This month marks five years since the VCBO St. George office opened its doors for business. Though we had been working in St. George and southern Utah for decades, we recognized that a local office would give us the opportunity to serve our clients better.

“The St. George office gives us more direct contact with our clients,” St. George Principal Pablo Gotay said. “We don’t have to take a plane to go see them, and we’re more accessible.” 

Since opening the office in March 2019, the St. George architectural team has worked on a variety of exciting projects that have helped shape the built environment of southern Utah during a period of tremendous growth. 

“We’ve developed new relationships and have a lot of repeat clients now,” said Brandon Pullin, one of our St. George architects. The new location has also provided us opportunities to pursue new projects that wouldn’t have been possible without a local office. 

But the team says they didn’t reach this point without the challenges associated with opening a new office – and the first VCBO satellite office. Joshua Kirkman recalls, “Pablo provided a lot of leadership and communication between our office and Salt Lake. He was a really integral part of our success.” 

The team has enjoyed getting involved in local groups like the St. George Chamber of Commerce and Associated General Contractors of Utah and forming new relationships with local contractors, suppliers, and clients. From sponsoring golf tournaments to providing pro bono work for the Washington County School District, the team has developed new relationships and involved themselves in the community. 

“St. George is unique because it’s a small town that is growing so quickly,” said Pablo. Our team has enjoyed growing with St. George and the surrounding area. Over the past five years, the St. George office has grown from a single architect to a four-person team who work in a building VCBO designed several years before, which looks out onto historic Main Street in downtown St. George. 

We have been able to design many notable buildings, including projects for Utah Tech University, Washington County School District, and private owners. Recently, the team began design on a new fire station for Cedar City and is excited to continue work that helps Southern Utah communities. 

Josh enjoys having the support of the Salt Lake City office, but he says working in St. George has given him more opportunities than he would have in a larger office. He has been with VCBO for five years, and works as a project manager and project coordinator. He was one of the first employees to join the St. George office. Like his coworkers, Josh says he benefits from the community of the St. George office: “We’ve played softball; we all went to watch the Super Bowl at Pablo’s home. Our coworkers are more than just people you pass in the hall.” Despite the camaraderie that exists in the office, Josh likes that everyone can still work hard together and get things done. 

Utah Tech University West Stadium Expansion

The Greater Zion Stadium West Side Expansion project at Utah Tech University was Josh’s first experience as a project manager, and he remembers learning a lot about project management, the architecture and construction fields, and Utah Tech as a client.

The new skybox building sits four stories above the ground, providing infill space for future expansions. “It was an awesome feat of engineering,” Josh said. To further cement the Football Program’s Division I status, this expansion equips the school with new athletic training facilities, an updated football team locker room and team lounge, including custom lockers funded through donations.

The updated entry plaza, new ticketing and merchandising building, stadium fencing, and branding all work together to enhance the fan experience as well. When lit, Brooks the Bison is prominently visible from the I-15 freeway.

David joined VCBO five years ago as an administrative assistant and BIM Technician. Since then, he has become an intern architect working toward licensure. He has enjoyed learning and taking on more architectural tasks with the St. George team.

“Everyone brings different things to the table,” he said. “We have different but complementary personalities, and we’re good at working out kinks as projects go on. We’re able to accomplish a lot for a four-man team.”

David says that besides the team, the office location on Main Street is a great place to participate in the culture of St. George. With large windows that look out onto the street and walking distance to many St. George locals, he says it's easy to feel like part of the community.

Utah Tech University Science, Engineering, & Technology Building

One of David’s first projects was the Science, Engineering and Technology building for Utah Tech University, where he worked on the drafting and administration. The building is home to the physical sciences, life sciences, and mechanical engineering departments and provides much-needed space for students to learn. The building also won the 2023 International Interior Design Association Intermountain Chapter BEST Learn - Higher Education Award.

Pablo joined the St. George office in June 2019. As its only principal, he provides the St. George team with leadership and expertise on a variety of project types. One of his favorite parts of working in Southern Utah is that the smaller office size lets everyone work on different types of projects – from schools to medical office buildings. He is also proud that the office has reached a point where they are self-sustaining and looking to grow.

Washington County School District Elementary School Prototype

One of Pablo’s favorite projects, the prototype elementary for Washington County School District, is currently in the design phase. The design is spread over two stories and can be adjusted to accommodate between 650-1000 students. Because of the multi-level design, the school can be placed on smaller sites, saving the District in land costs. In addition, the smaller property size minimizes maintenance and water usage.

It’s always rewarding to work on projects for children,” he said. “You want to help develop their minds and provide a safe and secure atmosphere.” With this in mind, the interior classrooms are designed with group learning spaces and large, interior and exterior windows to help stimulate learning.

Growing up in a small Arizona town, Brandon thinks St. George is the best of both worlds. He likes living in a good sized city where he can still enjoy the outdoors. As an architect and project manager, he appreciates that the small team relies on each other, shares knowledge, and helps each other grow every day. Brandon is an advocate for collaborative design, and his coworkers say this approach helps enhance the synergy of his teams. “We also get to have fun and do things together outside the office,” he said. “In some ways, it really feels like a family.” 

The Cedar City Hampton Inn and Suites is Brandon’s favorite project because of its unique location in downtown Cedar City. Unlike other cookie cutter hotel chains, VCBO designed the Hampton Inn to fit in with the historic feel of the rest of the downtown area and community in Cedar City. The hotel is starting construction to be completed in 2025 and will help support Southern Utah’s thriving tourist market.

As the St. George office looks forward to continued growth, the team is excited to continue to make an impact on the built environment of St. George and create spaces for the community to thrive. Pablo says he can see their team doubling or even tripling over the next few years, especially as the office continues to work on new projects and form new relationships. 

We at VCBO are excited to celebrate the success and continued development of our St. George office and the impactful projects they work on every day. “We have the opportunity to have a big role in the development of many projects that happen here,” said Brandon, “The sky is the limit.”

