Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The Kendall County Board on Tuesday okayed an agreement with Cordogan Clark architects to begin a major renovation of the County's Office Building located 111 W. Fox Street in Yorkville.

County Board Member Brian DeBolt Chairs the county's facilities committee. He says the remodel is needed to prepare the county for future growth and to make sure that it's compliant with safety and accessibility laws.

Board member Dan Koukol was the sole no vote on the renovation. He says it's a great idea, but now is not the right time with other expensive projects down the line and other costs.

The county architect is predicting that the project will cost about $8.75 million. It will go out to bid in the coming months and will be back in front of the board for final approval.

Board Chairman Matt Kellogg says the county can afford it with cash flow and won't need to borrow any money. County operations will need to move out during construction.

The county is close to wrapping up the construction of a new office building at the Fox Street Campus which is expected to cost about $10 million when all is said and done. That project is being funded by American Rescue Plan Act money.

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County okays agreement with architect for renovation county office building - WspyNews

tenjincho place: a green retreat tucked away in tokyo

Japanese studio Hiroyuki Ito Architects has recently unveiled Tenjincho Place, a new apartment complex in Tokyos Bunkyo ward. The building sits on the edge of a plateau in Yushima, overlooking the approach to a renowned shrine. This rapidly developing area has seen a significant shift in recent years, with hotels being replaced by apartment complexes. The studios design addresses two key challenges presented by the site the plots unusual shape and the limited natural light due to surrounding high-rises. images Masao Nishikawa

The centerpiece of Tenjincho Place is its central courtyard, which Hiroyuki Ito Architects designed to ensure a light-filled atmosphere. A three-pronged approach was implemented to ensure a sense of light and openness. First, the architects minimized the number of corridors flanking the courtyard. By converting corridor ends into two-story maisonette units, they effectively reduced the corridors footprint and minimized shadow formation.

Next, the design incorporates side openings facing the courtyard, creating balconies for both residences and common areas. These openings allow light and air to enter the space from multiple directions. Finally, the team employed a unique textural treatment for the 30-meter (98-foot) high courtyard walls. By using unconventional materials for the formwork, they aimed to achieve a linear yet irregular appearance that enhances the perception of even the slightest light filtering into the space. The courtyard is designed with the potential for engagement with the public, with uses including a co-working area, a cafe, or a market.

the new apartment complex in Tokyo addresses challenges of a curved plot and limited natural light

The formwork for the central courtyard incorporates a sustainable design element. It is constructed from Japanese cedar logs sourced from the Wooden Station Project in Sammu City, Chiba. This initiative aims to support healthy forests by acquiring thinned wood and forest residue from local owners. The forestry industry has recently faced challenges due to fungal diseases, which weaken and permanently mar trunks. By finding value in these materials, Hiroyuki Ito Architects sought to contribute to sustainable forestry practices.

Hiroyuki Ito Architects designed a central courtyard as the centerpiece of the complex

During construction, the logs were sliced into thin sections, retaining the bark on one side, and then affixed to plywood to create the formwork. This technique transferred the organic shapes and textures of the logs onto the concrete, resulting in a courtyard with a captivating interplay of light and shadow. The resulting texture evokes the image of a church in ruins, adding depth and character to an imposing space. The central courtyard is designed to provide residents and future visitors with a welcome respite from the urban environment.

to improve lighting, corridors flanking the courtyard are minimized and replaced with maisonette unit

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hiroyuki ito architects' tenjincho place is a curving slice of nature in tokyo - Designboom

Chad Hunter builds upon nearly two decades at UM

Some of Chad Hunters fondest memories of childhood involve sitting at a table with his grandfather and drawing. Not drawing as one typically does as a kid, but drawing house and building plans.

My grandfather owned a construction company and designed his own buildings, Hunter said. So, I would sit next to him on the table, actually and draw with him. That ended up morphing into me helping my dad design some of his restaurants that he ran.

Those interactions put Hunter on a path to become the director of facilities planning and chief university architect at the University of Mississippi.

With nearly two decades of experience, Chad brings a broad range of expertise in planning, design, engineering and construction, said Chancellor Glenn Boyce. With his vision and steadfast leadership, I look forward to how he will direct the physical planning of our university and guide our development and growth.

Chad will serve as a steward for the campus ensuring that we continue to thoughtfully meet the needs of students, faculty, staff and visitors.

