, something like this is long overdue on campus and we look forward to being some of the first members when it opens.

We started our design process with research. Not only did we reference existing coworking and accelerator programs, we studied the human mind and body. The needs of a working individual are often compromized in the name of productivity and we wanted to push back against this notion with the design of our space. This space would be a collaborative workplace. The word workplace often brings to mind a certain type of room. We wanted it to be easy to work in, but not be your average workplace. We concluded that all of your senses contribute to a healthy and vibrant workplace, and companies like Google and Red Bull have been running longterm experiments in their headquarters that proove just that. From our extensive research in this phase, we set out to create a space that stimulates collaboration and creativity by engaging the users and encouraging them to interact with it in ways that a normal workplace would not. Another major factor in our design was adaptablity because it was clear that some spaces would need to serve multiple functions.

As the design progressed, we broke into teams and started designing specific elements. For example, some worked on a new version of the ceiling, while others worked on moveable units to make a space adaptable for a presentation area to a collaborative workspace. Others worked on finding the most ergonomic chairs and designing the conference table and its functions. We all continually met to discuss how the design was going and threw ideas around for custom elements and accents to the space. Many of these ideas found their way into the final design. Many did not.

Finally, in a typical architectural student fashon, in a span of a few nights, we compiled all the work we had done for the semester into this presentation material as a visual aid for intersted investors. What you see here is our proposal for the new space. The work is to be divided into phases. The first phase will begin and end this summer. There are many subtle nuances that have been considered, but are not in the images. Be sure to read the descripitons of each space for all the deatails.

Thank you for the opportunity,

The designers

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original vs new plan

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Collaboration Tank

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ConferenceAuxiliary Tank

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Timeshare Desks O�ce

The existing space is clean and simple, which are characteristics that we build upon in our design. There are some inherent flaws though. One of the main ones is the absence of natural light in the spaces that are not along the perimeter. One of the major spaces, the collaboration tank, falls into this category. To solve this, we have changed the walls bordering the offices to an electric glass that can turn translucent or fully transparent on demand. We also eliminated the wall that divides the collaboration tank from the corridor. These two major changes solved another problem which was the compartmentalized nature of the whole space. Now the space has an openness to it which is essential to a collaborative environmnet. People will feel as if anything they need is just a few steps away. It also eliminates the need for doorways and hallways, which are wasted space.

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entry and reception

When you enter this place, you should feel as if this could not possibly exist on the Texas A&M campus. This entry sequence will give first time guests an introduction to many of the features that will be found throughout the space and also provide seasoned veterens with a quick and easy way to check what's going on and get to work. The elements of this room are a soft surface ergenomic foam floor, moveable couches that allow the room to function as a break spot, interesting lighting provided by the repurposing of the ceiling tiles, and an update/sign up wall that will be designed by an artist using only whiteboard paint. Whiteboard paint is abundant throughout the space and this tasteful and functional wall will allow members and managers to notify each other about happenings in the space. Topics may include a sign up sheet for the conference room, "When's the next group meeting?", and exiting news about buisinesses and products being born right in the building you are standing in. This format for notifications will encourage interactivity and self governance.

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Conference Room

The most static element in The Startup, the conference room, is an explicitly functional space. Incorpo-rating a beautifully designed central conference table, projection and camera mounts, and white board surfaced walls, this area is made to have groups get work done. The table is nearly square in design, allowing for more space to lay out plans and ideas as well as refrain from putting too much hierarchy on any end of the table. Complementing the slender glass table is a heavy light-emitting structure above, accompanied with a track lighting system and spot lights to put emphasis on areas of interest anywhere within the room. Also suspended is a state of the art projection and camera system for the most advanced and dynamic of video conferences. We want to incorporate as advanced of technology as we can in this space, as it will serve to provide premium quality conferences and group work sessions. To supplement the functionality of this productive space, each wall will be converted to a full white board surface. This allows the users to communicate many ideas that may be confusing when spoken, but clear when drawn. Notes, group pin-ups, schedules and many other uses can be derived from this permanently available resource.

