@creativemetaphor I love what you did with this challenge. The exterior screams office building, and I adore that garden terrace in the center. The layout seems to flow so well too! The bar area in Sparks' office looks great.
@Kgaff I love how you have used the Showtime column thingamajigs! I also really like how you used the asian influence throughout. The conference room looks great! The whole build feels so spacious and airy.
@linday Oh thank you I think I made like 8 designs and 5 starts to this build before I settled on that one. Some didn't work, but some were just too much budget busters
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 120 Beverley Boulevard, Los Aniegos. Final Cost: $150,000 (It dropped to 142-ish after I left the lot to upload it, but I'm sticking with the original price; I used every simoleon.)
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: 4-Floor Office Building for Spark Tech. I envision Spark Tech to be a modern, team-oriented tech and engineering company. Which means it will have all the fixins for the modern lifestyle. The beautiful thing about choosing to work and build in Los Aniegos is that the architectural style is so diverse that it is fairly open to the architect’s whim. I chose a modern, clean exterior and kept the interior light and fresh.
But, for now, it has:
Ground Floor: Exterior Parking for visitors, Underground Parking for the Team. Future space for kennel and day care. Fully Landscaped.
Lobby floor: Features a Grand Lobby with comfortable waiting area, coffee bar, terrace public restrooms, conference room, coat room, records room, mechanical room and stairs and elevator. Check out the mosaic .
Tech floor: Open and waiting for future instructions on team offices, kitchen, bathroom, terrace and views of the surrounding Los Aniegos.
Penthouse: Private office suite for E.L. Sparks. An oasis of blues, whites and warm woods, the penthouse boasts an impressive desk for impressing upon the underlings, a team meeting area, lounge, private records room, closet, private bathroom with shower and private deck with 360 degree panoramic views of the city.
I have been tempted to do a couple of the challenges over the last four months or so, but never pulled the trigger. This time, seeing Linday around (and having a cool challenge) sent me over the edge. Will have my entry coming here in mere minutes.
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: No optional challenge for me at this time.
LEVEL: Advanced, CFE is a long time friend, we exchange Christmas gifts.
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 40x30, 235 Starry Way in downtown Starlight Shores, final cost: just a shade under $144k
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: Looking around Starlight Shores for information on the whole "wants it to blend in to the community" requirement, I came to the conclusion that there are a LOT of different styles in Starlight Shores. Each of the buildings in the downtown, business area kind of stand out on their own, with style vibes anywhere from 1940s to 1970s. There was one commonality in the buildings, they all made a statement. So the headquarters of Sparks Company, must also make a statement to "blend in" with all the other different buildings busy making their statements, with some retro vibe thrown into the mix.
I picked the late 50s to early 60s for my time frame. This was the time when exposed concrete was making its presence known in the exterior and interior designs of many buildings. It was also a time of profound interest in the space program. So those are where I took my inspiration cues as the exterior was designed.
Inside, I stayed with exposed concrete in many common areas, but with embellishments of other textures at high statement areas such as the main reception and in the executive office areas. The request for blues and whites was taken seriously and implemented in the penthouse office suite. The blues I went with should go well with many of Mr. Sparks power suits. Plenty of refreshment opportunities abound in the penthouse so Mr. Sparks can impress future clients and corporate officers as well as lubricate them with equal ease. Glass tops for both Mr. Sparks' desk and the conference room table will impress without being overstated.
In the name of providing a good work environment for employees, plenty of windows abound for "staring-outside-for-inspiration" moments. There is also an on-site coffee cart for employees, as well as locals, to purchase much needed caffeine. Not that Mr. Sparks plans to overwork the help, but because we will assume most employees of such a progressive company will stay up way too late playing video games and/or bingeing their favorite episodes of whatever. The on-site vendor will keep them running in tip-top, bouncing, efficiency in spite of any poor bed-time planning in their personal lives. Or... If Mr. Sparks does in fact, make the help stay late on occasion.
Left over money in the budget was spent showing how future spaces could be used. The first floor has an area designed for a potential first-rate training room, complete with a sample white board ready for all kinds of marker mayhem. Off to the sides of main reception are two public restrooms as well as two wings that would be great for future corporate officer stomping grounds. The second floor has sample cubicles in place to prove that while the building and the company may be progressive, there is still potential for soul-crushing cube farms if the need should arise. Two more wings would also be great places for yet more future corporate officers to stomp. Or maybe these future offices won't be quite so flashy and cater to more "middle management" types.
