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    EPM Architects to Exhibit at the Microsoft Project Conference 2012 - February 14, 2012 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Houston, TX (PRWEB) February 14, 2012

    EPM Architects announced today that they will be exhibiting at the Microsoft Project Conference 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona from March 19-22, 2012. EPM Architects will be available at their exhibition booth to meet conference attendees, answer questions about Microsoft Project and Project Server functionality, discuss best practices, and talk about their world class line of services that make them one of the premier Microsoft EPM consulting companies in the world. In addition, they will also be giving away one registration for any of their Microsoft Project or Project Server training classes in their training facility in Houston, Texas.

    Michael Samadi, President and CEO of EPM Architects said, “Since the last Microsoft Project Conference was in ’09 (prior to the company being established), we are very excited that Microsoft has selected EPM Architects to present at the Microsoft Project Conference 2012.”

    For more details on EPM Architects’ products and services, please visit their website at http://www.epmarchitects.com or call them at their Houston office at 713.400.9200 or toll free at 1.888.444.3762.
    =====================================================================
    Microsoft Project Conference 2012 is the premiere Microsoft-led event to share the latest Microsoft Project and Portfolio Management tools and best practices with over a thousand members of the Microsoft Project community from across the globe. It will feature high-impact keynotes, breakout sessions, training sessions and networking opportunities to learn how to be more successful with Microsoft Project and Project Server.

    Microsoft Project Conference 2012 is the event for the Microsoft Project Community. With attendees from all across the globe, you will connect with over a thousand passionate members of the Microsoft Project Community - project professionals, business decision makers, certified partners and the Microsoft Project team. Immerse yourself and take your success to the next level. Microsoft Project Conference 2012 focuses on you and what you can accomplish with Microsoft Project 2010. Through the high-impact keynotes, breakout sessions, trainings and networking opportunities, you will learn how Microsoft Project 2010 and Microsoft Project Server 2010 can transform and accelerate your success.    
    =====================================================================
    About EPM Architects

    EPM Architects is an Enterprise Project and Portfolio Management consulting and training firm focused exclusively on the Microsoft EPM solution with a Microsoft Certified Gold Competency in Enterprise Project and Portfolio Management.

    With clients from Global 50, Fortune 50, 100 and 500 companies, as well as small to mid-sized companies in several industry verticals, they provide unparalleled services in EPM Implementation, Solution Design, Envisioning, Custom Development, and 24/7 Support. Additionally, EPM Architects has a complete curriculum of hands-on open enrollment training courses in Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Server which are provided at their state of the art Training and Solution Center in Houston, TX. Any training curriculum can also be custom tailored and delivered onsite to meet client needs.

    EPM Architects’ mission is simple: To be the leading and most respected Microsoft Enterprise Project Management consulting company in the world by providing outstanding Enterprise Project Management services and solutions through dedication, passion, and excellence.

    For further information please contact:

    Lauren Skidmore
    EPM Architects, Inc.
    713.400.9200 ext. 103

    # # #


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    MoMA's Young Architects Program Names HWKN for Winning Project - February 14, 2012 by Mr HomeBuilder

    courtesy HWKN

    Wendy by HWKN, Matthias Hollwich and Marc Kushner of New York, has been selected as the winning project in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and MoMA PS1’s annual Young Architects Program. Meeting criteria for innovative design that addresses environmental issues, including sustainability and recycling, the installation will be the featured urban landscape at the museum’s outdoor 2012 Warm Up Summer Music Series.

    As per competition guidelines, the architects designed a structure that provides shade, seating and water for the PS1 outdoor courtyard in Long Island City, Queens. Spikey arms resembling star prongs create micro-environments with blasts of cool air in one section, music in another, water cannons and misting in yet another. In addition to meeting functional demands creatively, Wendy’s construction improves the environment in a literal sense. It’s nylon fabric is treated with a titania nanoparticle spray that neutralize airborne pollutants and will clean the air to the equivalent of taking 260 cars off the road throughout its temporary installation.

    “By combining off-the-shelf materials and scaffolding systems with the latest cry in nanotechnology it is able to produce both an out-of-the-box ecological statement and a bold architectural gesture,” says Pedro Gadanho, curator in MoMA’s department of architecture and design. “It is economical and terse in terms of its design, and yet, through its positioning and scale, it also smartly projects different possibilities for use and social appropriation across the entire site where it sits—including the ability to reach out for those outside the museum’s walls.”

