For the Dewberry holiday greeting, multiple offices contributed models made out of found materials to build a community. In Tulsa, we wanted to build upon the idea of community by bringing together individuals from diverse areas of expertise within our own office, using each of their skills to build a model of a hospital.

What did we build?

We wanted to base our model after a project we actually worked on, so we used our plans from the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) as guidance. Out of the five CTCA campuses across the country that we’ve worked on, the Tulsa location fit the quadrant we were assigned to best, with the least amount of alteration. CTCA is very important to us; so we wanted to share with others the pride we take in our relationship with them by showcasing the work we do for them.

How did we build it?

We were really inspired by the idea of using only found materials to create the hospital. Working at such a small scale (1”:40’), detail was minimal, so we wanted to convey the essence of a hospital through materials you would typically find at a medical facility including tongue depressors, Q-tips®, and gauze. For the building, we used matte board, and created landscaping with Q-tips® for snow-covered trees and patterned material samples for greenery.

My favorite part of our model was the details; like using a business card as a covered overhead to the entrance of the hospital. I thought of it as our signature on the project!

When did we build it?

We organized group lunches to bring everyone together to participate. Some of us were so excited that we came in a few hours outside of the business day to work on the model. It was an opportunity for all of us to have fun, and to interact with members of our team that we don’t get to work with often. Overall, I’m extremely proud of the hospital. It showcases not only the team’s technical expertise, but our creativity!