Houses associated with noted architect Henry Hobson Richardson and landscape architect John Charles Olmsted got a temporary reprieve from the wrecking ball Tuesday, when the preservation board of Brookline, Massachusetts, voted to postpone demolition for 18 months.

In a virtual hearing that lasted nearly three hours and drew international attention, the Brookline Preservation Commission voted 8-to-0 to support the staffs finding of significance for the two houses, an action that gives the panel the authority to delay demolition.

The hearing was triggered when a developer asked the preservation panel to approve full demolition of three contiguous properties in a section of Brookline within the Green Hill historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, including the former Richardson house at 25 Cottage Street and the former Olmsted property at 222 Warren Street.

The commission also voted 8-to-0 to temporarily block the demolition of the third property, a 1971 prefabricated deck house at 39 Cottage Street, built on land carved out of the parcel owned by Richardson.

The panel voted on the three properties separately but arrived at the same unanimous decision each time. The action is intended to allow time for Brooklines preservation staff and others to meet with the property owner, Jeff Birnbaum of Pioneer Construction andWarren Cottage Ventures LLC, and explore possible alternatives to razing the three houses.

The birthplace and hometown of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Brookline is an incorporated town of about 60,000 in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Its part of the Greater Boston area but has its own system of government. The commissions votes do not prevent changes to the landscape during the 18-month demolition delay period.

The panel drew praise for its action from preservationists and architectural historians in New England and beyond who said Richardson (1838 to 1886), was one of the most influential architects in America and that his former house deserves to be preserved, perhaps as the anchor for a new local historic district in Brookline.

This is ridiculous that were thinking of tearing these houses down, said Bruce Shaw, a neighboring property owner. It makes no sense whatsoever.

This is H. H. Richardsons home, said Harry Friedman, president of the Friends of the Brookline Preservation Commission, referring to 25 Cottage Street. If any building in Brookline satisfies the requirements for a demolition delay, this is it.

But speakers at Tuesdays meeting also warned that advocates for saving the three properties shouldntlet down their guard just because the commission temporarily blocked demolition.

They stressed that the panels action in itself wont protect the houses for more than 18 months and that the preservation staff has more work to do if it wants to save the houses.

I have no doubt that all three of these properties will end up with an 18-month demolition delay, which is an infinity compared to the city of Boston, said speaker Henry Moss, before the vote was taken on the Richardson house.

But we should draw no false comfort from that. I urge the commission and Brookline the town to look for ways to maximize your leverage. You dont know when the property might change hands again and you dont know when it will be put forth on the market as a blank slate 18 months from now.

Our area as a whole is suffering from a housing crisis and we understand that, said Nick Armata, senior planner for the Boston Landmarks Commission, who noted that he is speaking for himself and not his employer. But that should not come at the cost of our culture, and these two buildings are our culture, he said, referring to the houses with ties to Richardson and Olmsted.

The developer did not address the panel during the hearing. His attorney, Jennifer Dopazo Gilbert, noted that he has cooperated with the towns preservation planners so far and will continue to do so. As a sign of good faith, she said, he recently allowed the staff to visit the three houses in preparation for this weeks hearing.

The owner seeks to work collaboratively with the staff and the commission, she said. Certainly, if they had some ulterior motive, they wouldnt have allowed access to the staff and they wouldnt have been in continuous communication.

Asked if the developer has any intention of listening to the preservationists, Gilbert said he does.

We are absolutely listening, she said. Weve been in lengthy, lengthy discussions already with preservation staff. Weve brought the staff out to all three properties. We are here to listen this evening.

The hearing drew comments from a wide range of groups, companies, and individuals who work to preserve significant examples of architecture and landscape architecture.

Correspondences came from the National Trust for Historic Preservation; the American Society of Landscape Architects; the Society of Architectural Historians; Preservation Massachusetts; the Boston Preservation Alliance; Historic New England; the New York Landmarks Conservancy; Harvard University; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the University of Delaware; the University of Pennsylvania; the Victorian Society in America, several Olmsted-related groups and numerous Olmsted and Richardson scholars. Many noted the close relationship between the Olmsteds and Richardson.

Elton Elperin, chair of the Brookline commission, said the three properties on the agenda drew more than 300 letters and emails, more than any other issue the board has considered that he can remember. He said virtually all, if not all of the writers expressed support for saving the houses.

The outpouring of support for saving the houses came from people based locally, nationally and even internationally, Elperin told the panel. Theyve written us asking us to do whatever we can to prevent demolition and preserve them.

Elperin read excerpts from a message sent by the National Association of Olmsted Parks, which noted that Brooklines Green Hill historic district reflected an extraordinary confluence of design talent and that Frederick Law Olmsted, John Charles Olmsted, and H. H. Richardson worked within yards of one another, shaping Nineteenth and early Twentieth-Century architecture and landscape design in ways that continue to reverberate today.

