The Albany Carousel changed architects for its planned downtown building because of a difference over what it should look like.

Last week the carousel organization unveiled a drawing of the proposed building at First Avenue and Washington Street. It was done by architect Chris Veit of Carlson Veit Architects, Salem.

Originally, the carousel group had picked the Portland firm of THA Architecture, which showed three possible designs, all featuring walls made mostly of glass, at a well-attended open house in Albany last November.

Wendy Kirbey, chairman of the carousel board, said this week that the building committee did not like the look of the THA proposals.

We wanted something more historical, she said. And they didnt want to do that.

Jonah Cohen, one of the THA principals who had presented the firms designs in November, said the Albany committee had not been totally comfortable with what the firm had in mind, and so THA suggested the Albany group would be better served by another architect.

We felt like we helped them, Cohen said. The firm, among other things, worked out a floor plan and cost estimates for the building, and determined the size of building that would be affordable.

It was a very positive experience for us, he added.

With THA out of the picture, the carousel group went to the Salem firm, originally its second choice, Kirbey said.

The Central Albany Revitalization Area, the downtown urban renewal district, had agreed to grant the carousel up to $110,000 to pay for the preliminary design.

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Why carousel changed architects

Exhibit: 'Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles'

As part of the Pacific Standard Time consortium of exhibits, the Chinese American Museum highlights four architects who helped build L.A. Through June 3.

Ettore Sotsass is getting two retrospectives in Berlin. Through June 23; through June 9.

Alexandra Lange, an architectural critic and a writer for Design Observor, teaches us all to take a second look at buildings in her primer on reading and writing architecture criticism.

On Tuesday May 8, at 7 p.m., bidders will have a rare chance at acquiring one of Alexander Calders mobiles. Christies will auction off one red and one white mobile that architect Eliot Noyes commissioned from Calder for his home in New Canaan, Conn., where he had set up his practice in the 1940s.

Frank Gehry, after building the Walt Disney Concert Hall, now sketches out set designs for an opera inside the hall. May 18-26.

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Architects Take to the Roads to Take on New Work

NEW YORK, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Stuart Dean, an international provider of renowned architectural restoration services, will display its comprehensive array of interior and exterior solutions when it serves as an exhibitor at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2012 National Convention and Design Exposition (May 17-19, 2012 in Washington, D.C at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center). The annual AIA convention serves as the pivotal gathering for architects and design professionals to network, attend educational sessions and survey the industry's latest innovations. Stuart Dean will highlight its facade and coating solutions at Booth #508.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120213/NE52388LOGO)

"When architects design a building, they have a specific vision in mind that then comes to life when the building literally rises from the ground and takes shape. However, wear and tear and the elements can have a dramatic impact on that vision over time," said Mark Parrish, president and CEO of Stuart Dean. "At Stuart Dean, we have 80 years of experience in restoring and refinishing structures of all kinds, and we believe we have an important story to tell to the architects and other professionals who will be in attendance at AIA 2012. We're looking forward to participating in this important industry show."

Reginald Dean, director of facade restoration, is among the company's subject matter experts who will be representing Stuart Dean at the convention. Considered to be one of the industry's foremost experts on facade restoration, Dean has almost three decades of experience and has been involved in as many as 800 facade restoration projects at buildings and institutions across the globe.

"From colleges and universities to houses of worship and government and cultural structures, Stuart Dean's innovative architectural solutions enable our clients to restore and refinish the intricate features that make the structure unique," said Mark Parrish, president and CEO of Stuart Dean."By restoring the appearance of these structures, we are proud to enhance and rejuvenate the structures that architects and other design professionals work to create."

Stuart Dean offers a complete range of architectural restoration services that help extend the life, increase the value, and enhance the beauty of interior and exterior architectural surfaces. The company specializes in the restoration and protection of metal, stone, wood, glass, and tile grout for buildings, retail stores, institutions, restaurants and homes. Stuart Dean's vast experience gained during 80 years in business enables the company to provide unique solutions to costly maintenance challenges, including cost-effective restoration programs that are custom-designed by the most skilled, knowledgeable and safety-conscious technicians in the industry.

