SDS Architects of Eau Claire has been hired to design the new Bloomer Elementary School.

School district voters passed the referendum for a new school by a thin margin on the April 3 election, which will cost about $17.5 million to build.

The new elementary will be built near the middle school on Jackson Street, and a portion of the referendum funding will go towards building a roadway for the school as well as a future new high school building.

SDS Architects said in a statement design for the 91,650 square-foot school has already started, with construction slated to begin in mid-October of this year. The new building is expected to open for the 2013-14 school year with a capacity for 600 students.

SDS Architects has already worked with the Bloomer School District before, building the new middle school in 2000 and remodeling the high school in 2001. The firm started working with the district last fall on a facility study for its existing elementary school, at 1715 Oak St.

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SDS Architects will design new Bloomer Elementary

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Posted April 17, 2012

New Appointment Sets the Stage for Continued Expansion in Latin America

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--San Francisco and Miami-based SB Architects is pleased to announce that Emilio Perez has joined the firm as a vice president in the firm's Miami office. A dynamic, results-oriented leader, Emilio brings to SB Architects over 20 years of international design experience.

Specializing in the design of large hotel, resort and mixed-use properties, Emilio's extensive experience encompasses every aspect of destination planning, development and design. Emilio's background includes leadership positions with several of the world's most prominent architecture firms, including Gensler and Portman Associates. His experience ranges from Cap Cana, where he directed the overall design of the largest resort development in the Caribbean, to Celebrity Cruises, where he was responsible for the interior environment of an entire fleet of luxury cruise ships. His skill set provides a direct complement to SB Architect's diverse international portfolio, allowing him to immediately provide the firm with effective and enlightened design management and direction. Born in the Dominican Republic, Emilio is a long-time resident of Miami.

In over 50 years of design practice, SB Architects has built a project portfolio that spans the globe. The firm regularly competes with some of the largest architecture firms in the world, yet it maintains a hands-on, boutique practice, driven by collaboration, teamwork and individual client relationships. As it continues its trajectory of growth into new markets and dynamic developing areas of the world, SB Architects is leveraging its 35-year presence in Miami as it continues to expand its presence in the Caribbean and Latin America.

"We have been practicing in the Caribbean and Mexico for decades," declares Scott Lee, President and Principal of SB Architects. "Emilio's extensive experience, deep market understanding and outstanding relationships in the Caribbean and Latin America will be invaluable as we further expand our practice throughout the region."

As the firm continues to enhance the leadership in its Miami office, Jorey Friedman, vice president, will take on an expanded role in design oversight and leadership. With 28 years of architectural experience - 18 of those years with SB Architects - Jorey is integral to the continued growth of the Miami office. With her instinctive leadership style, intuitive design sense, and ability to create and sustain a consistent project vision, she is able to forge and maintain strong bonds amongst development and design teams. SB Architects' Miami office will continue to be managed by principal Kevin Dunn, a 28-year veteran of the firm.

"One of the things we do exceptionally well is to connect people and put together effective teams, and Jorey embodies that core competency," says Scott Lee. "I am extremely confident and excited about the outstanding leadership in our Miami office."

SB Architects maintains a long-standing reputation for excellence in the planning and design of large-scale, multi-phased projects, working with developers and consultant teams in all parts of the world. The firm's portfolio of work includes projects throughout the United States, in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia and the Middle East. The firm is committed to sustainable design. All four of the firm's principals are LEED Accredited Professionals, as is nearly a third of its staff. Known for site-sensitive, contextually appropriate design, SB Architects has received over 200 awards for design excellence in over 50 years of continuous practice.

Originally posted here:
SB Architects Appoints Emilio Perez VP

ANTWERP, Belgium, April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Danny De Munter, a Belgian architect specialized in high-end interior design and restoration, and Wim Gyselinck, have been designated to build the new city palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20120416/525327 )

This is not their first architectural project in the Middle East. In the past Danny De Munter has delivered with great success a palace "pied dans l'eau" in Khobar together with Brussels architect Patrick van der Stricht. The duo has now been approached to open a local engineering office.

The Flemish approach, far away from the curls and 'opera style' often associated with Middle Eastern architecture, can be best described as a combination of 'eco-neoromance' and 'eco-neomodernism'. This approach has proven to be fruitful, hence the new applications coming in from Beirut and Khatar.