Two representatives from Docomomo also spoke in favor of saving the deck house.

The deck house is increasingly an endangered species, said New England chapter president emeritus David Fixler. We should be increasingly vigilant about trying to save those good examples of this very innovative and interesting and commodious housing type where we can. This is an excellent opportunity.

As with many preservation boards faced with a demolition permit application, the Brookline panel focused its hearing on determining the historical and architectural significance of the existing structures and did not permit testimony about possible future uses for the properties.

Dopazo Gilbert, the developers attorney, said several times that Birnbaum does not have any specific plans for the property and wanted to see what action the panel takes at its hearing.

Others said they thought the fact that the application called for full demolition is a sign that the developer isnt inclined to save the buildings. Dopazo Gilbert said the developer did that to leave his options open and provide a starting point for discussion. She said the fact that he allowed the preservation staff to tour the buildings this month and take photos is a sign that he wants to work with the town.

I want to be really clear, that there is no plan on the table to demolish these properties, she said. No one knows what the plans are. In fact, demolition can be triggered by simply adding an addition, changing a roofline, tinkering with any significant feature on the building at all. So this application does not mean that these buildings are coming down. Were trying to work with the town, and to say otherwise is simply unfair.

All three houses are currently vacant. There was testimony that the Richardson house has been empty for more than a decade, is in poor condition, and that valuable John La Farge stained glass windows and other distinctive features were removed long ago. Shaw, one of the neighbors, said he believes it has been vacant for nearly 20 years.

Of the three houses Birnbaum controls, preservationists said, the Richardson house is considered the most important. In 2004, the house was placed on Preservation Massachusetts list of the states most endangered historic resources. In 2007, the National Trust for Historic Preservation put it on its annual list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in the country.

Born in Louisiana and educated at Harvard College, Tulane University, and the cole des Beaux-Arts, Richardson ranks as one of the most respected American architects born in the 1800s and is remembered for working in a style known as Richardsonian Romanesque.

His buildings include Trinity Church in Boston; Marshall Fields Wholesale Store in Chicago (no longer standing); the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh; the John J. Glessner House in Chicago; Stonehurst, the Robert Treat Paine Estate in Waltham, Massachusetts, and several dozen public libraries.

According to staff preservation planner Tina McCarthy, the house was constructed as a summer home for a merchant and avid horticulturist in 1804 and modified over the years by various owners. She said Richardson originally moved there as a tenant in 1874, the home was deeded to the Richardson family after the owner died, Richardson lived there until his death in 1886, and it stayed with the Richardson family until 1899.

Because the architect used its first-floor north parlor as a design studio, she said, it was the workplace for others who became principals at Shepley Bulfinch, including George Foster Shepley, Charles Allerton Coolidge, and Charles Hercules Rutan.

McCarthy noted that the house was constructed by builders from the West Indies, a fact that speaker Donald Carleton said potentially gives it another layer of significance in the Black Lives Matter era. McCarthy also said the house retains certain features from the years Richardson lived there, including cork walls and a series of hooks in the bedroom ceiling that the architect, who was bedridden in his later years and died at 47, used with a series of ropes and pulleys to get in and out of bed.

Several speakers made the point that New England is known for saving other architects houses, such as the Walter Gropius House, now a museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and said they believed the Richardson house is worth saving too.

The most famous resident of 222 Warren Street, John Charles Olmsted (1852 to 1920), was the nephew and adopted son of noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. After Frederick Law Olmsted retired, John Charles Olmsted and his younger half-brother, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., continued his landscape architecture practice, doing business as Olmsted Brothers. John Charles Olmsted also served as the first president of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

The house at 222 Warren Street is known as Cliffside and the earliest parts of it date from before 1850. According to McCarthy, John Charles Olmsted lived there for two years, from 1918 to 1920, but was associated with it and the town for much longer than that because his wife, Sophia, grew up there and he previously lived nearby.

McCarthy showed photos of a large skylight over the central stairway, a sleeping-porch with accordion doors, and other distinctive features. According to one speaker, Kate Poverman, the house contains a mural that represents work from the Hudson River School of Art but she didnt know the exact artist.

It was no accident that John Charles Olmsted chose the house next door to 25 Cottage Street, then the home and studio of H. H. Richardson, for his residence, McCarthy said. The location, just down the street from Frederick Law Olmsteds own home and studio, was at the center of a vibrant neighborhood of architects actively engaged in reshaping the city landscape in Boston and across the country. It was H. H. Richardson, a friend and colleague of Frederick Law Olmsted from their days living in Staten Island, who introduced his father to the idea of living in Brookline.