AIA is the leading professional membership association for licensed architects, and is comprised of some 300 chapters across the country and around the world to serve the needs of U.S. architects at the national, state and local levels. AIA provides educational experiences to keep its members informed in their field, as well as provide online resources for emerging architecture professionals.

For more information on Stuart Dean, visit http://www.stuartdean.com.

About Stuart Dean

Stuart Dean is an international provider of renowned architectural restoration services, specializing in metal refinishing; stone polishing, cleaning and sealing; wood refinishing; glass restoration; innovative and sustainable grouts and flooring solutions; and curtain wall and facade restoration. Thousands of clients trust Stuart Dean to restore and preserve their buildings, retail stores, institutions and restaurants every day. Stuart Dean offers a portfolio of services to enhance the beauty and retain the value of a wide array of architectural assets. The company has been in business for over 80 years, with 22 offices in the U.S. and Canada and over 450 employees. Major markets served include Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, Norfolk, Orange County, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Richmond, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://www.stuartdean.com.

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Stuart Dean to Showcase Comprehensive Array of Solutions to Architects at AIA 2012 Convention and Design Exposition

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BCA Architects has completed a new, state-of-the-art, 750-seat Performing Arts Center and 5,000-square-foot library at Chula Vista High School in San Diego County. The new buildings embody modern design anchored in functionality and sustainability. For the current and the next generation of students at Chula Vista High School, which holds 2,700, BCA Architects masterfully interwove a contemporary interpretation of the school's neoclassical Greek Spartan mascot into the projects' design and the school's 70-year-old campus.

Some sustainable highlights of the buildings include: strategic orientation to maximize natural light; low-flow plumbing fixtures and water-efficient landscaping ensure more than 50% in annual water savings; low-impact, energy-efficient HVAC systems to increase ventilation along with an on-site renewable energy system; and 40% of the site reserved as vegetated open space.

To help overcome the challenge of a tight budget, BCA Architects spearheaded the process of securing $3.0 million in Career Technical Education and High Performance Initiative grants for both the Performing Arts Center and the Library. BCA Architects' closeout with certification from the Division of the State Architect also ensures the district can proceed with obtaining state funding for future facility projects.

"BCA architects did an incredible job of capturing the vision and needs of the School for Creative & Performing Arts in their design of our new 700-seat Performing Arts Center. Their attention to all details: acoustics, aesthetics, theatrical considerations, and serviceable rehearsal spaces paired with cutting-edge design and technology have created a jewel that will be the centerpiece of our community for many years to come," said Ron Bolles, former facilitator of the SCPA at Chula Vista High School. "From the design phase of the project, we knew we were doing something truly magnificent."

Because BCA Architects is seeking LEED Platinum certification for the projects, the Chula Vista High School's Performing Arts Center is South San Diego's largest and most sustainable theatrical arts facility. "The impact this has had on our students is palpable," said Kevin Willard, Assistant Principal at Chula Vista High School. "They are delighted to study in a brand new library and perform in a wonderful new theater they can call their own," Willard said.

"BCA Architects is deeply honored to play an active role in helping to create such a positive impact on Chula Vista High School and the surrounding community," said Paul Bunton, founding principal of BCA Architects.

BCA Architects partners with clients in a mission to achieve excellence in design. Since 1989, BCA strives to strengthen communities through projects built, whether it's to design, to help define partnerships, to locate financing, to save energy or to present alternate delivery methods. BCA goes above and beyond the task at hand to ensure their clients succeed. For more information, visit: http://www.bcaarchitects.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Rachel Del Fierro (408) 588-3835 or RachelD@bcaarchitects.com

This press release was issued through eReleases(R). For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

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BCA Architects Announces Completion of Chula Vista High School Performing Arts Center & Library

BOSTON, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Margulies Perruzzi Architects (MPA), one of Boston's most innovative architectural and interior design firms, today announced that it has received a Section Award from the Boston Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society forthe 2012 Illumination Awards program. The award recognizes MPA's lighting design for the 32,000 SF interior fit-up of Philips' new high performance workspace in Andover, Massachusetts. Philips is a globally diversified health and well-being company focused on improving people's lives through timely innovations.

