SARASOTA SchenkelShultz Architecture in Sarasota received two first- place awards in the high school and elementary school categories presented by the Florida Educational Facilities Planners’ Association at its Winter 2012 Conference in February.

The company received awards for its design of Hernando County School Board’s Weeki Wachee High School in Weeki Wachee, and Lake County Schools’ Sorrento Elementary School in Sorrento. Weeki Wachee High School incorporates the extended learning community concept and features two academic “neighborhoods” with an athletic, dining and performing arts “town center” clustered around a secure central courtyard. Sorrento Elementary School was designed to Lake County Schools’ Sustainability Initiative incorporating environmentally friendly design principles.

SRQ Wealth Management updates website

SARASOTA SRQ Wealth Management has updates its new website http://srqwealth.com.

Created by Marketeria, the website provides direct access for clients to login to their accounts from every page, streamlined searching and intuitive navigation informative presentations using multimedia and downloadable educational materials, blog posts with current news.

The Furniture Warehouse honored in Top 100 list

MANATEE The Furniture Warehouse was named one of the Top 100 Independent Furniture Stores in America by Furniture Today in its 2011 Beyond the Top 100 list. The list recognizes retailers who are significant players in their markets.

Nuevo Advertising named web developer for physician

SARASOTA Nuevo Advertising Group is now working with Dr. Julio E. Pabon, board certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist, and the Fertility Center and Applied Genetics of Florida, Inc.

Nuevo Advertising is administering the center’s current website while designing and building a new site and addressing search engine optimization issues.

Home Resource named retailer for furniture designer

SARASOTA Home Resource has been named the Florida Gulf Coast retailer for Filipino furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, whose pieces have been showcased in several Hollywood films. The multi-award-winning designer offers a complete line of signature creations, including bedroom, dining, living room and outdoor groups.

Home Resource will carry the new introductions of his 2012 line in addition to classics like the Yoda easy chair, Ying & Yang easy armchair and Wave dining table.

Cobonpue takes his inspiration from nature and is known for his use of organic fibers. His furniture has appeared in such Hollywood films as “Ocean’s Thirteen,” “Maid of Honor” and “Spread,” and can be found in leading hotels and resorts in Paris, London and the Caribbean.

Solar Direct to work with Manatee firefighters

SARASOTA Solar Direct, a provider of residential and commercial solar power solutions, has agreed to work with Manatee County Fire District to assist in the training of firefighters on the basics of solar power systems.

The training is scheduled to take place at Solar Direct headquarters, in March and is designed to expose firefighters to solar power systems in a commercial setting. The training will cover commercial solar system basic design, electrical principles of solar systems including disconnection in case of fire, safety including accessing roof with solar modules installed.

Forks & Corks festival draws record crowds

SARASOTA Forks & Corks, the four-day food and wine festival presented by The Sarasota-Manatee Originals, attracted more than 1,500 attendees to its grand tasting. The Grand Tasting featured signature dishes from over 40 Originals member restaurants, wines from more than 80 vintners, live entertainment, and a charity wine auction to benefit The American Red Cross.

The silent auction raised more than $6,000. The event also raised more than $25,000 for The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art. New this year was a retail wine area where guests were able to buy bottles of wines sampled at the event.

Herald staff reports

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Sarasota architects receive first place awards on Florida school construction

The Irish Times - Monday, February 27, 2012

FRANK McDONALD

THE WORK of Dublin-based Heneghan Peng Architects will be showcased at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale.

“As an emerging international practice, they demonstrate the direction in which Irish architecture can evolve in the future,” said John McLaughlin, curator of Ireland’s presentation at the biennale and former director of architecture with the Dublin Docklands Development Authority.

He said Heneghan Peng was working across four continents on a “wide range of competition-winning projects”.

“Several of these are in sensitive and symbolic sites that include three Unesco world heritage sites,” Mr McLaughlin added.

The practice, established in 1999 by Róisín Heneghan and Shih-Fu Peng, won its most significant international competition in 2003 to design the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza, within sight of the pyramids. Work is expected to start on the project this year.

In 2005, Heneghan Peng won an international open competition to design the Giant’s Causeway Visitors’ Centre – the second world-heritage site project to be awarded to the practice. The centre is under construction and is due to open in June.

The practice also designed Kildare County Council’s headquarters in Naas; pedestrian bridges on the site for the London 2012 Olympics; and a library and school of architecture for the University of Greenwich.