While the third house wasnt the home of a famous architect or landscape architect, McCarthy said it was a good example of a prefabricated deck house that was constructed in the mid-century for residents who were moving to Brookline. She presented photos showing how it rises above a ravine and forms an ensemble with the other two houses. As a simple shell with a highly flexible interior, its Corbusier without all the modernist rhetoric, said speaker Dennis De Witt.

Now that theres a demolition delay, several attendees suggested that the three houses could be the nucleus for a new local historic district in Brookline. They noted that the houses already tell the story of Brooklines growth over time, as reflected by three very different architectural styles.

McCarthy acknowledged that creating a local historic district is an idea worth exploring. But, she said, Brookline generally wants the impetus for creating a local historic district to come from property owners themselves, rather than the preservation commission.

It is really quite challenging to think of any neighborhood with a comparable pedigree, said Anne Neal Petri, president and CEO of the National Association for Olmsted Parks.

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HH Richardson and John Charles Olmsted homes get temporary reprieve from the wrecking ball - The Architect's Newspaper

L+M Development Partners, Type A Projects, BronxWorks, and the City of New York have closed on $349 million financing package to complete phase one of Bronx Point, a new mixed-use affordable housing complex in the South Bronx. As a public-private partnership, the financing entities include the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the New York City Housing Development Corporation, Empire State Development, Wells Fargo, and additional private funding sources.

The overall funding includes $323.5 million for the building, along with $25.5 million from the NYC Economic Development Corporation for the construction of a waterfront esplanade along the Harlem River.

A critical component to making our city fairer is strengthening neighborhoods for all New Yorkers, said James Patchett, president and CEO of New York City Economic Development Corporation. Today marks a major step toward advancing the administrations key investments in the South Bronx. By bringing affordable housing, waterfront access, and a range of cultural facilities, we are creating a more equitable New York.

Phase one of the development includes 542 units of permanently affordable housing. Qualifying households include those in incomes at 30 percent to 120 percent of the area median income. A portion of the units will also be reserved for the formerly homeless.

The mix of apartment layouts will include 135 studios, 192 one-bedrooms, 122 two-bedrooms, and 93 three-bedrooms. Occupants will have access to a private outdoor terrace, laundry facilities, a childrens room, a community lounge, a bike storage room, and a fitness center.

Additional components of phase one include 2.8 acres of public outdoor space, a permanent home for the Universal Hip Hop Museum, and an early childhood space run by BronxWorks. The development will also support a vibrant mix of cultural and community-focused programs and outdoor science programming facilitated by the Billion Oyster Project.

For years, weve wanted a permanent home in The Bronxthe birthplace of hip hopand we are proud to be a part of Bronx Point, which will be one of the great new destinations of the borough, said Kurtis Blow, an award-winning hip-hop artist and chairman emeritus of the Universal Hip Hop Museum. Hip hop grew from a seed that was planted at a house party on Sedgwick Avenue into a global movement, and our museum will celebrate that journey and the Bronxs place in its history. For all those who rose with us and followed in our footsteps: this museum will be for you, forever.

Rendering of Bronx Point S9 Architecture

Rendering of Bronx Point S9 Architecture

Designed by S9 Architecture & Engineering, Bronx Point comprises four interlocking volumes that gradually step up and top out at 22 stories. The volumes take rise from a large retail podium and surround a large rooftop courtyard above the podium levels.

The grounds and open spaces are designed by Marvel Architects with landscape architect Abel Bainnson Butz. Areas open to the public will include a playground and landscaped area adjacent to the existing Mill Pond Park and the Bronx Childrens Museum, a landscaped esplanade along the Harlem River with walkways, seating areas, an extended BBQ area, fitness zones for adults, and publicly accessible bathrooms. Collectively, these open space improvements will advance the city and communitys long-standing goal of providing access to the Harlem River waterfront and increasing public open space in the South Bronx.

Being born and raised in the South Bronx, its particularly meaningful, said Josue Sanchez, senior director at L+M Development Partners. At a moment when New Yorkers continue to struggle through the impacts of the pandemic, its even more critical for us to begin work on a project that will serve so many in a way thats true to the borough, from high-quality affordable housing and community programming, to much-needed open space along the Harlem River, to a permanent home for the Universal Hip Hop Museum.

Rendering of Bronx Point esplanade S9 Architecture

Overall, Bronx Point will include up to 1,045 apartment units. Construction on phase one is expected to break ground in the coming weeks and be completed by late 2023.

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Developers Secure $349M for Bronx Point Affordable Housing Complex, in the South Bronx - New York YIMBY

Throughout the world architects are designing green buildings, whether its in their sustainable construction, environmentally friendly operation or actually green by style.

Its broadly titled biophilia, connecting people with nature, and it can lead to some creative and innovative designs.

But now we are finding that literally greening the world by covering building walls and roofs with vegetation can also come with some unexpected problems.