Hunter, who joined the UM staff in 2006, said hes been fortunate to play an integral role in the development and growth of the university campus, but also in the Department of Facilities Planning.

Ive had the opportunity to work on and lead design and planning projects that range from small classroom renovations to bell towers to $175 million science buildings, he said. There arent many design positions in our professional world that get to work on such a wide variety of projects.

Its one of the things I find most exciting on a day-to-day basis here at the university. It truly keeps everything interesting.

As he approaches two decades at Ole Miss, Hunter has contributed to some 1,000 projects and counting.

We currently have approximately 150 active projects right now, he said. The science building is a large one, but coming down the line, were looking at a new student housing building with 981 beds, parking solutions, and were about to begin a deep dive into our research and laboratory facilities master plan.

Another big one thats under construction right now is our data center, which shows the universitys commitment to not only university growth, but also university innovation.

Hunter said one of his most meaningful projects to date is theJim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation.

I did the very first project budget for a science building in 2012, he said. I did a tremendous amount of research on it and was a co-chair of the planning and programming committee when we started planning this project.

Weve gone through a lot of variations of designs, and to see it being constructed and to soon be finished here in the fall is very gratifying. Its exciting to see it come to fruition and be able to serve not only the university, but also the state of Mississippi.

Since his early years designing with his father and grandfather, Hunter continued to work in the construction and hospitality fields. Originally from New Orleans, he moved to Hattiesburg during high school. He received a bachelors degree in architecture in 1997 from Mississippi State Universitys five-year program.

After graduation, I worked back in Hattiesburg in private practice and then moved to north Mississippi and worked in Tupelo, he said. I had about 10 and a half years in the private sector before coming to Ole Miss.

That work has contributed to Hunters success at the university while working with staff who also have private sector experience.

Im extremely fortunate to work with this team, he said. They have a tremendous amount of expertise and experience from work on campus, but also, theyve all served in the private world. We run our office and treat our office as a professional design office. Each one of us has specialties in various groups, whether it be architecture, civil engineering, interior design.

We all touch most of the projects in some way, shape or form, because we all draw from each others experiences. Its just a testament to the professionalism and the knowledge of this team.

Brad Potts, UM architectural draftsman II, worked with Hunter atMcCarty Architectsin Tupelo before joining the facilities planning department in 2007. Theyve worked on several large projects together, such as the first phase of the Jackson Avenue Center construction.

Chad knows construction inside and out, Potts said. He is incredibly intelligent about the makeup of a building. I know that he has big plans that will give our department opportunities to step up.

Virginia Pence, assistant university architect, said she is delighted with the outcome of the director search.

Chad is a wonderful leader, Pence said. In addition to his expertise, its his supportive and encouraging team approach that makes him so effective. His exceptional institutional knowledge is the bedrock of our department.

Looking forward, Hunter hopes to grow the department in order to continue to support critical construction projects on campus.

Its always exciting to see as the university grows, where the various areas on campus grow, whether thats student recreation, student housing, athletics or research, he said. By growing our team to support these needs, theres really no limit to what we can accomplish.

By Erin Garrett

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New University of Mississippi Architect Contributes to 1000 Projects and Counting The Local Voice - The Local Voice

Charles E. Dagit Jr., 80, of Gladwyne, celebrated architect, civic leader, author, teacher, dancer, and champion sailor, died Wednesday, March 27, of complications from pneumonia at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Mr. Dagit knew by the time he reached high school that he was going to be an architect. His grandfather, father, two uncles, and four cousins were architects, too, and the familys influence on the Philadelphia landscape is wide.

Every male for three generations has become an architect, Mr. Dagit told the Daily News in 1995. When people hear Dagit, they think architect.

Mr. Dagit embraced his family tradition by studying with renowned architect Louis Kahn and other luminaries in the 1960s, and earning bachelors and masters degrees in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. He founded Dagit-Saylor Architects in 1970 and went on to win scores of awards and design more than 300 construction projects around the country, including his own award-winning home in Gladwyne, before retiring in 2007.

He was especially prolific on college campuses, and the Abington campus Physical Education Building and Snider Agricultural Arena at Pennsylvania State University are two of his most notable designs. He also planned libraries, dining halls, theaters, student centers, and education buildings of all kinds at Penn, Gwynedd Mercy, Shippensburg, and Holy Family Universities; Ursinus, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr Colleges; and many other schools.

