Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

How is this possible? The American Institute of Architects, the largest and most influential architecture organization in the country, had never, ever awarded a Gold Medalits highest honor, which it has been bestowing upon architects since 1907to a woman. Until now.

I only really have one question here.

The woman in question is no doubt worthy: Julia Morgan was the first female architect licensed in California and had a long and influential career, designing over 700 buildings. She is best known as the designer of Hearst Castle, collaborating for 28 years with the mercurial William Randolph Hearst.

Hearst with Morgan at the site of La Cuesta Encantada, better known as Hearst Castle, in 1926, photo by Irvin Willat

But she also designed dozens of YWCAs in California, including the the Asilomar conference center near Monterey; many private homes; and the gorgeous (and currently vacant) Los Angeles Examiner Building in downtown L.A. She majored in civil engineering at Berkeley and was an early expert in reinforced concrete construction methods, which came in especially handy after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The Oakland YWCA, designed by Morgan in 1915, photo by Sanfranman59

It was a female AIA board member, Julia Dohono, who nominated Morgan after realizing the Gold Medal had never gone to a woman. She nominated Morgan because she felt that the organization needed to go back and recognize Gold Medal-quality women who were "overlooked," she tells Karrie Jacobs in Architect.

Originally posted here:
The AIA Finally Gave A Medal To A Female Architect. She Died In 1957.

Tulsa, OK (PRWEB) December 19, 2013

KSQ Architects recently named new associates representing leadership across three of the firms offices in New York, Oklahoma and Texas.

Blake Auchincloss, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, was named an associate. He serves as a project architect in the firms New York office, providing more than 25 years of expertise and leadership in all project phases, from business development to construction administration for a wide range of projects including multi-family housing, educational and institutional. Mr. Auchincloss holds a bachelors degree from Williams College and a master of architecture from Columbia University. He joined KSQ in 2012.

Scott Dunning, AIA, LEED AP O+M, was named an associate. Scott serves as a senior project manager in the firms Texas office, providing more than 20 years of experience in the areas of sustainable construction as well as contract documents and construction administration. His project type expertise includes K-12 schools, university student residential and dining facilities, healthcare, luxury hotels and casinos. Mr. Dunning holds a bachelors degree in architecture from the University of Texas and joined KSQ in 2011.

Chester Ehrig was named a senior associate. Mr. Ehrig serves as the firms director of design, providing design development leadership for projects across all four KSQ offices. He is passionate about creating innovative buildings with aesthetics matched equally by functionality. Mr. Ehrig offers more than 30 years of expertise in a wide range of project types including educational facilities, corporate offices, multifamily housing, museums and private residences. He joined KSQ in 2003.

Juana Gomez, Associate AIA, was named an associate. Ms. Gomez serves as a project manager in the firms Oklahoma office, working with such clients as Texas Christian University and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She offers 15 years of expertise specializing in both educational and healthcare projects. She holds a bachelors degree from the University of Zulia in Venezuela and a masters degree from Florida International University. Ms. Gomez is a member of the Project Management Institute and joined the firm in 2009.

Leisa McNulty, AIA, was named an associate. Ms. McNulty serves as project designer and project architect in the firms Oklahoma office on various KSQ projects including Tulsa Public Schools, Undercroft Montessori School, the University of Central Oklahoma and Rogers State University. Her 25-years of project expertise includes educational facilities, urban planning and historic preservation. Ms. McNulty joined KSQ in 2007 and holds a bachelors degree from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Architecture from the University of Oklahoma. She currently serves on the professional advisory board for the OU College of Architecture.

Monica Roberts was named an associate. Ms. Roberts serves as communications manager for the firm, providing more than 17 years of expertise and leadership in the areas of marketing, public relations, business development and strategic planning. Her background includes expertise in account management, presentations, copywriting, campaign development and media relations. Ms. Roberts works in in the firms Oklahoma office and holds a bachelor of arts in English from Oklahoma Christian University. She joined KSQ in 2012 and is a member of the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS).

