Case Studies October 2021

Although she’s not a teacher, Alexis Baker impacts students every day. As the director of facilities at Manheim Central School District, she says she considers their experience in every project. Whether with large undertakings, like renovating the high school, or smaller ones, such as creating a pollinator garden at the middle school, Baker tries to […]

On a crisp October day in 2018, Jennifer Gonsalves walked through Yale campus, the civil engineer in her appreciating century-old Gothic and neo-Georgian architecture. When she reached 222 York Street, Yale’s main theater, her gaze—like that of so many drama students—swept up the stone façade. Gonsalves continued her walk past the other eight buildings on […]

In 1913, Henry Ford developed his assembly line for mass production, famed for its efficiency. In the 1930s, Toyota took it a step further, developing a manufacturing production method—often referred to as LEAN—which not only limited waste and overproduction, but made it possible to create more variety of cars. Since then, the LEAN process has […]

When one’s own house is in order, it simplifies the task of building others. That’s Steve Smith’s message as he takes a break from remotely overseeing construction for Houston-headquartered Chesmar Homes to chat with Blueprint this past August. At any given time, he’s got a couple hundred houses under construction. Greater Houston remains the hottest […]

Damian Viltz’s first week of the 2017-18 school year at Fort Bend Independent School District began with a career-defining challenge—and an ominous omen. On the Monday before school opened, FBISD’s new executive director of facilities and operations witnessed a full solar eclipse—an eerie sight, he recalls. The next day, students started the school year as […]

When John Crompton led a lunch and learn session with students at The Winsor  School, he wasn’t sure if they’d be interested. He knew the science behind concrete would probably bore a group of students and expected to look into the audience and see yawns and glazed-over eyes. Instead, he saw a sea of raised […]

In some ways, it seemed as though casinos in the U.S. picked up right where they’d left off when the COVID-19 pandemic began to wane in the face of vaccinations. According to the American Gaming Association, first quarter revenues at casinos this year hit $11.1 billion, matching a high set in the third quarter of […]

In its heyday, it lured shoppers from all around Frankfort, Kentucky, offering everything they needed for their homes, wardrobes and leisure time. But heydays come and go, and the bustling Kmart fell closed in January 2018. A little over a year later, it was demolished, but the site did not remain a vacant field harkening […]

When the Las Vegas Strip reopened in June 2020 after a COVID-19 pause, celebrations were muted—at least for the first few weeks. Then, on a not-so-quite boulevard, Resorts World Las Vegas opened with a shower of fireworks and a traditional lion dance for luck and prosperity. According to Paul Gunderson, the resort’s vice president of […]

Ask anyone who attended a large state university what their favorite part of college was, and you’ll get a variety of answers. From getting an education that hopefully leads to a successful career and making lifelong friends to going to football and basketball games and parties, the college experience is vast. At Florida State University, […]