Master’s Collaboration Studio
 
click on drawing for full screen view
Layout and Program
 
 
This project is in response to the need to have an environment at Master’s in the shortest possible time to facilitate both Phase I and Phase II aspects of the new Master’s Campus and School of the Future program. The objective is to have the Collaboration Studio operational by early May and to launch the Master’s ValueWeb with a DesignShop as soon thereafter as possible.
 
This will be a FasTrack exercise with design and construction interaction facilitated remotely. The Program Statement, Design Development process and fabrication/building progress will be tracked on these pages. This is not unlike the Joseki Office project done in May of 2002 [link] except that the armature and furniture will be shop-built - not field built as was done in Menlo Park.
 
Preliminary cost analysis is underway to be completed with first drawings by the week of the 29th with final drawings and costs /scheduled for April 14th; the demolition of the existing rooms and construction to start immediately after approval (April 17th) and permitting.
 
First Plan Revision

After dialog with Jim Taipale, Bill Blackburn and Tom Rudmik, the plan was revised as shown

March 25, 2004

Click on Plan for full screen view

 
 
The revisions add the door into the multimedia classroom which has significant synergy with Collaboration Studio functions; it indicates the carpet area in the “soft” seating Area and provides storage for tables and chairs when not required. Alternative layouts, for different functional uses, will be shown elsewhere [link]. This space will accommodate up to 55 in full MG Taylor design processes utilizing the entire space. It is an extremely efficient use of the foot print. In “everyday” mode, the teachers still have a lounge that can be separated from the Radiant Room which independently can be configured for four team areas.
 
Existing Spaces
 
Hallway - the new Entry will be around the right of the lockers.
Existing Teacher Lounge- The Food Service area will be kept and made closeable with a folding door.
SW side of the Teacher Lounge- this is a bright room (the camer is reacting to the sunlight). The “soft” seating area will be in the left hand corner of this space. The wall to the right will be removed.
The Existing Presentation Theater Room - the wall on the left will be removed opening the space to the Teacher Lounge. This is a dark Room (was shot with a flash).
Existing air return grills. I recommend the existing heating system be replaced with a new HVA/C roof unit. This is detailed on the Design Development drawings.
 
 
These two existing rooms were relatively unsuccessful in regards how they carried out their mission. The Collaboration Studio will augment their original missions while taking them to a higher level of interactivity while also adding significantly new capabilities and capacity. Now, the staff area is too “hard,” the presentation area is too passive. Neither offers effective collaborative work spaces. Incorporated into a Collaboration Studio, these two areas will work well together or can still be used independently for their original purposes.
 
Therefore, little is taken away from the existing facilities but functionality and multi-modal use is greatly enhanced.
 
 
Plan Walk Through
 
The Collaboration Studio operates in 6 overlapping zones. The layout as shown just illustrates one possible set up of many. Everything moves except the Armature elements, the POD and where the folding WorkWalls are attached to the wall. Even zones can be somewhat shifted as required. The curved Radiant Wall, curved bookcases, workstations, drafting table, kiosks and media tree all roll. The “cube” book and storage units can be rearranged in 2 foot by 2 foot pieces with one tool (this is not a minute long task however a typical run of book cases can be moved and set up within a half an hour by one person. The folding WorkWalls (called the SnakeWall) are 5 double sided panels each, double hinged, and can configure in a variety of shapes from straight to multiple angles providing a total of 100 lineal feed of work/display surface.
 
 
I. ENTRY:
The existing alcove is reconfigured to make ENTRY and to direct traffic, as required by the space use at any given time, no matter the configuration employed. It provides separate entry when the spaces are divided.

II. CM POD:
The Center Master maintains the space and the work processes critical to its core mission. This “space keeping” task is spiritual, emotional, esthetic, intellectual and technical; The CM practices the environment into existence.