A holistic design approach allows Pablo to develop buildings in three-dimensions—creating aesthetically attractive designs, functional floor plans, and client-specific solutions. Pablo focuses on communication, which allows him to integrate client input with his own ideas and creative problem solving to create truly unique designs. He has experience working on educational facilities, commercial buildings, and private residences.

As an integral member of the architectural team, David firmly believes that detailed communication and creative problem-solving play pivotal roles in the success of any project, and he brings these skills to the teams and clients he works with. He also serves in various capacities in addition to his architectural work, including community relations and marketing. 

David leverages his experience in software, including Revit and Bluebeam, to create readable drawings that ensure contractors have clear direction and clients receive the project they envision. David has worked on a variety of projects, primarily focusing on K-12 and higher education.

As a project manager and architect, Brandon is an advocate for the collaborative design process and believes that many minds working together can solve the design challenges of a complex world. He has extensive experience with building information modeling using Revit and is also an expert in digital visualization. Brandon enjoys working with each client, consultant, and team member during the various stages of design and construction. His collaborative approach enhances the synergy of the teams he works with to achieve project success.

With a background in engineering and architecture, Josh views projects with a well-rounded, tectonic approach. Holding certifications in both sustainability and evidence-based design, he is able to translate his client’s visions into well-organized and congenial spaces enjoyed by their patrons for many years to come. From predesign to construction administration, Josh is an indispensable resource to the teams and projects he collaborates with. 

VCBO St. George Office Commemorates Five-Year Anniversary

To celebrate Women’s History Month, VCBO held a discussion earlier this month with some of the fantastic women who work at our firm. Roundtable participants included architects, interior designers, and support staff at various stages in their careers.

The discussion focused on our employees’ experiences at VCBO and other firms, and what it takes to create an equitable work environment for everyone. 

According to AIA Utah and a national AIA Demographics Report, only 15% of licensed AIA architects in Utah are women, compared to 25% nationally. While the number of women in A/E/C and leadership positions has increased dramatically in the past few decades, bias still remains within the industry and affects both architects and other roles. 

At VCBO, we recently noticed that over half our staff is made up of women. While we do our best every day to create an equitable environment for all of our employees, many participants shared experiences — whether with coworkers or clients, at this firm and others — showing there are still ways we can improve. They also discussed wins and empowering moments in their careers. 

As everyone shared personal experiences and thoughts, a few key themes emerged:

We can advocate for ourselves and each other

We’re thrilled to share some of the insights, stories, and points that unfolded during our discussion. 

Only 17% of architects in leadership are women. Part of that is because they’ve only started going to school in droves, so they’re not at that point in their career yet. But I can see that it’s going to change. — Jeanne

Interactions are so powerful. I remember coming to my job interview here, and I only interacted with women the entire time. I was immediately inspired and wanted to work here. Young women should be exposed to other powerful women constantly through community outreach, media, and most importantly representation in the systems they interact with every day whether that be school, work, sports, etc. — Rachel S. 

Female skills and talents – compassion, empathy – are sometimes considered inferior to stereotypical male skills that are brought to the business world. What I bring to the table is valuable, so having those mentors is especially important to reinforce that. It’s amazing how having women in leadership can change a whole culture in a field and company. — Hoku

I’ve really appreciated having female mentors, whether at work or in the industry, who have been able to help me with my career. When you’re struggling and trying to figure out who you are, especially early in your career, it’s good to have an advocate and an ally – someone who usually believes in you more than you believe in yourself. — Julee 

It is really challenging to correct someone in a higher position than you –- so it has to be a leadership-driven change. Working from the bottom up just doesn’t work well in my experience. — Anonymous

I plan to stay strong as a woman in design and in getting licensed. I’m going to further my career and become a leader. — Madeleine B.

We Can Advocate for Ourselves & Each Other

When I tell people I’m a commercial interior designer, their reaction is often, “that must be fun.” When I’m speaking with clients, some of them will say, “This really isn’t my thing – I’m going to fly my wife up to talk to you.” I’ve had that happen before. And I’ve talked to other interior designers about how we just can’t get people to take us seriously. The conversation came around to this – if you show people through your work what your value is, over and over again, eventually they’ll get it. — Madeleine H.

In our office, I feel that we’re very fortunate to have the support we do. I never feel left out or out of place as a woman or as a hijabi woman. I feel very fortunate that we have all that support, and if we do struggle, we can go to someone [for support]. I remember I was having trouble for three weeks trying to get a contractor to get back to me, and I told [male principal], who wasn’t even on the project. He said, “just CC me on the email,” and fifteen minutes later, I got the information I needed. — Hanna 

I was asked to speak to about 300 people at a ribbon cutting. I was thinking about what I should talk about. But it was great because we had a bunch of consultants and people from VCBO who had worked on the project. So Jodie introduced me, and I got up and said, “Thanks. I always get all this credit, but really I have a huge team of people who do the actual work, and they’re right over there.” It was the easiest thing in the world to do that, and I think it made everyone feel valued. — Jeanne

While I feel pressure to be so excellent at my job that no one could say a man could do it better, I think my real responsibility is to be committed to learning. It's also important to "spread the wealth" with other women-–which means being generous and sharing opportunities, networks, resources, etc. — Isabelle 

Confidence doesn't happen. You have to work at it, and we [as leaders] have to help you so that you can gain confidence. — Jeanne 

Don’t believe the lie that’s been perpetuated or perpetuate the narrative that there is any difference between our values [as women]. Those things that are handed down to us, just don’t even acknowledge them. Sometimes when you perpetuate it, it wears off on you. And that’s not real, I don’t need to pay any attention to it. — Ajri

Call it like you see it. If you notice something, call it out, speak up, give voice to it. Chances are someone else in that situation was also uncomfortable or noticed an issue. From personal experience, I know this can be easier said than done, but it’s so important and becomes easier both with practice and the realization that your voice is often a reflection of many. — Hoku

Being assertive is a skill just like riding a bike or anything else. It will become more natural over time, particularly if you have a culture of supportiveness and safety. Little interactions help create a culture of safety. On the flip side, those who might be a little old school or biased are the culture too, and it changes their behavior on a subconscious level. Being more mindful of standing up for each other is important because sometimes that’s easier than standing up for ourselves. — Jennifer 

Although we recognize that bias is still present in our industry, VCBO was glad to have the opportunity to listen to the experiences of many of our employees and continue the conversations many are having surrounding gender equality and workplace equity.

