University of Cincinnati, School of Architecture

What drove the change?

“The practice of architecture and interior design has moved to the computer,” says Anton C. Harfmann, AIA, who is the Associate Dean of Academic Technology and Facilities in the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, and who was the lead architect on the project. “But we still need to accommodate sketching and physical model building, along with the computer equipment.”

That’s a pretty heavy requirement for any space. But that’s exactly why the School of Architecture decided they had to make a change. “Our 50-year-old drafting tables just weren’t doing the job,” says Harfmann.

What were the design requirements?

So the facility team went out searching for a better solution. What did they want to accomplish?

• Create a space that would accommodate both the new and old “tools of the trade”.
• Foster interaction and teamwork through open communication.
• Design a solution that could flex based on student enrollment each quarter. The university needed to add or remove capacity in four separate but contiguous studios.
• Within each studio, the furniture had to accommodate different projects and teams.
• Create more storage space for projects.
• Find a solution that would not look trendy or dated.
• Ensure easy maintenance and repair.

What was the solution?

The University of Cincinnati chose Bold Furniture to create the perfect solution. They researched different furniture styles, but found that the most flexible solution for them involved freestanding furniture. “We used a combination of custom and standard product,” says Pamela Porter. “We chose Bold Furniture because they were so easy to work with, and they would customize their product to fit our needs.”