I’ve heard of “households”, “neighborhoods”, “greenhouses”, and “cottages”, but now I’ve heard a new one: “resorts”. Looks like these include the wellness centers, which include a combined physical therapy and fitness center, open for residents, and outpatients, including the community, and the resurgence of the “aquatic center” as a low-impact, therapeutic exercise amenity. More than a few years ago, multiple person spa tubs were fairly popular, but maintenance and access proved to be issues on a smaller scale. Steps and Hoyer lifts have been replaced with long, gentle ramps for easy access and gradual acclimation to the water. Lap swimming, for those so inclined, is a fun bonus. I’ve seen similar at some large campuses and would like to see this idea on a smaller scale.
Households, Neighborhoods, Greenhouses, Cottages…
October 24th, 2011 by Stuart Bailey2011 NFDA International Convention & Expo — Stop by Booth 1126
October 13th, 2011 by Denise Schnettler
Come Meet Us at WAHSA’s 2011 Fall Conference & 11th Annual Exhibitors Forum
September 30th, 2011 by Denise Schnettler
Miller Architects & Builders Starts Construction on Microbiologics Corporate Headquarters Building Expansion
September 15th, 2011 by Denise Schnettler
St. Cloud, Minnesota—Miller Architects & Builders held a ground breaking ceremony yesterday for Microbiologics 19,200 square foot expansion, nearly doubling the size of their existing building, at the company’s corporate headquarter in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Scheduled for completion in April 2012.
The new two-story building will include a reception area, many offices and work spaces, several conference rooms, a large shipping and warehouse area, as well as an area for employee functions. Renovations will also be completed to improve production and packaging areas in the existing building.
Microbiologics Chief Executive Officer, Brad Goskowicz, commented, “With this new building expansion, and the improvements to our existing building, Microbiologics is going to be even more efficient than we are today. We are redesigning our production, packaging, and shipping areas to streamline the manufacturing process and get orders out the door faster, and all of our administrative departments will be located in one central area to create a more organized work environment.”
Goskowicz added, “Microbiologics is growing rapidly and with additional space and enhancements, we will continue to expand as we fulfill our mission of providing the highest quality biomaterials for a safer, healthier world.”
Miller Architects & Builders is extremely proud to have the opportunity to team with Microbiologics on this exciting project from architectural services through construction.
Established in 1874, Miller Architects & Builders is one of the Midwest’s premier design/build commercial architectural and construction firms. Miller Architects & Builders constructs all its facilities using your local labor. For more information visit, www.millerab.com.
“Green” and Sustainable Building Solutions
September 1st, 2011 by Stuart Bailey“Green” and sustainable building solutions continue to work their way into the health care sector. The promised savings and paybacks don’t have a long track record yet, so choosing direction on where to spend your sustainable dollars, especially with tight bottom lines, is key. One area where the technology is rapidly improving and costs are becoming competitive is lighting. Payback on energy savings is immediate. LED’s, high efficiency fluorescents, and halogens have already been proven in numerous installations of all kinds of building types. The August ‘11 issue of “Building Design + Construction” contains an article of interest. Here’s the link: www.BDCnetwork.com
Churches & Change: Discovering Internal Relevance by Looking Outside Our Walls
August 22nd, 2011 by Dick Wehrs, MDIV, MFAA friend of mine in St. Louis had an unusual part-time job, staffing the Sunday morning nursery of a congregation that gathers in a massive stone church. What a building it is! Except for the clearly Protestant designation on the monumental sign out front, one could easily mistake this majestic structure as an historic cathedral, occupying an entire city block.
What made my friend’s job so unusual was that, despite her assumptions when she first walked through the grand doors of the place, my friend never had more than two or three children to care for in her nursery. Often, there were none. In fact, the huge sanctuary, with seating for more than 1000, seldom saw more than 50 or 60 people in worship.
As she described this situation to me, I couldn’t help but wonder: How does a tiny community of faith continue to function in such a huge facility? The maintenance costs alone would bring most congregations to financial ruin. And yet, this church building was in immaculate condition, including a recent roof replacement project that cost nearly $500,000.
The key: an endowment fund had been established generations ago for the sole purpose of preserving the building. As the decades passed, the neighborhood changed; members moved to the suburbs and no efforts were made to attract their replacements. Ironically, even as the congregation shrank, the endowment grew. Today it’s worth well over $16,000,000 – enough to ensure that the building will last into perpetuity, even if there’s little – or, perhaps someday, no — actual ministry being done within its walls!
Remarkably, and sadly, attitudes and ambitions at this church haven’t changed much despite years of decline. Surrounded by countless blocks of urban need and despair, the congregation continues to operate as if frozen in time, its aging and dwindling membership carrying on with business as usual. The stone walls are a shield against change, and block from view the least, the last, the lost.
I can’t help but marvel at what a gift this building once again could be for so many, if only its doors would be opened to the community that surrounds it! Many churches in similar situations have discovered a whole new world of purpose and faithfulness by embracing the changes – sometimes radical, sometimes incremental – that time inevitably brings. An entrepreneurial spirit that finds opportunities in every moment of change would serve my friend’s church well!
Repurposing existing church facilities has been an important – and growing – part of the work we do at Miller Architects & Builders. Often that comes only after we help the congregational client assess its mission and vision, its objectives in ministry, through one of our professionally conducted studies or strategic planning processes. Know what a church yearns to achieve is a critical first step in deciding how facilities need to be reshaped. It’s thrilling to see how ministries can have a tremendous new vitality when they’re supported by the right kinds, sizes, and quantities of space!
