GARNER OPN Architects of Cedar Rapids completed nearly three days of discussion in Garner on Wednesday about what renovations citizens would like to see in their library.

The design which received the most support on Wednesday was extending the building by a total of about 3,000 square feet from the back of the facility.

The building at 416 State St. now measures 6,166 square feet. Plans include new heating and cooling systems, roof and replacement of several interior walls with columns, according to OPN architect Brad Brown.

We want to give you a nice, open flexible space, Brown said.

The plan also includes a large skylight to allow natural light into the building.

Among the other ideas were a separate childrens area with a large space for storytime and other activities, a teen space with bean bag chairs and an adult space with comfortable chairs and a fireplace.

Library director Ellen Petty said the library was built in 1978.

Most of the stuff in it is original to the building, Petty said.

The architects will return to Garner in about a month with drawings of the exterior facade, interior spaces and cost estimates.

We have Wi-Fi but we dont have places for people to sit and use it because thats not how the building was configured 34 years ago, Petty said.

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Architects gather ideas for Garner library update

A committee of students, professors and administrators is working with EHDD Architecture to develop plans for the renovation of Pomona College's Robert S. Millikan building.

The committee, which is made up of students and faculty from the Math and Physics & Astronomy departments and representatives from the Office of Facilities and Campus Services and the Dean of Students Office, hosted a brainstorming session March 8 in Millikan's math lounge.The event allowed interested students to meet the architects in charge of the project and offer input while Physics Professor David Tanenbaum whipped up some liquid nitrogen ice cream.

EHDD, a San Francisco-based firm, has also worked on the Monterey Bay Aquarium and various LEED certified buildings.

One major point of discussion at the meeting was whether to attempt a renovation of the current building or to tear it down and rebuild it completely. Committee members said that while the plans are still vague, they will likely include a science courtyard that would replace the parking lot currently behind the building, in hopes of improving the aesthetics and sustainability of the area.

Students use Millikan both during the day for classes and at night for mentor and study sessions.

There are lots of people here after hours, said Allison Miller PO 12, a math major. Miller mentioned one student who routinely slept at Millikan and then went to his morning class in the building.

At the event, the architects from EHDD asked students to mark on a diagram the ways they entered and exited the building and the paths they took inside the building. The architects collected these diagrams and will use them in creating design plans. The architects also asked students to suggest any ideas they had for a renovation that would make for their ideal Millikan.

Some of the more outlandish ideas included a particle accelerator in the basement, a hot tub time machine in the courtyard and the exclusion of any 90-degree angle from the building. More realistic suggestions ranged from more windows, an additional staircase and better study spaces.

An intense discussion on the merits of chalkboards versus whiteboards also raged on for several minutes as whiteboard advocates suggested that the chalkboards be replaced with the less powdery and noise intensive dry erase system.

Millikan was built in the 1950s and is the final science building to undergo renovation, or potential demolition. The renovation is not only occurring to improve lab, office and study spaces, but also because the current plumbing and air-conditioning systems leave much to be desired.

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Students Work with Architects on Millikan Remodel

BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Filled with art inside and out, the new Johns Hopkins Hospital building is the result of a unique and close collaboration between artists from across the country, a curator, a group of architects, Michael Bloomberg and Johns Hopkins. Together, the team has helped to create not just a state-of-the-art medical facility but also a haven that will feature over 500 works of art created for the facility by more than 70 artists.

The new Johns Hopkins Hospital building is one of the nations largest hospital construction projects. It features The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Childrens Center, named in honor of the mother of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloombergphilanthropist and Hopkins alumnusand Marjorie B. Tiven, Commissioner of the New York City Commission for the United Nations, Consular Corps & Protocol.

"Through these exceptional artists and architects, we have created a unique space that incorporates art and design thoughtfully and with attention to detail, said Michael Bloomberg. The center has a calming presence and creates a healing environment for all the families that pass through these doors, the expert medical professionals who work here, and for the Hopkins and Baltimore community.

The new hospital building also includes the Sheikh Zayed Tower, for adult care, named after the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder and first president of the United Arab Emirates.

This was a collaborative effort that included a team from Johns Hopkins, the architecture firm of Perkins + Will, the landscape architects from OLIN, along with consulting architect Allen Kolkowitz and curator Nancy Rosen.

