ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH) and its partners EE&K Architects, a Perkins Eastman Company, Chris Baker and Steve Dietz were selected to receive a 2012 Merit Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects Minnesota Chapter (ASLA-MN) for their innovative public plaza redesign of the Mississippi River Bridge Plaza on the University of Minnesota (U of M) campus. The ASLA Design Awards is an annual competition recognizing excellence in landscape architectural design, planning and analysis, communication and research.

The SEH Team developed the plaza design in response to a 2011 design competition hosted by the Weisman Art Museums Target Studio for Creative Collaboration. Four teams were selected to prepare design concepts for the plaza out of a pool of submissions from national and local design teams. Teams As a competition requirement, teams were to include artists with experience in new media. The SEH team led by landscape architect Bob Kost, ASLA, LEED AP involved a close collaboration with artist Christopher Baker from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; arts curator, Steve Dietz of Northern Lights; and EE&K Architects, a Perkins Eastman Company headquartered in New York City.

The Mississippi River Bridge Plaza, located on the east end of the Washington Avenue Bridge and adjacent to the newly expanded Weisman Art Museum, sees more than 20,000 people pass through every day and is a critical public space on the U of M campus. The challenge of the competition involved a complete revamp of the area into a new, inviting, interactive public space where students and visitors and plug-in, recharge and interact physically and virtually.

The ASLA Minnesota Chapter awards were presented at their 43rd annual awards celebration and gala April 20, 2012.

Building a Better World for All of Us requires a multidisciplined and collaborative approach. As a full-service professional services firm, Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH) is comprised of 550 engineers, architects, planners, scientists, and funding specialists located in offices across the nation. SEH provides public and private clients planning and landscape design; architectural design; civil, environmental, transportation, drinking water, wastewater, and structural engineering; funding acquisition; and technology and GIS services.

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SEH Receives Award for Weisman Art Museum Public Plaza Design

The job of architects isnt just to design buildings, Andrew Heaton writes in DesignBuild Source. Its also their civic and professional responsibility to educate and inform those unaware of any public policy changes that relate to those buildings they design. One such policy change, in the form of a bill amendment, is sitting before Congress right now. This amendment, if enacted, would prohibit the U.S. Department of Energy from using federal dollars to enforce a rule requiring that certain federal buildings decrease their dependence on fossil fuels, Heaton says. The act, as its written now, requires both new federal buildings and others which undergo certain types of renovations to decrease their use of fossil fuels and eliminate the use of fossil fuel energy altogether by 2030, Heaton writes. AIA executive vice president Robert Ivy, FAIA, says architects need to take action to stop the proposed amendment because the logic behind the changes is faulty. The rule, Ivy says, is helping to reduce energy consumption through both practical and cost effective means.

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Architects take on Capitol Hill

This evening, New Yorks Meulensteen Gallery opens Steven Holl Architects Forking Time exhibition, an unveiling of the firms new design for the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University (ICA) in Richmond, Va. The exhibition includes more than 30 watercolors and 30 models (both digital and analog). In the exhibit, Steven Holl, FAIA, and partner Chris McVoy, AIA, attempt to chart their definitively non-linear studio design process.

The shows title, Forking Time, refers to a concept present in both the New York exhibition and the design for the Richmond museum. When the ICA opens in 2015, four distinct galleries will allow for several shows to run concurrently. To the architects, the notion of forking spaces taps a vein within the current state of contemporary artone of multiple parallel paths being undertaken simultaneously, according to McVoy.

Forking time also describes Steven Holl Architects studio process, which McVoy describes as a kind of back and forth, where watercolor informs model, and model informs watercolor, and the models are both digital and analog. The show at Meulensteen Gallery, which runs through June 2, depicts this back-and-forth notion through the relationship of one watercolor to the next, and between models and watercolors.

Holls office has completed the schematic design for the new Institute for Contemporary Art, and Virginia Commonwealth University unveiled it yesterday in a press release announcing the general project details. Meulensteen Gallery, which has shown Holls watercolors in the past, asked Steven Holl Architects to mount a show as the designs coalesced for the ICA. We wouldnt do this with any project, but because this project has a resonance with contemporary art thats in Chelsea, and in the neighboring galleries, we felt that we could gain from that synergy, McVoy says.

As the 38,000-square-foot ICA project is scheduled to open in 2015, the gallery show opening tonight appears to be an effort to drum up support for the ICAalthough nothing in the show is for sale. Weve arrived at a design that were happy withafter trying many different things, which are shown in the exhibitionand VCUs happy with it. The project is ready to be unveiled to the public, so thats the kind of timing, McVoy explains. Also, for fundraising, theres a very real timing aspect.

We believe in this multiple forking path ourselves in our process, McVoy says. That we try one route, and then it leads to new things, and then we abandon other things and fork off in another direction, both in terms of media and in terms of design.