III. RADIANT ROOM:
The Radiant Room is the main large group process area. It can hold up to 55 in “sit-down” mode. This area is the most media intensive of the Center. It is the HEART of the enterprise. Here Group Genius emerges.
IV. WORKSTATIONS:
Workstations can be placed anywhere, shown is the “default” placement with two “wing” setups and a drafting table. The transition space between the two major spaces is an ideal location for workstation activities.
V. DIALOG:
Real dialog requires a variety of sitting arrangements so that each participant can find a place of maximum personal comfort. Chairs, folding WorkWalls, Medial tree, Kiosks and tables can be “brought to the multilevel “soft” sitting area.
VI. SITTING/TASK TABLES:
This area can be used for eating, conversation, design team breakouts, knowledge-worker task work and so on. WorkWalls can be folded out for screening, display and for use as large work surfaces.
 
 
From the moment you step from the hallway tile finish onto the cork floor outside the aluminum “store front” and looks into the Collaboration Studio space, it is clear that you are being invited into a new world that operates by a freer and more disciplined set of rules than “everyday” organizations allow and typical spaces support. The look of the environment sends a strong message.
The message is check you old assumptions and habits at the door and enter a world of imagination and open creativity.
 
As you move into and use the space, the promise is fulfilled: Each part of it is shaped and equipped to support the cognitive requirements of the kind of activity taking place at a specific time for a specific purpose.
Walking in and turning left looking toward the soft seating area. This leads to an informal dialog area that also can be used for knowledge-work and team break-outs.
Turning toward the radiant Room and...
walking around the radiant Wall to the main group collaboration area.
 
 

Components

 
There are a number of AI components that make up the Collaboration Studio space: Armature, POD, WorkWalls, WorkFurniture and accessories. Of course, in this design - as in all - the specific components will be adapted and redesigned to fit the requirements of this unique space.
 
 

ARMATURE:

As installed in the Vanderbilt Center for Better Health NavCenter 2002.

link

POD:

As installed in the Palo Alto knOwhere Store 1997.

link

KIOSK:

As installed in the JOSESKI Officess 2002.

link

CUBE BOOKSHELVES, WINGS, DOGS:

As installed in the Hilton Head knOwhere Store 1996.

RADIANT WALL:

As installed in the Detroit Edison Learning Zone 1999.

ADUSTIBLE LIGHTING:

As installed at the Vanderbilt Center for Better health navCenter 2002.

link

DOME AND LIGHT COVE:

As installed in Continuum Health Care NavCenter 1999.

MONITOR TREE:

As installed at the Vanderbilt Center for Better health navCenter 2002.

link

TABLES and CLUSTER:

As installed at the Vanderbilt Center for Better health navCenter 2002.

link

FOLDING SNAKE WORKWALLS:

As installed at the Cambridge navCenter 1997.

one end will be attached to a building wall

ROLLING CURVED BOOKCASES:

As installed at the Palo Alto knOwhere Store in 2000.

link

DRAFTING TABLE and WING WORKSTATIONS:

As installed at the Palo Alto knOwhere Store in 2000.

 
These pictures show the basic platform types, their utility and effect. As Noted, they are only indictitive of the final Collaboration Studio expression will be.
 
The combination of architectural features, color and trim selections and WorkFurniture finishes will make provide the Collaboration Studio its own signature and identity.
 
 
3d Model
 
This computer model is extremely schematic. It was generated off of the schematic floor plan shown above. The purpose was not to illustrate the final look of the environment and all of it finish details; it was to define the space and inform the design development process.
 
This view (above) shows how the two existing rooms can be still used as separate spaces or act as one integrated entity.
 
Showing triangular soffit over the entry area, the sitting area and the Radiant Room.
 
The teacher lounge area and the transition WorkWall to the Group space.
 
View of the Radiant Room and skylights.
 
View from over Center Master’s Pod.
layers
 
The overall result is an integrated space made up of a series of vertical and horizontal layers [link] that can incorporate the present uses of the spaces with NavCenter processes yet make a single entity.
 
 
Finishes
 
[To be provided]
 
 
HVAC
 
The basis design strategy with the HVAC is to remove the existing heating ducts and place heating/cooling units on the roof and directly feed the space from there. This adds some costs, of course. However, there are several things to consider: A/C has to be added anyway and this would most likely require a roof-top unit. The Collaboration Studio is a high density space that will be used long hours, during weekend and other periods when the school will not be fully attended. It is generally better to isolate systems under these circumstances so that the cooling/heating requirements of the users can be met without imposing demands on the exiting system. Finally, the existing duct work interferes with the armature, lighting and skylight layout which are critical aspects of the concept.
 