Other projects include a bridge over the Rhine in the sensitive Lorelei stretch of the river, although the architects are in dispute with their client over this project, and a masterplan for the Palestinian Museum at Birzeit University near Ramallah.

Ireland’s participation in the Venice Architecture Biennale, which opens in late August, is sponsored by Culture Ireland in partnership with the Arts Council.

Ireland’s commissioner for the biennale, Elizabeth Francis, is an Irish-born architect based in Bologna, Italy.

Culture Ireland chief executive Eugene Downes said the presentation of Heneghan Peng’s work at the 2012 biennale would “promote the high quality, dynamism and strong reputation of Irish architects around the world”.

Read the original post:
Emerging architects get Venice showcase

By  Steve Wartenberg

The Columbus Dispatch Sunday February 26, 2012 6:24 AM

ED MATTHEWS | DISPATCH

A bike race on cobbled Town Street is seen through the arch at the Annex at River South apartment complex Downtown.

Architects are opinionated when it comes to the future of Columbus and the surrounding suburbs — and also quite optimistic.

And those opinionated optimists say the next decade should be interesting and present a lot of opportunities, especially Downtown and in the surrounding historic neighborhoods as more people move in and the vacant spaces are filled in with new projects.

Six prominent local architects from the American Institute of Architects Columbus recently shared their views during a wide-ranging discussion: Keith Myers of MSI-KKG; James Bresler and David Brehm of Braun & Steidl; Michael Bongiorno of DesignGroup; John Kelleher of NBBJ; and Jonathan Barnes of Jonathan Barnes Architecture & Design.

They weren’t focused at all on the design of specific buildings and didn’t share whether they liked the look of the new hospital buildings at Ohio State or Nationwide Children’s or the proposed statue for the Scioto Mile riverfront park.

They were in full city-planning mode, and were more interested in sharing their dreams of what could and should be in and around Columbus.

“We realize that the cumulative efforts of what we do changes neighborhoods and cities, so we are thinking on that scale when we design buildings,” Barnes said.

Downtown and infill came up several times during the discussion.

In the not-so-distant past, the trend was to tear down the old buildings Downtown, which gradually became devoid of residents as people moved farther and farther out. These days, the trend is to preserve what’s left and then fill in the empty spaces with new projects, including a plethora of residential units that are bringing people back to live Downtown.

Downtown will continue to evolve — and these six architects have a vision of how they would like it to evolve.

“Enough with the red brick buildings,” Bongiorno said.

He didn’t mean exactly that. He was exaggerating to make his point: Review boards and planning commissions need to be more open-minded and accepting of new styles of architecture. A diverse sea of different, quality architectural styles will only enhance Columbus, he said.

“There’s a misplaced attention on style rather than quality,” Barnes said.

Everyone agreed that Columbus is filled with wonderful old neighborhoods — and it’s important to retain what’s here and add interesting, quality and sustainable new buildings.

While the future of Downtown and many historic neighborhoods looks promising, there could be problems farther from the center of the city.

Meyers and Kelleher said they are concerned about “the next ring out.”

“Land had been more valuable for homes the past few decades on the edges of the area,” Barnes added. “But it’s changing, and in some areas that land is now more valuable as farmland.”

Older residential and commercial developments in outlying areas could actually be plowed under and turned back into farms.

How’s that for reversing a trend?

These architects probably wouldn’t shed many tears if some of these suburban projects go back to farmland.

“Some of the builds in the last 20 to 30?years out there were built to throw away; there’s no quality,” Bongiorno said.

There was also agreement that many of these big suburban projects didn’t do a good job of integrating the residential units into the community.

This type of development is happening in the city — and everyone seemed to agree there are several opportunities to reinvigorate many long-suffering neighborhoods:

“Nationwide Children’s Hospital is expanding — how will it affect the area?” Kelleher wondered.

“Franklinton is on everyone’s radar,” Myers said.

The area around the new Hollywood Casino Columbus is another hot spot — and development around this project could reutilize this section of the city.

Grandview Yard is another development the group believes has an interesting future.

And so is Ohio State, where several student-housing projects are planned.

Brehm praised Ohio State for “creating a high-quality neighborhood community for students with redevelopment of their North Campus housing district.”

In other words, there’s a lot to be optimistic about.