Structures at the Philadelphia Zoo, Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Cherry Hill Mall, monastery of St. Clare in Newtown, and many other locations also bear his signature.

He was an inspiration to all who knew him and had the opportunity to work with him, a former colleague said in a tribute. Another colleague said: He was such a pleasure to work with and a dedicated, talented architect who loved his profession passionately.

Mr. Dagit built his own family home on a hillside in Gladwyne in the 1970s, and it won an award for excellence in design. He called the structure a white piece of sculpture, and added a Japanese Garden years later that was featured in The Inquirer in 2010.

Gregarious and insightful, he taught design at Drexel and Temple Universities, and Penn, and expressed great satisfaction when his students earned honors for their work. He also lectured at other schools and at conferences, and served for a decade as managing secretary of the John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship in Architecture.

He was a longtime national committee member and chair for the American Institute of Architects, president of the Philadelphia chapter in 1991, and board member of the Pennsylvania chapter from 2008 to 2010. He became the youngest architect at the time to join the AIA College of Fellows in 1983 and never ceased promoting the city and state chapters at national and international events.

He wrote articles for The Inquirer and other publications, and authored Louis I. Kahn Architect Remembering the Man and Those Who Surrounded Him in 2013, and The Groundbreakers: Architects in American History Their Places and Times in 2017. Both received critical praise.

Away from work, he served on boards at Penn, the Philadelphia Zoo, and other groups, and was president of the Gladwyne Civic Association in the 1980s and the Gladwyne Free Library in the 1990s. He was a lifelong sailor who won local races at the Jersey Shore and a 1972 national championship, and he and his wife, Alice, navigated exotic waters together around the world.

He was driven and bold, his wife said. He would do things after other people said, You cant do that.

Charles Edward Dagit Jr. was born July 1, 1943, in Philadelphia. He grew up in Merion, went sailing with his father and others often as a boy, and graduated from Malvern Preparatory School in 1961.

He earned three degrees and won a traveling fellowship and two design competitions at Penn, and worked for Mitchell-Giurgola and his fathers firm after college before establishing Dagit-Saylor.

He took Alice Murdoch on their first date in 1962, and they married in 1967, and had sons Charles III and John. They lived in Center City and West Philadelphia before moving to Gladwyne.

Mr. Dagit played piano and painted, enjoyed golf and dancing, and he and his wife spent more than 60 years twirling to the Charleston, jitterbug, and Texas two step. Charlie was a most remarkable person, a friend said in a tribute. Smart, talented, artistic, and funny. Just so exceptional.

In addition to his wife and sons, Mr. Dagit is survived by four grandsons, two sisters, and other relatives. A sister died earlier.

Visitation with the family is to be from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, April 12, at St. John Vianney Church, 350 Conshohocken State Rd., Gladwyne, Pa. 19035. A service is to follow.

Donations in his name may be made to St. Malachy School, Box 37012, Philadelphia, Pa. 19122; and Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania Foundation, 221 Conestoga Rd., Suite 300, Wayne Pa. 19087.

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Charles E. Dagit Jr., award-winning architect, civic leader, and champion sailor, has died at 80 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

I want to be an architect six words I never expected to hear from my daughter! It certainly came as a shock. She had been leaning towards majoring in computer science at her small liberal arts college in Northern Maine. However, a brief Intro to Architecture course captivated her in a way that simply growing up around me never did. Maybe she finally glimpsed why I enjoy it so much, despite it being such a tough profession with long, expensive studies and low financial rewards.

Now that she was bitten by the architecture bug, I thought I would be able to give her useful advice on how to approach studies and a career. After all, Ive worked in the US for over 25 years, visiting various architectural schools as a critic or a lecturer. But as we investigated her options, it became painfully obvious that I didnt really have a clue how it all worked. What followed was a crash course on the various paths US students take to pursue architecture.

At first glance, the architectural education systems in the UK and the US seem similar enough, with both requiring at the very least seven years to obtain licensure. The notable difference lies in the educational pathways. Unlike the UKs Parts 1, 2, and 3 process of undergraduate and postgraduate architecture courses, the US system offers two alternate routes to completing your studies.

First, its worth remembering that students here, in their last years of school, have no A-level equivalent where they narrow their academic focus down to just three subjects. When they start their typical four-year college education, they initially spend two years taking various general education courses before selecting what subject to major in.