Doug Willim was named an associate. Mr. Willim serves as a project architect and provides more than 30 years of in-depth expertise in the creation of quality construction documents for all KSQ offices nationwide. His expertise includes creating documentation standards for educational facilities as well as national retail and hospitality projects. Mr. Willim holds a Bachelor of Arts in architecture degree from the University of Oklahoma and joined KSQ in 2012.

Leslie Zimmerman was named director of operations and human resources. Ms. Zimmerman oversees all aspects of financial management and human resources for the firm. Her expertise includes revenue analysis and maintaining operating budgets as well as administration of employee benefits. Ms. Zimmerman holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University. She joined the firm in 2009.

Read more here:
KSQ Architects Announces Promotions

Center Street Partners wants to construct a 16-story, 293-room hotel complex at Shattuck and Center streets in downtown Berkeley. Photo: Center Street Partners

A Carmel-based developer and UC Berkeley graduate will submit plans to Berkeley tomorrow to construct a 16-story, 180-foot tall hotel with office space, meeting rooms, and retail space at the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Center Street.

The new complex, proposed by Jim Didion and Center Street Partners LLC, will replace the 1970s-era one-story Bank of America building and parking lot, and, if approved, transform one of the most visible corners in downtown Berkeley.

The view from Shattuck Avenue. Photo: Center Street Partners

Once constructed, the new hotel will be kitty corner from a revamped BART plaza and next door to the new Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, which is currently under construction.

The arrival of the new hotel would coincide with the scheduled reconfiguration of traffic patterns on Shattuck Avenue that would see routing both north and south traffic on the streets western artery. It also joins a number of plans under way for about 1,300 new apartments for the area. Numerous new restaurants have also recently opened in downtown, adding up to a noticeable transformation of the neighborhood.

Downtown is going to become much more animated, said Michael Caplan, the director of the citys economic development program. A lot is happening. The downtown infrastructure, like the BART plaza, is very dated. This project (along with the others) will be a huge refreshment of a sense of place, an opportunity to define what the experience of downtown Berkeley is in the 21st century.

The hotel, with 293 rooms, also has the potential to generate millions of dollars in tax revenue for the city, according to Matthew Taecker, a former city planner whose firm, Taecker Planning and Design, has been hired to oversee the entitlement process. The hotel rooms will likely rent for about $200 a night, and will be taxed at 12%.

Its the highest tax rate we get on almost anything, said Caplan. A hotel room a good tax generator.

While the 284,000 square foot hotel tower will be 180-feet tall, the architect of the project, Edward McFarlan, principal of JRDV Architects of Oakland, has designed smaller structures abutting the streets in order to retain and enhance a pedestrian-friendly environment. The faades on Shattuck Avenue and Center Street will be four stories high, essentially the same height as neighboring buildings. A one-story building will stand between the hotel and art museum, providing a visual break. The smaller sections will be clad in reclaimed wood or metal shingles to provide texture and visual interest.

Continued here:
New 16-story hotel proposed for downtown Berkeley

Washington, DC (PRWEB) December 19, 2013

SmithGroupJJR, in collaboration with The JBG Companies, was awarded a 2013 Award of Excellence by the Maryland/DC chapter of National Association of Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP), a commercial real estate development association, for its development of the LEnfant Plaza East Retail.

The NAIOP awards program, which each year recognizes outstanding projects in architecture, interior design and real estate in the Washington, DC/Maryland region, was held on Oct. 3, 2013 at the Willard InterContinental Washington, DC. The LEnfant Plaza East Retail project won the award for "Best Retail Project, Dining & Entertainment."

The landmark site in Southwest Washington, DC is an important example of mid-twentieth century modernist urban planning at the mega scale. The existing 1.3 million-square-foot development, originally built in 1968, will be transformed into 3 million-square-feet of mixed use development including office, residential and retail. LEnfant Plaza East Retail, as a refreshed retail destination, was one of the first steps in the plan to create a dynamic neighborhood. Construction of the 215,000-square-foot project was completed in 2013.

