Naval Base San Diego is one of the biggest Naval Bases in North America. Naval Base Point Loma and Naval Base Coronado–also based in San Diego–are significant bases. We recently performed installations at all three facilities and decided to compare the orders, side by side, as a case study to better understand the benefits of their respective furniture choices. As you can see from the item lists below, we developed …
Avila Construction & Farm Worker Housing – Case Study
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck chronicles the travails of an Oklahoma family who travel West during the Great Depression to escape the Dust Bowl. Lured by the promise of well-paying farm jobs, they arrive in California’s Salinas valley, the so-called “Salad Bowl of the World.” Magnifying their woes, these migrant farmworkers encounter predatory employers, overcrowded camps, desperate living conditions, and destitution. You might think these conditions relate to …
Case Study – University of Pennsylvania Stouffer Hall
Overview DCI partnered with Atkin Olshin Schade Architects and Advanced Office Environments to furnish Stouffer Hall at the University of Pennsylvania. Features The furniture was composed of solid oak construction. The custom and ADA compliant wardrobes featured plywood sides. We assembled the wardrobes in the bedrooms bolting together two cabinets. The beds have a high-low configuration allowing students to hang their legs off the end of the bed. The University …
Case Study – Dartmouth and DCI’s Model of Circular Design
Over the last quarter century, a fascinating model of cradle to cradle product design has been unfolding in the New Hampshire North Country. In partnership with DCI—one of New England’s largest and oldest contract furniture manufacturers—Dartmouth College harvests trees from its own forest through its sustainable forestry program and DCI turns those logs into lumber and then long-lasting hardwood furniture. We then install this solid maple furniture, fashioned from Dartmouth’s …
Case Study: Turning Empty Houses Into Homes With Chicago Furniture Bank
Where do people go when they can’t afford furniture? In Chicago, there’s a remarkable organization called the Chicago Furniture Bank (CFB). And it helps individuals and families who are transitioning out of homeless. In their own words, “CFB breaks the cycle of furniture poverty by transforming an empty house into a home” through providing folks with high quality used furniture. In the Fall of 2022, DCI was lucky enough to …
Case Study: Building Durable Steel & Wood Beds for Fort Sam Houston
Over the years, DCI has worked on numerous projects with Fort Sam Houston—a joint Army and Air Force Base based in San Antonio. Recently, the Base approached us with a new request. They were looking for a solution to replace their antiquated Captain’s Beds. Design Update: Captains Beds They were interested in a fresh contemporary design that both centered the strength of steel while softening the cold institutional feel of …
Case Study: University of Tampa
Summary: In 2010, DCI started working with the University of Tampa. Over the last 11 years, we’ve upgraded the design standard across the UT campus upgrading 10 residence halls and 4,430 beds, including Vaughn Hall next year. Furniture: Bunkable Bed, Adjustable Height Bed, Tall Bed End, Mattress, Wardrobe, Pedestal Desk, Three Drawer Chest. Wood: Solid Maple, Natural Finish University of Tampa The University of Tampa is a medium-sized private university …
UCSB Case Study – New Soft Seating & Repurposed Sofas
Summary This summer at UC Santa Barbara, we installed 70 premium sofas from our mid century-inspired Boulevard Collection. There were two highlights to this project. First, the timeline was extremely compressed. Second, because we have a local assembly plant in San Diego, we were positioned to reclaim a large volume of furniture from UCSB that was otherwise destined for the landfill. DCI’s Journey Into Soft Seating Before we jump into …
Case Study – Travis Air Force Base
Summary: DCI installed solid wood bedroom sets in a three-building cluster at Travis Air Force Base. The project presented unique challenges including installing new furniture in occupied rooms, removing, palletizing, and transporting the old furniture, and using a reach lift. Travis Air Force Base Travis Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force air base under the purview of the Air Mobility Command, located in Northern California. In 2020, DCI …
Case Study: Sustainable Purchasing at Southwestern University
Summary Southwestern University hired a Sustainability Coordinator and embraced a commitment to zero waste on campus. They reached out to DCI to provide them with sustainable zero waste furniture to furnish two of their residence halls. The Oldest University in Texas Southwestern University (SU) is a private liberal arts school in Georgetown, Texas, just north of Austin. Situated on a 780-acre suburban campus with 1,430 undergrads, the school was founded …