Category: Blog

A “not so normal” day at BGSU

hr_view1_7201Copyright, Scott Pease/ Pease Photography.

by Jennifer M. Bobbitt

Located 30 minutes south of Toledo, Ohio, and a little over two hours north of Columbus, Ohio, Bowling Green State University is anything but normal. Other than a brief visit for a soccer tournament some years ago, I had not experienced the flavor of BGSU until a recent photoshoot of the Wellogy (formerly Davis Wince, Ltd.) newly renovated Bowen Thompson Career Center, 2nd Floor Student Union, and Falcon Outfitters campus store. The spirit of the campus caught me off guard. Helpful, engaging, welcoming, energetic, diverse, and dynamic are all words that pop up as I reflect on my impression of the students and staff who were graciously willing to participate in our photoshoot.

It’s always exciting to see the project materials in the office, listen to the architects, project managers, and interior designers discussing the renovation, watching the layout designs develop, and seeing the selected finishes. It’s another thing to witness the finished space in use.

As with any project, there were many goals at the onset of this renovation.
– Relocate the campus store from the 2nd to the first floor and infill an existing staircase to the second floor.
– Move Student Employment to this building, move the Career Center to the 2nd floor to create a single location for student employment needs.
– Create additional meeting and interview rooms in addition to workspace for staff and overall office support needs.

hr_view8_7447Copyright, Scott Pease/ Pease Photography.

Meetings with user groups were conducted, and the program of requirements developed. Student input was involved as the space began to evolve. The new spaces include two floors of the Student Union and make full use of the open spaces. Every detail matters in a forward-thinking renovation. The demands and needs of today’s students have evolved since the last major renovation in 2002.

Looking around the 2nd-floor lobby space, nearly everyone was plugged into an electronic device- the chemistry study group, the online shopper, the paper writer, the social media surfer, the student calling home, the snapper and the texter. This was not the case in 2002, so updates are a welcome accommodation to today’s student population. Comfortable furniture with handles on the back for easy mobility and reconfiguring, multiple tables and work areas to spread out work or lunch line the large windows overlooking the picturesque campus walkway and allows for natural daylight to energize the space. Large electronic window blinds that filter daylight can be accessed during sunnier days as easily as the furniture can be adjusted to avoid screen glares.

hr_view6_7355Copyright, Scott Pease/ Pease Photography.

Signature BGSU orange is sprinkled throughout the space in the carpets, upholstered furniture, and walls. Lighting was used as a design element and provides a unique and striking detail to the space. The bold intersecting ceiling lighting design was inspired by the concept of a “career superhighway,” depicting the many paths and job changes the student will take to form a career.

hr_view7_7393Copyright, Scott Pease/ Pease Photography.

The new Career Center + Student Employment Services combines two previously separate areas into a one-stop-shop for employment. The move of the Career Center to a visual and centrally located building on campus supports the University’s goal to provide every student with the opportunity to have an internship prior to graduation. The new location, resources, and additional meeting and interview rooms support the mission to help students transition from student to a post-graduation job market.

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We witnessed students using employment computers to research jobs and prepare for interviews. While we were there, a prominent company arrived to set up for interviews in the newly redesigned interview and conference spaces. The area house several smaller rooms designed for meeting and interview areas. Each equipped with large wall-mounted televisions and one of my favorite features- the tables have a center hidden plug-in spots so there is no need to worry about tripping over a cord plugged into a sidewall. Speaking of plugins- they are everywhere, from the bottoms of the benches to the high top tables.

hr_view7_7416Copyright, Scott Pease/ Pease Photography.

The Career Center + Employment Services has another appealing and unique feature that allows it to be shut down at night. A clear glass accordion door closes off the space after work hours allowing students to still utilize the bulk of the space.

img_3014The campus store, Falcon Outfitters was previously on two floors. The central stairway connecting the two floors was infilled to create more usable space for the store and the 2nd-floor Career Center + Student Employment Services and lobby. The new design offers an in-house Apple store, “ZiggaByte,” textbook rentals, dorm and art supplies, BGSU clothing, gifts, and merchandise, as well as fingerprinting and background checks; an added convenience for those going into teaching, coaching or volunteering.

hr_view3_7266Copyright, Scott Pease/ Pease Photography.

The store environment is highly visible, fresh, bright and packed with school spirit. Interesting LED lighting and industrial finishes complement the inviting space. Feature walls accents product groupings and moveable center aisle displays allow for flexibility in merchandising the space.
hr_view9_7490Copyright, Scott Pease/ Pease Photography.

Located at the back of the store is a merchandise and textbook online ordering center and pick up area. Falcon Outfitters serves as the one-stop-shop for anything you need to get on campus. The new areas support the needs of today’s students while allowing for flexibility as space demands change.

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The cool fall day turned into a warm and welcoming experience as we wrapped up the photoshoot. There’s something very ironic about going to Bowling Green and seeing orange everywhere. It’s also ironic that in this college of “Normals” is an exceptional spirit and energy with the drive to evolve and excel at providing an anything but normal college experience.

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Destination Health & Wellness

HR_0082by Jennifer M. Bobbitt

A place for medically integrated fitness…
The much-anticipated MC Fitness & Health opened in January 2016. A welcome addition to Delaware County, Ohio, it houses the second emergency room in the county, a fully equipped and staffed medically integrated fitness facility, physicians offices, physical and occupational therapy, sports medicine, women’s health, imaging, laboratory, exercise studios, pools, spa, café and community meeting spaces.