Read more: Greening our grey cities: here's how green roofs and walls can flourish in Australia

In the Chinese city of Chengdu, a vast green experimental housing estate of 826 apartments was constructed where people can live in a vertical forest with every open space and balcony containing live vegetation.

Trouble is they must share the plants with a scourge of mosquitoes and other bugs. Most apartments in the Qiyi City Forest Gardens development were sold by April 2020, but six months later only a handful of families had reportedly moved in.

The towers were built in 2018 and plants were provided to reduce noise and clean up pollution. But the plants thrived, while sales moved slowly, and no one was clipping the greenery to keep it in control.

Read more: Unbuilding cities as high-rises reach their use-by date

Now mostly empty balconies have cascading branches of plants overtaking space, blocking windows.

It might not help that Chengdu and its population of 16.3 million people are located in Sichuan, central China, which is humid and semi-tropical, a perfect environment for fast-breeding mossies.

But a slow uptake, with tenants slow to move in, made the problem worse as the plants subsumed their buildings.

Other green projects across the globe have avoided this particular problem, so far.

Milans Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) was designed by Stefano Boeri and botanist Laura Gatti.

They reportedly spent long hours selecting suitable vegetation, a variety of 800 trees, 5,000 shrubs and 15,000 plants, which would suit their location and the Milanese climate.

Read more: Australian cities are lagging behind in greening up their buildings

Their plan was to improve air quality in the city via the green facades, and residents have embraced the concept, which appears to be where Qiyi City Forest has gone wrong.

In Chengdu, maintenance and care of the plantings is almost non-existent, so no truly symbiotic relationship between accommodation and human occupier has formed as part of biophilic living. As is natures way, the non-human occupiers (the bugs) are winning.

US landscape architect Daryl Beyers, from the New York Botanical Garden, says the Chengdu setup didnt work partly as a result of bad design.

In Chengdus humid climate and clammy monsoons, stagnant water collects in planters which are not properly drained, and mosquitoes breed in these.

Beyers adds:

They [the developers] didnt think about the maintenance [] You cant have a garden without a gardener.

They were touting it as a manicured garden outside on your deck. If its manicured, someone has to do the manicuring.

The idea of fully manicured vegetation on balconies only works if the plants are cared for regularly. Apparently, gardeners attend Qiyi City just four times a year to maintain the plants, but they require weekly care.

One Central Park apartments in Sydney, by French architect Jean Nouvel, takes on a green mantle with plants covering most of its walls and balconies.

French botanist Patrick Blanc selected the plants on the building for their capacity for healthy growth and suitability to the Sydney habitat.

By using acacias (wattles) and poa (grasses) on upper levels and goodenia (hop bush) and viola (native violet) lower down, the vegetation is attuned to its place and growing successfully.

More than 1,100 square metres of walls support many species of plants, most of them native to Sydney. They are at home with the local climate and seasons. The plants can withstand hot, dry and windy Australian summers and have survived since 2014.

Green buildings are necessary for the environment. We need to redress the loss of our natural resources and their benefits, and green buildings can do that by adopting appropriate design, energy efficiencies, renewable materials and green technologies.

Read more: A third of our waste comes from buildings. This one's designed for reuse and cuts emissions by 88%

Central Parks success could be emulated at Chengdu, by tracing back the original design intent and adopting a workable maintenance and management plan.

The lessons from both projects indicate that proper planning and appropriate selection of vegetation, which is then fed and watered by applicable technology, will yield a proficient green building.

People feel comfort living with nature, and a vertical garden gives those in high-rise towers a chance to share that comfort. But with the benefits come responsibilities.

The clue here is that a faithfully biophilic building must be appropriate for use. That means appropriate in terms of the place, natural resources, local climate and the people who must manage and occupy the natural surroundings.

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Green buildings can bring fresh air to design, but they can also bring pests - The Conversation AU

Mayor Kirk Caldwell and city officials dedicated two new pieces of contemporary artwork by local artists at Thomas Square this afternoon that will be part of a new program.

The two, site-specific works Hookumu Moana (The Source The Deep Ocean) by Bernice Akamine and 16 Cube Truss (About Building Systems) by Sean Connelly were commissioned by the city at a cost of about $35,000.

The new Art at Thomas Square program is intended to enhance the visitor experience at the park while engaging the public with thought-provoking artwork. The two new pieces will be on view along the South Beretania Street side of the square for one year, and then rotate with other works by local artists.

Art at Thomas Square is part of a vision we had for this historic park, said Caldwell in a news release. The artwork installed encourages people to come together to enjoy nature, art, and history. Mahalo to artists, Bernice Akamine and Sean Connelly, for sharing their talent and creativity with all of us through the two temporary art pieces dedicated today. I would also like to thank Executive Director Misty Kelai of the Mayors Office of Culture and the Arts for her hard work on this program. I believe we live in the most beautiful city in the world and its through programs like this, that we are able to keep it that way.

