Under Construction, Part 2

Great progress has been made on the space since my last post. This pics show the progression of various architectural features at about the mid-way point of construction. One of the elements we are excited to see rendered is our entryway ceiling. Above is the framing for the circle feature. Here is the frame drywalled and integrated:

The other element we are all excited to put to good use is our new conference room. Lately, we have not been able to fit our entire team into our conference room let alone larger client teams. Thankfully, that will all change with our new space.

Our new open area has elevated drywall ceilings and great natural light. This will be a huge improvement over our current cave-like collaborative area.

And, of course, your truly and Brandon will need to find some new furniture to fill our new larger offices. The main reason for the expanded personal office space is so we have a smaller area to hold small team meetings, critiques and scrum sessions. Here is the framing to my office:

That's not to say it has been a walk in the park. It's amazing how easy it is to take the most mundane things for granted until you realize what goes into making it so transparent in everyday lives. Take electrical power for example. Due to scheduling and logistical issues, the majority of the build-out will have been rendered with a generator as on-site power has been absent.

As I write this, we look (and have) to move in 10 days. Fingers-crossed.

Comments (0)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 4 November 2009 at 8:33am

Under Construction, Part 1

As all 12 of our readers have probably noticed, our blog posts have been far and few between for the past several months. Now, what reason could there be for this travesty?

Have we run out of things to say or post?  Yeah, right. That'll be the day.

Have we gotten so lazy, the mere thought of having to type on a keyboard is met with the strongest dose of apathy?  Not so much. I can't think of one person in our office that would fit the bill for this.

Are we busy enough that finding the time to write is coming at the risk of missing out on the next episodes of "Mad Men"?  There is truth in this but certainly not the real reason.

No, the reason largely rests on one bit of news: after over four years in our current home, Designsensory will be moving into our new digs in October!

The truth is, we have simply outgrown our space. That, by itself, is great news. What Brandon and I didn't know was how complicated and time-consuming this process would be.

It started back in early spring when we canvased Knoxville for our potential new home. Doing this during an economic downturn posed both challenges and opportunities, but in the end we found a great space with the right numbers that made it all work. We closed at the end of August, and construction began in earnest the first of September.

Here is the new space in all of its glory---it even came with plant life!

Gravel prepped for the concrete pour.

Look at the shiny, new concrete sub-floor.

The red line indicates a wall and, in this case, shows the new conference room area and Sara and Lindsay's new offices.

Check back for the latest news on our new space. We hope to be settled by the end of October. And, don't worry (because I know you are all worried), we will try harder to post more often between now and then. :)

Comments (2)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 25 September 2009 at 3:48pm

Alison Ashe

Alison solves visual communication problems through a process of research, concept exploration, and original thinking.

Josh Loebner

Josh combines research and strategic thinking as the foundation for powerful, goal-oriented marketing experiences.

Lindsay Miller

Lindsay is dedicated to the unrelenting pursuit of delivering unique, effective media solutions that bring a company's message to life.

Sarah Mills

Sarah worked for agencies in Ohio and Boston before coming to Knoxville seven years ago and burnishing her reputation as an innovative designer and fresh thinker. While inspiring design is her form of communication her passion lies in client partnerships,

Joseph Nother

As co-founder and creative director for Designsensory, Joseph oversees teams that deliver award-winning and compelling design.

Brandon Rochelle

Brandon, co-founder and technical director, oversees technology development spanning interactive work through online marketing.

Susan Sewell

Susan brings a background as a writer, senior editor, promotion specialist, and project manager.