Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The San Dieguito Lagoon master plan won a special award for urban solutions.

See this online slide show of some of the winners.

Winding up San Diego's first "Archtoberfest" celebrating local architecture, the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects handed out 31 Design Awards Thursday, ranging from grand monumental landmarks like the new downtown Central Library to a modest infill lawyer's office.

Three outside jurors looked over 67 entries before bestowing five honor awards, five merit awards, three citations and 16 special category awards. The awards were announced at the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union at San Diego State University.

Two individual awards also were announced -- the young architect of the year, J. Antonio Garcia, and the patron of the year, JMI Realty, which oversaw the development of Petco Park and the ballpark district downtown.

Brian Dougherty , an architect with offices in Costa Mesa and Oakland and this year's president of the AIA California Council, said the jury focused on how projects adhered to the "program" or purpose dictated by the builder or owner.

Sources: ESRI; American Institute of Architects

Aaron Atencio UT

"I was very impressed with the quality of design," Dougherty said. "I loved the diversity of scale and types of projects, and overall I thought especially the sensitivity to sustainability and creating buildings appropriate to their site was very high."

The awards come at a time of slow but steady improvement in the development climate after several years in the doldrums following the financial meltdown of 2008.

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Architects honor best local projects

Posted: Friday, October 31, 2014 11:19 am

Architects West to design NIC tech ed facility

The Coeur dAlene-based firm Architects West has been chosen by a committee to design the $15 million, 100,000-square-foot North Idaho College Career Technical Education Facility in Rathdrum.

Architects West was chosen out of six local and regional firms by a search committee comprised of NIC representatives, community members and NIC Board of Trustees Ron Nilson and Judy Meyer. Architects West has over $1 billion in constructed educational facilities. The firm has designed nine projects for NIC, 15 for the University of Idaho, 48 for the Coeur dAlene School District, 27 for the Post Falls School District and 16 for the Lakeland School District.

One of the areas that stood out for Architects West during the selection process was their understanding of the importance of schedule and budget to the success of this project, said Chris Martin, NIC Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs and search committee member. They also have assembled a project team that was able to articulate their understanding of the need for a facility design that will meet the needs of students and serve industry training needs in North Idaho for many years to come.

In June, the NIC Board of Trustees decided to locate the facility on 40 acres already owned by the college in Rathdrum adjacent to the Kootenai Technical Education Campus (KTEC). NIC intends to use $11.5 million of its Capital Reserve Fund, $2.5 million in operating reserves and $1 million in tax anticipation notes to pay for the new facility. The facility will house several NIC professional-technical programs that are currently in temporary and/or tight quarters. The facility is scheduled for completion by July 2016.

Posted in Local news on Friday, October 31, 2014 11:19 am.

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Architects West to design NIC tech ed facility

The Blackwood Street Bunker has been shorn of extraneous accretions. Photo: Lisbeth Grosmann

This brutalist pile in Blackwood Street North Melbourne is dubbed the "Blackwood Street Bunker" by Clare Cousins Architects.The monumental two-level building includes Cousins' practice, as well as other creatives.

"We searched the council records and discovered when it was built [1979], but not who designed it," Cousins said.

Fortunately, when Cousins moved into the building less than a year ago, only cosmetic changes had been made. Rudimentary partitions dissected many of the offices, a number of which were medical services, allied to the hospitals nearby.

So when the architects moved in, along with the Maben Group, a commercial construction company that occupies the same level, less, rather than more, was the mantra from the outset.

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And in some instances, the process was stripping away rather than adding.

"It's a fine example of brutalism. The materials, particularly the off-form concrete, have been beautifully conceived," said Cousins, who occupies about 120 square metres of the second level.

While the 1980s partitions were relatively easy to remove, the mustard-coloured render on the building's facade required considerably more effort. With the render removed, the building presented a striking form to the street.

The interior was also handled with "kid gloves". Apart from opening up rear windows and doors to an existing eastern terrace and inserting steel handrails to meet building standards, the shell is virtually intact.

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Architectural 'brutalism' rises to an old level

With the holidays approaching, many homeowners choose to spruce up dingy carpets ahead of the entertaining season. Ground in dirt, stubborn stains, and high traffic patterns can detract from the appearance of your home. A deep carpet cleaning can be an easy solution to these problems.

There are three basic options for residential carpet cleaning; professional cleaning, renting a cleaner from a local retail business, or purchasing a steam cleaner. The cleaning process for all three options is similar. A detergent solution is sprayed over the carpet, and then worked into the fibers. A vacuum removes the detergent solution along with water and dirt from the carpet. Effectiveness, economy, and convenience are factors that should be considered when deciding which of these options best suits your needs.

Hire a Professional

Professional cleaners use a truck-mounted steam cleaning system. First, a professional pre spray breaks down soil, then a chemical emulsifier lifts out dirt without creating suds as the water is heated to 200 degrees, which is the maximum temperature recommended by most carpet manufacturers. Consumers will want to check with their carpet manufacturer if their carpet is still under warranty, as the warranty can be voided in some cases if carpet is not cared for at the manufacturers specifications.

According to Dale Basel, president of Bobs Janitorial, water temperature and recovery are what set professional cleaners apart from do-it-yourself methods.

The vacuum on the truck is much more powerful than the vacuum in rental equipment, and it gets your carpet drier, said Basel. The rental equipment just leaves it in your carpet. This system removes water efficiently for quicker drying times, usually in 4 to 6 hours. The truck system uses its own water and electricity, and the chemicals are non-toxic and safe for children and pets.

Basel also points out that his employees are trained to use the equipment properly, which means less risk of over spraying carpets. Bobs Janitorial often runs coupons in the paper good for cleaning living room, dining room and hallway for $69.95.

Rent a Carpet Cleaner

There are several options around town for renting your own equipment if you would rather do-it-yourself. Sunflower Rental offers a steam cleaner rental price of $20/4 hours or $30/day.

A second option is to rent a Rug Doctor cleaning system, available at area Dillons grocery stores. A small cleaner is $26.99/24 hours of use. Rug Doctor also offers a wide-track version of the Rug Doctor for $29.99/24 hours, which promises to cut down on your cleaning time.

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At Home Living: Preparing for holiday guests with carpet cleaning

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