The IES Illumination Awards provide a unique opportunity for public recognition of professionalism, ingenuity, and originality in lighting design based upon the individual merit of each entry.

"Philips' new space leverages both new lighting technology and dynamic office design to create a livable, workable and sustainable high performance workspace," said Dianne Dunnell, IIDA, LEED AP, senior associate at Margulies Perruzzi Architects. "The design team worked together to envision and execute this innovative lighting design concept, and we are honored to be recognized by the IES for our efforts."

MPA's objective for the lighting design was to reinforce Philips' brand by maximizing daylighting, aligning specifications with function, and offering a sustainable solution utilizing new lighting technology. Philips' own LED light fixtures, lamps and controls were used throughout the project. Over 90% of the lighting is LED, offering energy-efficient light that makes the office environment more engaging and uses 25% less electricity than code mandate for energy consumption per square foot.

To promote collaboration and interaction in the office, the open workspace is arranged in seven "neighborhoods." The lighting design provides a clear sense of circulation and aids in differentiating "neighborhood" workspaces and collaboration space. LED color-changing fixtures within ceiling coves define neighborhoods, and the light color coordinates with the nature-inspired graphics for each neighborhood.

About Margulies Perruzzi Architects

Consistently ranked as one of Boston's top architectural and interior design firms, Margulies Perruzzi Architects creates buildings and corporate interiors for clients who value design. The firm services the corporate, professional services, healthcare, research/lab, and real estate communities with a focus on sustainable design. Clients include Manulife/John Hancock, Nuvera Fuel Cells, Reliant Medical Group, Sapient, Hobbs Brook Management and Forrester Research. For more information, please visit http://www.mp-architects.com.

Media Contact:Michele Spiewak Rhino Public Relations 617-851-2618 MPArchitects@rhinopr.com

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Margulies Perruzzi Architects Receives Illuminating Engineering Society Boston Section 2012 Illumination Award

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

SB Architects is proud to announce the completion of design for the first phase of Waterfront City an expansive new mixed-use community on the Mediterranean Sea near downtown Beirut. The project is scheduled to break ground this summer, setting in motion a multi-phased development that will change the face of the citys waterfront.

SB Architects won an international design competition for the master-planning and design of this 48-acre project which, when complete, will have over 5,000 residential units and numerous retail and commercial districts. An international design firm with projects in progress on five continents, SB Architects collaborated with landscape architecture firm Sean K Simms on the master plan, and worked with local architecture firm Erga Group on the design of Phase One.

The first phase of residences at Waterfront City was introduced to the public in 2011, and has almost completely sold out prior to construction. A joint venture between Beirut-based Ste Joseph G. Khoury et Fils Holding and international development partner Majid Al Futtaim, Waterfront City will create a new destination within this historic city.

Waterfront City will be, without a doubt, one of the top waterfront destinations in all of the Mediterranean, says Scott Lee, president of SB Architects.

Located just 15 kilometers from Beiruts Central District, Waterfront City revolves around a grand pedestrian promenade elevated seven meters above sea level. This elegant promenade is the defining concept of the master plan, and overlooks the Joseph Khoury Marina the largest marina in Beirut and one of the largest in the Mediterranean. SB Architects design for Waterfront City blends modern architectural massing and design elements with traditional patterning and materials a combination that reflects Beiruts historic neighborhoods, while creating a new urban language that is unique to this development. The firm will continue work on future phases of the Waterfront City development.