The HVAC units will have to be screened from the highway and the duct work insulated. Along with the skylights, this make the roof work the most problematic aspect of the project particularly considering the winter snow and temperature conditions. It is important, however, that these utilitarian concerns do not cause a sub-optimal condition in regards the purpose and mission of the Collaboration Studio.
 
 
Technology Set
 
Master’s is building across the hall, in conjunction with the Innovation Studio, a multimedia Imagination Studio. This facility is scheduled to open in September with the beginning of the 04/05 school year.
 
This facility is based on the Apple Macintosh platform.
 
 
Programmed Uses
 
 
The Collaboration Studio is designed to support team design and collaborative work employing the MG Taylor proprietary methods.
project_phases
It will perform the same function as the future (Phase I) Master’s NavCenter and classroom of the future prototype to the degree possible given the size of the facility [link]. It will be the environment, in which the NavCenter D/B/U ValueWeb will develop and direct the creation of the NavCenter, and in parallel, the new campus design (phase II) [link].
 
And, the Collaboration Studio will continue to support all the uses that the present facilities now do. When the full NavCenter (Phase I) is built, the Collaboration Studio will serve as back up and become more available to students, staff and community groups.
 
The utility and level of development of the Collaboration Studio is designed to both serve its intended purpose - including the message it sends about the intent of Master’s to transform its environment - and to be be of value no matter the exit strategy chosen when Master’s Academy moves to the new Campus.
 
 
Processes - Number of Users Matrix
 
 
[To be provided]
 
 
Establishing the Meme
 
 
The Collaboration Studio is a modest sized project - about 2,400 square feet. The budget is critical; however, this design intends a level of function, finish and environmental impact necessary to bring the entire nascent ValueWeb to sensing, designing and executing the qualities intended for the entire project, through all phases, including ENTERPRISE development.
 
The Studio is part of the “.5” investment. It sets the the tone, the style, the idea of the entire project. It is the first step, the first gesture, the first play in an extended game - it is the direction.
 
 
.5 - 5 - 50 Enterprise
 
[To be provided]
 
economics
Collaboration Studio Economics
 
This kind of environment has to evaluated differently than usual space which is so often seen as an “unfortunate” but, alas, necessary overhead item to be kept in so-called reasonable economic bounds. The Collaboration Studio is a knowledge production and project management environment. It is not only the cost side that has to be considered here - it is the upside economics - the true productivity equation - that is important: what cost savings from operations are possible because of effective process redesign? What breakthroughs in learning can actually be accomplished? What is the benefit of an organization of people becoming the living-working expression of Group Genius? What is the quality of work produced by true teams in an enterprise wide ValueWeb architecture? What is the value of sustained innovation? What happens when the tool of personal and corporate change is also the symbol of an organization’s aspirations and proof that these aspirations can be achieved?
 
Consider the F-15:
 

The above objectives had never been accomplished before and, in fact, based on all previous history the following results would be expected:

1. Tail Number 210 would be 10% to 20% more expensive than 209, in constant year dollars.

2. Tail Number 210 would have significant quality problems and be of generally lower quality than 209.

3. The combat capability should not be an issue once the quality problems were resolved.


The DesignShop that produced the F-15E Tail Number 210 objectives, and the follow-on DesignShop sessions, produced the following results:

1. Tail Number 210 was 12% less in constant year dollars than Number 209.

2. Tail Number 210 was over 2 times more reliable, nose to tail than 209.

3. Tail Number 210 was over 1.5 times as combat capable than 209 due to the advantages of incorporating new technologies.


The MGT IP is responsible for the superb results achieved by the F-15 in transforming how the Government—industry team delivered on the warfighter and taxpayer requirements. Creating collaboration, innovation and alignment among all the stakeholders in the F-15 program was a remarkable accomplishment. The example above is only the most dramatic example of many successes.

