Tulsa, Okla. (PRWEB) January 14, 2015

KSQ Architects is pleased to announce the recent promotion of the following senior associates and new associates.

Rachel Birnboim-Kochman, AIA, LEED BD+C, Project Manager, has been promoted to senior associate. She joined KSQ in 2005 and leads KSQs New York studio where she specializes in managing projects for New York City multifamily housing developers as well as university student housing. Rachel received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of the AIA New York, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the National Association of Professional Women.

Leslie Zimmerman, Director of Operations and Human Resources, has been promoted to senior associate. She joined the firm in 2009, bringing expertise in revenue analysis and maintaining operating budgets. She specializes in the operations, office policies, and employee benefit administration for all of KSQs five regional offices. Leslie received her Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University.

Juana Gomez, Project Manager, has been promoted to senior associate. She joined KSQ in 2009 and leads KSQs Oklahoma studio where she specializes in the project management of collegiate dining, healthcare and K-12 facilities. Juana received her Masters in Architectural Design from Florida International University and is an Associate AIA member as well as a member of the Project Management Institute of America and the National Association of College & University Food Services.

Monica Roberts, Communications Manager, has been promoted to senior associate. She joined the firm in 2012, offering expertise in public relations, client relationship development, strategic planning and creative thinking as part of the firms marketing team. Monica received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Oklahoma Christian University, is a member of the Oklahoma chapter of SMPS and serves on the board of Sustainable Tulsa.

Jamie Cali, Design Director, has been promoted to senior associate. He joined KSQ in 2010 and offers more than 30 years of experience in institutional, K-12 and higher education master planning and design. Jamie received his Bachelor of Architecture from California State Polytechnic University and is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB) and the USGBC.

Chad Lukenbaugh, BIM Application Specialist, has been promoted to associate. He has been with KSQ since 2010 and specializes in design visualization, building information modeling (BIM), and developing and implementing new technologies for the firm. His experience includes the development of early Revit projects and creating design visualizations to support multifamily, mixed use and educational projects. Chad received his Bachelor of Architecture from Oklahoma State University.

Robin Styles-Lopez, Manager of Marketing & Creative Services, has been promoted to associate. She joined the firm in 2012 and oversees the day-to-day marketing activities of KSQ and specializes in graphics, branding, marketing communications and collateral materials. Robin received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Rochester Institute of Technology and is a member of the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS).

Jon Pontious, Designer, has been promoted to associate. He joined KSQ Architects in 2012 and specializes in architectural design and software, sketching and graphic design. His experience includes master planning, K-12, collegiate and mixed-use design work. Jon received his Bachelor of Architecture Design from Oklahoma State University. He volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and is a member of Tulsa Young Professionals.

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KSQ Architects announces Senior Associates, New Associates

With tall buildings screaming for attention, the skylines of fast-growing cities can seem the same.

A discussion of design and geography at the Architectural Association in London this spring turned into an examination of difference and uniformity in the work of architects practicing globally. Presented by Asia Design Forum (ADF), a nonprofit think tank, the event was the sixth in a series of Design Roulettes held in different cities since 2010 and the first one outside of Asia. So many buildings in Asia today are designed in places like London or New York that we thought it made sense to bring this on-going conversation to the U.K., said Ken Yeang, a director of ADF.

Image courtesy Emily So

Many of the fastest growing cities in the world are also in places with high seismic activity.

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Christopher Lee, a principal at Serie Architects, which has offices in London, Mumbai, and Beijing, noted that the drive to create buildings that stand out has, ironically, made many cities around the world feel the same. Look at the skylines of fast-growing cities and youll find tall buildings screaming for attention but still getting lost in the crowd. Thats because many architects try to create difference out of novelty, using extreme forms to establish identity, said Lee. Globalization, though, is not new, he stated, showing a photograph of one of Le Corbusiers buildings in Chandigarh. Examining Corbs work in Chandigarh, Lee described it as both ancient and modern, both universal and specific.

Responding to Lee, Paul Finch, program director of the World Architecture Festival and deputy chairman of the UK Design Council, asked, Why does global capital demand novelty rather than innovation? Lee answered that most big clients just want buildings that look different and dont want to spend the time or money on design that goes beyond the superficial.

Emily So, a civil engineer and lecturer at the department of architecture at the University of Cambridge, offered a different perspective on design and geographypresenting a map of the world with cities at risk of earthquakes. A satellite photo of Earth at night showed that many cities in high seismic areas are also some of the biggest and fastest growing. We have a fatal attraction with building in dangerous seismic zones, noted So. As a result, architects and engineers in these areas have a responsibility to design new buildings and retrofit old ones in ways that accommodate the severe stresses of earthquakes. Culture and politics, though, can make this more difficult, especially when it comes to writing and enforcing building codes and providing funding for seismic upgrades.

Global architecture is about exporting ideas and creating brand names, stated Mustafa Chehabeddine, a design principal in the London office of Kohn Pedersen Fox. But at the same time, architects need to respond to local culture and conditions. For example, at a new 40-million-passenger terminal complex at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Chehabeddines team at KPF is using the texture and grain of the buildingits materials and surfacesto connect it to its particular context.