To end Women’s History Month, all the women at VCBO were invited to lunch to discuss ways to empower each other and offer suggestions to how the company can implement training, policies, and procedures to act on the every-day experiences of women in the workplace. This lunch was intended to celebrate and inspire the women of VCBO, but also to commit to continued action as March comes to an end. 

Celebrating the Women of VCBO: A Roundtable about Equity in the Workplace

Recreation centers play a vital role in a community. Public recreation centers can promote community health, reduce youth crime rates, improve school performance, contribute to the local economy, and increase public safety. Perhaps more than any other type of building, community and recreation centers provide an inclusive and accessible space where people can come together to improve their health, make friends, and just have fun!

As one example, the Provo Recreation Center celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. After reporting over 1.8 million annual visitors to the award-winning facility, Provo Mayor Michelle Kafusi had this to say about how the recreation center has impacted the Provo community: “The Provo Recreation Center was built to grow with the community while providing options for all…It’s gratifying to see the positive impact our health focus has had.”

From multi-million dollar facilities like the Provo Recreation Center, which boasts 160,000 square feet, to small community centers working to maximize each dollar, a recreation center can benefit communities in ways that extend beyond individual fitness. 

From the front desk to the locker rooms to the pool, there are many decisions that can impact a facility’s ability to function smoothly over many years and support the needs of its residents.

Brent Tippets (right) at the groundbreaking for the Marshall N. White Community Center

Brent Tippets, a principal at VCBO and recognized thought leader in recreation center design, has made it his career to design public and private recreation facilities that foster vibrant communities and promote active lifestyles. The following lessons, which he has learned over more than three decades of recreation center design, have resulted in award winning recreation and aquatic centers that bring people and families together and promote health and wellness.

Visibility Increases Attendance & Promotes Facility Use

When designing a recreation center, the first step is to draw people in, says Brent, “you want people to be able to see the facility and all it offers.” Large windows help accomplish this goal, allowing anyone driving by to glimpse the vibrancy and activity taking place inside. 

“When someone is on their way home from work, thinking, ‘What am I going to do tonight?’ you want the rec center to be there, like a billboard, visible, so they see it – and see activity. You want them to say "I am going to bring my family here.” 

Clyde Recreation Center | Springville, UT

Location plays a critical role in visibility as well. Before VCBO designs a recreation center, we help the client determine the best place to site the facility. A central, accessible location can influence the success of the rec center use, even more than the design itself. 

The ideal recreation center location is easily accessible from public transit stops, freeways, and residential areas. The city may consider placing a rec center near a neighborhood or school, making it accessible to children and teenagers walking or riding bikes. When people pass by the recreation center on a regular basis – on their way to and from work, school, and errands – the building becomes a part of the community framework. This helps a recreation center become an integral part of the community it serves. 

In addition to exterior visibility, interior transparency within the facility, lets patrons see the excitement and energy once they are inside. Someone might first access the recreation center to use the pool, not even knowing that the facility offers yoga classes, basketball, racquetball courts, and pottery, and later return to utilize the expanded offerings.

Recreation centers benefit from open spaces, glass walls, and elements that connect different areas of the facility to each other. Running tracks are a great way to exploit this connectivity – circulating through the building footprint, it’s easy to integrate a track with other areas of the facility. When running tracks wind around and look into other areas of the facility, it both connects the spaces visually and helps those using the track to let their minds focus beyond their workout and the boredom that can accompany a repetitive exercise. 

When we integrate these thoughtful design approaches to increase visibility, it helps people become more engaged with the space. This engagement leads to more active lifestyles and a strengthened community.

An Enlivened Pool is the Heart of a Recreation Center

To describe the process of making a facility inviting and enjoyable, Brent uses the word “enlivening.” An enlivened recreation center encourages people to spend time at the facility through an energetic, welcoming atmosphere with exciting amenities. While every part of the facility should be lively and welcoming, the recreation center pool is an especially crucial part of the design.

Features like walk-in entrances, play structures, climbing walls, slides, and lazy rivers can add to the excitement of a recreation center pool. 

At the Provo Recreation Center. We added a “Ninja” obstacle course to the lap pool to provide more opportunities for play and engagement with the facility. The course can be mechanically raised or lowered depending on the need, so the pool can still be utilized by lap and competitive swimmers.

However, not every amenity needs to be as flashy as a pool obstacle course. Multiple bodies of water in a facility, however simple, can provide activity for all ages. Having multiple bodies of water also allows each pool to be a different temperature – that way lap swimmers can swim in cooler water while leisure swimmers enjoy a pleasant, warmer temperature. 

This also lets people with different abilities or different desires use pools comfortably – whether someone wants to play, exercise, or relax, there is a space for them. A recreation center is a place for everyone  – when the pool and other amenities reflect these values, people notice.

Park City Municipal Athletic & Recreation Center | Park City, UT

Thoughtful Locker Room Design Promotes Safety & Comfort

A safe and welcoming environment should be a top priority for any recreation center. Locker rooms and changing areas are one of the most vulnerable areas in a recreation center, making locker room design an important aspect of any recreation plan.

When VCBO designed the Provo Recreation Center in Utah, community outreach initiatives led us to find out that privacy in changing room areas was a top priority for families. Responding to this need, VCBO became one of the first recreation center designers to use the idea of a large-scale family changing area, as opposed to separate men’s and women’s locker rooms.

Traditional locker rooms can often feel both insecure and non inclusive. The Provo Recreation Center instead has an open locker area where the facility’s patrons can store their belongings, alongside private family changing rooms. The visible locker areas help reduce theft, while the changing rooms let people change in privacy and comfort. 

These rooms also accommodate families, such as a father who might otherwise have to take his young daughter into the men’s locker room, people with various gender identities, persons with disabilities, or those with medical conditions who might prefer a private place to change.