Danny De Munter explains his success: "The underdog profile of our Belgian team cannot be underestimated: we work in a small team which results in a lower cost than our competitors; we work faster than them and think in a more pragmatic way. There are very few global players in this market that can work as versatile as we do and are specialized in as many fields as we are. "

About DMG Architectural Solutions

Danny De Munter and Wim Gyselinck work from their engineering office DMG Architectural Solutions in Antwerp. In the past, they have renovated the Coca-Cola building in New York, worked with Bombardier, designed with crystal manufacturer Baccarat and renovated and restored a Hausmanien complex in Paris. Also they have several references in Angola, South Africa, Switzerland and Spain.

http://www.demunter-gyselinck.be

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Belgian Architects Danny De Munter and Wim Gyselinck Design Palace in Saudi Arabia

16 April 2012

San Francisco and Miami-based SB Architects is pleased to announce that Emilio Perez has joined the firm as a vice president in the firm"s Miami office. A dynamic, results-oriented leader, Emilio brings to SB Architects over 20 years of international design experience.

Specializing in the design of large hotel, resort and mixed-use properties, Emilio"s extensive experience encompasses every aspect of destination planning, development and design. Emilio"s background includes leadership positions with several of the world"s largest and most prominent architecture firms, including Gensler and Portman Associates. His project experience ranges from Cap Cana, where he directed the overall design of the largest resort development in the Caribbean, to Celebrity Cruises, a luxury brand of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, where he was responsible for the interior environment of an entire fleet of luxury cruise ships. His skill set provides a direct complement to SB Architect"s diverse international portfolio, allowing him to immediately provide the firm with effective and enlightened design management and direction. Born in the Dominican Republic, Emilio is a long-time resident of Miami.

In over 50 years of design practice, SB Architects has built a project portfolio that spans the globe. The firm regularly competes with some of the largest architecture firms in the world, yet it has continued to maintain a hands-on, boutique practice, driven by collaboration, teamwork and individual client relationships. As it continues its trajectory of growth into new markets and dynamic developing areas of the world, SB Architects is leveraging its 35-year presence in Miami as it continues to expand its presence in the Caribbean and Latin America.

"We have been practicing in the Caribbean and Mexico for decades," declares Scott Lee, President and Principal of SB Architects. "Emilio"s extensive experience, deep market understanding and outstanding relationships in the Caribbean and Latin America will be invaluable as we further expand our practice throughout the region."

As the firm continues to enhance the leadership in its Miami office, Jorey Friedman, vice president, will take on an expanded role in design oversight and leadership. With 28 years of architectural experience 18 of those years with SB Architects Jorey is integral to the continued growth of the Miami office. With her instinctive leadership style, intuitive design sense, and ability to create and sustain a consistent project vision, she is able to forge and maintain strong bonds amongst development and design teams. SB Architects" Miami office will continue to be managed by principal Kevin Dunn, a 28-year veteran of the firm.

"One of the things we do exceptionally well is to connect people and put together effective teams, and Jorey embodies that core competency," says Scott Lee. "I am extremely confident and excited about the outstanding leadership in our Miami office."

SB Architects maintains a long-standing reputation for excellence in the planning and design of large-scale, multi-phased projects, working collaboratively with developers and consultant teams in all parts of the world. The firm"s portfolio of work includes projects throughout the United States, in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia and the Middle East. The firm is fully committed to sustainable design. Leading by example, all four of the firm"s principals are LEED Accredited Professionals, as is nearly a third of its staff. Known for site-sensitive, contextually appropriate design, SB Architects has received over 200 awards for design excellence in over a half-century of continuous practice.

Excerpt from:
SB Architects Enhances Leadership in Miami Office

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

San Francisco and Miami-based SB Architects is pleased to announce that Emilio Perez has joined the firm as a vice president in the firms Miami office. A dynamic, results-oriented leader, Emilio brings to SB Architects over 20 years of international design experience.

Specializing in the design of large hotel, resort and mixed-use properties, Emilios extensive experience encompasses every aspect of destination planning, development and design. Emilios background includes leadership positions with several of the worlds most prominent architecture firms, including Gensler and Portman Associates. His experience ranges from Cap Cana, where he directed the overall design of the largest resort development in the Caribbean, to Celebrity Cruises, where he was responsible for the interior environment of an entire fleet of luxury cruise ships. His skill set provides a direct complement to SB Architects diverse international portfolio, allowing him to immediately provide the firm with effective and enlightened design management and direction. Born in the Dominican Republic, Emilio is a long-time resident of Miami.

In over 50 years of design practice, SB Architects has built a project portfolio that spans the globe. The firm regularly competes with some of the largest architecture firms in the world, yet it maintains a hands-on, boutique practice, driven by collaboration, teamwork and individual client relationships. As it continues its trajectory of growth into new markets and dynamic developing areas of the world, SB Architects is leveraging its 35-year presence in Miami as it continues to expand its presence in the Caribbean and Latin America.