For these students, the path to becoming an architect involves a Master of Architecture (M.Arch) postgraduate programme. The length of these programmes varies based on prior education, but usually lasts two years for students with an undergraduate major degree in architecture and three years for those with a degree in another field.

The second path is a straightforward five-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) programme, similar to the UK system. Architecture and engineering are among the very few specialised professional subjects that students can pursue directly after high school. There are no undergraduate courses for law or medicine, for example.

B.Arch programmes are mostly found in the more vocational schools, often at state colleges, and some, such as Cornell, are exceptional. However, the majority of the top architectural schools are M.Arch programmes, such as MIT, Columbia, Yale, and Harvard. Often M.Arch schools provide an architecture major degree within their liberal arts undergraduate curriculum, while some B.Arch schools offer the M.Arch as part of their postgraduate studies.

Whichever path you take, the cost is always a significant factor. The cost of attendance at state colleges averages $25,000 per year, while private colleges can be at least double or even triple that amount. Many students take huge loans to complete their studies leading to hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt upon graduation.

After finishing either path, the next step is the Architectural Experience Programme (AXP) an internship training period under a licensed architect, requiring over 3,500 recorded hours before completion which is then followed by six Architect Registration Examinations (ARE). The AREs, covering both technical and professional aspects of architecture, are challenging and have an average 50% pass rate. The process is long and arduous, taking the average architect 12.5 years to finally get their licence after starting college.

Ultimately, its the high cost of education with its arduous licensing process and low financial compensationthat makes our profession increasingly exclusive

Since my daughters college does not offer architectural courses, she faced a choice: either drop out and transfer to a B.Arch programme or continue with the undergraduate studies at her current college but focus on courses suitable for future M.Arch admission.

After chatting with many friends in education, the consensus was to complete her current college degree, integrating pre-architecture courses, majoring in art or art history, and including courses in mathematics, computing, government, and sociology. During her holidays last summer, she enrolled in a five-week intensive architecture course at Columbia University to confirm her passion (she loved it) and plans to apply to an architecture post-graduate programme in a few years.

In the UK, the ARB and RIBA are hotly debating more effective methods of teaching architecture with the goal of promoting diversity and accessibility within the profession. It sounds like what could emerge is a similar system to here. While the US system offers more flexibility than the UKs, it still struggles to meet the goals the ARB hopes to encourage. Ultimately, its the high cost of education with its arduous licensing process and low financial compensation that makes our profession increasingly exclusive.

>> Also read:The ARB education reforms offer tinkering, when what we need is a radical new vision

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Similar, but not the same: How qualifying as an architect differs between the US and UK - Building Design

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Tod Williams, co-founder of the renowned architecture firm Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects, will present a lecture about his firms work with stone and masonry titled Building Blocks at 6:30 p.m. April 18 in the Stuckeman Family Buildings North Forum on the University Park campus.

The lecture is part of the Department of Architecture's annual National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) second-year student competition within the College of Arts and Architectures Stuckeman School. Williams will be joined by Alex Odom, a project manager with the firm.

Founded by Williams and Billie Tsien in Manhattan in 1986, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects focuses its work on academic institutions, museums, cultural centers, residences and non-profit organizations. The practice has been significantly influenced by the duos backgrounds in architecture and fine art; however, the work also reflects a collaborative effort that grows out of their relationship as a married couple, said Williams.

In their early work, Williams and Tsien experimented with unconventional materials and reconsidered how familiar materials could be used in unfamiliar ways in designs for installations at the Museum of the Chinese in the Americas in New York and elsewhere.

In their later work, Williams and Tsien were commissioned to prepare a plan for new buildings at the Cranbrook Estate in Michigan. Their design developed ideas of movement and path embodied in their earlier designs for academic buildings in California, at Princeton University and the University of Virginia. The co-educational natatorium at Cranbrook was planned to connect to existing buildings, and large oculi and doors enable the building to be opened up during spring and summer, connecting the building to the landscapes of the Cranbrook Estate.

Residential designs for sites in New York City, Long Island and Phoenix have enabled Williams and Tsien to explore issues of materiality, path and the integration of building with site at another scale.

Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects has received more than two dozen awards from the American Institute of Architects, including the Firm of the Year Award in 2013. That same year, Williams and Tsien were each awarded a National Medal of Arts from former President Barack Obama. Among other awards and recognitions is a 2014 International Fellowship from the Royal Institute of British Architects.

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Renowned architect to visit Stuckeman to juror student design competition - Penn State University

The trial of a man charged with killing a Des Moines architect is now underway in Polk County. In 2016, Kirk Blunck was found badly hurt at the bottom of a staircase in an East Village building. He died shortly after from his injuries.Blunck's family successfully sued Des Moines man Zachary Gaskill for wrongful death, winning $6.125 million in 2018.Despite the civil lawsuit, Gaskill was not criminally charged until December 2022. Police say he was responsible for the injuries that killed Blunck.Gaskill allegedly claimed to police that he was searching for a bathroom in a building at 500 E. Locust St. when he and Blunck fell over a railing together. Gaskill said he caught himself, but Blunck continued to fall. Police believe that Gaskill attacked Blunck, eventually throwing him over the railing, and tried hiding his identity to get away with it. Gaskill faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted of the second-degree murder charge. Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google PlayGet the latest headlines from KCCI

The trial of a man charged with killing a Des Moines architect is now underway in Polk County.

In 2016, Kirk Blunck was found badly hurt at the bottom of a staircase in an East Village building. He died shortly after from his injuries.

Blunck's family successfully sued Des Moines man Zachary Gaskill for wrongful death, winning $6.125 million in 2018.

Despite the civil lawsuit, Gaskill was not criminally charged until December 2022. Police say he was responsible for the injuries that killed Blunck.

Gaskill allegedly claimed to police that he was searching for a bathroom in a building at 500 E. Locust St. when he and Blunck fell over a railing together. Gaskill said he caught himself, but Blunck continued to fall. Police believe that Gaskill attacked Blunck, eventually throwing him over the railing, and tried hiding his identity to get away with it.

Gaskill faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted of the second-degree murder charge.

Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play

Get the latest headlines from KCCI

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Trial begins for man accused of throwing Des Moines architect over a railing to his death in 2016 - KCCI Des Moines

Project description by Wutopia Lab

"He stands upon the bones of the world in reminiscence, unaware that another world is being born."

Yu Ting, Chief Architect of the interior design project.

Invitation I had no idea who the architect was when I first received the design invitation. The client hoped for the architect and interior designer to work creatively back-to-back and then combine their creations, sparking inspiration for each other and producing a brilliant piece of work. This sounded undoubtedly like an adventure, and I, of course, accepted.

Vortex The first set of documents I received was the ground plan confirmed by the transportation authority, with a diamond-shaped circular corridor surrounding a diamond-shaped exhibition hall. I was informed that the design should embody the spirit of Shanghai. At that time, I had just finished reading Underland: A Deep Time Journey, and there was a chapter about vortex which made me connect it to Shanghai. Shanghai has always been in the vortex of public opinion but always manages to create surprising achievements. I thought, what a great theme a vortex would be.

West Bund Orbit por Wutopia Lab. Fotografa por CreatAR Images.

I rotated the diamond plan and decided to design the exterior walls of the exhibition hall as a vortex. It would become the second layer of the faade behind the glass curtain wall.

I structured the entire interior design PLOT based on the theme of the vortex. The exhilarating vortex dominates the first storey, one that has a luxurious height of 10m. Inside the marble vortex is a clean and multifunctional grand event hall used for exhibitions, fashion shows, and conferences. The vortex pattern is reflected in the division of the circular corridor flooring, and at the same time creates a richly layered ceiling.

Different levels of patterns effectively conceal the structure and equipment pipelines between the facade and the exterior walls of the exhibition hall, allowing the vortex to stand out visually without being cluttered. The vortex becomes the dominant visual element, maximizing the tension of symbolic significance in a visual sense.

West Bund Orbit por Wutopia Lab. Fotografa por CreatAR Images.

The basement of Orbit serves functional purposes, housing public corridors, communal restrooms, communal dressing rooms and VIP dressing rooms. They represent the underwater world beneath the vortex. The architect created an underwater lighting experience in the corridors, and using three different colors of electroplated stone, along with coral-colored stone materials, he simultaneously constructed the symbolic meaning of an underwater coral reef on the basement level.