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corridor

The corridor is the spine of the building. All of the elements in the building are accessed through this corridor, so it is imperative that it provides clear circulation to those spaces and also that it reads as a connector to the spaces that adjoin it. There is however, no reason for it to feel like a hallway. There is stained concrete down the length of this spine as well as a lighting sculpture that provides visual linkage to the collaborative space, the offices, and the reception. Through this iconic light sculpture, the entire space gains a cohesive nature and users can recognize elements throughout the space that connect into or reference this lighting sculpture. The wall with the offices have been replaced with an electric glass wall and the doors have been replaced with sliding doors. This feature is one of the most important changes to the current space, because it allows natural light, essential to a healthy workplace, to penetrate through the large windows in the offices, through the glass, and into the collaboration space. On the opposite side of the corridor, the wall has been removed to reveal the collaboration space which is the pulse of the building. The openness of this room is essential if it is to function as a big central space in which most of the magic happens. See the page on the collaboration space for more information.

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collaboration tank / auxiliary tank

As the pulse of The Startup, this space serves as the primary working resource for prospective entrepreneurs. Like many other spaces, the collaboration area will exhibit a high degree of functional adaptability. As an entity it will be capable of transitioning from sporadic individual work modules, to multiple small group stations, to a large group conference setting, and finally to a presentation room. The main component to this flexibility is the use of our modular, moveable tables. With their dual sided white board surfaces and ability to rotate to an upright position, these elements provide both horizontal and vertical planes for working and sketching on. Their verticality also permits those using the space to create partitions for their work environment. Another feature of these furniture pieces is their interlocking capability, as they will be able to group together to create larger tables in accordance with the size of the group using them. We now turn to the extruded wall on the far side of the room. Displaying the same adaptable qualities as the tables, this wall has multiple hidden components ranging from pull-out desks and chairs, to shelving and seating areas. This promotes the multifaceted use of space prevalent in the collaboration area, especially since all apparatus relating to this extrusion are capable of being seamlessly reintegrated with the wall as a unit. Once the tables are oriented vertically and the wall is amalgamated, the room fully opens up to its final function: that of a presentation / lecture space. Here, chairs can be aligned and a pull out stage can be set to garner the attention of audiences upwards of fifty persons. The last feature we will discuss is the flooring condition. In order to invoke a comfortable atmosphere in the space, a soft-flooring will rest beneath the users' feet. To the point of taking one's shoes off to experience this tactile sensation, we invite user's to work in a professional, yet non-stringent environment. An auxiliary space is made available to those occupying the collaboration area as well. This space is evocative of a break room, with few functional elements and a focus on relaxation and recuperation from extensive work done in the neighboring collaboration area.

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offices

The offices are where we get down to business. While their main function is to house Entreprenuers in Residence and / or Entreprenuership related groups, these spaces need to remain adaptable to circumstance. Some days these rooms will house an individual person, other days they will house interview-like meetings, and still others they will hold small conferences. The furniture and walls of this type of room have been designed to respond to these multiple facets. The corridor facing wall is of key importance to these spaces since it acts as both a barrier and a connection to the collaboration area. Utilizing electronically activated glass panels, which can be altered from transparent to translucent at the operators whim, we grant the office user power to choose between interaction and isolation. Each office will be outfitted with modular desks that allow for residents to occupy the space in the same sense you would a 'normal' office. These desks, much like in the collaboration area, can be fitted together to form larger tables or individual work planes. This helps with the office's ability to transform into a group oriented space for small meetings or design sessions. The same moveable couch pieces will be found here as well, invoking a sense of comfort despite the professional nature of the space. White-board style walls will provide an epic template for sketching, note-taking, scheduling, etc. Each office can be modified to suit its primary occupant's needs.

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timeshare desks

In order to provide focused productivity areas, we created the time-share room. Upon entry, one is met with a fragmented work-station environment where occupants are given an allotted desk equipped with the necessary components for intensive work sessions. The terminal-like apparatus users will inhabit is designed to block out all distractions and supplement a specific and efficient focus on being productive. The room housing these stations is somewhat isolated from the rest of The Startup, filtering out many likely disturbances, yet is walled with floor to ceiling windows that allow natural light to fill the space as well as provide a beautiful view of Research Park.

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