Parkhill, Smith, and Cooper was almost the first LEED certified building in west Texas. It was only by a few weeks that an Amarillo building beat them to it. Parkhill, Smith, and Cooper is not your average design firm. They have actually completed the very extensive LEED certification process while doing their part for the Lubbock environment.
There are many impressive elements to their offices, however the one that stuck out the most was their system of organization. If you have ever worked with interior design, or taken on any similar project, you know that the workplace gets messy fast. So instead of having a single workroom space that the mess can be hidden in, these designers work right in their hallways so that they are forced to clean up after themselves. So far, the system has proved itself to work well.
The office had many other impressive features such as the roof garden and the grass parking spaces. Not only is the inside of the building almost completely sustainable, but the outside is as well. A roof garden provides more oxygen for the city of Lubbock while being maintained with (until this year) only rainwater. The grass parking spaces allow more plant life, while also having a “net” to catch debris from the building before it is able to reach the streets.
Parkhill, Smith, and Cooper would be a very interesting place to work, especially if you are a designer interested in LEED certification. However, I was surprised to learn that the design world is changing and our focus may be changing toward accommodating obese people. It will be interesting to see what is important to the clients of designers in the future.
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