We were so enamored with the coral theme that we used green jade marble to craft the VVIP dressing room on the first floor. When the photographer captures an overhead shot of the dressing rooms from the mezzanine, it creates the illusion that the protagonists are in both a real and surreal myth.

The second floor is the exhibition hall, representing the calm water surface with ripples and shores left after the vortex. Behind the scenes on the second floor, all auxiliary functions such as the entrance hall, projection room, restrooms, VIP lounge, and various meeting rooms are hidden behind the shores abstracted caves accommodating diverse needs.

West Bund Orbit por Wutopia Lab. Fotografa por CreatAR Images.

Upon entering the second floor through the hall known as the 'White Cliff,' one can follow the scroll expressing the glorious moments of Xu Guangqi's life or directly enter the main space filled with shimmering water reflections.

The expansive water surface serves as the hall for showcasing models. Based on the variable cross-section structure, I designed the roof ceiling as a slightly curved dome, creating a skylight that utilizes maximum net height to simulate the sky. Below the sky, there is a pattern of the Huangpu River, winding through island-like model platforms, leading to the subtly outlined gate of Tushan Bay.

West Bund Orbit por Wutopia Lab. Fotografa por CreatAR Images.

Behind it is a large conference room, surrounded by lush greenery, resembling a forest, facing the slowly eastward-flowing Huangpu River. Reality and imagination converge at this moment, in this space.

Out of my fascination for symmetry and symbolism, as well as the refinement of the winding shores, the hall takes on the shape of a Begonia Ruyi, with a missing piece that serves as the anteroom to the restroom. In the central open space facing the hall, the architect placed a marble basin with rolling waves inside, creating a miniature vortex. Yes, the architecture thus creates joy infused with metaphor in every detail.

West Bund Orbit por Wutopia Lab. Fotografa por CreatAR Images.

Rogue Wave While the interior concept proposal was approved by the owner, they also unveiled the facade design, which is the intertwined and spiraling ribbons seen now. The architect placed the vortex as the second facade behind the ribbon facade, and the developer exclaimed that it looked like a rogue wave.

The vortex as a giant wave was ultimately created by three-dimensional carving marble using a five-axis machine and then assembled on site. It indeed creates a Baroque perception, with the marble appearing solid yet expressing the dynamic force of fluid.

When you stand outside the building, it seems to be continuously rotating, forming a marvelous balance with the ribbon facade. Especially at night, it becomes a striking new landmark, a center, in the vibrant waterfront area of Shanghai.

West Bund Orbit por Wutopia Lab. Fotografa por CreatAR Images.

Orbit and The Chinese name for the exhibition hall, '' (West Bund Orbit), derives from the poetic line '' ('Water swirls and soars with the wind'). This powerful and dynamic phrase helps the audience connect the natural forms presented in architecture and interior design, such as waves, vortexes, ribbons, stars, and orbits. It aids in understanding that people are like stars, able to orbit outside the building along trajectories. Hence, the name 'Orbit' emerged.

Of course, it was only during the unveiling of the facade that I came to know the architect is Thomas.

"Each person harbors a secret Shanghai of their own, seemingly disconnected from others. These fragments are embedded within the vast and glittering metropolis, silent, or perhaps fading away. It takes someone to interconnect these fragmented, hidden Shanghais to suddenly realize that this is the living Shanghai. These fragments, then define the grand Shanghai we perceive."

Yu Ting, Chief Architect of the interior design project.

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The reflection of a city in motion. West Bund Orbit by Wutopia Lab | The Strength of Architecture | From 1998 - Metalocus

PARIS (OSV News) -- Philippe Villeneuve, Notre Dame Cathedral's chief architect, learned about the 2019 fire 300 miles from Paris and rushed to the capital to help firefighters save the iconic monument.

For France's top architect of historical sites, the evening of April 15, 2019, was especially dark as Notre Dame Cathedral was already his passion when he was a little boy. Since the inferno, he has worked tirelessly to finalize major parts of renovations by Dec. 8 when the cathedral is reopened.

In fact, it was a fascination with Eugne Viollet-le-Duc, the French architect who restored the cathedral in the 19th century, that inspired Villeneuve to become an architect of historic monuments. A graduate of cole Nationale Suprieure D'architecture de Paris Val-de-Seine, Paris' architecture university, he has been entrusted with the renovation of many iconic monuments, including one of the most well-known castles in the Loire Valley -- Chambord.