In designing the LEnfant Plaza East Retail space, the SmithGroupJJR team transformed a space that previously felt "underground" into a bright and open destination for the 30,000 employees within walking distance of the plaza. The new space offers a mix of quality national brand foods and soft-good retail tenants. The designers created a strong sense of identity for LEnfant Plaza with the introduction of a rich palette of materials and finishes and vibrant environmental graphics.

"SmithGroupJJRs design transformation has greatly contributed to the success of LEnfant Plaza Retail," said Britt Snider, a senior vice president at The JBG Companies.

"The recipe was simple introduce natural light and good artificial lighting, create a dynamic framework through the ceiling and floor design and let the retailers showcase their individuality," said Andrew Rollman, AIA, LEED AP, a leader with SmithGroupJJRs Workplace practice and Design Principal for the LEnfant Plaza East Retail project. Rollman is widely recognized for his expertise in commercial, retail and mixed-use development throughout Washington, DC.

LEnfant Plaza is a mixed-use development owned and managed by The JBG Companies, an investor, owner, developer and manager of office, residential, hotel and retail assets in Washington, DC's Metropolitan Area.

SmithGroupJJR is a national design leader in the workplace, corporate interior and mixed-use markets. Among the firms recent completions is the 120,000-square-foot, 1700 New York Avenue office building for Carr Properties and Sentinel Square at 90 K Street, NE for the Trammell Crow Company. For Cityline Partners, SmithGroupJJR completed Scotts Run Station Master Plan an award-winning, 40-acre mixed-use development plan in Tysons Corner, Va.

SmithGroupJJR (http://www.smithgroupjjr.com) is ranked as one of the nations top design firms by Architect, the magazine of the American Institute of Architects. With 800 employees in 10 offices, SmithGroupJJR is a leader in sustainable design.

Link:
L’Enfant Plaza East Retail Honored with "Award of Excellence" by NAIOP

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) December 20, 2013

For the third year, World of Concrete 2014 is recognizing the accomplishments of crews in the commercial construction/masonry industry with the Crews That Rock competition, sponsored by BASF. This popular contest honors crew members for their teamwork and contribution to the industry and their communities. Crews submitted stories and photos of their amazing and inspiring projects from the past year for a chance to win a trip to the show, hotel stays, seminars and other exciting prizes.

Projects were submitted in one of two categories, Community Service/Not-for-Profit and Commercial/For-Profit. Two Grand Prizes were awarded in each of the categories Audience Award via online voting and Experts Choice selected by a panel of industry professionals. With 29 total finalists, including 23 in the Commercial category and six in the Community Service category, the contest resulted in thousands of online votes and tremendous interest through social networks.

Webcor Builders received the Audience Award in the Commercial/For-Profit category for the Guam Naval Hospital Replacement. The Guam Naval Hospital Replacement Project was the first project for the Webcor component of the Joint Venture. Webcor Concrete performed the structural and architectural concrete work for the main structures as its responsibility within the J.V. Webcor Concrete took particular pride in the team, which was created during the performance of this work utilizing construction trade workers from the local work force.

The Experts Choice award for the Commercial/For-Profit category was JT Wimsatt Contracting Company, Inc. for the UCSD SIO NIST MESOM Laboratory. JT Wimsatt's crew of 30 worked on the structural concrete portion of this project. They used regionally sourced Type III concrete in the walls and elevated decks, most of which remains exposed on the interior and exterior of the building. The building's structure is exposed architectural cast-in-place concrete shear walls, elevated slabs with slab on grade and a system of spread footings. This three-story, 40,000-square-foot laboratory opened in June 2013.

Denes Concrete Inc.s LCJVS World Trade Center Memorial received the Audience Award for the Community Service/Not-For-Profit category. The Lorain County Joint Vocational School acquired a 7-foot section of I-beam from the World Trade Center. The LCJVS asked local contractors to donate time and material for the construction of their World Trade Center Memorial. Denes Concrete worked side-by-side with the students in the masonry program to design, construct, form and pour the octagon pyramid where the beam is erected as well as pour, color and stamp the concrete sidewalks.