Parking for visitors out front. Each space is separated by shrubberies in an effort to keep the insurance claims for door-dings to a minimum. I doubt this will have much impact on Mr. Sparks actual business insurance premiums. Underground parking is available for future employees and executives. Can't have too many rain spots forming on those company cars after all.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: Yes, I am rusty, so bring it on.
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: It has been sooooo long since I downloaded the CC I have that I don't remember names or if in fact many of the items come from the EA Store, or are, in fact, CC. The only thing I used that I am sure is CC are the mirrored floors in the conference room. I don't remember the name of the awesome, awesome, awesome creator of those wonderful things though.
@ElleDaes LOL! Your slideshow of Sparks made me laugh, especially the part about fixing the wall and the elevator noises!! I love your lobby! The mosaic is great and I never thought of having a coffee bar, great idea!
@MeestorMark Hi, nice to meet you. I'm not familiar with your work but I am in awe of your style. The shape of your build is amazing and all the extra attention to detail, well, what can I say, its a fabulous office.
I pity the judges, the competition gets tougher with each challenge.
@ElleDaes - I love how you used the garage doors for the penthouse! And the waiting area, I see cake! I would love to wait there! The whole build feels so spacious!
@MeestorMark - I love seeing you back, and what a way to come back... One look at your build and I knew it was yours. I'm so happy I could give you a little nudge over the edge! :P Can I have more next month?
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 35x25, Starlight Shores custom placed, $148,996 furnished, $121,184 unfurnished
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: Ultimately, Starlight Shores felt the best choice for joining in with the community and desiring a modern type of design with the color scheme I wanted to work with. After a lot of time spent studying design images in google and a few TV shows later, I started seeing what was possible with what I had in mind, and I ended up loving what happened. I tried to pick one country, Japan, to blend cultural aesthetic with modern design. (I don't know how well I succeeded, but that was the intention, since Asia is so huge and has a large diversity in culture and aesthetics.) Minimalism, gardens, woods, and other things I can't quite put into words ended up the themes I found in decorations, while their modern architecture is just amazing.
The ground floor is parking, entrance gardens, and main lobby. The second floor will be the offices. One of the current design themes I saw was multi-level office floors and abandoning the cubicle system (such as sunken desks, main level walkspaces, ladders up into crawl/quiet spaces, etc all in a single floor of space, a few references: https://tinyurl.com/yaso9p9e + https://tinyurl.com/ybwuz2ag + https://tinyurl.com/yaqsd9na) I started trying to build an office floor with three different levels but it quickly became very out of budget, so I kept the most common split I saw, which was sunken work spaces surrounded by community walkways and spaces. The third floor will the break room and garden space. I had to make the garden space this round since it's technically an exterior space and a large visual feature. The fourth floor is the penthouse with Spark's lobby space and his office, with an en suite bathroom, naturally. There's a small space with the secretary where guests can help themselves to refreshments. I saw one corporate bathroom that I fell in love with and did the best I could within budget to re-create.
Note: I had a few visual glitches trying to screenshot that weren't there in build mode. I tried to troubleshoot it, but only succeeded at a few of them. I'm sorry!
Layout
Exterior and Parking:
Front Entrance:
Ground Floor:
Mid Level Garden:
Penthouse Lobby:
Penthouse Office and Bathroom:
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: yes
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: Mutske, ung999, lulu265, alex_stanton1983, sim_man123, simcredibledesigns.com
Rose was buzzing with excitement. "I can't believe it! We are going to have a celebrity asking us for help!"
"Relax Rose!" You laugh, "It's not as if we haven't done work for VIPs before. Just take a few breaths and try to behave just like you would with anyone."
"But it's not anyone! It's one of the Modas! They are THE name in the fashion world!" he protested.
"I didn't know you were interested in fashion," you say, even more amused.
"Who doesn't like to look good?" she says, smoothing down her smart blouse absently. "But they are rich, famous and they make fashions that look good on anybody who happens to put on one of their designs, no matter what body type they may sport."
"I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you then," says a voice that carries a slight accent and is smooth as melted chocolate. You both turn to see the middle-aged man standing in the doorway, holding onto the chimes so they didn't give him away. He smiles genially. "I am Joao Moda. I believe I am here for a 3 pm appointment."
Rose looks like he wants to walk in front of a passing bus. You however simply smile and hold out your hand to greet him. "Mr. Moda, welcome. Why don't we talk in my office?"
As Rose sees to the coffee, you assess your latest client. He's a good-looking man with dark hair, suntanned skin and a brilliant smile. HIs clothing is entirely in black but cut with a style that makes you, who are normally a snappy dresser, look a bit shabby. But it's his shirt that really interests you.
"You like my suit?" He asks, catching you studying him.