In 2013, he was asked to renovate part of Notre Dame in Paris -- including repairing the stonework of the flying buttresses and the fissures in Viollet-le-Duc's spire. When the fire broke out, he was working on the spire.

The fire of 2019, the cause of which remains unknown, struck Villeneuve as a personal tragedy.

"Everyone was scared, and it went on for hours, getting worse by the hour," he told OSV News. He was immediately asked to secure the site, and the Ministry of Culture confirmed him in his mission to repair the damaged cathedral. Since then, he has devoted all his time and passion to the challenge.

Today, the chief architect is confident of meeting the deadlines imposed on him. "Yes, the cathedral will be ready for its official reopening on December 8, 2024. The framework is finished. The roofers are still working," he told OSV News. "There was a lot of wind at Easter, so we were a little behind schedule. But we will make it up. We have to hurry, but everything will be fine."

The site of the Notre Dame reconstruction is still sealed off, with tourists patiently watching the front towers of the cathedral from the wooden steps installed in front of it. The steps are placed not far from the place where Villeneuve found the copper rooster perched at the spire's top that was feared lost on April 15. However, on April 16 at dawn, Villeneuve found the battered rooster lying in the gutter of Rue du Clotre-Notre-Dame, a street right next to the cathedral square. The relics of Paris' patron, St. Genevieve, were found intact inside.

After five years of intense work and installation of a new rooster -- one he designed himself -- on top of the new spire, Villeneuve told OSV News they are now "preparing the most decisive phase of the project."

"This involves dismantling the large scaffolding at the transept crossing. Removing it will enable us to rebuild the cross vault, replace the paving and install the altar. We are going to erect a new scaffolding, but this time detached from what is below, to put the finishing touches to the work on the spire's roof at this point," he explained.

"This work, above the transept crossing vault," he said, "is the most delicate part of the project. But everything is going well."

Villeneuve emphasized that this magnificent project was made possible by the international outpouring of generosity and donations that followed the fire. "I would never have imagined that Notre Dame could have aroused such emotion throughout the world, during and after the fire," he told OSV News. "It was astonishing." Those involved in the reconstruction emphasize that many American donors generously supported rebuilding of the icon of Paris and icon of the Catholic Church.

"Notre Dame shows France's influence in the world, and its extraordinary heritage. But the fire was not just a national issue. Notre Dame is also a (UNESCO) World Heritage site, and during the fire, we really felt that it was humanity that was seeing its heritage disappear."

Villeneuve added that "the flames and the fall of the spire sent shockwaves around the world" but "fortunately, the firemen did an extraordinary job, and in the end we lost a frame, a roof, a spire, a few pieces of vaulting, but no more. And thanks to all that, in the end, we will have an even more beautiful cathedral than before the fire. This is very stimulating."

Since the rebuilding work began, all those involved on site have testified to the exceptional quality of the skills and spirit of Notre Dame's craftsmen. "It is true that there is an extraordinary atmosphere," Villeneuve confirmed. "If so far we were able to meet the deadlines, it is because the contractors and craftsmen trusted me. And I trusted them. The complicity and commitment were total, for the good of the cathedral, and also for the pleasure and pride of working on this extraordinary monument".

He said he also has "deep respect and affection for the totally anonymous people on the site, such as those who take care of the daily clean-up," Villeneuve told OSV News. "It is thanks to them too that this project is progressing so well. I greet everyone in the same warm way."

Eight months into the reopening, various teams are working on the process of equipping the cathedral with electricity, IT, heating, lighting, among other systems.

Vileneuve said every person working in the reconstruction has a symbolic task of passing on their knowledge and work for future generations. They "will spread out everywhere after the site is finished," Villeneuve said, "Those who will have benefited from this project to perfect their craft, will pass on all this as (craftsmen did) in the Middle Ages. They will pass on all this know-how." Villeneuve added, "Life is about transmission. We are passersby."

Villeneuve doesn't treat the cathedral's reconstruction merely as a work project. In a conversation with OSV News, he described the cathedral as if it were a human being. "We are giving the cathedral all the elements that will bring it to life," he said. "I would like to give people something that will touch them. I would like to help Notre Dame Cathedral speak to people, as best as it can."

He said, "Notre Dame speaks to me. Notre-Dame means a lot to me," adding that this cathedral "is no ordinary monument. Everything we do has a strong mystical and religious significance. We cannot forget that. There is a mystical and religious dimension in our work."