In more than 50 years of practice, SB Architects has established a worldwide reputation for excellence in the planning and design of destination hospitality, spa and golf amenities, as well as urban mixed-use and multi-family residential projects.

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SB Architects Reshapes Beirut’s Waterfront

FFKR Architects was named one of the top 500 design firms in the country by Engineering News-Record for the third consecutive year.

The Top Design Firms list, published annually, ranks the 500 largest U.S.-based design firms, both publicly and privately held, based on design-specific revenue and informs industry opinion.

"Were gratified once again to be included with such notable firms and to be recognized for our client driven design," said Ken Louder, FFKR President and CEO. "The ranking demonstrates our firms ongoing and successful commitment to growth and development across the intermountain region."

The Salt Lake-based FFKR Architects is an architectural and interior design firm, serving the western United States since 1976. Its practice encompasses a broad range of building types and services ranging from education, entertainment, hospitality, historical preservation, religious, and sport facilities.

FFKR recently completed the Davis Center for Performing Arts and the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute expansion. Current projects include the Salt Lake City Olympus Replacement High School, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints new Brigham City temple and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Wellness Center & Sports Complex in Ft. Hall, Idaho.

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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FFKR Architects Named in Top 500 Best Design Firms

By Karissa Rosenfield (click here for original article)

You may remember Sou Fujimoto Architects radical House NA from this video we shared with you last November. Designed for a young couple in a quiet Tokyo neighborhood, the 914 square-foot transparent house contrasts the typical concrete block walls seen in most of Japans dense residential areas. Associated with the concept of living within a tree, the spacious interior is comprised of 21 individual floor plates, all situated at various heights, that satisfy the clients desire to live as nomads within their own home.

Described as a unity of separation and coherence, the house acts as both a single room and a collection of rooms. The loosely defined program and the individual floor plates create a setting for a range of activities that can take place at different scales. The house provides spaces of intimacy if two individuals choose to be close, while also accommodating for a group of guests by distributing people across the house.

Sou Fujimoto states,

Ranging in size from 21 to 81 square-feet, each floor plate is linked by a variety of stairs and ladders, including short runs of fixed and movable steps. Stratifying floor plates in a furniture-like scale allows the structure to serve many types of functions, such as providing for circulation, seating and workings spaces.

The short-spans allow for the thinness of the white steel frame. Complemented by the thin white-tinted birch flooring, many wonder where the utilities are hidden. Some floor plates are equipped with in-floor heating to help during the winter months, while strategically placed fenestration maximizes air flow and provides the only source of ventilation and cooling during summer.

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House NA / Sou Fujimoto Architects

When the letter arrived in 2007 inviting Tod Williams and Billie Tsien to enter a select competition to design a new Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, the husband-and-wife architectural team were momentarily stumped. Yes, they were well known among the cognoscenti, who admired their artisanal devotion to their projects. Yes, their new Folk Art Museum in Manhattan had just opened to rave reviews, raising their profile. And, yes, they had just made a good impression in Philadelphia with their elegant design for a small engineering building at the University of Pennsylvania.

The problem was that Williams and Tsien had never visited the Barnes Foundation and its fabulous art collection in suburban Merion.

Embarrassed by the lapse, the pair "hightailed it out there," recalled Williams, now 68. "I'd known about it since I was at college" at Princeton University, he admitted, but "it always seemed like a hassle to get to." He chided himself for his "intellectual laziness" and quickly acquired a pair of tickets to visit the galleries.

The Barnes worked its usual magic on Williams and Tsien. At the entrance, Jacques Lipchitz's stylized ceramic bas-relief stopped them in their tracks. They were left dizzy by the sensory overload of Matisses and van Goghs and Renoirs. And yet the element that intrigued them most was the one that perplexes many visitors: the antique hinges and brass implements that founder Albert C. Barnes had salted among the paintings. Albert Barnes, they realized at once, was a kindred spirit.