"Yes. It looks great!"
He grins, "Its 15 years old."
Your mouth drops open. "It looks brand new!"
"Thank you!" Joao thanks Rose for the coffee and sips it. "You see, I am an oddity in my family. Everyone else is a designer of this fashion or that. I...am a dud. I can't design my way out of a paper bag." He grimaces.
"I imagine that makes things difficult from time to time," you say sympathetically, remembering the teasing of your own siblings.
Joao nods then brightens. "However I am the best in the family at sewing and tailoring. So I turned my attention to that end of things. I developed a love for fabrics, rather than design. How does it feel on the skin? How does the color wear? Will it stretch? Will it sag? How does this one need to be taken care of as opposed to that one? Will this color fade? Or can it take multiple wears? It is all fascinating! And along the way, I developed several ways of taking care of fabric that ensures the longevity and shape.
"Which brings me to you. I'm tired of the hustle and bustle of my family's factories. I've decided that I need a break. So I would like to build a laundromat."
"A..laundromat?" You stare at him. Your mental images of laundromats, hot and filled with the scent of lint, don't seem to match with this classily dressed man.
"A laundromat. So I can help educate people on how to best to take care of their clothing or do it for them if they need. With a section for tailoring." He says confidently.
"Well, that's something we can certainly do..." You say, pulling out your pen. "Let's talk about design..."
Brief:
Build a laundromat
No less than 5 washers and dryers.
A take in section
A tailoring/ dressmaking area
Your budget is §75,000 $85,000
Sim Challenge
Create Joao Moda, using the information above.
A reminder to use the entry form as is. If you are adding any pictures, please limit them to two per entry post and place them at the bottom of the entry form.
@BuildnShare I probably know the answer to this, but is there any wiggle room on the washer/dryer requirement? If we did a specific theme build could we use clothes lines instead of dryers, or, say, call a cauldron a wash vat?
Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. I've been checking out yours' too and everyone is so talented and has such a unique aesthetic, it's inspiring.
@BuildnShare I probably know the answer to this, but is there any wiggle room on the washer/dryer requirement? If we did a specific theme build could we use clothes lines instead of dryers, or, say, call a cauldron a wash vat?
@creativemetaphor - nope, we are looking for at least 6 washers and dryers, you could, of course, add to that if you wish.
Comments
@Kgaff I love how you have used the Showtime column thingamajigs! I also really like how you used the asian influence throughout. The conference room looks great! The whole build feels so spacious and airy.
NAME: ElleDaes
LINK TO LOT: n/a (it’s an incomplete build and won’t be uploaded until it is finished)
LINK TO MEDIA: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ElleDaes/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2001818516725087
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ElleDaes/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2001830293390576
LEVEL: intermediate
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 120 Beverley Boulevard, Los Aniegos. Final Cost: $150,000 (It dropped to 142-ish after I left the lot to upload it, but I'm sticking with the original price; I used every simoleon.)
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: 4-Floor Office Building for Spark Tech. I envision Spark Tech to be a modern, team-oriented tech and engineering company. Which means it will have all the fixins for the modern lifestyle. The beautiful thing about choosing to work and build in Los Aniegos is that the architectural style is so diverse that it is fairly open to the architect’s whim. I chose a modern, clean exterior and kept the interior light and fresh.
But, for now, it has:
Ground Floor: Exterior Parking for visitors, Underground Parking for the Team. Future space for kennel and day care. Fully Landscaped.
Lobby floor: Features a Grand Lobby with comfortable waiting area, coffee bar, terrace public restrooms, conference room, coat room, records room, mechanical room and stairs and elevator. Check out the mosaic
Tech floor: Open and waiting for future instructions on team offices, kitchen, bathroom, terrace and views of the surrounding Los Aniegos.
Penthouse: Private office suite for E.L. Sparks. An oasis of blues, whites and warm woods, the penthouse boasts an impressive desk for impressing upon the underlings, a team meeting area, lounge, private records room, closet, private bathroom with shower and private deck with 360 degree panoramic views of the city.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: yes
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: None
It helps to tag @BuildnShare in questions to make sure it gets seen!
O...M....G....!! @MeestorMark - long time no see!! How the heck are you my sweet??
You may, as long as there are no playable areas on more than four floors, you are good to go.
I have been tempted to do a couple of the challenges over the last four months or so, but never pulled the trigger. This time, seeing Linday around (and having a cool challenge) sent me over the edge. Will have my entry coming here in mere minutes.
NAME: MeestorMark
LINK TO LOT: Not uploaded yet, N/A
LINK TO MEDIA: https://www.flickr.com/gp/159174096@N06/46nH9L
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: No optional challenge for me at this time.