“But we need leaders who are well-informed and make the kind of decisions that make us a better city,” said Gwen Berlekamp, executive director of the American Institute of Architects Columbus.

swartenberg@dispatch.com

Excerpt from:
Architects see promising decade ahead for Columbus

On-Site continuing education course provides 21 LU/HSW/SD credit hours from the American Institute of Architects with surviving examples from millennia of building history.

Msida, MALTA (PRWEB) February 23, 2012

Six-thousand-year-old ancient structures are a starting point for an illustration of a multi-disciplinary approach to the preservation of historic properties. “Conservation of Architectural Heritage” will use classroom lecture, labs and escorted field trips to introduce a working concept of the marriage of architecture, archaeology and other sciences. Details of the course #G127MLA101 are available on-line at http://www.OTSF.org/AIACES.htm. Offered in both March and October 2013, the 10-day on-site course addresses options and methodologies for safeguarding irreplaceable built heritage, while still attending and protecting the needs of the modern public that seeks to experience it. Registered architects and designers will earn 21 Learning Units in the essential field of Sustainable Design.

The islands of Malta and Gozo, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, are home to a most remarkable concentration of intact built heritage, including the highest density of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in any nation-state anywhere in the world. Malta's patrimony in stone ranges from the oldest free-standing stone architecture in the world, to one of the British Empire's most formidable defensive systems, and includes a rich mix of domestic, religious and military architecture from the ancient, medieval and early modern periods. Participants in this course will be introduced to these challenges by a team of specialists who are actively working on different aspects of the preservation of Malta's built heritage.

The course includes visits to several of the most salient of the island's monuments accompanied by a heritage conservation specialist, and which will be used as case studies to illustrate and stimulate discussion of some of the management and conservation challenges presented in the course lectures.

By introduction to many successful examples of adaptive reuse over centuries, participants will gain experience and inspiration for application in their practice. They can expect to design new public projects with a fuller historic understanding of the evolution of monumental architecture, particularly the world’s purest and most original expression of sensitivity to the union of nature and preplanned enclosed ceremonial space. Most attendees will also correct their education about the beginning of architecture.

Malta and Gozo are home to megalithic structures that were created by a highly developed people more than a thousand years ahead of Stonehenge and the pyramids. The earliest known use of forecourts, retaining walls, and ring compression systems are evidenced in megalithic construction. Malta’s extraordinary Hal-Saflieni Hypogeum mirrors design features of the temples including corbelled ceilings in a superb subterranean example of architecture in the negative. Ongoing research by the University of Malta in the field of archaeoacoustics and the sound behavior of the Hypogeum have been introduced on major television networks.

For a free brochure, email postal address to AIACES(at)OTSF(dot)org

The course is provided by the Florida-based nonprofit OTS Foundation and the University of Malta’s Faculty for the Built Environment. OTSF is a registered provider for the American Institute of Architects, has operated for Elderhostel and currently runs a Malta program for the Road Scholar organization of adventures in lifelong learning. Educational outreach about Malta's megalithic legacy and new research in the field of archaeoacoustics are currently being prepared by OTSF for a travelling lecture in the USA.

###

Linda Eneix
The OTS Foundation
941 918 9215
Email Information

Go here to read the rest:
American Architects to Study the World’s Oldest Freestanding Buildings for Lessons in Conservation and Sustainable ...

SALT LAKE CITY, UT--(Marketwire -02/23/12)- Green Endeavors, Inc. (OTCQB: GRNE.PK - News) (Pinksheets: GRNE.PK - News), a majority owned subsidiary of Nexia Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets: NXHD.PK - News), announced that its newly formed subsidiary Landis Experience Center, LLC (LEC) has made significant progress on its proposed Aveda™ Experience Center (EC).

Richard Surber, CEO of GRNE, stated, "I have received sufficient funding commitments to complete the construction and initial inventory requirements to open our proposed Aveda™ retail store in Salt Lake City's City Creek Development. Additionally, we have retained Atlas Architects which has completed an initial design of the floor plans. Atlas is projecting the completion of a full set of architectural plans in March. I expect the City of Salt Lake to pass off on the drawings by the end of March. We are projecting an opening date for the Aveda™ Experience Center by June 1, 2012; which will be just in time to prepare for back to school and the 2012 holiday season."