    A 70x70x45-foot scaffold defines a large surface area that spills over the PS1 courtyard walls with volume that is sure to add to the east Manhattan skyline, in addition to enhancing the already colorful Long Island City scape.

    To learn more about the Young Architects Program, visit MoMA.org/YAP.

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    MoMA's Young Architects Program Names HWKN for Winning Project

    Lisa Kelly Joins IA Interior Architects in Orange County, CA - February 14, 2012 by Mr HomeBuilder

    IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IA Interior Architects (IA) is pleased to announce that Lisa Kelly, AIA, has joined the firm as Project Director. She will be based in Orange County.

    Lisa brings nearly 20 years of experience to IA. Most recently with Meridien Partners, she gained expertise working in China and the Middle East on hospitality projects. In her new role, Lisa will be responsible for planning, coordinating, and managing projects. As a senior staff member, she will be responsible for identifying and pursuing new business opportunities, working closely with IA's Workplace Strategies Team, and leading and mentoring staff. Lisa is a registered architect in the State of California.

    "Having Lisa join IA was part of our vision to significantly expand IA's expertise and reach for 2012 and beyond.  Her years of experience combined with her leadership and international portfolio better position us to grow the practice and be of service to our clients locally and abroad," says Brian Koshley, Managing Principal, Orange County.

    "What drew me to IA was the idea of interiors-only architecture. IA has embraced interior architecture and allowed designers to hone their craft.  As a result of this singular focus, IA excels above its competitors in all areas of service and design. I am excited to be part of such a vision," says Lisa Kelly.

    About IA Interior Architects
    Founded in 1984, IA Interior Architects is the first and largest global architectural firm focused exclusively on interior architecture and workplace strategies. IA helps clients in diverse markets worldwide align their business strategies and core values with the dynamic use of space. IA has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, London, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County, Raleigh, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley, and Washington, DC and has partner affiliates in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia and Australia, Canada, and Latin America through the IA Global Alliance. For more information, visit http://www.interiorarchitects.com.

    Press Contact:
    Sofia Zimmerman
    917.579.5702
    s.zimmerman@interiorarchitects.com

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    Lisa Kelly Joins IA Interior Architects in Orange County, CA

    Search the Archives - February 13, 2012 by Mr HomeBuilder

    NDSU will be suing three contractors it hired to work on the Minard Hall's north-side renovation project before the partial collapse in December 2009.

    JLG Architects, Heyer Engineering and Northern Technologies Inc. are facing a complaint filed by NDSU that alleges they were responsible for the collapse and damages associated with the collapse of Minard Hall.

    According to court documents prepared by NDSU, the university is asserting negligence on the grounds that the contractors failed to properly test soils prior to excavation, provided a defective design and failed to identify the defect prior to the collapse.

    Heyer Engineering was hired as a consultant to JLG Architects during the process, and NTI was hired for geotechnical exploration and consulting services.

    NDSU's documents assert that NTI created drawings at the request of Heyer Engineering, which was itself working under an agreement with JLG Architects. Construction of a retaining wall began in early November 2009, nearly two months before the collapse.

    Heyer Engineering "denies the allegations that [it] was engaged to design or designed any retaining wall or excavation located adjacent to the north end of Minard Hall," according to court documents the contractor prepared.

    According to the documents prepared by NDSU, JLG Architects became concerned about the slope of the excavation in early December, but both Heyer Engineering and NTI found the slope to be compliant.

    However, JLG Architects insists its discussion minutes for this meeting are inconsistent with these allegations, and Heyer Engineering denies that JLG Architects asked them to confirm the contractual compliance of the slope.

    NDSU's complaint concludes by claiming, "After the collapse, but still on Dec. 27, 2009, Heyer Engineering stated that it thought there was a problem with the soil which had been discussed three or four times with NTI and JLG Architects."

    Heyer Engineering specifically denies these final claims.

    JLG Architects asserts that it was not their contractual or legal obligation to design the excavation. The contractor also claims that its responsibilities did not include establishing a soil testing protocol or geotechnical exploration program.

    Heyer Engineering's answer to the complaint claims that NDSU and the State Board of Higher Education had responsibility for geotechnical engineering.

    NTI claims that its services had no role in the collapse and that the university's "own acts, omissions, negligence, assumption of risk or other fault, including its failure to exercise reasonable care to avoid or minimize the collapse or any resulting damages, was the sole proximate cause, or contributed to the cause, of [NDSU's] claimed damages, if any."

