Research in Architecture
The R+D Department is the research, branding and strategic planning arm of IDG+ Architects.
Our Director, DeQuales Thompson, aims to continuously expand and improve the services, approach and corporate knowledge of the firm.
At IDG+ we seek to cultivate ideas, innovation and techniques that result in a better built environment and a better quality of life for our planet. As a practice centered around education, we express our values to the community by demystifying and democratizing the practice of architecture. From community engagement to evidence-based design, we seek to communicate clearly with people as we discover new ways to design, build, and connect.
By assessing the ability of our projects to achieve their design goals through real world outcomes, we can identify the design interventions that are most effective through research, practice, and experimentation. This approach to practice is advantageous to our clients because it allows for a greater range of creative solutions with reduced risk.
The department provides many services, both within the firm and to our clients. We also seek out best practices from around the world and implement them throughout various aspects of our practice.
IDG+ Architects are committed to Research and Development long-term, with the full support of management to assist the firm in implementing:
- Sustainable Project Delivery and Operations
- Community-based design strategies
- Evidence-Based Practice Model
- Equity-based Operations
As architects who believe in the transformative power of education and knowledge, our efforts at R+D aim to mend the divide between academic theory and professional practice to create resources to uplift the next generation of architects.
“The R+D department brings an added dimension to the design, production, project management, and delivery processes.
By including the scientific method within our design process, we seek to substantiate our design decisions with measurable outcomes.”
~ DeQuales Thompson
Director of Research and Development, IDG+ Architects
Campus Safety Investigations
Apart from our continuous internal improvements, IDG+ is always searching for ways to improve school facilities. The R+D department engages in research to find solutions, (be they comprehensive or precise) to increase the safety and efficiency of school facilities and their operations.
The Fire Alarm Pull Station Control Project is the result of an investigation requested by The Sheldon Independent School District. The request came as many ISDs across the nation were looking to increase school safety and security after the Parkland incident. The incident shed a specific light on school facilities because the facility itself was used to bring harm to the people in the building.
IDG+’s R+D department investigated a strategy for districts to retrofit existing school facilities by removing fire alarm pull stations and replacing them with alarm systems that did not require human interaction. This retrofit results in a dramatic decrease in false alarms, creating a more efficient use of tax dollars associated with mobilizing first responders to a false alarm. As well as a decrease in school disruptions due to false alarms. Lastly, facility safety was improved by closing a loophole in the school’s protection and safety operations.
After the investigation revealed a strategy, the firm was able to execute the work with the district. IDG+ has published our findings so other districts will have the knowledge and strategy to retrofit their own existing buildings thus improving facility safety and efficiency for a low cost.
