Dennis Harp possesses extensive design and project management experience, particularly in the delivery of highly technical laboratory and research facilities. His resourcefulness in addressing schedule and budget constraints helps to ensure successful completion of his clients’ projects.
Ingenuity also has proven to be a critical factor in the successful programming, planning, and design of a research center for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). The 310,000-square-foot multidisciplinary ADNOC Petroleum Institute Research Center is an inviting environment that fosters collaborative research and development targeting issues specific to Abu Dhabi petroleum reserves.
“Creativity would be the best method to describe our working relationship with ADNOC,” Dennis says. “The owner was not educated about research laboratory facilities so we conducted tours of facilities that Page had worked on to show how taking a different approach allows the facility to respond to future needs even though those needs may not be known at the time. Creativity also inserted itself into the design of the facility, with an eager and willing owner that had the courage to break the established mindset of the company and look forward into the future, leading the way for more innovative facilities.”
As the cornerstone of the ADNOC strategic research and development program, the Petroleum Institute Research Center provides secure zones equipped for potential hazards that are inherent with leading-edge science. The five-story facility’s modular infrastructure and interstitial mechanical floors affords the client with flexibility to respond to changing research initiatives. Dennis’ approach also helped overcome cultural differences, increasing the success of the project.
Another significant project that Dennis added to the Page portfolio is the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Pickens Academic Tower in Houston. The 732,000-square-foot tower consolidates and houses administrative and faculty offices, a medical library, a conference center, fitness facility, dining facility, meeting rooms, and retail functions. The mechanical penthouse atop the 21-story tower was designed as a lighted lantern to serve as a clearly identifiable beacon for M.D. Anderson within the Texas Medical Center skyline.
In addition to his primary focus on science and technical facilities, Dennis has successfully led teams on the design and project management of many projects for corporate and commercial clients. He believes that to get necessary answers, it is his responsibility to ask the right questions on behalf of his teams and his clients.
His design work speaks for itself as do the awards he has received, ranging from both a Governor’s Award and Mayoral Award in Wyoming to a Historical Society award in Mississippi and a Concrete Society award in Arkansas. Dennis earned his Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Kansas and is a registered architect.
When away from the office, Dennis volunteers at a local hospital, visiting lonely patients. He also established a neighborhood watch program, which fits perfectly with his outgoing personality. Neighbors can often find Dennis gardening or working in his wood shop.