    The amount of the damages will be determined in trial, but the amount will include costs incurred as a result of both the collapse and the creation of the modified plans.

    Original post:
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    TUFDEK Balcony Waterproofing and Exterior Flooring System Receives IBC Building Code Approval - February 13, 2012 by Mr HomeBuilder

    (PRWEB) February 12, 2012

    ICC-ES ESR# 3262 verifies“Tufdek” is code-compliant.

    TUFDEK, manufactured by Tuff Industries Inc., received an evaluation report (ESR-3262) from ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES), providing evidence that “Tufdek Professional Series Walking Deck and Roof System” meets code requirements. Building officials, architects, contractors, specifiers, designers and others utilize ICC-ES Evaluation Reports to provide a basis for using or approving Tufdek in construction projects following the International Building Code.

    ICC-ES President Mark Johnson explains why ICC-ES Evaluation Reports are so important. “Tuff Industries Inc. can now reference the evaluation report to ensure building officials, and the building industry, that Tufdek products meet I-Code requirements,” Johnson said. “Building departments have a long history of using evaluation reports, and ICC-ES operates as a technical resource for the building department. Final approval of building products is always in the hands of the local regulatory agency.”

    ICC-ES thoroughly examined “Tufdek Professional Series Walking Deck and Roof System” product information, test reports, calculations, quality control manuals and other factors to ensure Tufdek is code compliant. ICC-ES Reports are seen as critical to validating Tuff Industries attention to quality products, says Company Owner, Bryan Hughes, “Our niche Products are not widely known or understood throughout North America, an ICC-ES report provides reassurance to everyone from Architects, Construction Professionals and Building Departments, that the Product has undergone stringent evaluation to ensure Code-Compliance by an organization well known and respected for its impartiality and technical expertise. Having this report removes the “fuzziness” that often exists with Standards and individual test reports, and alleviates the burden on all professionals involved, to decipher and make judgment calls as to the Products suitability. Hands down, an ICC-ES Report puts us head and shoulders above our Competition.”

    About ICC

    ICC-ES is the United States’ leading source of technical information on building products and building technology for code compliance. A nonprofit, public-benefit corporation, ICC-ES performs technical evaluations of building products, components, methods and materials. The evaluation process culminates with the issuance of reports on compliance with the major U.S. building codes, which are available at http://www.icc-es.org. ICC-ES is a subsidiary of the International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention that develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the International Codes developed by the International Code Council.

    About Tuff Industries:

    Through Branded membranes, Tuff Industries provides proven waterproofing and roofing solutions for balcony and roof-deck applications. As North America’s leader in pedestrian traffic bearing PVC deck and roof deck materials, our products provide a proven, attractive, low maintenance and low life-cycle cost solution to any building project. Tufdek membranes, coupled with industry leading system accessories make water intrusion problems on deck areas a thing of the past.

    For more information Contact

    Mr. Grant Lawton

    Ph: 587.999.5930

    ###


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    TUFDEK Balcony Waterproofing and Exterior Flooring System Receives IBC Building Code Approval

    Architects unveil preliminary drawings for new library - February 13, 2012 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Powell River residents have an opportunity to participate in design discussions for a new public library at an interactive design workshop. The event takes place from 6 to 9:30 pm on Tuesday, February 14 at Powell River Recreation Complex.

    The workshop is the second of three sessions providing the community with an opportunity to shape the design of a new library. At the first event in November, 75 people explored the major features of the library, which is proposed for the vacant lot on the corner of Marine Avenue and Abbotsford Street, known as the old arena site. The outcomes of the first session focused on core requirements, additional functionality, the environment and site use.

    Architects from Miller Hull Partnership in Seattle, Washington, along with Public Design from Vancouver, have incorporated these ideas into preliminary designs. These drawings will be on display and will provide the basis for discussion and further development of the program.

    A group of concerned citizens who are opposed to the location of the new library are planning to attend the workshop. “We’re telling people to come and see the sweetheart deal,” said Gaye Culos, one of the organizers. “We’re planning on a peaceful demonstration to show our opposition to the location.”

    The group has collected over 1,200 signatures on a statement that opposes the proposed site. As well, people are concerned about the cost of a new library.

    Culos pointed out that with Catalyst Paper Corporation’s unstable financial position, the community doesn’t know what the future holds. “We need to be fiscally responsible,” she said. “We need to differentiate between want versus need. We need to stand up and tell council enough is enough, we can’t spend anymore.”