Akamines piece represents a water drop honoring the cycle of water from its source as a single, ethereal raindrop drawn from the mist and clouds of the mountains that then flows downward, where it mixes and becomes part of the moana, or deep ocean.

The piece is made out of stainless steel wire using one of the oldest styles of net-making, with small crystals woven into a sphere which pays homage to the importance of celestial navigation and its connection with the ocean.

The artwork was created in a time of great uncertainty using constellations found in the sky during the start of the makahiki season, when the physical work on the artwork began, said Akamine, adding that opportunities for artists have been far and few between since the start of COVID-19. I wanted Hookumu Moana to be about the possibility of peace, abundance and hope during these trying times for Hawaii and all of humanity.

Connellys sculpture is an example of modern architecture, with interlocking squares held together by the indigenous technology of lashing. The work, made of wood constructed by Ian Eichelberger with lashings installed by Hawaiian artist Kupihea, demonstrate a new basis for architecture in Honolulu..

Connelly said that his sculpture honors the significance of this special site of Thomas Square for its history of Hawaiian sovereignty as well as the parks status as being designed by Hawaiis first female landscape architect.

The sculpture demonstrates a new basis for architecture in Honolulu because how we build the systems we live in as a society influences our ability to adapt for climate change and the post-pandemic economy, said Connelly. The sculpture represents the possibility for a beautiful future for Honolulu if we respect and honor this aina, Hawaiian knowledge and the indigenous technologies represented.I dedicate this work to everybody in Hawaii as a symbol of hope.

Two other permanent artworks from the citys collection already installed at Thomas Square include Tree by Charles Watson (1974), and Makiki Tree by Edward Brownlee (1967).

Renovations to Thomas Square, which include the addition of new lighting, a restored fountain and restrooms, are ongoing, and are expected to continue into next year.

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Two new art pieces on display at Thomas Square for a year - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Some of you may have spent some time this holiday season revamping your resume and updating your portfolio. If you're well versed inBIMandarchitectural visualization, reign in the new year with a new job!

Helping the architecture community stay up to date with employment news and professional development resources, Archinect has selected a list of employment opportunities worth exploring. While you may be ready to say goodbye to 2020, here's a list of employment opportunities relating to BIM and architectural visualization that you may have missed.

*Need a bit of help with yourupcoming job interviewor looking for ways toexpand your skills as a professional? Check out our Archinect Tips section created for students and design professionals looking to improve their skills.

Jeff Zbikowski Architecture seeks aProject Manager

Firm Details:JZAis an up and coming Santa Monica-based design firm that is in search of motivated, self-starters with a design background to work part or full-time on a variety of residential projects from custom single-family renovations to 100+ unit mixed-use & apartment buildings. As a growing firm, we are able to offer a growth based position with lots of responsibility and hands-on learning on all phases of project design and delivery.

Ideal Candidate: Someone whowill possess experience and passion for design. The candidate shall be responsible for BIM modeling, rendering, developing office standards, compiling presentations. Must have5+ years of work experience in California, with an understanding of the Los Angeles permit process. Working on or attained a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture from a NAAB accredited school. Proficiency in Autodesk Revit & Sketchup is required, without exception. Possess a strong visual design trait including rendering and graphic design

KAL Architects seeks a Project Architect

Firm Details:KAL Architects, Inc. (KAL), a small business with 18 employees, is based in Irvine, and Sacramento, CA, provides a full spectrum of architecture, engineering, interior design, planning, and construction management services. Founded in 1991, we have accumulated almost 30 years of continuous nationwide service to multiple branches of the Departments of Defense (DoD), Veterans Affairs, and other Federal agencies.We utilize the latest BIM/CADD technology and tools to manage projects and communicate interactively with our clients and consultants.

Ideal Candidate: They will develop and oversee the completion of Federal projects in a manner consistent with the firms standards for project delivery. They will have overall responsibility for client relationships, quality of work performed, client service, and profitability. They will manage all aspects of the architecture-engineering design, design development, production of construction documents, and construction administration.

Schiller Projects seeks a BIM Specialist/Manager

Firm Details:Award-winning design shop based in NY. We believe design is a partnership of strategy + craft.

Ideal Candidate:Schiller Projects is seeking an experienced BIM Specialist & Manager who is interested in working on a diverse range of projects within our growing NYC team. The chosen candidate will be highly committed to developing work of the highest quality in a self-motivated but collaborative manner, with an innate desire to perpetually learn and grow. They will lead efforts in improving and implementing BIM standards throughout the studio. Draft comprehensive drawing sets from concept through construction documents utilizing BIM on an expert level and generate detailed 3D models to develop all aspects throughout the changing design process. Must be proficient in 3D detailing, fabrication, and proficiency in Rhino and parametric modeling via Grasshopper.