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Steven Holl Architects Opens “Forking Time” Exhibit

Architects from some of the most prominent firms in the world -- including Renzo Piano and UN Studio's Ben Van Berkel-- joined a long list of well-known local designers Wednesday in presenting hugely ambitious if largely fanciful plans for expanding Los Angeles' Union Station.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which now owns the station and a 40-acre parcel of land surrounding it, plans to choose a single team of designers as the master planner for the station site by late June.

Anticipating not only the possible arrival of high-speed rail service but also the construction of a massive mixed-use development -- Metro holds entitlements to build as much as 6 million square feet of new office, retail and residential space around the station -- Metro officials asked the six teams of architects, engineers and consultants to prepare "vision boards" imagining what the site might look like in 2050.

But -- talk about raining on your own parade! -- those officials stressed Wednesday in introducing the competing teams that the boards will play little role in their deliberations. A press release Metro handed out was even blunter. "The Vision Boards are not part of the formal evaluation process," it read.

Instead, Martha Welborne, Metro's executive planning director, said the idea was to try to find some inspiring ideas for the site and for downtown by asking the participating architects to let their imaginations roam.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa kicked off the event, which attracted a standing-room only crowd to Union Station's Old Ticket Room. He said the master plan offered an opportunity for Los Angeles to pursue a major transformation, pivoting "from the city of congestion and sprawl" to a city with increased mass-transit options and a commitment to environmental sustainability.

Then each team gave a condensed, five-minute version of what it saw as the potential for the site, which sits between a resurgent downtown core and the concrete banks of the Los Angeles River. In each proposal Union Station itself would be fully preserved, with new station buildings added to handle high-speed rail or other train traffic.

Several teams called for new ribbons of development stretching from Union Station either toward the river or across the 101 Freeway and toward the Civic Center. Others, including Piano, imagined a collection of new towers rising at the rear of the existing station.

Still others -- including the group made of up local architects Moore Ruble Yudell in collaboration with Mexican architect Enrique Norten and the Dutch landscape architecture firm West 8 -- put their focus on open-air amenities and taking advantage of the mild Southern California climate.

There was an embarrassment of design talent packed inside the room on Wednesday, to be sure. But it remains impossible to guess what the connection will be between these visions -- many of them unconstrained by political or financial realities -- and what is ultimately built.

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Star architects unveil wild plans for Union Station circa 2050

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Landscape architects will join others from Honolulu to Philadelphia and gather today on local street corners, in parks, and on trails in celebration of National Landscape Architecture Month (NLAM). An often-misunderstood profession, landscape architects will demonstrate how they design the environment by preserving nature, creating active ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity, contributing to cleaner air and, in particular, encouraging healthier lifestyles.

Landscape architects create spaces that promote physical activity, including parks, recreational facilities, bicycle paths, walking trails, and transportation corridors that offer alternatives to a reliance on cars, said Susan Hatchell, president of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

National events include landscape architects sketching new designs to better their neighborhoods or leading bike- or walking-tours that showcase examples of landscape architectures contributions to local communities.

The 26th marks Frederick Law Olmsteds birthday, who is considered the father of American landscape architecture. Olmsted designed such iconic spaces as Central Park, and his son helped found ASLA in 1899.

View all scheduled nationwide events via Google maps.

The national map of events is truly impressive, and we know many more events have yet to be reported, said Hatchell. This day of action is indicative of our memberships commitment to educating the public on how design tackles issues from obesity and heart design to climate change. A new ASLA brochure, Designing for Your Health and Well-Being, describes the ways that landscape design can promote healthy living.

Since Olmsteds time, the field of landscape architecture has led environmental solutions and prompted new, healthy approaches to civic planning with such design innovations as green roofs, partnership in sustainability certification, and green infrastructure solutions.

Learn more about landscape architecture by visiting http://www.asla.org/design.

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Landscape Architects Hold Simultaneous Events Coast to Coast on April 26th

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Seven months after assembling a roster of builders and architects for a $64 million baseball stadium downtown, Mayor William Bell's administration wants to change the design team by eliminating two local architects.

A draft amendment to the project agreement, obtained by The Birmingham News through a public information request, shows the deletion of Giattina Aycock Architecture Studio and Hoskins Architecture.

The document had been set for a vote by the five-member Public Athletic, Cultural and Entertainment Board on Thursday, but the meeting was canceled, with board chairman Robert Jones citing the need for more information on the proposed changes recommended by the mayor's office.

Several City Council members said they now have questions and serious concerns about the project's stability and will discuss the issue at a Budget and Finance Committee meeting Monday.

The baseball park's design team includes GA Studio and Hoskins Architecture of Birmingham, along with Dallas-based HKS Architects, a nationally known stadium builder. The project developers are Corporate Realty Development and Brasfield & Gorrie.