GoTo: F-15 Story
 
These economic results do not justify gold plating the walls. Nothing is designed here that does not directly relate to the function of architecture in general and the specific living and work processes that concretely support the mission of this environment. This is not a place for improvement and incremental gains. It is a soulful machine for individual and team, organizational and network, thought and action, short term and long-view integration.
 
Properly designed, built and operated, the cost of the Collaboration Studio is linear - the return is exponential.
 
Real economics, therefore, results from the appropriate execution of the NavCenter concept, based on a quarter of century of documented experience, not on the traditional budget-approach applicable to mere buildings and traditional work processes.
 
 

Master’s Collaboration Studio - Mission and Economics

 
 
From: Matt Taylor <me@matttaylor.com>
Date: Tue May 11, 2004 7:51:29 AM US/Central
To: Tom Rudmik <TomRudmik@MASTERS.ab.ca>, Paul Graham <Paul.Graham@masters.ab.ca>, Graham Jeff <Jeff.Graham@MASTERS.ab.ca>
Cc: RKBRUCE@aol.com, Kahoe@aol.com <Kahoe@aol.com>
Subject: Collaboration Studio Economics
 

Tom...

As I have thought about and worked on this since our discussion last week, the assignment has become more clouded in my mind. It seems that there is ambiguity between where we started and where we ended up in regards what would actually provide you with useful arguments that you can use with the bank. It seems we must land somewhere between a hard core business model and an arm-waving philosophical justification.
I have been working on a web piece outlining the basic economics of NavCenters but it does not address your issues in the right voice so I have abandoned it, for now, as an appropriate vehicle for your immediate purposes. It will, I expect, be useful for when we build the case for the Phase I NavCenter.

So, after several false starts, I sleep on it and got up this morning and started with a blank slate. What follows is the result. I hope that it is useful. I have also sent you a “justification” talking paper that I did for on of the VA Centers last year. It makes some points that you may be able to incorporate in your statement. I will be in meetings, today, between 8 and noon, Nashville time, we can talk afterward if necessary or useful. Fell free, of course, to edit this in any way necessary. You may want to include Leaping the Abyss in you package.
I will take some of this material, rework it, and put it on our web site over the next week.

Matt

MISSION:

The Mission of the Collaboration Studio is to build and facilitate a ValueWeb® capable of launching and sustaining the phases of work (Phase I through Phase III) outlined below.

WORK:

Conduct DesignShops
Build knowledge-bases
Facilitate work teams of ValueWeb members
Perform project management
Document process and results
Distribute work products

PHASES:

Over a multiple year period, Master’s is embarking on a systematic R&D and growth program. This is aimed at improving and expanding Master’s own educational techniques and campus facilities while also developing a market for the knowledge, methods and environments created by this experience.

This work is organized into four overlapping phases. Phase O: The development of the Collaboration Studio and other related facilities (+/- 3 months) Phase I: The development of the existing master’s facilities based on a migration plan to the new Master’s Campus (+/- 12 months) Phase II: The New Master’s Campus (+/- 2 to four years) Phase III: Development of an Enterprise to proliferate Master’s methods and environments (+/- 18 months, then ongoing).

BENEFIT:

The benefit to Master’s Academy is that the Collaboration Studio will set the direction and tone of Phases I, II, and III, Lever the resources of the growing ValueWeb, facilitate the design of the new campus, facilitate the ongoing development of existing master’s capability (staff, methods, tools, facilities), and serve as a test lab for experiments in learning.The first DesignShops, and other exercises, performed in the Collaboration Studio as soon as it is completed, will design and detail all Phases (I, II & III) of the project and coordinate them throughout their launch period. Doing this well will justify the entire investment in the Collaboration Studio in terms of time and money saved let alone the intrinsic Value of the work being done in a superior manner.The design of the entire program will take place within the Collaboration Studio. After Phase I is complete, additional NavCenter and experimental classroom facilities will become available. The Collaboration Studio will work in conjunction with these and devote more attention to student/teacher collaboration and local community development projects.If the Collaboration Studio is sold as an asset or moved upon completion of the new Campus, will be determined by the details of the Phase I development plan and its migration and “exit strategy.”