    A delegation representing the concerned citizens is planning on making a presentation to City of Powell River council on February 16.

    Culos said she is not against libraries and the staff at Powell River Public Library are wonderful and helpful. She said she thinks the children’s area at the library needs to be improved, but the city has to live within its means. “I don’t want to divide the community,” she said. “We’re not saying no to the library; we’re saying no to Willingdon Beach.”

    The concerned citizens have a table set up at Powell River Town Centre Mall where the statement opposing the site is available. “I encourage people to come out to the meeting on February 14,” said Culos.

    The architects are also briefing city councillors and Powell River Regional District directors about the project at 11 am on Tuesday, February 14 at city hall.

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    Architects unveil preliminary drawings for new library

    Architects present preliminary JHS plans at community meeting - February 13, 2012 by Mr HomeBuilder

    JOPLIN, Mo. — Reaction appeared mostly supportive Thursday night among the roughly 50 people who attended a community meeting at which architects presented their preliminary site plans for the future combined Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center.

    Architect Chad Greer of Corner Greer & Associates, of Joplin, and Kevin Greischer of DLR Group, of Overland Park, Kan., consultants to CGA, presented design plans that were approved by the Board of Education in a meeting Wednesday night. The firms are the same ones that designed the temporary campus at Northpark Mall, which was the site of the community meeting.

    “I’m really liking the layout and the separate buildings,” said JHS sophomore Preston Miller. “I’m hoping that although they have the covered bridges, we can walk on the grounds from building to building because that was just a nice part of the school. At the rose garden, you could just take a breath of fresh air.”

    The Board of Education has approved a $62 million bond issue for the April 3 ballot. The bonds, district officials say, would offset costs not covered by state and federal aid, insurance and donations for the rebuilding of schools destroyed in the May 22 tornado, along with community safe rooms across the district, and renovations and repairs to undamaged elementary schools. The total project cost is estimated at $185 million. The high school project cost is estimated at $104 million.

    Some who attended the meeting said they liked the vision of the district, but they want to know more and are worried about the bond issue’s possible impact, especially on the elderly with fixed incomes, those directly affected by the tornado and those affected by the economy in general.

    “It’s a big concern we keep hearing over and over,” said Virginia Denham, a member of the JHS class of 1951. “We have always supported the schools, and we probably still will. But there are a lot of questions out there about the bond. I think they need to get more answers out. There are whole sections of houses gone, and (the schools) aren’t getting that revenue.”

    Denham said the preliminary designs were too vague to really imagine, but she liked that the new school is to be integrated into a hillside, possibly affording it more protection.

    Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer gave a presentation about the school district’s vision for the new career-cluster curriculum that will focus on five career paths: business/information technology, technical sciences, human services, arts/communication, and health sciences.

    One attendee, Paul Mosbaugh, of the JHS class of 1957, said he thought the integration of JHS and Franklin Technical Center was a good idea, and likely would change the outlook of some JHS students regarding the students who attend trade classes at the technical center.

    “I went to the vocational school when I was in high school, and at that time, everybody kind of looked down on us,” Mosbaugh said. “So I dropped out of vocational school and went just full time as a student for senior high. I think this will help people relate to them, and they won’t look down on them.”

    Several high school students who attended the meeting said they were excited about the new direction of the school’s curriculum, and how the building design was influenced by it. JHS senior Nontapoth Vongkittiargorn, who someday wants to be a biomedical engineer, said he likes the idea of students trying out careers while they’re still in high school so they can be prepared for the real world. He also has a more personal reason for his interest in the future school.

    “The very first thing I’m really interested in is seeing the new ideas,” Vongkittiargorn said. “Also, my brother, who is 2 years old right now, may be participating in this whole program eventually, so I’m here for my family.”

    Greer said he hopes to have more conceptual images to present to the school board by the end of the month. From there, he said, the architects will present those images and gather more feedback from students, staff members and residents.

    Temporary campus

    AFTER THE MEETING, attendees could tour the temporary 11th- and 12th-grade campus at Northpark Mall.

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    Architects present preliminary JHS plans at community meeting

    Architects' Works Find a Niche in the Digital Age - February 13, 2012 by Mr HomeBuilder

    The home renovator is well served on the iPad and iPhone, with apps that do everything from measure square footage to provide information on more than 150 kinds of wood. But what about the architecture geek, who longs to spend hours scrolling through the blueprints of a Case Study House?