Rene Gonzalez Architecture seeks a BIM Technician

Firm Details:Rene Gonzalez Architects (RGA)is a firm with a reputation for design excellence, creative problem solving, and a high level of client service. We focus on projects that require a unique level of critical thinking and an extraordinary attention to detail. Our approach is always holistic, engaging interiors and landscape as well as architecture on projects that vary in scale from high-end custom homes, residential and commercial interiors to museum and gallery spaces, exhibition design, hospitality, and retail.

Ideal Candidate: Applicants should have demonstrable knowledge and a proven background including fluency in Revit and at least five to seven years minimum professional experience in BIM management with advanced knowledge of the Revit platform. In addition, they should have experience working on projects from the Schematic Design to the Construction Document phases and should be qualified in contemporary design, construction detailing. This position may be full-time, or we are open to discussing work on an Independent Contractor basis, to be determined.

MANDAWORKS AB seeks a Master Vision Builder

Firm Details:Mandaworks is a progressive and contemporary design studio engaged in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and comprehensive planning.The Stockholm based studio was founded in 2010 and is owned and operated by partners Martin Arfalk and Patrick Verhoeven. The supporting multidisciplinary design team spans nine nationalities and features a fertile mix of professional and educational backgrounds. The core team is complemented with a strong and growing network of collaborators across Europe, Asia, and North America.

Ideal Candidate:a passionate visual and graphical communicator to join our Stockholm office! Mandaworks is a team of architects, urban planners, and landscape architects working internationally to develop, design, and communicate big visions across a variety of scales and contexts. We value passion and mindset above all else and would love to find a like-minded individual who is hungry to grow, learn, and work together with our team to cultivate our unique visual language and style. Must be an expert 3D modeling skills with a strong working knowledge of Sketchup, Rhino, Vray, and the Adobe Suite.

The Boundaryseeks anArchitectural Visualizer

Firm Details:As pioneers of digital technologies for graphic representation of the built environment, The Boundary continues to operate ahead of the curve, providing progressive and ambitious clients with game-changing content continually setting new standards, and raising the bar within the industry.

Ideal Candidate:The firm seeks Mid-level and Senior level visualization artists with a minimum of 2 years of experience to join our office inNew York.

Leroy Street Studio seeks an Architectural Visualization Specialist

Firm Details:Leroy Street Studio is a unique architectural practice inspired by innovation in design, the craft of construction, and a collaborative approach. Learn more about the firm in our Archinect Studio Snapshot interview.

Ideal Candidate:They areseeking a creative and organized individual to support project teams in the design process through 3D modeling and visualization.Responsibilities include: developinga range of digital visualizations from quick drawings for internal use to professional-quality drawings for presentations and marketing including digital modeling, rendering, conceptual diagrams, and VR experiences.

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Passionate about BIM and architectural visualization? See who's currently hiring on Archinect Jobs - Archinect

Welcome to Pat Musicks childhood home, where the outdoors is indoors, art covers the walls and wildlife parades by its windows all day long.

This is the magical earthship her father built in the late 40s and 50s, before such things even had a name. Her father being Archie Musick, the famed Colorado Springs painter and teacher known for his signature egg tempera and colored pencils painting technique, and the murals he left that still live on at the Manitou Springs Post Office, Colorado Springs City Auditorium and Canyon Elementary School.

Step right up to the elaborately carved front door, a project Archie tackled one summer while taking a wood-carving workshop at the FAC school from Mary Chenoweth, one of the Pikes Peak regions most prolific artists in her day. Once inside, a short flight of stairs carries you up into the living room with its linoleum-covered concrete floor and the homes most memorable landmark a giant boulder that bulges into the house and accompanying slab of rock that makes up the east wall.

The home won an award for originality in 1959 from McCalls, a monthly womens magazine.

It makes me miss it tremendously when Im somewhere else, says Pat, who has returned to live in the 1,100- square-foot home. Ive lived in London and appreciated the multicultural offerings, but I missed the wide-open spaces and the rocks and sky. It makes me feel contact with the natural world is essential.

A short flight of stairs delivers you up into the light-filled kitchen where three walls of windows offer postcard views of Pikes Peak, Cheyenne Mountain and Garden of the Gods. Care for an evening stroll through the iconic park with its soaring sandstone formations? Exit the kitchen onto the roof. A few steps later youre on terra firma, part of the beauty of living in the house as a child.

I was aware that not everyone got to go right out the door and sit on a cactus or skin their knees climbing on rocks, Pat says. My friends who came over to play didnt remark on the architecture, but we were running up and down the stairs and out on the rocks and all the fun things, which they didnt have.

