Philo(sophy)
New Postcard – Watch Your Mailbox!
Featured in City Beat El Paso
Dana Wilke’s Philo(sophy)
By Isaiah Montoya
PhiloWilke Partnership, a healthcare design architecture firm, has started programming and design to renovate the four-story Annex building for University Medical Center (UMC) on their main campus.
Because the building is currently occupied, PhiloWilke is also challenged with phasing the project so people can move and/or relocate. “Approximately 80% of our work involves renovation in occupied facilities, so we take great care to minimize disruption to the patients and staff,” said Dana Wilke, Managing Partner of PhiloWilke. “The age of the building also dictates that we redesign the mechanical and electrical systems, deal with potential asbestos abatement requirements and increase handicap accessibility.”
When asked how Mr. Wilke got interested in medical architecture, he explained it was a matter of influence and luck. “My dad was an engineer, so that pushed me to the technical aspects of drawing and designing. But, my first job out of school in 1971 was as a planner for a hospital management company. This was where my interest for healthcare really got started,” he said. “I have dedicated my career and started this firm specifically to serve healthcare, medical, science and technology clients. It is extremely complicated work, but the most rewarding.”
Mr. Wilke began his firm with Roger Philo in 1985 in Houston. Their office in El Paso opened in January. “This is only our second office,” said Wilke. “We came here because El Paso and the surrounding areas are really unique. There is so much going on here and a lot of opportunity.”
PhiloWilke’s experience spans both large and small projects for major institutions and systems throughout Texas, including M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Children’s Medical Center – Dallas, the VA, Methodist Healthcare System, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System and medical branches for the University of Texas. “There are really important, big hospitals here in El Paso,” he added, hence the desire to have an office in El Paso. “We have the right expertise to offer to this community.”
PhiloWilke is a full-service architectural firm. Mr. Wilke said that, “we can work with a hospital no matter where they are in the planning process. Our firm can help them formulate ideas, budget and schedule from the very beginning and then see the project through to completion and occupancy.”
He continued, “Most of our architects are LEED certified, which means we are always attempting to find new ways to conserve energy and resources in building design, maintenance and operations.”
As for the current project’s status, Mr. Wilke said, “The UMC project is going great and it is a lot of fun. We are in El Paso to stay and look forward to contributing not only our passion for medical architecture, but our knowledge and experience as well.”
Keep tuned to CityBeatMagazine.net to be updated on project completion, which was not mentioned during the interview.
Latest BIM project
This is a LEED certified, 34,000 sf, 2 story office building for [confidential client] located near Houston, Texas. The project is extremely unique – it is designed to be built at a temporary location and then moved onto the final location after completion so as to not disrupt the day to day activities of the company. Yes, we will be moving the completed building! Exterior cladding will be metal siding with ribbon windows designed to withstand 130 mph hurricane force winds and the entire facility will operate on an emergency generator if necessary. The interior is designed as an open concept with a two story atrium in the middle of the space. Offices will be organized with flexible furniture systems to allow future reconfiguring, and the HVAC, electrical and data will be supplied by a raised access floor system. The structure of the building will be exposed throughout the interior.
Collaboration Creates a Cancer Center
PhiloWilke is proud to be the architect of record for Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, Texas Oncology and US Oncology Inc., who have joined forces to create a new cancer center at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center in West Houston. The collaboration involves the construction of a new 25,000 sf cancer center at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center.
Currently, Memorial Hermann Memorial City provides a variety of cancer services at several different areas on the campus, notes Keith Alexander, CEO of Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center. “We are building a new cancer center that will enable us to provide new and expanded services under one roof,” he says. “We’ve been providing cancer services in the area for over 40 years, but this allows us to put together a comprehensive cancer center. The partnership is making many of these new services possible.”
One advantage to the new partnership, Alexander says, is that the multidisciplinary cancer physicians at the Cancer Center at Memorial Hermann Memorial City will work together to discuss each patient’s case and come to an agreement on the best practice of treatment.
Memorial Hermann is investing about $12 million to build out and equip the new cancer center on the ground floor of Medical Plaza 4. Alexander expects the project to be built out by March 20, 2011.
Read the original article in the Houston Buisness Journal here.
Largest Houston-Area Architectural Firms
PhilloWilke has again ranked among the largest architectural firms in Houston, #19 this year. As a mid-sized firm dedicated exclusively to one market – medical – we are especially proud of this achievement. Congratulations to our great staff and our great clients!
Congratulations CABIR Team!
Early photographs of the Center for Advanced Biomedical Imaging Research, M. D. Anderson, Houston, Texas. More to come later!
The Art and Artists Among Us
PhiloWilke has quite a few direct connections to the arts… John Smart’s wife (Polly) is an artist. I actually own 2 of her paintings and 1 of her sculptures. Stephen Kolkmeier’s wife (Cisco) is an artist. I own one of her paintings as well. Kevin TenBrook’s wife (Carol) is an artist. And I love to paint too (I’m Kristin and I give away free paintings here). I am sure there are more painters and sculptors lurking among us that I don’t know about yet.
When you come to our office, you will notice some very unique and inspired, large-scale papier-mâché vegetables hanging on our walls. They are the creation of Cisco Kolkmeier. More of her work can be found at Koelsch Gallery.
COAA Texas Leadership Board
Gilbane, Boyken, Haynes Whaley, MD Anderson, UT System, PhiloWilke and UT Southwestern Medical Center… all representing and looking good! (Kristin Kautz, Director of Marketing at PhiloWilke, is the blondie on the right bottom row, by the way.)
Andy Palmer, AIA, LEED AP – Associate Partner
We would like to announce that Andy Palmer has been named Associate Partner. Congratulations Andy! Andy is a registered architect in Texas, as well as a LEED Accredited Professional, and is active in the American Institute of Architects, the Texas Society of Architects and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Andy has 20 years of architectural experience – six of which were as Architectural Project Coordinator at a major hospital system in Houston, Texas. Having served in the roles of both Architect and Owner/Operator, he has gained a unique and added perspective into the responsibilities from all sides of project delivery. With this experience, Andy realizes the importance of working parallel with the Owner as an integral part of the team.