Villeneuve also confessed that he is already dreaming of seeing people's amazement when they enter the cathedral. "It will be breathtaking," he said. "On the outside, it is now exactly as we knew it. But on the inside, it is more beautiful than we have ever seen it.

"Even us. Even I, who knew it by heart, am amazed to finally see what this cathedral was really like inside (in the further past), in terms of architecture, light, care and quality. It is extraordinary. You will not recognize it."

For Notre Dame's chief architect, this "project of a lifetime" will not end at the end of the year. "There will still be the restoration of the chevet," or apse, he said. "And we are going to use the rest of the donations to restore the sacristy, the presbytery, maybe even the transepts. We will not stop work after December 8. I will be here on a daily basis until 2028."

He said for him the most important thing in life "is doing useful things for others," Villeneuve added. "I am happy to be able to contribute something to the world."

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'It will be breathtaking,' Notre Dame's chief architect says; iconic cathedral reopens Dec. 8 - Detroit Catholic

A Dallas code amendment slated to go before the City Plan Commission this summer would eliminate minimum parking requirements for new development and improve walkability and bicycle safety, city planners said Tuesday.

The code change also establishes a Transportation Demand Management Plan for qualifying project developers to think comprehensively about their impact on transportation systems.

Architects Ryan Behring and Tipton Housewright, who serve on the Dallas Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee, took questions with planners Michael Wade and Sarah May at the American Institute of Architects panel discussion Tuesday.

Too much parking is just bad urban design, Housewright said. Its bad land use. It affects our tax base. It affects the quality of our environment.

The matter has been discussed by Dallas policymakers since 2019, and the fundamentals of the current code have been in place since the 1960s. The current one-size-fits-all approach requires developers with a lot of capital to assemble several acres, which is particularly challenging for infill development, Housewright said.

You get this sort of monoculture of development of these large, chunky projects around the city and you dont get the interesting scale of the smaller projects because you cant solve the parking, he said.

ZOAC voted in January to recommend eliminating parking requirements for new development. After the City Plan Commission takes up the matter in June, it will go before the Dallas City Council.

Behring pointed out that the North Texas region is booming in population growth but Dallas isnt.

Good urban places are flexible and adaptable, he said. When you have one rule that applies the same to our vastly varying neighborhoods it doesnt allow those places to adapt and change as Dallas has already. I think were trying to meet Dallas where its at.

Eliminating parking minimums does not mean existing parking spaces will be wiped out; it just gives developers the option of determining how many spaces they need for new projects instead of adhering to an antiquated code that designates a certain number of spaces per square foot or bedroom anywhere in the city.

There are no maximums in this ordinance, Housewright said. Lenders are going to require parking from a commercial developer. If someone is building space and theyre going to lease it to a tenant, the tenant is going to ask about parking. Theres all sorts of self-interest here and self-policing.

The chief concern of those who oppose a code change is spillover parking into neighborhoods. Planned developments such as PD 193 in Oak Lawn that have specified their own parking requirements would not be affected by the code change.

Can we talk about anything these days without the conversation turning to ForwardDallas? Doesnt look like it.

Public affairs consultant Katie OBrien, who moderated Tuesdays AIA panel discussion, asked if parking requirements have any connection to the citys ForwardDallas comprehensive land use plan.

The short answer, panelists said, is there is no connection.

Wade said the current parking requirements could inhibit what some city leaders hope to achieve through its land use plan: density, mixed-use, and more flexibility in development standards.

May clarified that ForwardDallas isnt a zoning document something planners have repeatedly emphasized and it doesnt establish regulations.

The City is putting in the work, putting in the engagement, to engage communities that havent been engaged before, especially in our southern Dallas area to establish what they want to see in their part of town, May said. This is an overall plan for the city so that when zoning changes come before CPC and council they can say, Does it comply with the plan? Its really just a plan to agree upon. This is the direction we want to take.

Parking is a regulatory implementation tool and is conceptually separate from the land use plan, May added.

Its like comparing a budget with your water bill, she said. Hopefully your water bill fits in your budget, but theyre very separate documents, both very important things that we have to consider.

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Architect Tipton Housewright Says Too Much Parking is 'Bad Urban Design' - CandysDirt.com - CandysDirt.com