The resulting highlights include:

The goal is to create a humane and dignified experience for those under stress, says Michael Iati, senior director of architecture and planning, Johns Hopkins Health System. The art created for the building and the buildings design are central to elevating the experience of coming to the hospital. Visitors and patients may not be able to quantify this directly but they will feel the buildings uniqueness and comfort.

For over two decades, Michael Bloombergthrough his philanthropic and corporate efforts and his public servicehas demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting and promoting the use of art as an essential element in the creation or refurbishment of both public and private spaces. The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Childrens Center, along with the recent opening of the William H. Bloomberg MDA Jerusalem Station, exemplify his continued commitment to creating world class medical facilities that are enhanced by the use of art and architecture.

Bloomberg is a 1964 engineering graduate of The Johns Hopkins University and a longtime supporter of the University and Johns Hopkins Medicine. He served as the chairman of the Universitys Board of Trustees from 1996 to 2002, overseeing the largest fundraising campaign in the Schools history. He also is the largest donor in the 132-year history of the Johns Hopkins Institutions. The hygiene and public health school at the University was named the Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2001 to recognize his commitment and support. In addition, he has generously supported many other programs, projects and scholarships including the Institute for Cell Engineering, the Institute for Malaria Research, the Bloomberg Physics Building as well as the re-development of the main campus, Gilman Hall and Brody Center.

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Over 70 Artists, a Curator, and Architects Incorporate Art and Architecture to Enhance Healing at the New Johns ...

Regional News of Thursday, 22 March 2012

Source: GNA

Ms Sherry Ayittey, the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, on Thursday appealed to architects to design buildings that could capture sunlight into the interior parts to help reduce the heavy burden of electricity.

She explained that with the cost of electricity rising, there was the need for buildings to be designed such that the roofing, windows and doors could capture sunlight during the day for the bulbs to be turned off to save energy.

Ms Ayittey made the call when addressing the opening session of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA), in Accra.

The meeting would brainstorm on past achievements, challenges and chart a good path for the architecture industry.

It is on the theme: The Architect and National Development and sought to discuss areas that would help the industry to design buildings that could withstand the test of time.

Ms Ayittey said it was sad to observe that though there were a wide range of credible professional bodies with the requisite expertise to contribute to the sustainable and harmonious development of the built environment, there was rapid deterioration of the natural environment over the years.

She said the serious problems confronting human settlements and the continuous deterioration in the country was the failure of practitioners in the development of the built environment involving planners, architects, engineers and environmental and social scientists.

Ms Ayittey said since both urban and rural communities were vulnerable and could be adversely affected by the high risk of future climate change it was advisable to promote participatory and stringent land use and planning services as well as zoning codes.

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Sherry Ayittey urges architects to design buildings to capture sunlight

Inaki Alday came to visit Iowa State's campus Wednesday night. Alday shared some of his work he has done throughout the years with Aldayjover Architecture and Landscape. He also spoke of some of the roles architects should play and expectations and goals they should have.

Alday said he thinks architects should use the environment when creating projects. He also emphasized the power of communication. When people have an idea he said it is best to communicate it to make sure it meets the desires of the city and that it ecologically fits into its surroundings.

Alday spoke of when he saw his work actually finished.

When you see people using your architecture you feel happy and that you're doing something people care about, he said.

Alday said that some goals an architect should have are to do more energy saving and move towards the integration of multiple scales and logic. Also, he said that architects should create a system of new technology and renovate the older technology.

Alday went over the role an architect should play in society. He said they should manage complexity, widening their range of activities. Also they should take political activity by spreading education.

Architects should do more then create beautiful things they should be relevant, Alday said. He said people should be relevant in society by knowing how to solve problems and help cultural development.

Architects have to be activists through design, it's their social commitment and responsibility, Alday said.

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Alday encourages architects to communicate with the environment

Jim Christianson | 3/20/2012 From restaurants to multi-million dollar sports arenas, one architectural firm is in the midst of designing several new projects. And JLG Architects are hoping to bring in some more help to handle the workload.

Sitting in his Main Avenue conference room with a wall full of mockups and architectural renderings, Jeff Hysjulien and his staff are in the midst of some exciting building plans, including a new downtown night spot.

"And it`s kind of starting to get some new energy, and some new growth. Part of that is kind of creating an after five o`clock environment," Hysjulien said.