This evolution in the way we think about locker rooms has been a huge success in Provo, and VCBO has since taken this model and applied it to other recreation projects. 

Versatility & Longevity Maximize a Recreation Center Budget

While we wish every community had a state-of-the-art recreation facility with every imaginable amenity, budget constraints and limited available space means one of our primary goals as architects is to help create a facility that provides the best possible return on investment. From programming to selection of building systems that will keep the building reliably running for years to come, our goal is to reduce maintenance and promote structure longevity.

According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, the number of amenities available was the “strongest predictor” of whether or not children used recreation centers. One way to increase amenities is multi-use spaces. For example, a fitness studio can accommodate multiple classes throughout the day. When designed thoughtfully, a single classroom can host dance, aerobics, spin, yoga, and taekwondo. When a single space fills different needs throughout the day, it becomes a better return on investment. That space can then pay for other spaces. In addition to being financially smart, increasing the number of programs in these versatile spaces increases community engagement by offering activities and classes that suit a variety of needs. 

South Davis Recreation Center | Bountiful, UT

Versatile spaces increase the number of possible amenities, but when hard choices still need to be made, community engagement becomes an important part of programming the facility. Selecting the correct program spaces will draw in community members and help pay for additions down the line. 

One such consideration is how to arrange the pool area. According to Brent, “A recreation pool will bring in ten times as many visitors as a lap pool. That means ten times the memberships and ten times the revenue.” When we designed the Casper Aquatic Center, the facility featured a leisure pool and a separate four-lane lap pool. Because the facility eventually wanted more lanes for lap swimming, we designed the facility to accommodate a future eight-lane lap pool addition. This phased approach allowed the City to build a facility within budget constraints with the idea of using profits to make future improvements.

Behind the scenes of a recreation facility, complex mechanical and structural systems keep facilities up and running. A lot of what we do when designing a recreation center is look at the systems and ensure building longevity – controlling humidity, corrosion, and air quality all make a difference in the maintenance costs and overall cost to run a facility. In aquatic environments especially, these considerations will make a large difference in how much it costs to maintain the center. 

Cleanliness matters; a facility that is easy to maintain makes for a more inviting atmosphere and thus increases usage.

Successful Recreation Centers Bring Communities Together

A recreation center can be one of the most fulfilling architectural building types. Brent believes designing recreation facilities is the most rewarding aspect of his professional life. “Where else can you work on projects that benefit a community as a whole – helps communities gain pride, gives families an opportunity to socialize and be happy and healthy together? All those things combined define what a recreation center is – community, family, and individual.”

A seasoned architect whose designs have transformed the recreation landscape throughout the Intermountain West since 1984, Brent is a recognized thought leader in recreation, aquatics, and sports design. Brent’s dynamic personality and thoughtful design approach enable him to guide complex projects to elegant solutions. Through his portfolio of work, you can see the strong mark he has left on community recreation throughout the western United States.


Marshall N. White Community Center | Ogden, UT

How to Foster Vibrant Communities through Thoughtful Recreation Center Design

There are multiple vacant sites in Salt Lake City that have been passed over for development, at least in part, due to the inability to incorporate sufficient parking. Although it may not be the most glamorous part of building design, parking is nonetheless essential to the success of any project.

As urban real estate prices continue to rise, developers are faced with the problem of how to best utilize limited land to maximize their return on investment. Parking stalls take up valuable space, yet they cannot be ignored. Include too few parking stalls in your multi-family project, and too few tenants will choose to rent there. Provide too little parking for an office tower, and leasable floors can sit empty. 

Despite investments in public and alternative transportation, personal vehicles remain the most popular mode of travel for the vast majority of Americans. In the Intermountain West, expansive rural areas and smaller city sizes contribute to a higher number of personal vehicles compared to larger urban areas, both making parking availability a higher priority for residents and increasing the number of required parking spaces.

Even if an owner wanted to ignore the need for parking altogether, most local government entities have minimum parking ordinances, requiring any new construction to meet a certain threshold of off-street parking. The number of required parking stalls is generally determined by the number of residential units and/or square footage of commercial spaces like shops and restaurants. Despite the high real estate cost of parking, owners will still often go above these minimums to secure financing from banks or to attract tenants and clients. One study found that nearly one out of every three acres in Salt Lake City is dedicated to parking. 

As city populations rise and parking becomes increasingly expensive per stall, owners and developers are looking for efficient, high-density parking solutions that can accommodate more vehicles in less space. 

One solution to the problem of parking is automated parking systems (APS) – also known as automated parking facilities (APF), automated vehicle storage and retrieval systems (AVSRS), or mechanical parking. These systems operate by using a machine to elevate and store vehicles automatically inside the garage. There are several types of APS, but most of them  work like a car vending machine, where the system takes the vehicle away automatically and returns it when the driver uses a code or fob to request their vehicle. 

Because there is no need for things like driving lanes and space for people to walk, and cars can be stored more closely together, automated parking systems can achieve a 40%-80% reduction in the space required for parking. In the same amount of space one would use for a parking structure, parking capacity can be doubled or even tripled depending on the height available.

APSs have been used in earnest since the 1950s, with the first models introduced as early as 1905. APSs are already used heavily in Japan, with over 1.6 million stalls in use. Despite their popularity in Asia and Europe, they are still gaining momentum in the United States. Initially, long retrieval times and mechanical problems caused automated parking systems to go out of fashion in North America. Today, however, APSs are reliable and effective, with many systems reaching retrieval times around two minutes.

The most obvious advantage of an APS is saved space. An APS means less space needs to be dedicated to parking. The result is that a project that does not need as much space to accommodate a similar building footprint, reducing real estate costs. Alternatively, more space on a property can be utilized for the building itself. An automated parking system can even make unbuildable sites worthy of a second look. 