Mr. Surber continued, "After nearly 8 months of planning and negotiating, I expect to have a definitive lease signed by the end of next week. I have also conducted several interviews with potential hires that have Aveda™ experience. These prospective new hires will be responsible for managing the new store, as well as fine tuning our front desk and retail sales systems throughout our existing Landis Lifestyle Salons. I am looking to increase products sales system wide by at least $500,000 in the 12 months subsequent to the opening of the EC. Increased product sales will improve our profit margins. The margins on product sales are much higher than on service sales."

About Green Endeavors, Inc.
Green Endeavors, Inc. (OTCQB: GRNE.PK - News) (Pinksheets: GRNE.PK - News), headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a holding company with operations in health & beauty. GRNE owns a majority interest in several Aveda™ based businesses. Visit http://www.landissalon.com; Landis Salons operate hair salons built around the world-class AVEDA™ product line. For more information, visit http://www.green-endeavors.com.

GRNE strongly encourages the public to read the above information in conjunction with its filings and disclosures filed in 2010 and 2011. GRNE's disclosures can be viewed at http://www.green-endeavors.com, http://www.otcmarkets.com or http://www.sec.gov.

This press release contains forward looking statements. The opening of the additional location is contingent upon signing a definitive lease agreement and raising sufficient capital to fund the construction and operation of the prospective location. Management believes that it will be able to raise sufficient capital to construct staff and operate the new location. However, there are no assurances that such assumptions will prove correct with regard to this potential additional location. The actual results that GRNE may achieve could differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. Investors should not invest more than they can afford to lose in penny stocks.

Visit link:
Green Endeavors Retains Atlas Architects and Receives Funding Commitments for Its Proposed Aveda(TM) Experience Center

Malta's patrimony in stone: Hagar Qim temples are considered among the oldest free-standing stone architecture structures in the world

Karl Stagno-Navarra

A study tour for expert architects and their scholars from all over the US are expected in Malta during March and October 2013, and will focus on options and methodologies for safeguarding irreplaceable built heritage, while still attending and protecting the needs of the modern public that seeks to experience it.

 'Conservation of Architectural Heritage' will use classroom lecture, labs and escorted field trips to introduce a working concept of the marriage of architecture, archaeology and other sciences.

The 10-day on-site course addresses registered US architects and designers who will earn 21 learning units in the essential field of sustainable design.

According to the group, "Malta and Gozo, are home to a most remarkable concentration of intact built heritage, including the highest density of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in any nation-state anywhere in the world."

Malta's patrimony in stone ranges from the oldest free-standing stone architecture in the world, to one of the British Empire's most formidable defensive systems, and includes a rich mix of domestic, religious and military architecture from the ancient, medieval and early modern periods.

By introduction to many successful examples of adaptive reuse over centuries, participants are to gain experience and inspiration for application in their practice.

They can expect to design new public projects with a fuller historic understanding of the evolution of monumental architecture, particularly the world's purest and most original expression of sensitivity to the union of nature and pre-planned enclosed ceremonial space.

The course is being provided by the Florida-based non-profit organisation OTS Foundation and the University of Malta's Faculty for the Built Environment.

OTSF is a registered provider for the American Institute of Architects, has operated for Elderhostel and currently runs a Malta programme for the Road Scholar organization of adventures in lifelong learning.

Educational outreach about Malta's megalithic legacy and new research in the field of archaeoacoustics are currently being prepared by OTSF for a travelling lecture in the USA.

 

See more here:
American architects to study Malta’s megalithic sites

Noor Javed Staff Reporter

The question of who’s to blame for millions of dollars in cost overruns for Vaughan’s new civic centre has the city embroiled in a lawsuit against the architect that designed the glitzy building.

The lawsuit attempts to put the blame squarely on the shoulders of world-renowned Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB), which was hired to design the new city hall on Major Mackenzie Dr., and on Stantec Consulting, the engineering consultants who worked with KPMB on the project.

KPMB denies it caused the overruns. The company suggests in its statement of defence, filed earlier this month, that the city failed to follow proper practices on its part, including appointing a “competent and accountable” project manager.

Months before politicians and officials celebrated the official opening of the city hall in September, the city had already filed a $3.25 million suit against KPMB, alleging breach of contract and negligence in their work on the design and construction supervision. The city is suing Stantec for an additional $3.25 million for “deficiencies” in its work.

Filed in May 2011, the lawsuit claims “these problems have caused the city, in aggregate, many millions of dollars in extra cost.” The city hopes recover some of those costs.

