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 their own

Architects are claiming proposed planning rules requiring all new homes in Christchurch to be energy and water efficient could add $15,000 to the cost of home building.

The new rules are included in the Christchurch City Council's Proposed Christchurch Replacement District Plan (PCRDP) and stipulate that all new residential dwellings in Christchurch should be built to a minimum HomeStar 6 rating.

The New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) is challenging the proposed rule change, saying it will add unnecessary costs to the building process. It is also questioning whether the council has the authority to require homes to be built to a higher standard than required under the Building Act.

Homes built strictly according to the standards of the Building Act would only achieve a HomeStar 4 rating.

''We do not consider introducing special rules just for new housing within the Christchurch city limits is the right way to go,'' the NZIA said in a written submission.

''We have had some of our highly experienced branch members . . . consider the potential cost implications associated with complying with the increased insulation Homestar requirements and based on a typical budget house we estimate the proposed District Plan requirements will add in order of $15,000 per dwelling.''

When another proposed rule change requiring new homes to include ''adaptive design'' features - features which make it safe and easy for older people and people with disabilities to live in the homes - was added into the equation, the additional costs could be as high as $25,000 for a typical budget house, the NZIA said.

Christchurch architect Andrew Evans has also lodged a submission against the proposed rule changes.

''They haven't been well though out and certainly no cost benefit analysis has been done. From rough estimates we calculate it would add around $26,000 to a budget house.

That's a good chunk of someone's house deposit. So much for housing affordability,'' Evans said.

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Energy efficient homes pricier to build say architects

HEREFORD RFC are now waiting for architects to submit their final plans to the local authority after the appeal process on their move ended.

Local residents in the Hampton Bishop area of the city had appealed the plans which include residential properties to be built by Bloor Homes.

The important thing is to have a rugby legacy for the city," said club chairman Ivan Powell.

We respect that the residents of Hampton Bishop wanted to challenge but as a rugby club we can now move forward.

It is in the hands of the architects now and we are just waiting for them to submit the plans.

The new site will have five rugby pitches on the site and will also have mini pitches for youth teams and will also incorporate a wheelchair side.

Powell said: Were fortunate that we have just teamed up with the Hereford Harriers rugby wheelchair team.

Captain Ali McColl believes the move will be important in attracting players to the club and to keep their best players at the club.

He said: It will be really good up there and to make this club part of the city should be good.

Hopefully playing in a posh new ground will entice players.

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Architects' plans awaited

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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) Flushing Commons will eventually bring open space, housing and retail to downtown Flushing, but right now, construction is creating a problem for pedestrians and drivers alike.

As CBS2s Vanessa Murdock reported, heavy equipment sits at the intersection of Union Street and 39th Avenue, the future site of Flushing Commons. But some say the setup is an accident waiting to happen.

I feel like someone will come by and hit me or something, Elmhurst, Queens resident Elizabeth Chalini said when asked if she felt safe as she walked by.

Along Union Street, the sidewalk is cut off; instead of adhering to signs, people walk in the traffic lanes anyway.

I have to follow the flow I guess, one pedestrian said.

As Murdock reported, having no sidewalk is just one issuethe traffic is another.

The area is a mass transportation hub with thousands of people and hundreds of cars at any given time. Because of construction, three lanes are now down to two.

We dont like it, but its the way it is. What can we do?driver Kelvin Tin said.

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Flushing Commons Construction Causes Traffic, Pedestrian Pains

View Larger The Bottom Line Other Business Features Local Stories from ThisWeek More Articles By Steve Wartenberg The Columbus Dispatch Friday October 31, 2014 2:04 AM

The pace of retail development Downtown is picking up, as two projects near Columbus Commons revealed plans to add tenants.

Highpoint on Columbus Commons has signed up its first three tenants: a fast casual restaurant; a new cold-press juice company that does not yet have a name; and a mobile-phone store. They are expected to open in the spring.

Todd Schiff, vice president of the Robert Weiler Co., co-developer of Highpoint with Atlanta-based Carter, declined to name the restaurant.

He also said space remains on the first floor of the mixed-use project for two additional and larger restaurants.

In a separate development, the creator of the popular Harvest pizzerias will open a nonpizza restaurant in the 250 High building, a 12-story, $50 million Daimler and Kaufman Development project at 250 S. High St. The mixed-use building is expected to be finished in June.

The Downtown resurgence is being fueled by millennials, empty nesters and others who want to live and work in amenity-filled urban centers.

About 70 percent of Highpoints 302 upscale apartments have been leased.

The interest has grown significantly over the past year (since Highpoint opened), Schiff said. Were having to turn people away and are looking at only the stronger retail tenants.

Meanwhile, the 250 High building includes retail space on the ground floor, topped by five floors of offices and then six residential floors with 120 apartments.

