Healthcare Design - February 2017 - 48

fac e

Time

W H AT I L I K E B E S T A B O U T
W O R K I N G I N H E A LT H C A R E
DESIGN
"I don't begin to consider myself an idealist, but what
keeps me going is knowing that we are designing spaces
that foster healing and help make better lives for so
many people."

C H A L L E N G E T H AT K E E P S M E U P
AT N I G H T

F AV O R I T E . . .
A RCHI T E C T / D E S IGNE R
"Aldo Rossi. His sketches
are beautiful and express a
very dynamic movement and
energy. On a more practical
side, I have to give Michael
Graves credit for advancing
our thinking about design
of the everyday object and
his thoughts on the design of
healthcare environments."
PIECE OF FURNITURE
I N Y O U R H O U S E "We
have an antique stainlesssteel coffee urn that was
originally powered by steam
(I would guess it brewed 100 cups at a time). My wife got
it at a church yard sale. I still don't know what she paid
for it, but it's the coolest side table I have ever seen."
Q U O T E "I have a friend and client who once made a
point by asking if I could eat an elephant. My answer
was 'No, I could not.' He responded by saying. 'You
certainly can, just take one bite at a time.'"
T V C H A R A C T E R "Jerry Seinfeld. His first show was
genius since it was about nothing, but his current show,
'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,' captures his love for
cars and I share this particular weakness. It's a pure joy
to watch and see how he pairs cars with his guests."
WAY T O U N W I N D A F T E R A L O N G D AY
"People get to unwind?"

M AT T
MANNING

Principal, ESa

SHORTLY AFTER JOINING Nashville,

Tenn.-based ESa (Earl Swensson
Associates) in 1995, Matt Manning
had the opportunity to become a
full-time member of the firm's healthcare team,
cutting his teeth on an expansion and renovation for Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Ga. The
project provided one of his first lessons in dealing with the complexities of healthcare design
when, during a schematic design user meeting,
he didn't ask the client to clarify a medical procedure they were discussing. "Rather than embarrass myself, I made a note to ask about it later,"
he says. "That evening, while we were headed to
our hotel, I asked one of our principals to tell me
how he learned about all the medical procedures
they were discussing. He looked at me and said,
'All you need to do is ask questions.'" Manning
has put that simple yet effective advice to use
during his two decades with the firm working
on a variety of projects. This year he'll be heading back to where he started with work at Floyd
Medical Center, as he also steps up to the role of
principal at ESa. -Anne DiNardo

O N T H E I M P O R TA N C E O F
CHALLENGING PRECONCEIVED
N O T I O N S I N A R I S K - AV E R S E
I N D U S T RY L I K E H E A LT H C A R E

a new convertible, could
afford a housekeeper,
and had six kids-looked
good to me. I don't have a
housekeeper, six kids, or
a convertible yet!"

THREE WORDS MY CO-WORKERS
WOULD USE TO DESCRIBE ME

1 random 2 workaholic 3 *

* No one will tell me a third-I assume that must be bad.

S I G N T H AT I N E E D A N E W H O B B Y
"My favorite weekend activity is cutting my grass. It gives
me a chance to think, wear earbuds, and listen to the
latest podcasts. Plus, what else can I start and finish in
a little over an hour and see real results? I guess this is
in response to the multiyear projects we deal with every
day. Sometimes, it's really nice just to see a result in a
short period of time."

"Making things more complicated than they need to be.
Sometimes the simple solution is the most elegant and
thoughtful solution."

OUTSIDE THE OFFICE, YOU'LL
L I K E LY F I N D M E ...

MANNING RECENTLY COMPLETED A PROJECT FOR FLOYD POLK
MEDICAL CENTER IN CEDARTOWN, GA.

FEBRUARY 2017

"As a child of the '70s,
'The Brady Bunch' had a
big impact on me. I saw
that this guy [Mike Brady]
was an architect, had a
cool house, always had

BIGGEST PET PEEVE ON A
PROJECT

"If something doesn't seem quite right, I've found that
it frequently isn't. I bet we can all think of at least one
time someone made us question our usual way of doing
a specific task and found what we thought was right
was, well, wrong. We don't aim to suggest changes
simply for the sake of change, but, rather, to be sure
we've provided an avenue for making the best decisions
possible."

48

W H AT D R E W M E T O A C A R E E R I N
ARCHITECTURE

HCDMAGAZINE.COM

"Working on my house, and trying to talk my wife out of
adding more projects to the list that's already not done. I
never win, by the way!"

© KIERAN REYNOLDS PHOTOGRAPHY (FLOYD POLK)

"Usually it's a minute detail. The bigger questions I can
set aside. I guess I know that they won't go anywhere in
the course of a few hours."
http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM
Healthcare Design - February 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Design - February 2017