Vaughan has already spent more than $122.6 million on the first phase of the civic centre project. The building was found to be $15.6 million over budget, but the final costs have yet to be determined.

“The claim was issued to protect the interest of the city and taxpayers,” said Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua.

According to the city’s statement of claim, major problems with the building include: mechanical rooms that are too small to store equipment, issues with sprinkler system drainage, pull stations/smoke detectors that were not compliant with the fire code, and design issues in the audio-visual room.

In their statement of defence, the architects deny the allegations and said they fulfilled all contractual obligations. The firm claims the delays were due to the “owner’s failure to adopt and execute proper owner construction practice, including the appointment of a competent and accountable project manager.”

The company is asking that the claim be dismissed and the firm be awarded costs. KPMB did not respond to the Star’s request for comment.

The cost overruns were outlined in detail in a scathing external audit commissioned by Vaughan City Council last June, which found there were insufficient policies and procedures in place for reporting between consultants, contractors and the city, and numerous miscalculations and change requests that pulled up the costs.

The lawsuit was not mentioned in the audit. But Bevilacqua said council was aware it had been filed before the audit was ordered. Regional Councillor Deb Schulte, who has been outspoken about the need for transparency about the costs of the project, says staff sent a memo to council, but the matter wasn’t discussed in detail.

Schulte, an engineer by profession, says she witnessed design issues when the building was under construction. She believes the lawsuit is a “good news story.”

“I am pleased that people are being held accountable to the quality of their work,” she said. “And if it has cost us a lot of money in overruns and taxpayers’ dollars because of that, then those people have to be held accountable. That’s what the lawsuit is trying to do.”

In addition, the city’s general contractor, Maystar, is being sued by one of its subcontractors. The city has been named in the suit because it is the owner of the property, but has not been required to participate in the proceedings.

Read more:
KPMB Architects blame City of Vaughan for $15M cost overrun on City Hall

Top design features hypersonic jets, vertical takeoff, and public transportation elements

(PRWEB) February 21, 2012

After reviewing 200 innovative student submissions from around the world, Fentress Architects is excited to announce the winning designs for the 2011 Fentress Global Challenge, an international competition launched last fall for architecture and engineering students to present their visions for the Airport of the Future. Expert jury members narrowed the submittals to 16 finalists, and then to the top three with two honorable mentions. Designs were evaluated on Creative Approach, Response to Site, Sustainability and Functionality.

1ST PLACE

Concept: LDN Delta Airport

Student: Oliver Andrew

University: London South Bank University, London

2nd PLACE

Concept: The Airport of the Future

Student: Martin Sztyk

University: University College London, London

3RD PLACE

Concept: Pocket Airports

Student: Alexander Nevarez

University: Art Center College of Design, United States

Honorable Mention

Concept: Aero-Loop        

Student: Thor Yi Chun

University: University of Science of Malaysia

Honorable Mention

Concept: New Arcticity

Student: Daniel Kang

University: National Taiwan University of Science

FENTRESS GLOBAL CHALLENGE JURY                                                                                        

G. Hardy Acree, Airport Director, Sacramento International Airport                                            

Marvin Malecha, FAIA, Dean of the College of Design, North Carolina State University                                

Helen Norman, Editor, Passenger Terminal World                                                                                

Tibbie Dunbar, Executive Director, Architecture + Design Museum                                                                

James P. Cramer, Hon AIA, Hon IIDA, Cofounder & Chairman, Design Futures Council                                

Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, Principal-in-Charge of Design, Fentress Architects

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: LDN Delta Airport

DESCRIPTION: The LDN Delta Airport is designed as prefabricated, mass-produced islands situated in the Thames Estuary, upstream from London. The airport would ease the overcrowding of the surrounding airports as there are no cars, runways, nor check-in desks, but is served solely via public transportation. Flight information is connected through passengers’ cell phones, providing the departure time and assigned gate. The airport supports vertical takeoff with hypersonic jets capable of flying at the edge of space, lifting off from purpose-built landing pads and uses the tidal currents to run on total sustainable power.