Melissa Woolford, who runs a consultancy firm called Nous Collaborative and is setting up the Museum of Architecture in London, challenged attendees to rethink the way they practice architecture. Instead of using only a fee-for-service model, can architects learn from businesses such as McDonalds and Netflix and adopt aspects of the franchise or subscription models? For example, subscription businesses establish on-going relationships with their clients or customers, something that might help architects during periods of weak economic activity.

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Design Roulette: Architects Set Loose in the World

BSD SpecLink-E software provides continuous online data updates for up-to-the-minute documents

ATLANTA Building Systems Design, Inc. (BSD) today announced revolutionary changes in the updating features of its BSD SpecLink-E software for producing construction specifications. Building on the unique properties of its relational database software, BSD now has the ability to provide continuous, on-line data updates that provide architects and engineers with up-to-the-minute information that merges automatically with data already included in a developing project specification without altering the current output.

Construction specifications are detailed instructions for a contractor that define the quality of products and workmanship required for a particular building project. These documents cover hundreds or even thousands of products, include highly detailed requirements, and require constant updating because of unpredictable changes within the construction industry. Assuring that these documents are up to date has traditionally been a major chore for architects and engineers, who typically rely on commercial master specification systems that are provided on a subscription basis.

For decades, traditional master specification systems have been delivered to subscribers as a collection of individual word processing files that are modified to fit the needs of particular projects, with each file focusing on a particular product category. Updating these files has typically been accomplished by periodic replacement of the entire file, so coordination of the updating requires significant effort, and replacement of the hundreds of files typically takes several years. By contrast, BSD's master specifications have always been delivered in relational database software, so it has always been possible to update individual paragraphs on an as-needed basis. Paragraphs can be added, modified, or deleted from a database of master text that users employ as a template, selecting the options needed to assemble a customized final document.

One year ago, BSD replaced its quarterly, global updating with continuous, on-line data updates. Any new project is therefore using the very latest information automatically. However, the newest software release has gone one step further to help architects update projects that are currently in the process of development. Any product sections in the template that are not currently in use are automatically updated, so the latest data will be available if the section is needed later in the development process. Any section already in use is updated selectively, to avoid making changes to a project without the user's knowledge and agreement. New paragraphs are automatically added to the template for possible selection, paragraphs that have been updated are replaced if they are not currently in use, and paragraphs deleted from the master template are removed if they are not currently in use. However, if any updated or deleted paragraph is currently being used in a project, the paragraph is flagged in orange to highlight the availability of new text or is flagged in red to signal that the text is obsolete. Users can then right-click on the flagged paragraphs to see the recommended changes and can accept or reject them one at a time. There are also new global options that allow users to accept all changes flagged orange, all changes flagged red, or none of the proposed changes.

In announcing this most recent improvement to updating master specifications, Robert Paul Dean, FAIA, the president of BSD, said "We have always provided the most up-to-date construction specifications available anywhere, but the latest release of BSD SpecLink-E takes updating to a whole new level -- architects and engineers can now have complete confidence that their project specifications are as current as it is possible to be."

About BSD: Building Systems Design has offered innovative software tools for the architecture, architectural engineering, and construction markets since 1983. The company creates and supports advanced cost estimating, specification writing, and interoperability products that are used for over 12,000 commercial, institutional, and industrial projects annually. BSD was acquired by The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) in 2010. http://www.bsdsoftlink.com.

Contact: Robert Epstein Building Systems Design, Inc. 888-273-7638 http://www.bsdsoftlink.com

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Construction Specification Software offers online updating.

Pier Solar and the Great Architects: Tim #39;s Way (Part 12)
Mandatory Battles Only -- Watch live at http://www.twitch.tv/hiddeninplainview.

By: unhappilyeverafter

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Pier Solar and the Great Architects: Tim's Way (Part 12) - Video

Architects Rochester NY Reviews - Mossien Associates Architects
Commercial Architects in Rochester, NY - a Client Review for Mossien Associates Architects, P.C. http://mossien.com Mossien Associates Architect, P.C. 339 East Avenue #205 Rochester, NY (585)...

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Debbie Flevotomou Architects Awards
Debbie Flevotomou Architects is a unique architectural practice based in London, which is currently designing landmarks and luxurious developments. We create aesthetic architectural forms,...

By: Debbie Flevotomou

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Debbie Flevotomou Architects Awards - Video

IVEDA3D - Bata Airport (GMW Architects UK)

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Cabin has been designed by Panos Dragonas and Varvara Christopoulou The structure is elevated above the city's rooftop landscape on four stilts The space contains a raised sleeping area and a small desk area Architects say it could be perfect for sleeping, meditating in the city

By Simon Cable for MailOnline

Published: 07:29 EST, 12 January 2015 | Updated: 09:14 EST, 12 January 2015

At first glance it looks rather like a glorified garden shed.

But this wooden cabin could be the future of city living, according to the Greek architects who designed it.

