PREVENCIÓN DE LA DIABETES (PPD)
8. Ahora que los resultados del PPD son conocidos ¿Cuáles son los siguientes pasos?
As costs of building construction and maintenance rise, designers are con- stantly striving to incorporate space-saving ideas into their work. In this case, necessity can be turned to advantage—space saving is translated into space efficiency in the design of a small, well-equipped work area.
The principle of space efficiency can, of course, be carried to the ex- treme. Small, efficient kitchens are a pleasure to use, but kitchens that are too small can be most unpleasant for cooks and other kitchen workers. How can the designer know the difference between small and efficient, on one hand, and too small, on the other? Providing these components will help ensure that each section of the kitchen has the necessary equipment and storage space to enable employees to work efficiently:
❏ A work surface (table) ❏ A food prep sink
❏ A hand wash sink (must be separate from the food prep sink) ❏ A cutting surface
❏ Storage for utensils ❏ Storage for pans
❏ Storage for raw ingredients ❏ Storage for the finished product ❏ Proper aisle space for movement
If each work area includes the listed features, and the work area is arranged efficiently and is adequate for their utilization, the food facility will be space-efficient. (Space efficiency and the proper layout of work areas are developed more fully in Chapters 4 and 5.)
Lifetime Value
Commercial foodservice equipment can be expensive and certainly rep- resents a significant part of the cost of a construction project. Often the foodservice operator is faced with a limited budget for the purchase of equipment, and it is therefore understandable that price becomes a pri- mary factor in the selection process. In the not-for-profit sector of the food industry (hospitals, schools, the military, colleges), many times se- lecting the lowest price is required; for projects funded by federal, state, and local governments, often this is written into the law.With carefully written specifications for the purchase of a piece of equipment, it is possible to consider the lifetime value of equipment rather than its initial purchase price. For example, a basic exhaust hood can be purchased for a typical cooking battery for $8,000 to $10,000. A more ef- ficient hood designed to operate effectively with far less exhaust would cost more—perhaps $14,000 to $16,000. However, the more efficient de- sign would dramatically cut down on heating and air-conditioning costs for the building. The savings in energy in this example would easily pay for the more expensive hood in two years or less.
The true cost of any foodservice equipment item is not the purchase price alone; rather, it is the purchase price plus:
❏ Operational costs ❏ Maintenance costs ❏ How long it will last ❏ Labor efficiency
A piece of equipment that is attractive because of its lower purchase price may, in the long run, prove to be a very expensive investment if it requires more maintenance or more labor or is not energy-efficient.
Compromise
In every design project, conflicting needs will give rise to a series of com- promise conditions that the owner and design team must resolve. Ideally, if the conceptual design and planning phases of the project were conducted thoroughly, the number of compromises should be minimal. However, the need to compromise at some points in the design process is virtually in- evitable. For example, in the design of a dining area, it might be highly desirable to include a private dining room that could be closed off for special groups. Should this room be near the customer entrance for easy public access or near the kitchen for convenience to the hot-food pro- duction area? The answer might be both. However, if placing the private dining room near both the entrance and the kitchen interferes with other major components of the design, the best alternative may be to move it to another part of the facility. Conflicting needs always arise in the de- sign process, and only the skilled and experienced person will be able to balance priorities so that the resulting compromises are logical and defen- sible. Since the owner’s priorities may not be the same as the designer’s, often frank discussion and give-and-take by all parties are needed to create a satisfactory working relationship.
The designer will be basing the design on a set of principles that should be clearly described to the client before the project begins. If the client insists on making choices that depart from principles of good design, the designer has three choices:
1. Formally express the concern and give in to the client’s demand. The change should be put in writing for all to see, but not in such a way that the client would be embarrassed.
2. Formally express the concern, then seek a design solution that will satisfy the client and will preserve the principles of good design. 3. As a last resort, resign and bill the client for the work completed as of
the day of the disagreement.
Resubmission is quite common, and it is not unusual to resubmit at least four to six times for the design of a major project. Resubmission should be viewed as a healthy approach to the idea that a good design represents the best thinking of many people.