    In recent months, several new apps have focused on specific works of architecture, like Richard Neutra's VDL Studio and Residences, Pierre Koenig's Case Study House #22 and Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, bringing those masterworks into the digital age. The latter two were created by in-D media, a California-based company that has been producing architecture videos and CD-ROMs since the late-'90s and last year began transferring its wealth of content into mobile app form.

    With videos, sumptuous color photography and virtual room tours, the company's apps, which sell for about $5 to $10 at the iTunes store, are so transporting you may find yourself looking for the gift shop afterward.

    The company's founder, Timothy Sakamoto, who created the apps with his business partner, Jochen Repolust, recently talked about the small but growing niche of i-architecture.

    Given how detailed these apps are, I'm curious if you have a background in architecture.

    I'm a licensed architect in California. I discovered early on that working for one architect limits you in learning about other types of architecture being created. By making videos and interactive CD-ROMs, I thought I'd be able to visit historically significant buildings, learn from them and convey that knowledge. When the iPad came out, I started researching what making an app would entail.

    Do you think apps are a better way to experience great architecture than the videos you produced?

    I think the ideal platform is a mobile app: it gives you intimacy, a connection. You interact with it more like a book, but it comes with advantages that you just don't have with books, like being able to watch video or take an interactive tour.

    Another thing is the color quality of the photographs. The colors are luminous. Even an art book with high-quality printing doesn't compare to the iPad.

    One of the best features about the Fallingwater app is the way you can zoom in and out on the home's floor plan and select photos.

    I think the big difference is how you interface with the iPad. With a CD-ROM you use a mouse, so you're two feet from the computer screen, removed from the process. On the iPad, by swiping your finger, you get this tactile experience that's closer to experiencing the tactile world of architecture. It feels that much closer to being there.

    Who is downloading these apps? Architecture students? Design geeks?

    The users tend to be architects and people in the design field. Often they haven't been to these buildings, even though they've been to architecture school.

    You get some people saying, "Nine ninety-nine for an app, that's outrageous!" People think of apps as games, and they want to pay 99 cents. But a book of this nature would be $50. If anything, with the Fallingwater app, we put too much content on there.

    Zaha Hadid has released an app to showcase her firm's work. Do you think other architects will follow suit?

    I think architects in general are into gadgets, and some have approached us about making an app for them. The reality is the cost is prohibitive, and it doesn't make sense right now because it wouldn't do much more for them than having a Web site.

    Yes, there's the cachet of being on the iPad, instead of saying, "Go to my Web site." But there's also an ongoing maintenance cost, an upgrading cost. And because you need an iPad to view the material, it has a limited audience.

    What other buildings or architects do you plan to give the app treatment to?

    We're working on one for Taliesin West. It's an update of the DVD we produced and should be out in a month or two. I think we might be heading to Europe. There are some early Modernist architects like Le Corbusier that have a lot of appeal.

    There are a lot of fantastic buildings all over the world, and only a few people can visit many of them in person. But we could make a super app.

    This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

    First published on February 10, 2012 at 12:01 am

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    Architects' Works Find a Niche in the Digital Age

    Enterprise architects: 'turn your company upside down' - February 13, 2012 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Summary: ‘It’s no longer enough for EAs to put a shared infrastructure in place and stand back and declare the business to be enabled.’

    Some of the best service orientation case studies have been built on changes to the way enterprises view their business: transitioning from cultures centered around products to cultures focused on customers.

    Jeanne Ross, director and principal research scientist at the MIT Center for Information Systems Research, recently spoke with SearchSOA’s Jack Vaughn about the impact that enterprise architects can make on corporate culture:

    “A large insurance company such as Aetna, for example, may have built up thousands of products and all of their systems were organized around insurance products. And what they realized is that was not how they were going to ever satisfy their customers. They wanted to know their customers and the customers’ products, not the Aetna [view of] products and all the customers that bought it. If you want a single face to the customer you think of the customer as the center of universe, not the product.

    Now, that’s a huge transition - to say, ‘I’m going to fix that. I’m going to change my capabilities so instead of knowing products I’m going to know customers.’ You basically turn your company upside down.”

    Ross says it it’s no longer enough for EAs to put a shared infrastructure in place and stand back and declare the business to be “enabled.” EAs need to follow through on the process, she advocates. “People are too busy. They don’t take it on. Architects are going to have to take on greater responsibility and/or concern for the exploitation of capabilities.” That means a lot of follow-up with end users as they roll out new capabilities.