Designers Panos Dragonas and Varvara Christopoulou believe there are fewer places remote enough to build a wilderness hideaway, so have instead proposed a cabin raised above the Athens rooftops.

Greek architects Panos Dragonas and Varvara Christopoulou have designed a cabin that is raised above the Athens rooftops

They say it could be perfect for sleeping, meditating and relaxing while staying in the city.

As the world becomes increasingly urbanised, and digital mapping extends across deserts and jungles, there can be no more unexplored corners of the globe for a traveller to retreat to, say the pair, who are founders of Dragonas Christopoulou Architects.

They say the structure, named Detached and which comprises a small cabin of just nine square metres, allows the contemporary city dweller to escape a taxing daily routine without having to venture into the wilderness.

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Architects Panos Dragonas and Varvara Christopoulou design rooftop retreat

There's no better complimentand no more blistering insultthan one from your peers, especially when it comes to professions that trade in super-specialized knowledge like architecture. So when your peers talk, you listen.

That's definitely the case with the American Institute of Architects's annual honors, which is one of the most telling awards out there; 11 buildings built within the past five years, chosen by a jury of nine prominent American architects. We cover the awards every year because it's fascinating to see what working architects consider as the state of the art of their professionwhether a cathedral to bourbon or a carefully-engineered hall for physics research. Check out a few highlights from the latest crop below, followed by all the winners.

Maybe you think of college regrets when you hear the name Wild Turkey, maybe you think of your great grandpa. But Wild Turkey is in the midst of a self-led comeback, and a new visitor center at its distillery near the Kentucky River is part of that mission.

Louisville shop De Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop built the so-called "cathedral to bourbon," which is clad in stained woodincluding cedar, ash, fir, and pineand has moveable sunshades to lessen solar gain.

In New York, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux are without a doubt most famous for designing Central Park. But the pair designed Prospect Park, across the East River, and it's just asif not moreloved than its older sister. This year, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects opened a 75,000-square-foot skating rink and community center to the 1867 park. It's an ice skating rink in winter and a roller rink in summerand perhaps as a nod to Olmstead's preferences for artfully reconstructed nature, Tsien and Williams have covered it all in a cobalt "sky" of twinkling lights and silver streams.

When Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, he sited it at Kronberg Castle Elsinore, Denmark, a castle that was built in the 16th century to protect the crucial gap between Denmark and Sweden. Today, Kronberg is a protected landmarkso when Bjarke Ingels Group accepted a commission to build a huge maritime museum within viewing distance of the castle, they knew they'd need a clever way to conceal it.

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American Architects Pick the 11 Best Buildings of the Year

San Marcos, Texas (PRWEB) January 12, 2015

Bautex Systems today announced that the Bautex Wall System is now a part of the QAI Product Listing Program in its Concrete Forms category. Its listing, #B1075-1, covers United States and Canadian standards for the "4-hour Load Bearing Fire-Resistance-Rated Wall Assembly" as confirmed by the ASTM E119 test program.

As building codes evolve to require more energy efficient building envelopes, builders and architects need safer building materials such as Bautex Block that improve a walls fire-resistance, because some insulated wall systems and materials may be hazardous under extreme heat or flame.

A third-party testing, inspection and certification organization, QAI Laboratories, confirms that tests performed on the Bautex Wall System were conducted properly. They also periodically conduct factory quality assurance inspections to demonstrate that Bautex products continue to be manufactured to the same standards as the products tested under the QAI listing.

Bautex Systems President Paul Brown notes that the QAI listing makes it easy for architects to document how they are achieving the fire rating required on a specific project, and to manage the approval process with local inspectors and code officials. Were proud to achieve the QAI listing so that our customers can have confidence in the tests performed on the Bautex Block and wall assembly, he says. Architects and contractors now have a new wall system option that delivers the insulation and energy performance required by the building codes while also providing significant fire-resistance capabilities at the same time.

Test walls built with Bautex Block have passed fire-resistance tests according to the following standards:

About Bautex Systems, LLC Bautex Systems, LLC is focused on providing builders and architects with better materials for building safer, more energy efficient and more design flexible building envelope solutions. From its plant in San Marcos, Texas, Bautex Systems manufactures Bautex Block, comprised of proprietary cement mixture and expanded polystyrene (EPS) and used to build interior and exterior walls for commercial and residential construction. The Bautex Wall System with Bautex Block delivers greater energy efficiency, sound reduction, as well as unparalleled resistance to moisture, fire and wind. The company is headquartered in San Marcos and is ideally located to serve commercial builders throughout the southwest United States. For more information, visit http://www.bautexsystems.com.

About QAI Laboratories Founded in 1994, QAI is an independent third-party testing, inspection and certification organization which serves the building industry, government and individuals with cost effective solutions through in-house capabilities, services, and an established world-wide network of qualified affiliates. For more information, visit http://qai.org/. # # #

*For the ASTM E119 test, the load-bearing Bautex wall assembly sustained the applied load of 10,500 PLF (105,000 lbs.) throughout the test and achieved a fire resistance rating of 241 minutes.

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Bautex Systems Receives QAI Product Listing for Fire-Resistant Testing Performance