APSs can integrate into a free-standing parking structure or into structured parking within a podium below a multi-family project. A two-level puzzle can operate with as little as 12’ of clear space. If an owner or developer is already entertaining the idea of building a parking structure, adding just a couple feet to the lowest level can dramatically increase the parking yield. Consider this scenario: a two-level above grade puzzle system can provide 17 stalls in the place of nine surface spaces. If that first level is on grade, adding a 7’ pit can turn nine spaces into 26.

APSs also offer security benefits. Cars are safe from theft and vandalism while inside the structure, and the lack of human error during parking means there are no scraped or dented cars and no risk of pedestrian injury. 
Automated parking systems have been constructed in many large cities, including San Francisco; Philadelphia; New York City; Madison, WI; and Seattle. VCBO recently installed an APS at Paperbox Lofts in Salt Lake City. The system provided a solution to the complex’s parking problem due to its unique site and location in one of the city’s densest areas.

Paperbox Lofts is a luxury apartment complex located less than a block from the Delta Center in downtown Salt Lake City. The property is long and narrow, requiring unique design strategies to effectively use the available space. The majority of the site is taken up by the apartment units and the required fire department access road. 

Originally, the owners wanted to dedicate the automated parking space to townhomes. However, the short, narrow area available made it difficult to create a comfortable living space, and the idea was abandoned. Without an idea of how to create a functional space in the area, it was initially decided that the remaining space would be home to 18 surface parking stalls. These stalls were not nearly enough to accommodate the apartment residents, so the design originally called for costly structured parking under the buildings. 

The building owner had seen other automated parking systems around the country but had no experience installing them. VCBO worked with the client and the manufacturer to bring this innovative idea into reality with an APS that fit perfectly into the oddly-shaped space.

The APS was designed as a free-standing, seven-level, self-supporting structure that is only large enough to accommodate the parking system itself. In the space of the original 18 parking stalls, the structure provides 108 parking spaces to apartment residents. This additional parking eliminated a full level of underground parking, which resulted in project savings and made up for the increased upfront costs of the automated parking garage.

Considerations for and Limitations of Automated Parking

Automated parking systems provide a viable solution to the problem of parking in areas with limited space. In the case of Paperbox Lofts, the modular puzzle system was the perfect solution for high-density parking in the long, narrow space available for the structure. The same principle could be applied to many different building plans with similar results. 

However, automated parking systems are not a one-size fits all solution to the parking problem. Some projects may favor a more traditional parking method for any number of reasons:

Cost considerations are a primary deterrent for APS as a parking solution. While the saved space and reduced operational costs of automated parking will likely pay off in the long run, constructing an APS requires a significant upfront investment that may not be feasible for certain projects. The designer and owner should consider the available space and relative real estate value to determine whether an APS is the right and most economical solution.

While APS technology has improved drastically since its inception, downtime and maintenance remains a concern for some users. If the APS need to be serviced, people may not have access to their vehicles for a time. While this should not necessarily deter designers from exploring APS as a parking option, maintenance availability should be a consideration.

Because APS is not yet widely adopted, it is possible that designers will face resistance to new technology from governments and users. Many cities may not have addressed the technology in their building codes and regulations, and many users may feel uncomfortable with the idea of an automated system opposed to more familiar, traditional parking structures. Community outreach will be an important factor to build into any plan that includes an automated parking system.

VCBO’s use of automated parking systems at Paperbox Lofts provided our client at Paperbox Lofts with a solution that saved them valuable construction dollars and provided more usable space. As urban density grows in Salt Lake City and other urban areas around the world, automated parking will become a necessity for anyone looking to make the most of valuable real estate. 

VCBO recently integrated an automated parking system into The Zephyr, an eight-story multi-family complex in downtown Salt Lake City. Without the APS, this complex would not have been able to meet parking requirements — meaning either the apartment complex could not have been built or would have had to reduce the number units to match the available parking. Many similar urban sites have sat empty for years because the required amount of parking makes development challenging, if not impossible. Like The Zephyr, those sites now have the potential to become feasible building sites through parking innovation.

Over her career, Julia has specialized in several project types, including higher education and multi-family housing. Many of Julia’s schools have won national, regional, and local awards. In 2016, Julia came out publicly to her firm as transgender, becoming one of Utah’s first out transgender architects in leadership. She advocates for equitable treatment of all people, both trans and cisgender, and is passionate about creating spaces that allow people to be themselves. For her, architecture works best when it both functions and inspires, creating inviting spaces and communities.

Parking innovation helps urban developers save money and limited real estate - making new projects possible in densely populated areas.

Automated Parking Systems & P Urban Architecture

Creating New Possibilities with Automated Parking Systems: Paperbox Lofts

Since the beginning of the 2020 pandemic, and perhaps for the first time in the 21st century, the global community has been asking the same question: how do we get back to work?

In May 2020, 83% of United States office workers were either partially or exclusively working from home, according to Gallup research. With increased numbers of Americans receiving vaccinations, that number is falling. But, with the new work-from-home model came a new age of enlightenment. Workers realized they could do their jobs in the comfort and personalization of their own homes. So how do we, as an industry, help to accommodate all abilities in the workplace and ensure that our corporate clients are attracting and retaining the workforce they need?

The answer is to design for neurodiversity.

According to Harvard Medical School neurologist and instructor Dr. Nicole Baumer, “Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one ‘right’ way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.”

A few conditions that fall within this category are autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and Asperger’s Syndrome. Based on a collection of studies, between 15-30% of the human population is neurodivergent — well over two billion people globally.

Pre-pandemic, the typical office trend was moving toward an open-office layout. This was a vast improvement to the previous style of maze-like rows of grey cubicles so often seen in the late-1900s, but it is far from a perfect system. While physical and metaphorical walls were being demolished to allow better communication between ranks, the new trend created a rise in workplace distractions and a lack of privacy. And for those with sound sensitivity or trouble focusing on a task, the constant distraction can be unbearable. 

20th Century Cubicle Office Layout

So how do we create a universal design for both the socially inclined and those who need privacy? The answer is to incorporate several different options that are open to everyone.