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Retail returning to Downtown at 2 sites near Columbus Commons

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Blueprint Architectural Services

ABILENE, Texas -

Buffalo Gap Road was once a mainly residential area, but now commercial buildings are becoming more popular. For business owners it is a great opportunity to expand and expose their business, however people living in the area are not so sure.

Buffalo Gap Road is an area that experiences high traffic, that is why Duane Martin, Director of Architectural and Engineering Services of Hendrick Health System, wanted Hendrick to expand there.

"We primarily chose that area because of the growth in that area," Martin said, "and literally the volume of people that go up and down that highway."

Hendrick's new building will be 38,000 square feet, with facilities large enough for 11 physicians as well as a radiology lab. It is expected to be completed in September of 2015.

Owner of Fire House Fitness, Timothy Smith, also chose Buffalo Gap for a new expansion for his gym. He chose the location because of the high volume of traffic, hoping to make his gyms more accessible.

"It is a well trafficked street, a well known street," Smith said, "everyone in town knows Buffalo Gap Road, so we chose this area for accessibility."

In order to use the location on Buffalo Gap Road it needs to be rezoned under commercial use, and that will be determined by City Council on November 6th.

The increased volume of people and cars has helped local businesses, but many of the residents we spoke to felt that the traffic on Buffalo Gap Road was terrible.

Blanca Aguilera, a grandmother and resident, believed the traffic to be a safety concern.

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Buffalo Gap Road area booming, residents react

Plans to restore Muhammad Ali's boyhood home in west Louisville have hit a snag.

Organizers planned to begin work this week, but not enough money has been raised for the $250,000 project.

Kansas-based 19th Century Restoration plans on gutting the home and transforming it into what it looked like in the 1950s.

They also hope to buy the home next door and turn it into a parking lot and community center.

We need to shine a light on the west end of Louisville, Kentucky, and show the world where Muhammad Ali was built. These are all the little pieces of what made this great man, said Dan Riedemann with 19th Century Restoration.

Organizers are hopeful the project will be finished by Jan. 17, in time for Muhammad Ali's 73rd birthday.

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Plan to restore Muhammad Ali's boyhood home hits snag

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP A man accidentally drove his car into his own home Thursday.

He was not injured, said Bristol Township police Lt. Guy Sava.

The man, whose name was not released, was unable to hit the brake pedal while going into his driveway at about 1:45 p.m. at 921 Bath Road.

Sava said the man has some physical disabilities and accidentally hit the accelerator and drove into the home.

Firefighters and an ambulance responded, but he was not trapped in the car as initially believed.

Sava said inspectors were trying to determine if the house is structurally sound. No further information was available.

George Mattar, 215-949-4165; email: gmattar@calkins.com; Twitter: @mattarmuses

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Man accidentally drives car into his Bristol Twp. home

"The current bridge served the community well for many years, and even today it is structurally sound, Gov. Beshear said

GLASGOW, Ky (WBKO) -- Governor Beshear today announced funding for design to fast-track a much-needed replacement bridge on a roadway vital to three educational institutions in Glasgow.

The new bridge and approaches will take the place of a narrow, functionally obsolete span built in 1963 to carry KY 249 Roseville Road over the South Fork of Beaver Creek.

The bridge is between Roseville Roads intersections with Hilltopper Way and Trojan Trail, which together provide access to the Glasgow campus of Western Kentucky University and to Barren County High School and Barren County Middle School.

"The current bridge served the community well for many years, and even today it is structurally sound, Gov. Beshear said. But the needs of the community, especially the need for safe and efficient access to the high school, middle school and Westerns Glasgow campus, have outgrown the old bridge.

The Governor said he and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet have committed $120,000 toward design of a new bridge. Funding for other phases of a replacement project right of way, utilities and construction will have to be provided in a future Kentucky Highway Plan. But the immediate commitment of design funding will give us a much-needed jump start on a new bridge, Gov. Beshear said.

This bridge has served our area well for decades, but the need to replace it is clear, so I want to thank Gov. Beshear, the Transportation Cabinet and my colleagues in the General Assembly for working with me to get that project underway, said Rep. Johnny Bell, of Glasgow. Like many others, Im looking forward to the day when this new bridge is complete. Im committed to making that happen as quickly as possible.

A lot of traffic comes into Barren County from this direction, and this proposal will really help open up KY 249, said Barren County Judge-Executive Davie Greer. We have worked with the Transportation Cabinet for a long time, and Im pleased to see this project, which is desperately needed, move forward.

I want to thank Gov. Beshear, the Transportation Cabinet and others involved in this project for investing in Glasgows future, said Glasgow Mayor Rhonda Riherd Trautman. The Highway 249 bridge project will improve the infrastructure and safety for those who travel this road for generations to come. It is a great example of the state stepping in to help meet the needs of the citizens of Glasgow.

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Gov. Beshear Announces Funding For Design Of Replacement Bridge In Glasgow