The Experts Choice award for the Community Service/Not-For-Profit category was awarded to Gerace Construction Company, Inc. for the Midland County Veterans' Memorial. The Midland County Veterans' Memorial Committee was tasked with removing the historic WWII bronze memorial and placing it on new granite substrate. Gerace Construction generously donated the necessary craftsmen, formwork and accessories required to form, pour and finish the 3.5-foot-deep x 10-foot-wide x 49-foot-long reinforced concrete foundation for the memorial as well as the 6-inch-deep x 20-foot-wide x 49-foot-long reinforced concrete slab-on-grade under the fundraising paver bricks.

The four Grand Prize winners will be honored at WOC 2014 during the Crews That Rock reception on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 3 p.m. in the CC Live booth, C3639. BASF and TV personalities Dean & Derek will present awards and swag bags for the winning crews.

Were excited to present the winners of the Crews That Rock contest once again. For the third year in a row, we were impressed by the projects submitted by the crews in the concrete/construction and masonry industries, said Jackie James, WOC Show Director. World of Concrete and BASF look forward to honoring these crews and celebrating their accomplishments at the Crews That Rock reception on Wednesday, January 22!

"We are so proud to be a part of the Crews the Rock event, honoring all the crews for their inspiring contributions to the concrete construction industry in 2013. We look forward to congratulating the winners in person and welcoming them to the Crews That Rock Hall of Fame," said Dirk Bremm, Senior Vice President, BASF Construction Chemicals Americas.

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World of Concrete Announces Four Winners in Crews That Rock 2014 Contest

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) December 20, 2013

Donald C. Buenger, AIA, LEED AP, Principal with Urban Design Group (UDG), recently spoke about design considerations for creating smokefree casinos at a workshop sponsored by the American Nonsmokers Rights (ANR) Foundation. The ANRs Workshop for Safe and Healthy Smokefree Casino Jobs was held in Cincinnati, Ohio from December 16-18 at the Westin Cincinnati and the Horseshoe Cincinnati Casino. Buenger was also presented with an award from the ANR Foundation for his firms work.

Buenger, and his firm UDG, were architects for the recently-completed Hollywood Casino Toledo that features an indoor smokefree environment and incorporates creatively integrated smoking areas and porches into the property. Buenger presented a session titled, Ohio Smokefree Casinos from Design and Operations Perspectives on Wednesday, December 18.

Smokefree casino workplaces are now a reality in more cities, states, and in tribal properties, said Cynthia Hallett, Executive Director of the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation. This workshop was another opportunity for networking, knowledge exchange, and to discuss best practices for successful smokefree casino implementation. Attendees included public health officials and advocates, health voluntary agency representatives and workers.

At the workshop, ANR Foundation and partners highlighted the positive steps many gaming operators have taken to address the issue of secondhand smoke. There are now more than 500 smokefree casinos and other gambling facilities in the US, and many more internationally - from Canada and much of the Americas to Europe and New Zealand.

Today, 82% of the U.S. population are nonsmokers, and people are much more aware of the serious health hazards of secondhand smoke in the workplace and are demanding smokefree entertainment venues, including casinos. Twenty US states include casinos and other gambling venues in smokefree workplace laws. Smokefree casinos also meet industry goals to be green, sustainable, and to be a good community partner as well as a responsible employer.

There are many lessons learned, and best practices for making smokefree indoor air largely a non-issue for gaming operations, said Hallett. For example, architectural design firms are now taking a more thoughtful approach to planning for outdoor smoking areas conveniently located near gaming floors as Don explained during his presentation.

More casino operators now realize that strong smokefree laws are in the best interest of their company and shareholders. Smokefree laws help create parity and normalcy on this issue throughout a region. For example, the quicker that neighboring states adopt similarly strong laws, the sooner the industry will not have to deal with indoor smoking as a variable.