Since 1989, JLG Architects has been designing hundreds of projects of all shapes and sizes, including both residential and commercial buildings throughout the upper Midwest. And they have to stay on top of the technological changes in both the construction and the design business.

"With the pace of the construction industry, everything happens, the design and planning side is a very boiled down and consolidated process."

The firm is working on a number of local projects for the summer, including expanding the Bismarck Community Bowl and designing a new JL Beers location on 3rd street in downtown Bismarck. All of the projects are challenging, but also rewarding.

"The adaptive reuse, taking an old building and giving it new purpose, and the JL Beers project is an example of that, from an architectural perspective, they`re a lot of fun."

To accomplish the workload, JLG is doubling the size of its Bismarck office. They recently expanded into Minot and will soon be opening a seventh branch in Williston.

"We really strive for the fact that the site of the building and stuff really work well together, it`s a very integrated process."

An integrated process indeed. And a high-tech process that incorporates environmentally friendly building materials into eye-catching designs that are built to last.

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Inside Business: JLG Architects | Video

Mackey Mitchell Architects said today it will leave its long-time home near Union Station and move late this year to a renovated Cupples Station building a block west of Busch Stadium.

The firm, founded in 1968 by Gene Mackey, plans to lease 11,000 square feet of fifth-floor space at Cupples 9, which is under renovation by an affiliate of the Koman Group. For 24 years, Mackey Mitchell has been at the Power House, a building it designed. The company said it hopes to relocate by Dec. 1.

TKG Acquisitions LLC, a Koman affiliate, bought the vacant Cupples 9 building out of foreclosure on May 26. Koman says its$30 million rehab of the 117-year-old building should be completed in early 2013. The building is next to the Westin Hotel at Cupples Station, made up of old warehouses in six blocks west of Busch Stadium. Other buildings in the century-old complex have been redone as offices, restaurants, condos and apartments.

In addition to Mackey Mitchell, a tenant of Cupples 9 is to be Osborn & Barr, a communications company thatwill occupy 45 percent of building. Osborn & Barr plans to move from another Cupples Station building on Spruce Street.

The two relocations will fill most of what is now an empty downtown building. But the moves do little to boost overall occupancy downtown.

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Mackey Mitchell Architects to relocate to Cupples Station

March 19, 2012

By Alanna Malone

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In November 2010, ten city mayors and nine school superintendants met with sustainability experts, architects, and educators at a three-day summit in Sundance, Utah. The goal was to develop an action plan for greening American schools. Toward the end of the conference, Ronald Bogle, president and CEO of the American Architectural Foundation (AAF), committed to a future workshop that would continue the dialogue.

Bogle recently made good on that promise. From March 7 to 9, the AAF collaborated with the USGBCs Center for Green Schools to host the National Green Schools Design Summit in Washington, D.C. This time the agenda examined real issues from five city school districts. We wanted to take the lessons learned from Sundance and expand on them, says Graham Stroh, AAF program manager. Theres a lot of power in bringing these groups together.

The participating cities were: Bismarck, North Dakota; Charleston, South Carolina; Philadelphia; Sacramento, California; and Salt Lake City. Charlestons Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Sacramentos Mayor Kevin Johnson, and Salt Lake Citys Mayor Ralph Becker had all been at Sundance and were grateful for the opportunity to attend the summit in D.C. Being a part of this group as a follow-up to Sundance is a privilege, said Mayor Becker.

On day one, the city contingents began by presenting one or two problematic case studies from their districts. City and school leaders were then grouped with architects for design charrettes to create tailor-made solutions for each project. On day two, each group presented their results during 15-minute presentations, which varied greatlyfrom broad overviews for district-wide sustainable strategies to specific design enhancements for school buildings.

Salt Lake City shared a plan for a community-learning center, to be built between a middle school and elementary school and combine three programs: adult learning; daycare; and a dental, vision, and mental health clinic. Though the project is currently out to bid, the team learned so much about sustainability and systematic thinking during the workshop that they may put it on hold to reconsider some of the design elements. The Charleston group worked with the architects to revamp the layout of a planned learning center, breaking it into separate mixed-use structures that reflect the historic and local freedmans cottage style. We came with a complicated problem, and we solved it, said Mayor Riley. Likewise, the Philadelphia team presented a strategic plan for one troublesome school that will transform an unseemly chain link fence into a public art project, create a sunflower field in a vacant lot, and help form partnerships with local businesses for school programs.