CAPITAL COSTS:

The Capital Costs of the Collaboration Studio will be between $250,000 and $300,000 Canadian.

OPERATING COSTS:

One FTE plus miscellaneous materials and hosting costs (+/- $50,000 annually). Event and project management costs are incremental and will be charged against specific budgets related to specific initiatives.

REVENUE POTENTIAL:

If the Collaboration Studio does one outside DesignShop a quarter, at the low end of the present market rate, it can achieve return of capital and cover its fixed operating costs in three years. This means that the benefit can accomplished for free.

HISTORY:

The Collaboration Studio will be a Licensed MG Taylor NavCenter® capable of facilitating DesignShop® and PatchWork™ exercises. These are proprietary methods, protected by a US Patent, that have been developed over the last 25 years and employed by governments, institutions and businesses, globally, including the US Army, Air Force, VA, NASA, The World Economic Forum, CapGemini/EY, Vanderbilt University, Detroit Edison, Borgess Health Alliance and many others.Over 30 facilities, ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 square feet, are operated in North America, Europe and Asia generating over fifty
million (US) in fees and over three quarters of a billion (US) in business revenues, annually. “NavCenter” is MG Taylor’s generic term for the environment and its bundled work processes. Different license holder/operators call them by different names: “learning Zone,” “Gossic Leadership Center,” “ASE,” “Collaboration Studio,” and so on. The Method has been used to reorganize training (the US Army), reconfigure weapon Systems (F-15, US Air Force), establish alliances (Boeing 777), coordinate education delivery between multiple campuses (VA), reengineer complex test facilities (NASA), facilitate world leaders (World Economic Forum), integrate collaborative processes with consulting (CapGemini), market technology and methods related to Infomatics and evidence-based medicine (Vanderbilt University), support HR and training issues related to mergers and union conflicts (Detroit Edison), improve health care operations (Borgess). These are just some samples of application. DesignShops are intense multiple day events that facilitate groups, between 25 and 125, though a design process - from vision creation through project implementation plans in a single week. Over 1,500 events have been held in all sectors of the economy. The revenue for DesignShop events ranges between 100 and 200 thousand dollars (US). PatchWorks is a project management and systems integration method that is employed in NavCenters to implement projects. A typical NavCenter will be managing several projects at any given time.Typically, organizations have employed the Method in two ways. To improve the performance of their own internal operations. To build their ValueWeb of investors, producers and customers into a larger, better integrated marketplace. An example of the first (internal operations) was NASA, facing personal cuts, reengineered their wind tunnels and now benefits from improved performance at half the staffing costs per tunnel. An example of the second (ValueWeb leverage) was Boeing saving four billion in capital costs and three years of testing/certification time, in the development of the 777 jet liner, by becoming past of an aerospace consortium developed by an Air Force test
facility. This benefited the US by generating hundreds of millions in revenues for the base, thus, preserving critical capability in a time of budget cutting. NASA whent on to employ their NavCenter for broad public/private enterprise development and the Air Force base (AEDC) learned to reduce test set up times for jet engine from 6 weeks to 6 days, and ultimately, to 6 hours by responding to the 777 test schedule demands. It is this integration of tactical/strategic, internal improvement/external development, operations/strategy that is the basis of the NavCenter economics. Because of this dual capability and use, NavCenters both save money for their organizations and generate revenue from their ValueWeb.

The resulting transformation of their enterprise, is for free.

 

 

 
 
Return To INDEX
Return To Master’s NavCenter One Program Statement
Return To the New School Environment
Return To the FutureSchool Project
 

Matt Taylor
Nashville VCBH
March 24, 2004

 
 

SolutionBox voice of this document:
VISION • PHILOSOPHY • PROGRAM

 

posted March 24, 2004

revised April 13, 2004
• 20040324.572612.mt • 20040325.544429.mt •
• 20040327.564232.mt • 20040329.543211.mt •
• 20040332.650098.mt • 20040413.656510.mt •
20040511.341090.mt • 200040918.767573.mt •

(note: this document is about 60% finished)