LEVEL: Advanced, CFE is a long time friend, we exchange Christmas gifts.
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 40x30, 235 Starry Way in downtown Starlight Shores, final cost: just a shade under $144k
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: Looking around Starlight Shores for information on the whole "wants it to blend in to the community" requirement, I came to the conclusion that there are a LOT of different styles in Starlight Shores. Each of the buildings in the downtown, business area kind of stand out on their own, with style vibes anywhere from 1940s to 1970s. There was one commonality in the buildings, they all made a statement. So the headquarters of Sparks Company, must also make a statement to "blend in" with all the other different buildings busy making their statements, with some retro vibe thrown into the mix.
I picked the late 50s to early 60s for my time frame. This was the time when exposed concrete was making its presence known in the exterior and interior designs of many buildings. It was also a time of profound interest in the space program. So those are where I took my inspiration cues as the exterior was designed.
Inside, I stayed with exposed concrete in many common areas, but with embellishments of other textures at high statement areas such as the main reception and in the executive office areas. The request for blues and whites was taken seriously and implemented in the penthouse office suite. The blues I went with should go well with many of Mr. Sparks power suits. Plenty of refreshment opportunities abound in the penthouse so Mr. Sparks can impress future clients and corporate officers as well as lubricate them with equal ease. Glass tops for both Mr. Sparks' desk and the conference room table will impress without being overstated.
In the name of providing a good work environment for employees, plenty of windows abound for "staring-outside-for-inspiration" moments. There is also an on-site coffee cart for employees, as well as locals, to purchase much needed caffeine. Not that Mr. Sparks plans to overwork the help, but because we will assume most employees of such a progressive company will stay up way too late playing video games and/or bingeing their favorite episodes of whatever. The on-site vendor will keep them running in tip-top, bouncing, efficiency in spite of any poor bed-time planning in their personal lives. Or... If Mr. Sparks does in fact, make the help stay late on occasion.
Left over money in the budget was spent showing how future spaces could be used. The first floor has an area designed for a potential first-rate training room, complete with a sample white board ready for all kinds of marker mayhem. Off to the sides of main reception are two public restrooms as well as two wings that would be great for future corporate officer stomping grounds. The second floor has sample cubicles in place to prove that while the building and the company may be progressive, there is still potential for soul-crushing cube farms if the need should arise. Two more wings would also be great places for yet more future corporate officers to stomp. Or maybe these future offices won't be quite so flashy and cater to more "middle management" types.
Parking for visitors out front. Each space is separated by shrubberies in an effort to keep the insurance claims for door-dings to a minimum. I doubt this will have much impact on Mr. Sparks actual business insurance premiums. Underground parking is available for future employees and executives. Can't have too many rain spots forming on those company cars after all.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: Yes, I am rusty, so bring it on.
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: It has been sooooo long since I downloaded the CC I have that I don't remember names or if in fact many of the items come from the EA Store, or are, in fact, CC. The only thing I used that I am sure is CC are the mirrored floors in the conference room. I don't remember the name of the awesome, awesome, awesome creator of those wonderful things though.
@ElleDaes LOL! Your slideshow of Sparks made me laugh, especially the part about fixing the wall and the elevator noises!! I love your lobby! The mosaic is great and I never thought of having a coffee bar, great idea!
@MeestorMark Hi, nice to meet you. I'm not familiar with your work but I am in awe of your style. The shape of your build is amazing and all the extra attention to detail, well, what can I say, its a fabulous office.
I pity the judges, the competition gets tougher with each challenge.
@MeestorMark - I love seeing you back, and what a way to come back... One look at your build and I knew it was yours. I'm so happy I could give you a little nudge over the edge! :P Can I have more next month?
NAME: Zayven
LINK TO LOT:
LINK TO MEDIA: https://postimg.org/gallery/39v8lil6u/
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: Not this time, sorry!
LEVEL: Intermediate
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 35x25, Starlight Shores custom placed, $148,996 furnished, $121,184 unfurnished
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: Ultimately, Starlight Shores felt the best choice for joining in with the community and desiring a modern type of design with the color scheme I wanted to work with. After a lot of time spent studying design images in google and a few TV shows later, I started seeing what was possible with what I had in mind, and I ended up loving what happened. I tried to pick one country, Japan, to blend cultural aesthetic with modern design. (I don't know how well I succeeded, but that was the intention, since Asia is so huge and has a large diversity in culture and aesthetics.) Minimalism, gardens, woods, and other things I can't quite put into words ended up the themes I found in decorations, while their modern architecture is just amazing.