"It's our job to raise issues about it to make sure it's done properly," Jones said of the contract amendment. "I had no knowledge of it until I got the proposal."

Reasons for the proposed changes remained unclear Friday.

Officials with Giattina declined to comment, citing ongoing client relations. Efforts to reach Hoskins Friday evening were unsuccessful.

The council last August voted overwhelmingly to approve the leases and land swap agreements needed to build the ballpark and a Negro League museum near Railroad Park. But even those who voted for it are saying now they are left in the dark when it comes to details of the project.

Councilman Steven Hoyt on Friday sent Jones a letter asking him to appear before the Budget and Finance Committee Monday to present an update. Council members say they want to know the ramifications of a design team change.

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Birmingham Mayor William Bell wants 2 architects off baseball stadium team

CHARLIE GATES

Architects rebuilding Christchurch think a new government task force will accelerate the rebirth of the city centre.

The task force, known as the Christchurch Central Development Unit (CCDU), has 100 days to develop a blueprint for the rebuild of central Christchurch.

Architects believe the rebuild has not yet begun in earnest, but hope it will kick in early next year.

David Hill, of Christchurch practice Wilson and Hill Architects, said the task force needed to provide certainty.

"There is a lot of interest in the rebuild, but it is still very much in a holding pattern. It is probably to do with the uncertainty about the inner city," he said.

"I think [the new unit] is a positive step forward. Since the council recovery plan went to Cera [Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority] there has been almost four months of silence and uncertainty, but this is a positive step forward.

"There is a great opportunity out there."

Warren & Mahoney managing director Peter Marshall said the task force needed to quickly identify where major assets would be built in the city centre.

"What will really move us forward is when major building works like the convention centre and the sports hub are under way, and when there is a critical mass and commitment by institutions, investors will follow. Those big moves haven't been made yet," he said.

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Deadline drives city rebirth forward

The expansive work to rebuild and modernize the citys libraries continues to bring classy designs and prime architects to those institutions. Architect Bing Thom, along with Weincek + Associates, has been selected for the rebuilding of the Woodridge Neighborhood Library. (Linda Davidson - The Washington Post)

The DC Public Library announced Tuesday that the Woodridge Neighborhood Library is also getting an award-winning team for its replacement. Bing Thom Architects, the team that gave new life to the Arena Stage, and Weincek + Associates, the local firm that has done a number of libraries, schools and arts centers, have been selected by the library system.

The design phase for Woodridge is estimated to cost $1.48 million. The total cost is estimated at $16.5 million, according to the library.

Bing Thom, the Canadian-based firm, built the renovated Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. The firm has received many accolades for its work around the world, including the 2011 RAIC Gold Medal for Bing Thom. Woodridge is his first library in the United States.

Libraries, including the Francis Gregory and Washington Highlands libraries, have been one of Weinceks concentrations. Led by Michael A. Weincek, Jr. the firm has designed the Cafritz Foundation Arts Center in Silver Spring, Chevy Chase Elementary in Chevy Chase, the KIPP DC:Will Academy in the District and Lakewood Elementary in Rockville.

We have been fortunate to have talented and internationally recognized architects design libraries for the District, said Ginnie Cooper, chief librarian of the D.C. Public Library system. With this architect team, the Districts new libraries will continue to inspire people in the citys neighborhoods as well as around the world.

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Bing Thom and Weincek + Associates chosen for Woodridge Library

16-04-2012 13:13 Mental Architects : New Album "Celebration" promo, 6 ????? 2012 @ The Box

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Mental Architects : New Album promo - Video

Published 12:28pm Monday, April 16, 2012

GBW Architects of Decatur was chosen over two larger firms to design the proposed new Priceville High School at the regular monthly meeting of Morgan County School Board April 12.

While the vote was unanimous, two board members expressed concern about GBWs limited experience with school building projects and seemed to lean toward a larger, more experienced firm during a work session discussion that preceded the meeting.

Two other architects, Barganier, Davis, Sims of Montgomery and Lathan and Associates of Birmingham offered proposals, along with GBW, at the previous months board meeting.

Board member Tom Earwood, who served on an architect search committee with board members Jeff McLemore and Jimmy Dobbs, pointed out that one of the architectural firms under consideration has over 1,000 school building projects to its credit.

They didnt get there overnight, he pointed out. They have a solid reputation as the largest architectural firm in the state.

I ask you, he questioned, If you needed a heart transplant, would you choose a surgeon who has never done one or a surgeon who has done 1,000?

Board chairman Carolyn Wallace picked up where he left off by suggesting that consideration for the selection of an architect should be removed from the meeting agenda and brought back up for consideration at a later date.

Theres so much out there that needs to be taken under consideration when it comes to building a new school, she pointed out. I want someone with experience before turning loose $20 million dollars.

Its been a little bit of an unfair process, she added.

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GBW Architects selected to design Priceville School