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Campus News - March 12, 2001 |
Spotlight
Henrard wears many hats as architect planner for HSC
By Veronica Valencia
By the time Rick Henrard was in the fifth grade, he was already designing homes.
He was as interested in plans and elevations as his friends were in Hotwheels.
Architecture was his passion and still is -- only now hes taken on projects
of a much grander scale as an architect planner at the UNM Health Sciences Center.
As a registered architect, Henrard coordinates construction and moves that
fit with the strategic plan on the North Campus. Anything from moving a single
employee to moving whole departments can be organized by Henrard and the team
of five at HSC Facilities Planning.
Its a broad and diverse scope of work, he said. We
do everything from relocating a door for handicap compliance to the office layout
of a multi-million dollar building.
Some of the construction projects Henrard has been behind include the HSC Library,
the New Mexico Poison Control Center and the UNM Cancer Research Facility. These
projects can take anywhere from a few months to several years, depending on
planning, approvals, funding, construction, lead times and occupancy. In 2000,
about 82 projects were completed on the North Campus by HSC Facilities Planning.
While color schemes, carpet and new furniture are the aesthetic aspects of
some projects, Henrard often has to wear many different hats to get the job
done. He said facilities planners have to have knowledge of the building and
campus infrastructure as well as maintenance, telecommunications and even accounting.
Sometimes I even put on my firemans hat because Im constantly
putting out all types of fires around here, he jokes.
In an effort to expedite obtaining permits for various jobs, he volunteered
and was supported by the HSC to take classes and the test to become a licensed
general contractor for UNM.
Henrard brings 13 years of experience to UNM. As an architect in the private
sector, he was the project manager and designed such projects as the Lovelace
Emergency Room in Albuquerque and the Midtown Ambulatory Surgery Center in Memphis,
Tenn.
We as architects are the hands, the eyes and the ears of the user group.
We design to their functional needs, he said. The project may be
an aesthetic marvel, but if it doesnt function then its not a success.
When time allows, and hes not behind his desk with blueprints and fabric
samples in front of him, he can be found running the north golf course or working
out in the Biomedical Research Facility gym on his lunch hour.
I have to balance out the stress and help take my mind off all my work. By exercising at lunch, I get some good energy for the afternoon, he said.
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