Project Plan Proposal

As mentioned in the previous post, the wellness centre at the Richmond Food Bank provides information for new immigrants regarding health care, education, in addition to other community promotions from guest speakers that drop in every month. Two nurses are usually stationed in front of the tables to check blood pressure. With these values in mind, we set off in compiling a variety of ideas to complement the users of the area. The photos below illustrate the current state of the area to be revamped.

Michael has printed out copies of a rough layout of the food bank for all members during our second site visit. Sebastian has also drafted a detailed layout of the warehouse with dimensions.

With our project defined, our group met up with the other Richmond Food Bank group to discuss the scopes of our projects to prevent any overlap between the two projects.

After defining the purpose of the project and all of the constraints and the strategies to achieve the project goals, our group gathered together to brainstorm some ideas to efficiently organize the space in the wellness centre. Below is a list of ideas generated during our second site visit:

§  Design Ideas:

• Install a lamp above the billboard to illuminate postings

• Make the billboard movable in the vertical direction to make the content posted more accessible to people

• Move the china cabinets, tables, and shelves along the walls with cleaning equipment and power tools up to the second floor for storage

• Implement hinged tables on the walls

• Place extra equipment in the office closet

• Push tables against the walls

• Place Rubbermaid roll up boxes beneath the tables to put equipment in

• Color code pamphlets

 

Techniques used to choose between design ideas:

To choose between the design ideas, we referred to the project constraints mentioned in the previous blog post to guide our decision in choosing the best option for optimizing the wellness centre space. Everyone presented their ideas in a meeting held on February 27. After discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each case, the final design was chosen through a majority vote with regards to the constraints mentioned in the previous blog post among other considerations. Additional adjustments were made to finalize the design and everyone began working on their individual parts towards the completion of the project.

Some considerations made were the design life of the proposed layout. As the Richmond Food Bank’s lease for the current location will expire in 3 years, a mobile solution is preferred. Our budget is also limited. Thus, installing hinged tables and allowing the billboard to be moved in the vertical direction is not a viable approach to this as they may not be the cheapest or mobile option.

 

The Final Design

Riley created some SketchUp models of the proposed design, providing an additional layout to give the client another option to choose from. The unused cupboards and cabinets lined up against the walls will be moved up to the second floor for storage as the power tools in these furniture will not be used often. Tables will be pushed against the walls to create more space, and the cleaning equipment stored in the cupboards in the current layout will be placed in some Rubbermaid boxes stowed beneath the tables. This way, the equipment can be easily accessible, as they will be used frequently, and will not require volunteers to move up and down the stairs. In addition to these changes, there is an outlet beside the office entryway which will allow the installation of a lamp above the billboard to draw attention to the postings on the board. Pamphlets and other informative flyers will be color coordinated for identification purposes. With the inclusion of extra tables and space, this area provides a more inviting atmosphere for the visitors of the food bank.

There are two chairs placed on the side for guest speakers and nurses. The abrupt ending of the distribution tables distinctly separates the food from this corner, which specifically addresses the other needs of the community.

Figure 1: Option one with three tables

Figure 2: Option two with two tables on the side

Since the scope of our project is only limited to designing the wellness centre, the key milestones will highlight the crucial planning stages as well as project delivery dates.

Overview Timeline

• February 1: Meet with Client

This is the first meeting with our client at the Richmond Food Bank. We will discuss the scope of the project in addition to any project goals and deadlines to be met. A tour of the site will be conducted and any project constraints will be defined on this visit.

• February 5: Visit Richmond Food Bank and observe the traffic flow during distribution hours

This site visit will take place in between classes to observe the flow of traffic during food distribution days. Seeing the process in-person will allow our team to understand the general route followed by clients and identify any bottlenecks that cause traffic congestion. With this information, we can make adjustments to the wellness centre based on current conditions that will draw attention to it.

• February 27: Prepare the floor plans and brainstorm ideas

A meeting will be held to decide on the final design to be used. With the floor plans, the dimensions of the area will be used to optimize the space with any additional items that need to be moved into the area for convenience.

• March 5: Meet with the other group that is working with Richmond Food Bank

A brief joint meeting will be held to decide on a single date to present both group’s proposals to the client.

• March 25: Deliver project to client through presentation

• March 31: Present poster at poster session