The ground floor is parking, entrance gardens, and main lobby. The second floor will be the offices. One of the current design themes I saw was multi-level office floors and abandoning the cubicle system (such as sunken desks, main level walkspaces, ladders up into crawl/quiet spaces, etc all in a single floor of space, a few references: https://tinyurl.com/yaso9p9e + https://tinyurl.com/ybwuz2ag + https://tinyurl.com/yaqsd9na) I started trying to build an office floor with three different levels but it quickly became very out of budget, so I kept the most common split I saw, which was sunken work spaces surrounded by community walkways and spaces. The third floor will the break room and garden space. I had to make the garden space this round since it's technically an exterior space and a large visual feature. The fourth floor is the penthouse with Spark's lobby space and his office, with an en suite bathroom, naturally. There's a small space with the secretary where guests can help themselves to refreshments. I saw one corporate bathroom that I fell in love with and did the best I could within budget to re-create.
Note: I had a few visual glitches trying to screenshot that weren't there in build mode. I tried to troubleshoot it, but only succeeded at a few of them. I'm sorry!
Layout
Exterior and Parking:
Front Entrance:
Ground Floor:
Mid Level Garden:
Penthouse Lobby:
Penthouse Office and Bathroom:
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: yes
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: Mutske, ung999, lulu265, alex_stanton1983, sim_man123, simcredibledesigns.com
#BnS198 is now officially closed.
Rose was buzzing with excitement. "I can't believe it! We are going to have a celebrity asking us for help!"
"Relax Rose!" You laugh, "It's not as if we haven't done work for VIPs before. Just take a few breaths and try to behave just like you would with anyone."
"But it's not anyone! It's one of the Modas! They are THE name in the fashion world!" he protested.
"I didn't know you were interested in fashion," you say, even more amused.
"Who doesn't like to look good?" she says, smoothing down her smart blouse absently. "But they are rich, famous and they make fashions that look good on anybody who happens to put on one of their designs, no matter what body type they may sport."
"I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you then," says a voice that carries a slight accent and is smooth as melted chocolate. You both turn to see the middle-aged man standing in the doorway, holding onto the chimes so they didn't give him away. He smiles genially. "I am Joao Moda. I believe I am here for a 3 pm appointment."
Rose looks like he wants to walk in front of a passing bus. You however simply smile and hold out your hand to greet him. "Mr. Moda, welcome. Why don't we talk in my office?"
As Rose sees to the coffee, you assess your latest client. He's a good-looking man with dark hair, suntanned skin and a brilliant smile. HIs clothing is entirely in black but cut with a style that makes you, who are normally a snappy dresser, look a bit shabby. But it's his shirt that really interests you.
"You like my suit?" He asks, catching you studying him.
"Yes. It looks great!"
He grins, "Its 15 years old."
Your mouth drops open. "It looks brand new!"
"Thank you!" Joao thanks Rose for the coffee and sips it. "You see, I am an oddity in my family. Everyone else is a designer of this fashion or that. I...am a dud. I can't design my way out of a paper bag." He grimaces.
"I imagine that makes things difficult from time to time," you say sympathetically, remembering the teasing of your own siblings.
Joao nods then brightens. "However I am the best in the family at sewing and tailoring. So I turned my attention to that end of things. I developed a love for fabrics, rather than design. How does it feel on the skin? How does the color wear? Will it stretch? Will it sag? How does this one need to be taken care of as opposed to that one? Will this color fade? Or can it take multiple wears? It is all fascinating! And along the way, I developed several ways of taking care of fabric that ensures the longevity and shape.
"Which brings me to you. I'm tired of the hustle and bustle of my family's factories. I've decided that I need a break. So I would like to build a laundromat."
"A..laundromat?" You stare at him. Your mental images of laundromats, hot and filled with the scent of lint, don't seem to match with this classily dressed man.
"A laundromat. So I can help educate people on how to best to take care of their clothing or do it for them if they need. With a section for tailoring." He says confidently.
"Well, that's something we can certainly do..." You say, pulling out your pen. "Let's talk about design..."
Brief:
Your budget is
§75,000
$85,000
Sim Challenge
Create Joao Moda, using the information above.
A reminder to use the entry form as is. If you are adding any pictures, please limit them to two per entry post and place them at the bottom of the entry form.
The deadline for this challenge is 1st March 2018
@creativemetaphor - nope, we are looking for at least 6 washers and dryers, you could, of course, add to that if you wish.
Yep, apologies, that'll teach me to try and multi-task.....
Store Install
Unlocked Stencils
random legacy