JURY COMMENTS

“This airport proposed two vital elements: unmanned aerial vehicle elements, since future aircraft will rely heavily on technology to control airline cost, and vertical takeoff and landing capability, which reduce the airport landmass footprint.” — Acree

“LDN Delta Airport takes into consideration new technologies with the use of GPS and smart phone technology. It connects to land through public transport, good for inter-modality and the environment, as less people are using their cars.” — Norman

“The connection to a meditation landscape to ease the tensions of travelers is exactly what is needed. Also, flotation devices solve a combination of environmental and urban design concerns.” — Malecha

“The LDN Delta Airport demonstrates innovative and ecological solutions all combined with human scale and user delight in an urban setting.” — Cramer

“This student’s approach captured the challenging elements necessary for a successful airport in the future, including multimodal transportation, conscientious design, and social considerations.” — Fentress

A Word with Fentress Global Challenge Grand-Prize Winner Oliver Andrew

"Taking part in this competition has been fantastic from the moment I read the brief to the moment I put pencil to paper. I spent many long nights sketching and thinking the concept through, in order to create something innovative and revolutionary in airport design. My concept goes beyond today’s airport design to propose a pioneering ecological solution for the future," said Andrew. “A competition at this level is a real honor. I look forward to working with everyone at Fentress Architects."

2nd PLACE: The Airport of the Future     

DESCRIPTION: In the Airport of the Future, algae farms produce biofuel for aircrafts and the airport facility, which can be processed by neighboring oil refineries.    

JURY COMMENTS        

“The airport of the future shows how a self-sustaining concept can become ubiquitous with broad implications for seaside developments.” — Cramer

“This is a strong scheme with vital emotional and intellectual connections to the land. The drawings present an elegant structure that has the ability to grow and change; open spaces complement architecture that seems to sit easily on its landscape.”— Malecha

"I was thrilled to have received 2nd place, let alone being shortlisted for this competition."—Second Place Winner Martin Sztyk

3RD PLACE: Pocket Airports

DESCRIPTION: Pocket airports created a new aircraft, integrating quiet electric propulsion, supersonic speeds, and vertical takeoff/landing capability.

JURY COMMENTS

“The airport uses existing infrastructure within a city for the airport--a good approach where cities have a lot of derelict buildings, as it encourages regeneration.” — Norman

“This is a strong vision of what aviation could look like 150 years from now. By utilizing existing structures, this student improves passenger experience, allows faster travel time, and frees up valuable land to be used for other purposes.” — Fentress

“To be considered among the future up and coming designers and architects, gives me a great sense of personal satisfaction and accomplishment.” — Third Place Winner Alexander Nevarez

Oliver will be awarded the top prize valued at $10,000, including $3,000 cash and a paid internship at Fentress Architects this summer. The runner-up and third place winner will receive cash awards of $1,000 and $500 respectively. The top 16 finalist designs will also gain international exposure in the traveling exhibition Now Boarding: Fentress Airports + The Architecture of Flight, which provides a multi-media journey through the past, present and future of airport design. The exhibit debuts on July 15, 2012 at the Denver Art Museum. Visit http://www.fentressarchitects.com/aof for more about the competition and http://www.nowboarding.org/ for information about the Now Boarding museum exhibition.

Fentress Architects is a global design firm that passionately pursues the creation of sustainable and iconic architecture. Together with their clients, Fentress creates inspired design to improve the human environment. Founded by Curtis Fentress in 1980, the firm has designed US$26 billion of architectural projects worldwide, visited by over 300 million people each year. Fentress is a dynamic learning organization, driven to grow its ability to design, innovate and exceed client expectations. The firm has been honored with over 385 distinctions for design excellence and innovation, and in 2010, Curtis Fentress was recognized by the American Institute of Architects with the most prestigious award for public architecture, the Thomas Jefferson Award. Fentress has studios in Denver, Colorado; Los Angeles, California; San Jose, California; Washington, D.C.; and London, U.K. http://www.fentressarchitects.com

Please contact Angela Potrykus at 303.282.6192 or Potrykus(at)fentressarchitects(dot)com for additional images, jury comments or other information.