Tamara Uselman, the superintendant for Bismarck Public Schools, sees broader applications for the suggestions of her teams architects: What we learned is going to have a huge impact across the state.

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Architects, Mayors, and Educators Convene for Green Schools Design Summit

LONDON, March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Friday 16th March saw key players from Ridgeford Properties, Manhattan Loft Corporation, HOK Architects and Sisk celebrate the topping out of the final phase of the Fitzrovia Apartments development at 50 Bolsover Street, London W1

Fitzrovia Apartments is a joint venture between Ridgeford Properties Ltd and Manhattan Loft Corporation and is a mixed use development of 66 private apartments and 4 penthouses, an orthopaedic clinic and commercial studio space.

HOK Architects are responsible for the distinctive "contextual but modern" design and the main contractor on the project is John Sisk & Son.

Only 7 apartments remain for sale within the development and the 4 penthouses are expected to be released for sale on completion.

Joint sales agents for Fitzrovia Apartments are Knight Frank and Druce.

The project is due for completion in the summer of 2012.

Chris Murray, Managing Director of Ridgeford Properties Ltd comments "The topping out of The Fitzrovia Apartments marks an important milestone in not only this development but the entire Fitzrovia /East Marylebonecommunity.

Together with Manhattan Loft Corporation we have set the new standard for luxury centralLondonliving whilst protecting the integrity and legacy in one of London's premier neighborhoods."

Harry Handelsman, CEO of Manhattan Loft Corporation says "Together with Ridgeford Properties the topping out of Fitzrovia Apartments continues the commitment of Manhattan Loft Corporation to the regeneration ofLondonby introducing diverse and interesting architecture in fashionable areas."

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Ridgeford Properties & Manhattan Loft Corporation Celebrate Topping Out of Their Landmark 'Fitzrovia Apartments ...

Internationally acclaimed architects, designers, writers, artists and curators feature in this year's Communique Autumn Lecture Series at The University of Auckland.

The presenters, whose work span a wide range of disciplines, industries and practices will focus on issues relevant to architecture and planning.

Among the notable speakers are master carver and sculptor Lyonel Grant.

Of Te Arawa and Ngati Pikiao descent, Lyonel employs various media including wood, stone, bronze, flax, ceramics and paint. His practice encompasses the traditions of whakairo rakau, arising from his training at the NZ Maori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua and contemporary modes of art production.

He has designed and carved innovative meeting houses such as Ngakau Mahaki ('heartfelt humility') at the Unitec campus. The rear wall of the house with its embossed shadowy figures signifies all those who have gone before, the centre pillar or pou, constructed of bronze, represents everything up to 1840, while the front of the wharenui embodies contemporary Auckland.

His other notable meeting houses are Te Matapihi o te Rangi in Tokoroa and Ihenga at the Tangatarua Marae on the Waiariki Institute of Technology campus in Rotorua. With Damian Skinner he collaborated on the book Ihenga: Te Haerenga Hou, an important introduction to the evolution of Maori carving in the 20th Century.

Another highlight is the lecture and tour by Japanese architect Taira Nishizawa, who has been recognised as "one of the ten design vanguards of architecture in the 21st Century" by the prestigious Architectural Review magazine. Taira's work, which ranges from small houses to large sports facilities and makes particular use of innovative timber structures, has attracted numerous awards, including the prestigious Japan Institute of Architects Young Architect of the Year Award.

Among Nishizawa's best-known projects is the Forestry Hall To-mochi, a sports hall commissioned as part of the internationally renowned Kumamoto Artpolis programme - a programme that matches public building projects with exciting young architects. Located in southern Japan and completed in 2004, this community centre and sports hall employs a dramatic, irregular three-dimensional wooden truss structure that was a world first.

The inclusion of such distinguished experts has been made possible by the funding of NZ Wood - the marketing arm of the Wood Council of New Zealand. Thanks to their generous support Taira Nishizawa will also lecture in Wellington and Christchurch.

"The sponsorship will assist the School of Architecture and Planning to engage more fully with the wider architectural community while also supporting the academic development of students", says Professor Jenny Dixon, Dean of the National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries at The University of Auckland.

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Architectural and planning issues to the fore