Current Trends in New Funeral Homes, Part II
July 14th, 2011 by Dave TeBrakeThis is the second article in the series regarding the many trends we have experienced in the design of a new funeral home facility. This article features three additional trends that we are currently experiencing.
- Smaller or No Casket Showrooms. Over 50% of the new funeral homes we are building have been designed without a casket showroom. In these facilities we are designing what we call an arrangement room suite. The arrangement room suite is roughly 20’ x 20’ and contains a large conference table sized to accommodate 10-12 people. The room offers a large flat screen TV that displays the myriad of caskets available through the vendors selected by the funeral home. This room will also have one wall used for merchandise display for items such as urns, vaults, and other related funeral items. An abundance of natural light and soft furniture located around the perimeter make this room a very comfortable space for families making their arrangements.
- Children’s Rooms. Most all of the new funeral home’s today are providing a space for children. This space is typically not very large, but adequate enough to occupy several children during the hours of a visitation. The most successful spaces are those that have all items fixed within the room so they cannot be taken to other areas of the funeral home. These spaces are usually outfitted with a TV, DVD player, and video game console along with some comfortable child sized furniture. While the “traditional” funeral director sometimes can argue the need of this room, the families they serve love those rooms within their facility.
- Audio/Video Technology. One of the major changes in today’s funeral homes is audio/video technology. An abundance of items are available for today’s funeral director, and the skies the limit depending on your budget. Video technology is one of the most prevalent.
Today’s new funeral homes are being equipped with numerous cameras to service multiple purposes. First, is to provide security for the facility. All cameras are wired to a central system and that system is accessible through a secured internet connection. This allows the funeral director to see everything going on within the facility whether they are in their business office or on a beach thousands of miles away. The second purpose for the video cameras is to offer video recording to families of their loved one’s service.
Video information boards both internally and externally are being installed so that a funeral director can more easily and effectively inform families and the community of the details of current and upcoming funerals. Externally they are usually associated with a digital monument sign, which can also be used as a source of relaying community information as well.
Flat screen TV’s are prevalent in today’s new funeral homes throughout the facility providing videos and pictures of a family’s loved one; video of a service in overflow seating areas; and providing community and funeral home information.
Audio technologies have also improved dramatically by providing I-pod jacks throughout the facility. This allows a family to be able to play their loved ones music through the funeral homes sound system during a visitation or funeral.
Next month I will share three final points in our series on what is current within the designs of today’s new funeral homes. As always, I would love to hear from you on any newer experiences you have witnessed. I look forward to sharing again with you next month!
Dave TeBrake, Executive Vice President
Government Shutdown Looms
June 24th, 2011 by Stuart BaileyAs government shutdown looms for the State of Minnesota, it is apparent that seniors and the continuum of care are caught in the ideological tug-of-war. Without getting involved in the various ideologies, I think that both branches of State government need to step back and take a hard look at the role of government, in general, in order to solve their budget differences. I isn’t even so much as to whether the bureaucracy is too large. It’s more about the basic services government should provide and the maximum impact on the greatest number of individuals.
If government provides for health, safety, and welfare (not entitlement welfare), then police, fire, and infrastructure are paramount. After that, the most vulnerable individuals have to be protected, like children and our seniors. Arguably there is a lot of bang for the taxpayer buck spending on seniors. A maximum number of people are helped, as are jobs. I compare that to light rail, for instance, where an enormous amount of money is spent, with relatively few people served. It’s really about losing sight of real priorities.
IFDA 131st Annual Convention
June 24th, 2011 by Denise Schnettler
“Mission, Ministry & Facilities Needs Study” – a Great First Step for Churches!
June 22nd, 2011 by Dick Wehrs, MDIV, MFAAt Miller Architects & Builders, we work with a lot of different churches. Big or small, newly formed or generations old. Urban or rural. Churches of all denominations.
But one thing that many, if not most, have in common is summed up with a statement similar to these: “We haven’t done this before.” “We’re stuck.” “We’re not sure how to proceed.”
Churches find a valuable partner in Miller, because we’ve been down this road many, many times! Often the very best place to start is with our “Mission, Ministry & Facilities Needs Study” – not only an expertly informed, experienced and objective look at your current facility, but also a comprehensive examination of what your ministry goals are, and how they affect your facilities needs today, and in the future. We interview members of your church, conduct large- and small-group discussions, and visit with staff about their hopes and dreams. We also pore over the dimensions, types, numbers, and condition of each of your building’s rooms, paying particular attention to opportunities for energy conservation. All of this, and more, is then synthesized into a report of findings and professional recommendations for how you can best prepare for your church’s future.
Church clients — and especially pastors — have been thrilled with the clarity this study provides! Most can’t believe how much easier the path ahead appears after it’s complete. You can read a description of our MM&FNS, its process, benefits, and costs, by clicking this link.
Or better yet, give me a call at either number below! I’d be delighted to stop by and meet you at your church, provide a free initial facilities assessment, and share our enthusiastic Needs Study references and other helpful information with you!
Richard Wehrs,
Development Consultant & Worship Facilities Specialist
320.293.3893 (cell)
800.772.1758 (office, toll-free)