    Many companies have built up rigid silos and structures built around products. The move to service orientation shouldn’t be limited to exchanging services between siloed systems, it means becoming service oriented toward the customer.

    Joe McKendrick is an author, consultant and speaker specializing in trends and developments shaping the technology industry.

    Disclosure Joe McKendrick

    Joe McKendrick is an independent consultant, editor and speaker.

    Joe has performed project work (white papers, articles, blogs, research and presentations) for the following companies in the IT marketspace:

    CBS Interactive/CNET/ZDNet (this blog) ebizQ Evans Data Gartner IBM Informatica IDC Microsoft Systinet/HP Teradata Unisphere Reseach, a division of Information Today, Inc. WebLayers

    Joe has also performed research work for the following sponsoring organizations in partnership with Unisphere Research, a division of Information Today, Inc.

    IBM Luminex Noetix Oracle Corp. Teradata Informatica International Oracle Users Group Oracle Applications Users Group Professional Association for SQL Server International DB2 Users Group International Sybase Users Group SHARE (IBM large systems users group) Biography Joe McKendrick

    Joe McKendrick is an author and independent analyst who tracks the impact of information technology on management and markets. Joe is co-author, along with 16 leading industry leaders and thinkers, of the SOA Manifesto, which outlines the values and guiding principles of service orientation. He also speaks frequently on Enterprise 2.0 and SOA topics at industry events and Webcasts. As an independent analyst, he has also authored numerous research reports in partnership with Unisphere Research, a division of Information Today, Inc. for user groups such as SHARE, Oracle Applications Users Group, and International DB2 Users Group. Joe is also an active SOA contributor for ebizQ/TechTarget. In a previous life, Joe served as director of the Administrative Management Society (AMS), an international professional association dedicated to advancing knowledge within the IT and business management fields. He is a graduate of Temple University.

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    Enterprise architects: 'turn your company upside down'

    SUN MAGAZINE COMING SUNDAY When architects build a marriage — and design a home - February 13, 2012 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Architects live and breathe design, blissfully losing themselves in details most people would never notice — the bevel of a trim, the way light falls across a room, squared legs or curved.

    So what happens, we wondered, when two such aesthetes come together under one roof?

    Do they lie awake at night, pondering three-inch moldings or four? Is there a prenup for the Eames chairs? Do they fight tooth and nailhead?

    Judging from the example set by these married Baltimore architects who live and work together, it all comes together much more smoothly than any of that.

    These couples each share a style philosophy. Considering how essential such matters are to architects, one can imagine them writing it right into their vows … for richer, for poorer, for mid-century modern …

    Their homes are not just harmonious; they speak to the principles their inhabitants live by.

    One of the couples, Laura and Jeffrey Penza, have a piece hanging in their entryway, a poem written in calligraphy and framed, that gets to that very point.

    "If two should architect one house, what would happen when the two should join? And one imagines wires and mortar and pipes that never somehow quite do meet. But when it comes to building a dream and a life of two in one, ah, then indeed the two must architect together and build their home of love."

    Laura Thul Penza and Jeffrey Penza

    Penza Bailey Architects

    They met, as so many architects seem to, studying their field. Laura Penza can pinpoint her first brush with Jeffrey nearly down to the minute. It happened during their fourth year at the University of Cincinnati, the first day of spring quarter, to be precise.

    "The eyes locked," she says, as he nods in agreement. "It was one of those."

    They married in 1983, not long after graduation, and migrated to Baltimore. They weren't working together right away, but when Jeffrey began took charge of a firm, it wasn't too long before Laura was at his side.

    In the office, they complement one another but have their own roles. But at home, it seems to be a tandem project.

    The couple looked at nearly 200 houses before deciding on a 1930s deceptively large stone cottage on a corner lot in Homeland. They had wanted a fixer-upper, something they could gut and revive, where they could put into practice everything they had learned in school. They got a near-faultless house but spent years making it their own anyway.

    They like to say they touched every side of it, adding a bay window to the front, a breakfast nook on one side, a family room for the back.

    But it's in other, smaller, touches that one really gets a feel for the Penzas — in the vibrant, creative accessories.

    "It's a very traditional house in a very traditional neighborhood," Jeffrey says. "It stayed traditional, but it has a contemporary flair."

    The living room started with an Azeri rug from Turkey that they found at Alex Cooper. Big and bold, with reds, pinks, and blues, they balance it by keeping the rest of the room neutral.

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    SUN MAGAZINE COMING SUNDAY When architects build a marriage — and design a home

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