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Before the opening of MC Fitness & Health, I had the opportunity to spend a day in the facility directing a photoshoot. As a member of the two firm design teams that produced the project- OLC Architecture, Interiors and Aquatics and Wellogy (formerly Davis Wince, Ltd. Architecture), I finally experienced the result of months of work and planning in our office. The facility was empty of patrons, but not without life. The energy was starting to build as the array of fitness equipment was in place; the pool was filled with calm, clear water, and the staff offices, once empty, now had post-it notes with reminders in place. When we returned three weeks later for a follow-up photoshoot, the grand opening for the fitness facility had just occurred, and the Emergency Department was preparing to open the following day.

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The walls were energized with vibrant graphics, the cafe’ was open, one of the local high schools occupied the 25-meter pool making waves during their daily swim team practice, and the facility was engaging the community in activity previously void on this corner of Delaware County. We witnessed women socializing over tandem treadmill walking, a bariatric patient taking the stairs to the fitness area, a recent heart surgery patient receiving exercise equipment instruction and assistance from a trainer, medical staff enjoying a healthy lunch in the Dash Café, a young woman with a knee injury strength training in the weight area, a man jumping rope in the cardio studio, a couple walking the upper level track, patients in the physical medicine area waiting to see their doctors, training in the laboratory, a senior fitness class in the smaller pool, and preparations for a meeting in both sides of the community conference rooms. It was alive with people on a wellness journey to make their lives better, to make their bodies stronger, to heal. Over 8 hours, we ran into several of the same people utilizing different parts of the facility from the workout area to the café and waiting areas. The years of planning had evolved into photo-ready moments, capturing the vision of the team.

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MC Fitness & Health is nestled in one of Ohio’s fastest-growing counties. Delaware County has seen a 58% growth rate since 2000, according to the Delaware County Community Health Improvement Plan. The updated estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau reports that Delaware County has approximately 189,113 residents.

A case for medically integrated fitness…                                                                                                   

I am one of 189,113. Our family of 5 moved to Delaware County in 2000. Part of the big suburban sprawl in the early 2000’s, we built our home in a new neighborhood full of families with young kids. The community that in 2000 had one public outdoor pool and no indoor pools has seen incredible growth in population and facilities to accommodate the active residents. Over the past three years, I have come to realize the great value of easy access to medical care, the benefits of medically integrated fitness, and the convenience that an all-inclusive facility like MC Fitness & Health can provide to a family or individual with a complex medical condition.

Medical conditions can arise at any given time in our lives and in varying degrees of severity. Having access to outstanding care and convenient follow through for a recovery plan is key in times of medical upheaval. Our family logged thousand of miles traveling for medical needs and we found ourselves assembling and piecing together a plan of recovery to save our 13-year-old son. Three years ago, he suffered a major hemorrhagic stroke as the result of a brain aneurysm caused by a congenital birth defect known as an AVM. The condition was undiagnosed with no sign of distress until the morning it ruptured, a surprise to all of us.

From the onset and through the course of ongoing recovery, we have interacted with medical services requiring five brain surgeries, a two-month stay in the hospital, weekly lab work, speech, physical and occupational therapy, AFO and bracing, Botox injections, weekly visits for serial casting, to name a few. One complicating factor in the recovery plan was the piecing together of multiple services at multiple locations, some days spending more time traveling than the actual appointments. The care was outstanding, the traveling and coordinating- draining. To make life more interesting, our older son had knee surgery due to a bone fragment and was on crutches for six weeks and in physical therapy for three months. Then, to keep things entertaining and because we were getting used to our new life of medical issues, it happened again a year later. Another knee surgery for another bone fragment, crutches, therapy… then a fractured wrist. My older son’s medical appointments were at one location, therapy 15 miles away at another location. All the while, driving our younger son to the hospital (an hour round trip) from home for weekly blood work and to therapy requiring another hour-long round trip drive each visit, three times a week. We bought an exercise bike to have at home, bought lots of therapy aides, and joined a gym at the advice of both boys’ therapists. When you are dealing with medical conditions, life must go on. People must eat, sleep, work, play sports, and tend to everyday demands.

While the story is unique to my family, many face similar challenges when adjusting to life with a medical condition for themselves or a family member. Organizing, coordinating, and participating in healing efforts can be complicated by proximity to services and ease of use. Healthcare needs are best met when they offer convenience and affordability. Facilities like MC Fitness & Health not only offer great convenience in times of medical disruption, but they provide an opportunity to be a proactive player in your health and future wellness. The blending of expert clinical advice and dynamic fitness instruction in a single location is critical in the overall cycle of care.

Inclusive facilities offer health benefits for the support team as well as the patient. Aside from the obvious convenience of scheduling and proximity of appointments, as a caregiver, I would gladly welcome the opportunity to walk off some stress on a treadmill or enjoy a healthy dinner in the café while my son is in therapy. To improve the best possible health outcomes, health systems need to recognize the proactive benefits of uniting clinical care with medically integrated fitness and dedicate resources to develop inclusive and convenient facilities focused on restoring health and preventing future health issues. When this is accomplished and utilized to its fullest, the patients’ cycle of care will improve, as will the entire healthcare system.

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MC Fitness & Health, Mount Carmel Health Systems is located at 7100 Graphics Way in Lewis Center, just north of Columbus, Ohio. Lewis Center is in Delaware County and is approximately 25 minutes directly north of Franklin County, where the State’s Capital and The Ohio State University reside.

Developer: NexCore Group
Architect of Record: OLC Architecture, Interiors and Aquatics
Medical Architect: Wellogy (formerly Davis Wince, Ltd.)
Power Wellness: Fitness Center Management
Construction: Elford

Photography: Pease Photography
Copyright, Scott Pease/Pease Photography

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