If youre very lucky, youll be invited into the two back bedrooms and bathroom, where Archie the muralist left his mark. King Neptune and his trident lord above the angry seas high on a bathroom wall, while a childrens literature mural stretches across what used to be Pat and her brothers room when they were tiny. It replicates the more extensive mural he painted in Canyon Elementary School in 1954. A second mural rich with horses and bison dances across the wall of a second bedroom. Youll recognize the imagery if youve visited the bottom-floor restroom of the FAC, where Archie painted a similar mural.

He studied under nationally renowned painter, lithographer and illustrator Boardman Robinson at the Broadmoor Art Academy in the 1920s and 30s before it became Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College; painter and muralist Thomas Benton Hart in New York City; and painter Stanton Macdonald-Wright in Los Angeles.

Its (the house) a work of Archies art in some respects, and not just a typical home, says The Art Bank & Oriental Rug Center co-owner Blake Wilson.

Its reflective of his paintings in the way he saw the landscape. Most Benton students mimicked Benton in their styles. It was refreshing to see Archie being different and true to his own feelings. His prints are very moody, from whimsical to moody and spiritual.

This was where little kindergartner Pat sat at the kitchen table taking art lessons from her mom, Irene Musick, an award-winning ceramics artist. She was head of the ceramics department at the University of Missouri in Columbia when she met Archie, who taught art at the school. In the mid-to-late 60s, she taught at The Colorado Springs School for Girls, now The Colorado Springs School. Her pottery decorates the living room shelves. An old mixing bowl she made in graduate school rests in a kitchen cupboard.

I remember sitting one winter day and she said lets draw the Christmas decorations downtown, Pat says. She did beautiful drawings and was showing me how to make things look smaller in the distance. At kindergarten age she was teaching me one- point perspective.

To absolutely no ones surprise, young Pat grew into an accomplished artist. She works primarily in enameling and calligraphy/letterforms, but also, just like her father, has produced three public murals in Colorado. And much like him, she turns to the natural world and culture for inspiration: It does something to you growing up with a rock in your living room, she says.

The Missouri-born Archie landed in the Springs in a spectacular fashion. The law was hot on his and a buddys trail in Pueblo theyd been hopping on freight trains and railroad authorities were not pleased when they made a quick turn into a drugstore and saw a rack of postcards with scenes from Garden of the Gods. He remembered seeing the images as a 6-year-old sitting on his mothers lap and peering into an old stereoscope. So the men hopped a freight train and traveled north, where Archie first became aware of the academy and resolved to return to study. In 1927, he made good on that promise.

His first Springs digs was a modified chicken shack within walking distance of the outskirts of Garden of the Gods. When a friend pointed out a natural amphitheater in the nearby sandstone rocks, he was sold.

Something should be done about this, I said to the rocks, wrote Archie in an unpublished memoir. Its too damn good to pass through the ages unnoticed. What a view. What two views. The inspiration hit me like a pile driver. This was the place. For 11 years I had lived within 150 feet of the grandest building site in the west, and had never tumbled.

After returning from a civil service stint during WWII, Archie and Irene spent their summer vacations working on the home. The project was greatly influenced by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who believed in incorporating the landscape into the architecture. That philosophy was reflected in Archies set of three rules for the home: Keep it simple, dont offend the landscape and make it as close to living out of doors as possible.

The ingredients: cinder block, concrete, wood, oak, possibly repurposed railroad ties, plywood steel beams, granite rocks, stucco and a noteworthy contribution lichen-covered river rocks delivered by famed muralist Eric Bransby and his wife, the watercolor artist Mary Ann Bransby, from their property south of town on Colorado 115.

The Musicks permanently moved to the Springs in 1951 and finished the house in 1954. Archie found work teaching art in the Cheyenne Mountain School District, while taking classes at the FAC school.

He also wrote a column about art and artists for The Gazette Telegraph, telling stories about his cronies and the American Regionalism art movement modern art that depicted realistic scenes of rural and small-town America, mostly in the Midwest. His memoir, Musick Medley: Intimate Memories of a Rocky Mountain Art Colony, is a must for those interested in the genre, says Wilson.

Archie will be known as a storyteller, literally and figuratively, he says. He depicts the Western landscape as a mysterious and spiritual world. Hell honor those who were here before us. His home is a part of the landscape and the people who were here before him are a part of that landscape.

Upkeep of the house fell to the wayside after Archie died in 1978. Pat returned and shored up the house electrical rewiring, replumbing, reinsulation and the like. The home was, and can still be, a challenge.

This was in the county at the time, and not part of the city, she says. Whatever building codes there might have been might have applied in the city, but they didnt apply here.

Nowadays Pat creates her art in two back studios, where her parents once toiled over their creations. And while she works, its highly possible a deer with an antler mistakenly growing out of the center of his forehead will stroll by, peer in and keep trucking. She appreciates the unusual treasure shes been gifted.

Theres a sentimental value in living in and restoring a house built by my parents own hands.