"Smokefree indoor air helps ensure a safe work environment for the employees in this growing job sector," said Hallett. "Gaming job creation should not come at the expense of sickening the people and communities those jobs are supposed to be helping."

The issue of smoke-filled casinos is pressing because workplace exposure to secondhand smoke remains a top preventable cause of chronic disease, healthcare costs, and premature death. 20 US states, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands now include state-regulated gambling jobsites in smokefree workplace laws. A growing number of sovereign American Indian Tribes and Nations are also addressing the issue with smokefree and commercial tobacco free policies.

More here:
UDG Principal Don Buenger Received an Award for Innovative Architectural Design of Smokefree Casinos from the American ...

How to decorate your home like a winter wonderland How to decorate your home like a winter wonderland

Creating a white winter wonderland in your home to celebrate the holiday season can add a sparkle to this festive time of year.

Creating a white winter wonderland in your home to celebrate the holiday season can add a sparkle to this festive time of year.

The most important prep step? Plan ahead.

The most important prep step? Plan ahead.

When it comes to staying organized over the holidays, being realistic instead of holding yourself to some fictional standard goes a long way toward staying sane during December.

When it comes to staying organized over the holidays, being realistic instead of holding yourself to some fictional standard goes a long way toward staying sane during December.

Whether youre attending a holiday party, wedding, business event or other celebration, you can sometimes find yourself in an awkward situation and wishing Miss Manners were by your side.

Whether youre attending a holiday party, wedding, business event or other celebration, you can sometimes find yourself in an awkward situation and wishing Miss Manners were by your side.

With November rapidly galloping towards a close, the nights are starting to get very, very chilly in many corners of the US. In some regions, frost is already on the ground.

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Home & Garden

December 20, 2013 12:00 AM

NEW BEDFORD WHALE and the New Bedford Port Society are embarking on a multi-million dollar project to fully restore the Seamen's Bethel and the Mariner's Home, making both handicap accessible, spokesmen for both organizations said Thursday.

The plan calls for an enclosed, two-story, glass structure at the back of the Mariner's Home that will join it with the Salt Box Room at the Seamen's Bethel, according to Joe Booth, the architect, and Peter Haley, manager of the Port Society.

An elevator will be added to the rear of the Mariner's Home and a second-floor walkway will provide handicap access for the first time to the sanctuary of the Bethel, the architect said.

Currently, neither building is accessible to people with physical disabilities.

The entire first floor of the Mariner's Home will be converted into a local fishermen's museum with offices on the second and third floors. Haley has his office on the first floor, but the top two floors are currently vacant.

Details of the museum remain to be worked out, according to WHALE and the Port Society.

The Salt Box Room at the back of the Seamen's Bethel will be converted into an educational, multi-purpose room that could be rented for events and lectures, Booth said.

There will be new heating, and for the first time air conditioning in both buildings, Haley said. The Salt Box Room refers to a storage room aboard fishing vessels.

WHALE (Waterfront Historic Area League) is launching a local capital fundraising campaign, effective immediately, said Teri Bernert, its executive director. It will also be applying for state and federal grants and historic tax credits by April 30 of next year.

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Seamen's Bethel, Mariner's Home in line for multi-million dollar restoration

Cleveland OH (PRWEB) December 20, 2013

Restoration Local, one of the leading providers of water and flood damage restoration services in the United States, is providing tips to property owners on how to best stabilize their property in the wake of a flood or other water damage problem. Doing so allows for the prevention of additional damage to the home or business, and makes productive use of the time spent waiting for professional restoration providers to arrive.

Among the recommendations made:

There are also a number of actions that are discouraged:

These simple, basic steps will effectively begin the water restoration process long before the professionals arrive, and will do much to guarantee that the home will be returned to its pre-loss condition.

Restoration Local is one of the leading providers of water damage restoration and mold remediation services in the US, with providers in 30 states, 24/7 availability, and same day emergency service. They are certified by the Clean Trust (IICRC) and Restoration Industry Association (RIA) and a member in good standing with the Better Business Bureau.