For example, the current rise in awareness of biophilic design has led to workstations being located along the exterior walls of office space to allow employees exposure to daylight. Those with light sensitivity may find the direct sunlight painful, so keeping a few individual working pods centralized in the office away from the sunlight with easily operated lighting controls can be a way of ensuring that everyone’s comfort levels are met. 

In an effort to save cost and create an industrial aesthetic, many companies are opting for polished or sealed concrete floors over carpet and LVT options. While concrete most certainly cuts costs and allows for employees to skateboard, scooter, and bike their way across large office spaces, the increased volume of hard surfaces creates much higher levels of sound transference. Individuals with sensitivity to sound or an inability to focus with constant noise would have an almost impossible time working under these conditions. 

If having concrete floors is on your client’s must-have list, consider adding ceiling and wall acoustic solutions to absorb some of the noise. Another solution is to section off a piece of the open office space that remains carpeted with partial walls as an area for those people who need a quieter space to work. Even smaller solutions like including soft-seating lounge areas throughout the space can contribute to noise control tactics.

Incorporating soft seating in an office space provides alternate work environments for neurodiverse individuals

If your space isn’t quite as large, but you still need universal design solutions, take a look at your office’s quiet rooms. Ideally, they should be located near an exterior wall with access to daylighting, but if the only space you have is in the dark back corner, there are plenty of improvements that can be made there, too. 

Diffused, color-changing LED strip lights or fixtures can help regulate mood through color therapy. 

Weighted blankets and pillows help soothe those prone to panic attacks or high-stress levels. 

Rocking or gliding chairs in place of stationary lounge furniture are helpful for those who require movement either to calm down or ease the need to fidget. 

Sound-isolating these rooms through acoustic wall and ceiling solutions can also make them a refuge for those who need more control over their sensory environment. 

Let the VCBO Interiors Team partner with you to create the best possible solutions for your office environment. With decades of combined experience in interior design and a range of certifications, including WELL, LEED, NCIDQ, and SCCID, our professionals are uniquely equipped to help you attract and retain the next-generation workforce.

Madeleine Helgren, NCIDQ, SCCID, IIDA
Interior Designer | VCBO Architecture

Trends in workplace design have led to difficulties for people with disabilities. To retain employees, architects must design to accommodate neurodiversity.

Lean design in healthcare is considered the standard design and planning process, questioning and influencing each facet of the care delivery process. Medical providers, administrators, and designers alike are fully invested, creating early charters and goals for improving the healthcare delivery process and focusing on the seven flows of healthcare. Methods for implementing Lean design have evolved from early spaghetti diagrams drawn on facility floor plans to apps that measure footsteps and motion. Institutions and 

designers have developed a “kit-of-parts” for standard rooms and clinical configuration strategies to enable new facilities to be quickly designed with maximum efficiency. This enables the design team to quickly collect data and input from the steering committee and develop preliminary plans for the team to mock up, walk-though and provide feedback early in the planning process. 

This Lean process has changed the clinical delivery method and model, that for many years has put patients and caregivers in the same space. In the on-stage/on-stage model, doctors’ offices are separate from the patient rooms and staff work areas, requiring frequent treks back and forth from office to patient exams. Usually, one or two physicians work in a particular area with exam rooms forming around smaller core areas. In this model, patients and caregivers interact in and out of the patient rooms with a mix of doctors, nurses, medical assistants, patients, and family mingling in public corridors. This model results in continuous noise and motion as a result of the inherent interactions that occur outside of the exam room. 

A more current design strategy for multi-specialty clinics, born out of a series of Lean processes, has enhanced the care delivery process, and out-of-patient room workflow by separating the patient access from the caregiver areas in an on-stage/off-stage model. In this model, exam rooms have two doors, one from a dedicated patient corridor and the other from a care team work area. Additionally, this care teamwork area includes staff seats for nurses, medical assistants, doctors, and specialty support staff in one location. This Lean model has improved the care delivery process for the patients as well as the providers and has even resulted in quicker “throughput” of patients. 

Unintended Consequences and Potential Solutions 

Sometimes unintended consequences occur, even in the most thoughtfully designed facilities. A recent unintended consequence of the on-stage/off-stage model we have been implementing is the lack of ambient noise outside of the patient room. Separating patients from caregivers reduces informal interactions in the corridors, thus reducing background noise. This quiet environment is beneficial for staff, but can also be clearly audible as a patient walks down the corridor to their room and can hear conversations occurring in other patient rooms. This perceived lack of privacy has caused some patients to feel anxious about conversations with their caregivers. 

Sound mitigation measures that have been explored and implemented to reduce the unintended consequence include: 

Providing additional seals around the sliding doors to patient corridors door. While effective, this makes the sliding doors very difficult to open and close, especially for patients with limited strength and/or mobility. 

Installing insulated doors, which come with a significant price upgrade. 

Installing white noise systems that provide ongoing background noise. Although this strategy is effective, it is counter to the efforts to reduce background noise and create a quiet and healing environment. The most effective solution to date is staff training. Having the providers use quiet “inside” voices has reduced sound transmission and improved the quality of care. This behavior change can be readily implemented and is a simple way to make ensure the Lean design efforts can be fully recognized in a new clinical environment. 

The most effective solution to date is staff training. 

Through project takeaways, we, as a design firm, have learned to identify shortcomings and concerns early in the planning and design process. We work primarily to identify solutions to these issues, and if there is no clear, effective solution, we then engage our clients in conversations about how to address these concerns with a focus on striking a balance between the preferred care delivery process and the resulting consequences. As we practice architecture, we are constantly striving for improvement, just as you are constantly working for improvement in your field. The Lean Design Process has enabled us to work closely with our clients to seek better designs that enable improved processes, and at the same time, the Lean Design Process reminds us that there is always an opportunity for improvement. 

Innovation spurs on-demand, automated, and vertical solutions to meet consumer expectations

Like so many other logistics functions, warehousing has undergone a rapid evolution, driven most acutely by the growth of e-commerce and the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital shopping ecosystem has morphed to meet customers’ ever-growing demands; the new normal now includes single-click purchasing, same-day fulfillment, and direct orders via smart devices using Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant. Buying has never been easier, but to satisfy customer expectations, warehouse operations have had to quickly – and sometimes clunkily – shift to 24/7 schedules, automated systems, smaller and more frequent order batches, and more robust processes to handle increased returns. 