# # #

Angela Potrykus, PR
Fentress Architects
303-282-6192
Email Information

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Fentress Architects Unveils Winning Student Designs for Airport of the Future

The Golf Course Design Architects industry was hit hard by the recession as golf courses drew fewer customers. In addition, the overbuilding of golf courses during the 1980s and 1990s left industry firms with little to design as the demand for golf decreased. However, more people are expected to hit the links in the coming five years, which will boost demand for golf courses, and in turn, demand for industry services. For these reasons, industry research firm IBISWorld has added a report on the Golf Course Design Architects industry to its growing industry report collection.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 21, 2012

The number of golf course projects declined since 2007, when the subprime mortgage crisis compressed investor assets and, therefore, resulted in a pause in construction. A weak recovery from the ensuing Great Recession has limited opportunities for the Golf Course Design Architects industry. IBISWorld estimates industry revenue will decline at a 3.5% annualized pace in the five years to 2012; this including a 4.7% rebound in 2012 to $163.3 million. According to IBISWorld industry analyst Agata Kaczanowska, due to stalls in business since 2007, employment fell at an average annual rate of 1.8% to 1,613 employees as companies cut costs through layoffs. Nonetheless the number of businesses in the industry increased at an annualized rate of 1.4% in the past five years to total 1,406 in 2012. This increase in firms resulted primarily from growth in the number of non-employers, as some laid-off employees established their own businesses in the same field because it is so specialized. Unfortunately for these companies, more firms bidding on fewer projects boosted competition for golf course design architects, even on smaller contracts. More bids per project forced prices down, squeezing average industry profit.

Demand for new courses is expected to decline due to a sustained drop in golf participation. According to the National Sporting Goods Association the number of people who golfed more than once during 2010 was 21.9 million, down from 25.6 million in 2008 and 26.4 million in 2000 (most recent data available). “As many golf courses continue to demand smaller projects in the next five years because the market for new golf courses is saturated, golf course managers are anticipated to hire independent architects as opposed to larger design firms, which are usually more expensive,” says Kaczanowska. Consequently growth in the number of firms in the Golf Course Design Architects industry is forecast to exceed employment increases in the next five years as well. Resumed contracts from before the Great Recession are forecast to generate substantial revenue gains for the industry. However, the industry is expected to rebound slowly in the next five years because of limited demand from golf courses and country clubs.

This industry has a medium level of market share concentration. This industry is characterized by many small-scale operators, often individual proprietors and partners that operate in narrow geographic markets. The majority of establishments do not have a payroll. A large percentage of industry participants are sole proprietors that rely on subcontracted labor on a per project basis, or are hired to join construction teams made up of other specialized designers and architects. Most employer firms are two-person enterprises in 2012. For more information, visit IBISWorld’s Golf Course Design Architects report in the US industry page.

Follow IBISWorld on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/IBISWorld

Friend IBISWorld on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/IBISWorld/121347533189

IBISWorld industry Report Key Topics

This industry plans and designs land developments for golf courses by applying knowledge of land characteristics with the game of golf. Golf course design firms also renovate and remodel existing golf courses.

Industry Performance

Executive Summary

Key External Drivers

Current Performance

Industry Outlook

Industry Life Cycle

Products & Markets

Supply Chain

Products & Services

Major Markets

Globalization & Trade

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About IBISWorld Inc.

Recognized as the nation’s most trusted independent source of industry and market research, IBISWorld offers a comprehensive database of unique information and analysis on every US industry. With an extensive online portfolio, valued for its depth and scope, the company equips clients with the insight necessary to make better business decisions. Headquartered in Los Angeles, IBISWorld serves a range of business, professional service and government organizations through more than 10 locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.ibisworld.com or call 1-800-330-3772.

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Gavin Smith
IBISWorld
+1(310) 866 5042
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Golf Course Design Architects in the US Industry Market Research Report Now Available From IBISWorld

By Eliot Brown

Here’s a sign that the wounds in the construction sector may be slowly on the mend: Architects are working more.

For three straight months now, the Architecture Billings Index ? a measure from the American Institute of Architects ? has shown slight increases in work levels at architectural firms, with the latest figures showing a score in January of 50.9, compared with 51.0 in December. (Above 50 means work levels go up; below means they went down).

Of course, architectural work doesn?t always translate into new construction. But the index tends to provide a decent lens into the mood of the real estate world, and an increase may lay the groundwork for new construction projects months down the road.

The upward tick comes after what was generally a tough year in 2011, as governments and developers steered clear of much new development.

Broken down by types of work, architects working on apartment buildings registered a slightly greater increase in work than others, with a score for the past three months of 52.6.

One can likely expect this to continue: with empty rental apartments continuing to fill up as home-ownership rates drop, the multifamily sector has been the best-performing area of the commercial real estate world, and few analysts expect it to reverse course anytime soon.

Originally posted here:
Architects See Glimmers of Hope for New Construction