We have been practicing in the Caribbean and Mexico for decades, declares Scott Lee, President and Principal of SB Architects. Emilios extensive experience, deep market understanding and outstanding relationships in the Caribbean and Latin America will be invaluable as we further expand our practice throughout the region.

As the firm continues to enhance the leadership in its Miami office, Jorey Friedman, vice president, will take on an expanded role in design oversight and leadership. With 28 years of architectural experience 18 of those years with SB Architects Jorey is integral to the continued growth of the Miami office. With her instinctive leadership style, intuitive design sense, and ability to create and sustain a consistent project vision, she is able to forge and maintain strong bonds amongst development and design teams. SB Architects Miami office will continue to be managed by principal Kevin Dunn, a 28-year veteran of the firm.

One of the things we do exceptionally well is to connect people and put together effective teams, and Jorey embodies that core competency, says Scott Lee. I am extremely confident and excited about the outstanding leadership in our Miami office.

SB Architects maintains a long-standing reputation for excellence in the planning and design of large-scale, multi-phased projects, working with developers and consultant teams in all parts of the world. The firms portfolio of work includes projects throughout the United States, in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia and the Middle East. The firm is committed to sustainable design. All four of the firms principals are LEED Accredited Professionals, as is nearly a third of its staff. Known for site-sensitive, contextually appropriate design, SB Architects has received over 200 awards for design excellence in over 50 years of continuous practice.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50240360&lang=en

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE:http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50240360&lang=en

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SB Architects Enhances Firm Leadership With a New Vice President in its Miami Office

During the Industrial Revolution, humans moved out of rural areas and into the cities, where it was easier to access factory jobs.

This influx of people caused rapid and drastic changes in the way cities were designed. As ground space was eaten up, residential and commercial skyscrapers emerged as a way for builders to maximize their real estate.

What would happen if, instead of building thousands of feet up into the sky, we developed a smarter design that allowed us to retain our connection to the natural world?

Well, that's just the question a team of French designers hoped to answer with their "Flat Tower" design, a second place winner in the 2011 eVolo skyscraper competition.

Although the construction of skyscrapers has been an architectural solution for high-density urban areas for almost a century, it has also produced some rather negative side-effects: green spaces, trees, and in some cases, sunlight have become hard to find in big cities. Skyscrapers destroy the skyline, block out the sun, and disrupt the infrastructure of a specific location.

The Flat Tower design is based on a medium-height dome structure that covers a large area while preserving its beauty and previous function. The dome is perforated with cell-like skylights that provide direct sunlight to the agricultural fields and recreational spaces located inside.

"The dome's large surface area is perfect to harvest solar energy and rainwater collection. Community recreational facilities are located at ground level while the residential and office units are in the upper cells," writes the design team.

"An automated transportation system connects all the units, which are different shapes according to their program. It is also possible to combine clusters of cells to create larger areas for different activities."

* Beth Buczynski, EarthTechling

Excerpt from:
Architects design the anti-skyscraper

Architects responded with nearly 50 designs when a Green Tree developer asked for ideas for replacing a Downtown parking lot with an 18-story tower overlooking the Monongahela River.

Now developer Burns & Scalo hopes the top candidates among those firms will help lure a big-name tenant or two to the proposed $60 million project.

"We are ideally looking for a major corporation to have a signature headquarters location with eyebrow signage," said CEO Jim Burns, who mentioned U.S. Steel and GNC as possibilities. GNC declined comment, and U.S. Steel said it was "exploring alternatives" for when its lease in its signature tower ends in 2017.

"I believe we will see a major gas and oil company set up its headquarters Downtown," Scalo said, a well-known local developer whose current projects include converting the former Goodwill headquarters on the South Side to a $20 million apartment-retail complex, and two new office buildings in Southpointe II in Cecil Township.

His firm this week announced three finalists from its competition to design the skyscraper to fit onto a 27,000-square-foot lot on Fort Pitt Boulevard, near One Smithfield Street, which Burns & Scalo also owns. Construction would begin when one or more tenants agree to occupy at least 50 percent of its planned 300,000 square feet of space.

The firm did not make finding tenants a requirement, but bringing one in would increase its chances of being chosen to design the building.

The three finalists are Desmone & Associates of Lawrenceville, Downtown-based IKM Architects, and GBBN Architects, based in Cincinnati with an office in Moon, which is teaming with Celli-Flynn Brennan Architects and Planners, Downtown.

Joel Bernard, principal and partner at IKM, said developers normally secure both the site and a tenant before selecting an architect. But he and the other finalists said they would pass along names to Burns & Scalo.