Compounding those issues are pandemic-related stressors like supply chain hiccups, staffing shortages, and increased costs to maintain worker safety and hygiene. The story of the last few years has been one of the unforeseen consequences. But logistics is a resilient industry, and in the face of these complexities, four trends have emerged that suggest warehouse owners are embracing creativity and innovation to drive greater efficiencies. 

On-Demand Warehousing for Greater Storage Capacity

In the past, the standard warehouse was designed to store large quantities of product, so orders could consistently be shipped to keep retailers’ shelves stocked. There was a predictable product flow, and this operational model allowed the typical warehouse to store anywhere from six to nine months’ worth of product. Fast forward to present day, however, and it’s clear that predictability is a relic of a bygone era. 

Amazon’s e-commerce approach (e.g., faster shipping, vast product assortments, individual orders, etc.) disrupted the shopping paradigm, and pandemic panic buying only exacerbated the problems wrought by the shift. On-demand shopping has led to large fluctuations in space requirements. As such, the amount of product that retailers need to store changes far too often for warehouses to keep any single product in stock long-term. Warehouses need far more flexibility to meet their clients’ storage demands. Thus, warehouse owners and product suppliers are rethinking the current storage capacity model to navigate this new reality. 

For example, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey built out a database of all unused racking and storage positions. Then, the organization rented out these positions as cheaper short- term options, based on individual suppliers’ needs. The combination of a comprehensive database and shorter rental terms enabled suppliers to make better use of existing storage space and keep up with consumer demand. 

Warehouse Automation to Combat Labor Shortcomings

Suppliers haven’t been exempted from the countrywide labor shortage. As customers have placed more orders – and done so more frequently – there haven’t been enough workers to load and unload product shipments. The scarcity of qualified help has forced each supplier’s hand when it comes to automation. 

Automated processes and autonomous robots can ensure warehouse tasks get handled regardless of who’s on staff. Even better, automation reduces labor costs, freeing up capital for other expenditures. Forbes recently reported warehouse automation spending would continue increasing over the next three years. Among the top categories, conveyor/sorting automation could jump 65%, shuttle system automation could rise 56%, ASRS stacking crane investment could go up 49%, and AGV (point-to-point) automation could grow by 48%. 

Already, increased automation has dramatically improved throughput and storage densities while simultaneously minimizing labor spending and productivity losses.

Suppliers embracing automation will also see advancements in overall shipping performance and accuracy. 

We’re living through what many consider the Fourth Industrial Revolution, driven by the implementation of 5G communication infrastructure and IoT (Internet of Things) technology. 

IoT tech gives each individual product its own communication node, allowing the transmission of data from every package. That data flows directly into larger online networks that track a wide range of statistics. With so much data at suppliers’ disposal, there’s greater transparency in inventory control systems. 

More specifically, in the IoT model, robots are programmed to recognize when a product has entered a warehouse facility, when it has been stocked on a shelf, when it has been pulled from a shelf, and when it has been shipped out to the consumer. There’s unparalleled insight into product movement at every stage of the process. That means warehouses can consistently operate at ideal capacities since empty positions will automatically be identified and filled. 

Warehouse Design That Prioritizes Vertical Space

Of course, operating a warehouse isn’t only about what happens once it’s open for business – many considerations go into design and construction on the front end. 

Along with many other changes, the industrial warehousing industry has witnessed a rapid increase in the cost of commercial land. Cheaper plots allowed for expansive facilities, but record-high prices have forced warehouse owners to maximize the square footage they can afford. Instead of going wider, they’re building higher. 

In Europe, this is already the norm. Land has been in short supply for decades; fully automated High Bay Rack Supported Frozen and Chilled Storage was introduced as a solution. Using this method, storage facilities can top out at 110 feet tall, with 80,000 pallet positions. Furthermore, this racking style enables a smaller building footprint since the facilities use vertical space, not horizontal. Narrower, vertically-oriented warehouses require less land, and lower costs as a result. It’s a cutting-edge concept that’s perhaps the best representation of American warehousing’s brave new world. 

Navigate this brave new world with the help of the VCBO Industrial Team. We’re competitively positioned to assist you in redefining your Warehouse Portfolio as either End Users or Developers. Our professionals ensure your success by utilizing decades of combined experience in the heavy industrial worlds of Logistics, Processing, and Manufacturing, along with comprehensive research of the latest trends. We know that a warehouse is no longer just a warehouse – it’s more important than ever to take full advantage of warehouse design innovations to maximize your profitability and that of your tenants. 

The Brave New World of Modern American Warehousing

We want a high school designed for the future. We want a high school that questions which skills individuals will need for the future economy, and we want the high school to provide an ideal environment for equipping students with those skills. We want our high school to be focused on learning, not just in the classrooms, but throughout the entire building. We want our high school to foster creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. We also want this high school to be sustainable- a zero-energy campus if possible. We want to involve students, teachers, administrators, and the community in the design process. Emphatically, we do not want to rebuild the same high school that we did ten years ago. We do, however, want this high school to be cost-effective, both in the short-term upfront costs, but also in the long-term maintenance and operational costs. 


“We want to involve students, teachers, administrators, and the community in the design process” 

This was the direction and challenge given to VCBO Architecture by Davis School District (DSD) when we were first selected to design Farmington High School (FHS). Davis School District is home to approximately 70,000 students, and FHS will be their tenth high school. At the project’s onset, DSD assembled a steering committee comprised of a cross-section of District personnel to aid in providing direction and decision-making during the design process. The Steering Committee’s input was a key element in tailoring the school design to this particular District’s needs. Fourteen months went by from the initial visioning meeting to the time the project went to bid. During the first 10 months, our architectural team had 37 design-related meetings with Davis School District.

Figure 01: Steering Committee touring Marysville Getchell in Bellevue, WA.