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Restoration Local Offers Tips On Stabilizing Property After Flood Damage

Dec. 19, 2013 A team of researchers from Gregorio Maran Hospital, the company GMV and the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have started the first cancer operation room with a navigator. This image-guided system will allow for increased intraoperative radiotherapy safety.

The system, presented at Gregorio Maran Hospital, permits real-time interaction with the body of the patient (with its different tissues and cancer) as well as the radiotherapy applicator used to radiate the area affected by the tumor. This innovation will be used in the surgery of cancers treated with intraoperative radiotherapy in the hope of achieving greater precision in the radiation of potentially cancerous tissues after the removal of the tumor.

The installation of this new equipment has entailed a complete remodeling of the operating room. The new room, reinforced for this type of procedure, incorporates high-definition screens of high diagnostic quality to visualize the image of the patient in 3-D, three video monitoring cameras and a group of eight infrared cameras for real-time navigation placed in the area of the surgery that enables the surgeon to capture the movement of objects throughout the entire procedure. This technology shares the same principles of movement capture that are used in cinema and in video games to transfer the movement of actors to animated characters.

Medical personnel will have a 3-D representation of the patient and the applicator that conducts the radiation so that it can be guided into the patient via the high-definition screens of the operating room. On this representation, reconstructed from a previous scan, the placement of the applicator over the tumor bed is observed so that only tissues with cancerous residue or risk predetermined in each patient are radiated. Moreover, the area, the depth and the dose that any tissue (like skin, bone, muscle, intestines or bladder) will receive can be predetermined and adjusted on-site and healthy tissues can be checked for any additional risk.

This device, developed by scientists within the framework of research projects financed by the Autonomous Region of Madrid, the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and FEDER funds, makes the Madrid hospital an international point of reference in technological innovation and the application of research results to daily clinical practice. Dr. Javier Pascau, professor in the Bioengineering and Aerospace Engineering Department at the UC3M and part of the BIIG research group led by Dr. Manuel Desco, is the head researcher of several research projects that include this development. As he explains, the system employs multiple cameras to locate objects in three-dimensional scenarios like the intraoperative radiotherapy applicator. This information is sent to the planning system, which updates the real position of the applicator over the CAT (Computed Axial Tomography) of the patient and shows it on the screen. Thanks to this navigation system, the oncologist will be able to compare the current position and orientation of the applicator to the one previously planned and, if necessary, repeat the estimation of the distribution of the dose to adjust the treatment to the actual surgical scenario. The precision of the system, the first stereotactic navigator available in the field of intraoperative radiotherapy, has been evaluated by university researchers and was recently published in Physics in Medicine and Biology.

Intraoperative radiotherapy is an anti-tumor treatment which, after the removal of the cancer, allows doctors to radiate the areas affected by the tumor or parts that could not be eliminated with a high degree of precision. Through this procedure, it is hoped that the cancer then does not reproduce. In addition, "another advantage of this procedure is that all tumors can receive this treatment, although most of the ones that have been treated--and with very convincing results--were cancers of the digestive system and sarcomas," asserts Felipe Calvo, head of the Oncology Department at Gregorio Maran Hospital. Furthermore, Dr. Calvo adds that intelligent systems, like the intraoperative radiotherapy radiance simulator (developed and patented by Maran Hospital researchers and practitioners and the company GMV) and this new navigator "will make it possible to cut treatment time thanks to the use of large single doses on a very well-defined tumor, protecting healthy tissue at the same time. Intraoperative radiotherapy does not compete with but instead complements chemotherapy and the administration of biological medicines."

Intraoperative radiotherapy has been incorporated into advances in laparoscopic oncological surgery with obvious benefits for the patient, like the reduction of the biological impact of the postoperative period from between 4 and 7 days to 48 hours, and a procedure which requires less invasive surgery. In premature breast cancer, instead of lasting six to eight weeks in the case of conventional treatment, radiation therapy treatment and surgery can be done in only 24 hours.

The rest is here:
First cancer operation room with navigator is created