Barnes was a modernist who was intensely drawn to handcrafted objects. So are Williams and Tsien, who practice what might be called slow architecture. They pursue just a few projects at a time, so they can pay close attention to the details, etching and scoring and hammering every surface of their buildings as if they were crafting fine leather bindings or handmade paper. While they don't apply ornamentation in the same way that a neoclassical architect might have, they enliven their simple forms with the strategic use of rich color, unusual glazes, metalwork, and lavishly textured masonry.

Bigger names were considered for the coveted Barnes commission, including Rafael Moneo and Thom Mayne, but the board decided instead to go with the pair's small New York-based firm. It wasn't just their sensibility about craft and detail; the board also felt "they understood the complexity of the project better than anyone else," Aileen Kennedy Roberts, who chairs the building committee, has said.

Without a doubt, the $150 million Barnes building, which opens to the public May 19, was more complex than most museum projects. It was no secret to Williams and Tsien that the foundation's decision to relocate to Philadelphia was a controversial one, decried in the world's art press as a desecration of Albert Barnes' unique vision.

Because of promises made during the lengthy court battle, designing the new Barnes was a herculean assignment fraught with character-testing obstacles. For starters, the architects were obliged to re-create the interiors of the Merion galleries, inch-for-inch, inside the new building. Not just room dimensions, either. All the paintings, metalwork, and other objects would be placed in precisely the same arrangement as they had been in Merion. The imposition of that single requirement would ripple through the rest of the design, and would profoundly dictate the look and function of the new building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

For most modern architects, the idea of replicating any building, even one as fine as Paul Cret's exquisitely proportioned 1920s gallery, is anathema. Some art-world figures were appalled to hear that Barnes' antiquated, salon-style hanging scheme would also be replicated, although others saw it as crucial to understanding the collector's intentions. Yet for the Barnes to succeed in its new location, the board understood that the building had to be a serious work of architecture, not a pastiche.

Many argued it was an assignment that simply couldn't be done well. "A faux Barnes is going to be a disaster, a compromise that will satisfy no one," said Lee Rosenbaum, who writes the CultureGrrl blog for the Arts Journal, and has been critical of the move.

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Architects' zeal for detail matched founder's

Seattle-based landscape architecture firm Gustafson Guthrie Nichol and New York-based architects Davis Brody Bond have won a competition to redesign Union Square, on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C.

"The National Mall is an extraordinary monumental landscape. Remarkable for its sheer scale, its powerful presence serves the country as both a public park and place of gathering and discourse," GGN Director Kathryn Gustafson said in a news release. "The goal of our design is to create a sustainable, durable and flexible plaza that is yet inviting and also active when it is not occupied for national events."

The Trust for the National Mall organized the competition to choose designs for three mall sites. Union Square, at the base of the Capitol, is the site of such major events as presidential inaugurations and mass demonstrations.

"Union Square represents an opportunity to fulfill the Mall's promise as a national place of assembly that is adaptable and easily maintained," Davis Brody Bond Partner Carl Krebs said in a news release.

The winning design "engages visitors with an impressive monumental scale, while also providing comfortable places for a range of experiences and voices," according to the team.

It focuses on a central space defined by the Grant Memorial and a reflecting pool consisting of a two-inch sheet of water that can quickly be drained to create a range of differently sized assembly spaces. Paved paths run diagonally across the pool.

"(T)he design dramatically rethinks the use of water operating with just 10 percent of the water of the current fountain and creates a series of plazas which can handle the heavy traffic of special events, and in turn reduces the wear and tear on the National Mall's lawns and gardens," Krebs said.

A series of outdoor rooms flank the central space, while "subtle changes in grade are used to form terraces and low retaining walls that provide seating surfaces and views into these rooms," the team wrote. "Planting further defines the spaces within, utilizing the existing mature trees on the site. Materials have been selected to reinforce the different identities of the constituent spaces, as well as to create durable surfaces that can be efficiently maintained through the life cycle of the project."

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Seattle landscape architects on winning team for National Mall design