Case Studies

Leaders at the Chickasaw Nation had the vision of creating a kid’s version of an entire town within the corridors of their Child Development Center. The center includes a post office, fire department, police station, bookstore, flower shop, and a movie theater. Each classroom resembles a scene you might see walking through a typical downtown.

If you are a specifier seeking FSC-certified laminate to qualify for US Green Building Council’s LEED® credits, learn more about selecting Wilsonart® Laminate with confidence.

It is somewhat tongue-in-cheek when Landon Lawson, Project Director for Vanguard Health Systems quips that “Vanguard is the Vanguard of outcome-based quality healthcare,” but the company is certainly part of what is driving the big philosophical changes in healthcare design. “Our sole focus is healthcare,” says Lawson, “and it is really evolving from sick care to caring for health. We implement evidence based practices to move from a fee-for-service model, to a fee-for-value model.” With 28 facilities in five distinct markets (Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan and Texas), Vanguard cultivates locally branded health systems that meet the needs of the people in the region. The Mission Trail Baptist Hospital is a 214,000- squarefoot, 110-bed replacement facility that was recently completed in San Antonio, TX as a part of the Baptist Health System. Architects and designers from Earl Swensson Associates, Inc. (ESa) collaborated with the project owner and the care providers to develop a patient-centered, family friendly hospital. In addition to applying best practices for evidence-based healthcare, there were three design criteria that informed the specification of materials throughout the project: LEED Gold certification, regional harmony and creating a facility that is both light and quiet.

Finding A Way For Higher Education

Higher education is, in one sense, about finding a way to a better future. It is not always an easy course. To earn a credential, a student must have direction, dedication and an idea of what a successful future looks like. Institutions of higher learning are expected to embody those same traits. A great example of an edifice matching this ethos is the new Kent State University Regional Academic Center in Twinsburg, Ohio.

Holiday Builders has a simple mission: provide homeowners with quality-built homes of lasting value for the best possible price. And clearly they are successful in fulfilling that mission. In Holiday Builders’ first year of business, the goal was to sell 12 homes, instead they sold 76. Nearly 30 years and 30,000 single-family homes later, Holiday is still making the dream of homeownership come true in communities in Florida, Alabama, Texas and South Carolina. By constantly adapting designs and materials selections, Holiday Builders is able to withstand market fluctuations while delivering customers the options that make a house a dream home.

The Argo Tea greenhouse in Connors Park on the Near North Side of Chicago is a little architectural gem in a city of architectural wonder. What makes the tea-osk so clever is that it serves its setting while being an edifice of Argo Tea’s core values. Founded in 2003 by Arsen Avakian (CEO), Simon Simonian and Daniel Lindwasser, Argo Tea does more than serve drinks, it provides people with a one-cup-at-a-time experience. 

Designers and facilities managers know that lockers are much more than banks of boxes.

Travis Science Academy, formerly Travis Middle School, has undergone a renovation in more ways than one. 

At the Mid-Michigan Children's Museum, Sharon Exley, ASID, Architecture is Fun, Inc. helped to transform a car dealership into a children's museum with wow factor. The durability and strength of Wilsonart's Laminates can accommodate the 300,000 children that visit the museum each year, but the playfulness of the Wilsonart color palette make it appealing to both children and adults.