"It's good business to help the developer obtain a tenant, although architects are not as familiar with the real estate market as are commercial real estate firms," said Luke Desmone.

"Although assisting the developer obtain a tenant was never part of the design challenge, we certainly would help the developer with that information," said Steven T. Kenat, a principal and director of community development with GBBN.

Read more here:
Architects competing to design Downtown skyscraper

March 30, 2012 12:06

Tom Searle also tells NME about the band's 'political' fifth album

Photo: Press

Architects have spoken about their new album 'Daybreaker', with guitarist Tom Searle revealing that he believes the band have "got their balls back" on their new album.

The album, which is the band's fifth and the follow-up to 2010's 'The Here And Now', was recorded in Reading with producer John Mitchell and is due for release on May 28.

Speaking to NME about the album and how it moves on from 'The Here And Now', Searle said: "Some people might say we've regressed, but I think we've found our enthusiasm for playing heavy music again. I'm excited again by what I've come up with on guitar and lyrically it's much more political and less personal."

He continued: "I wanted to go back to being heavier and I think we've got our balls back. We're not a band that should be on daytime radio and even when we got that stuff, it felt a bit uncomfortable. I think we were out of our comfort zone and the shoe didn't fit."

Searle also spoke about 'Devil's Island', the band's recent single which was inspired by last summer's riots and which you can see the video for by scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking.

Asked about 'Devil's Island', Searle said: "That was the song that really drove us on. Sam [Carter - singer] came in with the song and it was different to anything we've ever done before and it was about something important and something big and it really gave us the courage to write about other important topics."

Searle then went on to talk about the political themes of 'Daybreaker', adding: "There's a lot of religion on there, which is the fun thing about being an atheist. There's media, the society we live, the relationship we have with money, things like that."

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Architects: 'We've got our balls back on 'Daybreaker''

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Paul Bunton, president of BCA Architects, presented the final version of the long-range master plan to the Board of Trustees of the Brea Olinda Unified School District. This master plan, when implemented over the next two decades, establishes the vision for continuing the much-needed improvements of the district's facilities that will allow the teaching staff to carry on the important work of educating students in a 21st Century Learning Environment.

BCA began with the systematic evaluation of all of the existing facilities in Brea Olinda Unified School District. This "conditions assessment" set the stage for BCA's Team of Architects to create a road map that outlines both the short and long-term goals allowing the district to align their available funding with the most critical needs including the replacement of older facilities.

The Brea Olinda School Board voted unanimously in February 2012 to place a $54 million General Obligation Bond measure on the June 5, 2012 ballot. They requested their community approve a $10/$100,000 assessed valuation increase in their property taxes to fund the immediate needs of the Brea Olinda School District.

"BCA Architects has prepared a superb long-range master plan for the Brea Olinda Unified School District," said A.J. Roland, superintendent of Brea Olinda Unified School District. "This master plan will bring our schools into the 21st Century Learning Environment and help create the leaders of tomorrow. We are very pleased with Paul Bunton and BCA Architects' work to collaborate in creating this vision for our district."

The master plan will communicate to the Brea Olinda community how the district intends to wisely invest their tax dollars to improve their facilities over the next 8 years. The full master plan can be viewed on BCA's website at http://www.bcaarchitects.com.

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.

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' Long-Range Master Plan to Bring Brea Olinda Unified School District into a 21st Century Learning ...

The architects of a disastrous foray into professional sports by the suburban city of Glendale, Ariz., will not be around to deal with the fallout.

Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs, 68, announced this week she will not seek a sixth term in office this summer. Earlier this year, Glendale city manager Ed Beasley, 53, said he planned to retire some time this year.

The politician and the bureaucrat are leaving behind a debt of almost $1-billion (all currency U.S.) for the city of 250,000, much of it created by the decisions to build an arena for the NHLs Phoenix Coyotes (and to spend more than $50-million propping up the team) and a spring-training complex for Major League Baseballs Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox.

It was Beasley who handled the day-to-day operations of Scruggs master plan of building facilities to attract major-league teams. The only scheme that worked out was building a football stadium for the NFLs Arizona Cardinals. Glendale will play host to its second Super Bowl in 2015.

However, the fate of the Coyotes remains up in the air, as the NHL has been unable to find a buyer willing to keep the team in Glendale. Talks with former San Jose Sharks president Greg Jamison have yet to produce a deal and the likelihood of the Coyotes moving to Quebec City, Seattle or Kansas City is growing.

The Arizona Republic has the details of Scruggs decision and her legacy. The most interesting parts are the comments from Scruggss fellow politicians about her reign.

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Architects of Glendale pro sports disaster won't be around for fallout