The design and decisions came from the guidance of all stakeholders. The group toured numerous innovative high schools across
 the U.S. to benchmark the qualities of the best new facilities while keeping the unique needs of Davis School District in mind. The focus of the new design was to positively impact the learning environment for the student and teacher, providing the greatest amount of flexibility for the future. As architects, we listened closely to the owners’ criteria and converted their ideas into architectural solutions. 

One of the most productive meetings came from a workshop with the Steering Committee and a Faculty Committee consisting of a group of 29 teachers. They provided valuable feedback on their vision for their teaching space. Three key elements emerged from that discussion. First, teachers wanted size-appropriate classrooms, not only for the number of students in the specific class period, but also to accommodate the learning activities planned. Second, they desired building ownership, meaning they want their own space. Third, they understood they did not need their classroom during their prep period. 


Figure 02: The Steering Committee with the Faculty Committee

Instead of starting to design the spaces after this meeting, we decided to take a step back and question every space in the new high school. Why were classrooms typically 900 sq. ft.? Why did every classroom need to be the same size? Why did we need 90 classrooms? VCBO made the decision to study how the current DSD high schools were being used. We requested schedules and enrollment data from all of the District’s high schools, resulting in very useful representative information from four of the nine high schools. After spending several weeks inputting data, we were able to analyze what was happening period by period, school by school. 

The data revealed a glaringly obvious fact. The uniformity architects have historically designed into schools does not align with how currently operate. Imagine if every family, regardless of size, was given a five-seat sedan to drive in any circumstance. A family of five can fit, but not comfortably. A family of two has more room than they need. 

A family of eight, well, they get to sit on each other’s laps, make two trips, or not go anywhere at all. The solution that we are often presented with is, “make it bigger.” If we give everyone a suburban, they can all fit, but costs increase, waste levels rise and that family of two is in a cavernous vehicle.

Figure 03: DSD High School Class Size Average Pie Chart 

The “one size fits all” approach does not work in any aspect of life, so why should it work in a high school? DSD utilizes an A-B block schedule with four classes taught per day. The data showed that on average in the DSD high schools, there were 60 classes being taught per period per day. Of those classes, 17% had less than 25 students, 68% had 25- 35 students and 15% had more than 35 students. This information on class sizes enabled us to focus on size-appropriate spaces for teachers. We decided to make three different size classrooms based on this data; A focused classroom of 650 sq. ft., an enlarged classroom of 950 sq. ft., and an extra-large classroom of 1400 sq. ft.

Figure 04: Farmington High School Extra-Large Classroom 

Another aspect the study indicated was that on average, 20-25%
 of the classrooms were not being used for teaching students at any given time. The classrooms were being used by teachers for their prep period, or for student groups that did not need that large space. Through increasing the utilization of the classrooms, we realized we could make the design more efficient while providing student-centered collaboration spaces and flexible learning spaces for project-based learning throughout the school. This would require that teachers no longer “own” a classroom space exclusively. However, we believe it is important for teachers to have some type of ownership in the building, so that they are treated as the professionals they are. The design idea was to provide every teacher with their own personal office accessible and visible from the main circulation spine of the school. This provided supervision and moved the teacher out of a classroom and into an office for their prep period. 

We call the architectural solution for this a “learning suite”, comprised of a group of different-sized classrooms surrounding a flexible learning space and connected to the main circulation of the school through two entry points. 

The teachers using these classrooms will be given adjacent offices to minimize travel distance between class periods. One benefit of the learning suite is to provide each group of teachers with close proximity for working together on project-based learning assignments. Students can break out into different size groups, rearrange spaces for presentations and have group lectures, all while being supervised. Further, the learning suite provides increased security by allowing the access doors to be shut and locked, with each individual learning suite capable of evacuation independent of the remainder of the building. By pulling classrooms away from direct exterior glass, energy efficiency is achieved by reducing the mechanical loads on the classrooms. Full glass into the collaboration areas provides ample views and daylighting to the learning spaces, minus the glare factor. 

Figure 06: Farmington High School Main Entry 

In conclusion, the design of Farmington High School was a solution that stemmed from analyzing the specific in which Davis School District was utilizing its high schools. It also captured the vision of the Steering Committee for the future of education for their District. Because VCBO Architecture designs schools for districts all over the United States, we understand that each district is unique with independent goals and ideas for education. The one consistent truth that endures is that no one has a crystal ball to see 20 (or 40 or 80!) years into the future to know what education will look like. The decisions we make in designing schools have an impact for decades to come, and because of this, flexibility and adaptability are key for the longevity and sustainability of the school. Ultimately, at VCBO Architecture, we pride ourselves on listening to the client and providing architectural solutions for schools that focus on the learning experience for the students and teachers using these spaces day in and day out while staying flexible for future modifications. Through successful outcomes- such as FHS- we know we can improve the educational experience. By studying data and understanding how each specific school and district uses their schools now, we are better equipped to address how they aspire to use them in the future.

Alex Booth, AIA, LEED AP BD+C  
Principal, VCBO SLC

Designing a High School for Future Learning 

VCBO Architecture welcomed Julee Attig, CPSM, this March as the new director of marketing and business development, a senior role at the Salt Lake City-based firm.

Leveraging more than two decades of marketing experience in the architectural, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) industry, Attig will advance VCBO’s business strategy, support strategic initiatives, and maintain relationships with key partners. She will also manage the firm’s marketing team, supervising marketing pursuits, content creation, and communications.

“Working in the industry, VCBO has been a client and partner over the years so it’s cool to work with them from this new perspective,” Attig said. “We have a great new team and are excited to hit the ground running!”

Throughout her impressive career, Attig has honed her skills at multiple local, national, and international A/E/C consulting firms, though primarily working with clients in Utah and the Intermountain West. Prior to joining VCBO, Attig worked as a business development associate at Michael Baker International.

Combined with her refined skills, she brings numerous industry relationships and a forward-thinking marketing approach. As VCBO approaches its 50-year anniversary, Attig will provide valuable leadership to the firm’s thriving future.

Spaces for people to thrive.

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