Contact the writer: 636-0270

Read this article:
Colorado painter leaves legacy in home built into Garden of the Gods - Colorado Springs Gazette

Florida Times-Union

The spotlight shone brightly this year on Jacksonvilles Black community, revealing pain, injustice, success and triumphs.

It was a year of anniversaries. The 120th anniversary of Lift Evry Voice and Sing, the song written by native sons James Weldon and John Rosamond Johnson, was celebrated with numerous performances, including on Facebook, at NFL games and during the NBA All-Star Game on TNT.

The city hired renowned black landscape architect Walter Hood to transform the LaVilla park named for the song at the site of the Johnson brothers home. Its expected to be completed next year.

A more solemn occasion, the 60th anniversary for Ax Handle Saturday when whites bludgeoned Black protesters in Downtown Jacksonville, continued to resonate in the community as numerous killings of Blacks occurred around the country.

The shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery as he jogged in Brunswick, Ga., and the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police reinforced the many social justices still facing Blacks.

But the outrage that followed the shootings created some momentum for change.

Mayor Lenny Curry ordered the removal of the Confederate soldier statue in Hemming Park that had long been a source of tension. Shortly after the park was renamed for James Weldon Johnson.

And the Duval County Public Schools took under consideration the renaming of schools that bear the names of Confederate heroes.

The Floyd killing also inspired 13-year-old Keedron Bryant from Oakleaf Junior High to write, with his mother, I Just Wanna Live, which become a theme song for the Black Lives Matter movement. It received national attention on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and at the NFL opener in Kansas City. Another of his songs, U Got This, was played during halftime Sunday at the Jaguars home opener.

And two prominent Black leaders received some well-deserved recognition.

Nat Ford, CEO of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, received national recognition from the American Public Transportation Association, which named him Outstanding Public Transportation Manager for 2020.

Under Fords leadership the city built the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center in LaVilla, a multimodal hub that brings together city and regional bus service, the Skyway and other mobility services.

School Superintendent Diana Greene was named Florida Superintendent of the Year by the Florida Association of District Superintendents. She is the second Black woman to receive the honor. Under her leadership, voters approved a half-cent sales tax to rebuild aging schools, mostly in Black neighborhoods.

Several nonprofits received large donations to enable them to expand services that benefit the Black community like the $1 million donation from Miller Electric to help the United Way of Northeast Florida develop programs about racial equity.

Edward Waters College is expanding its degree programs and adding a masters degree that will transform it into a university.

The JAX Chamber Foundation launched a program to improve economic opportunities for Blacks in Jacksonville. The Lewis and White Business League is named for two of the first Black business leaders in the city A.L. Lewis and Eartha White.

Bank of America is partnering with Florida State College at Jacksonville to create a $1 million jobs initiative focused on students of color.

2021 arrives on a hopeful note. The Black community has new programs and opportunities becoming available and a new presence in the city they didnt have a year ago.

Read the rest here:
Editorial: For Blacks, a year in the spotlight - The Florida Times-Union

Matthew Odam|Austin 360

After the worst year for restaurants and their workers in memory, Im happy to put 2020 in our rearview mirror and start thinking about what 2021 might look like.

With good and exciting news in short supply, its nice to think about what the new year will bring with it.

This list of forthcoming restaurants wont be as robust as in years past, because most restaurant owners will probably spend most of their energy on their current projects, trying to figure out how to bridge through the spring and early summer to what promises to be a much brighter fall.

Below are 16 concepts, some new and some familiar, that are slated to open in 2021. I usually include estimated opening dates, but those seem as tenuous as ever, and why put even more pressure on independent restaurant operators who still face a terrifying economic climate for the next several months.

MORE:Austin restaurants that closed during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020

BASTROP

Store House Market & Eatery

Concept: Founding Eden East and Hillside Farmacy chef Sonya Cote transforms a nearly 175-year-old building for a local and seasonal restaurant using ingredients sourced from Eden East Farm and other Bastrop producers.

Principals: Chef-owner Sonya Cote

Location: 813 Main St. Bastrop

BEE CAVES

Name: The League Kitchen & Tavern at Hill Country Galleria (fourth location)

Concept: The fourth location of the New American bistro that serves burgers, salads, sandwiches, chops and more.

Principals: TC4 & Co., owned by Tony Ciola and Creed Ford IV.

Location: 13420 Galleria Circle, A-128

MORE:Texas spirits: 5 cocktails to keep you warm

CENTRAL

Curra's Grill Hyde Park (second location)

Concept: Interior Mexican cuisine (and avocado margaritas) from the Garcia family, which has operated the original Curra's Grill on Oltorf Street for 25 years.

Principals:Daylon Garcia, son of Curra's co-founder Jorge Garcia, is the managing partner.

Location: 4215 Duval St. (old Mother's Cafe space)

Favorite's Pizza

Concept: Take-out and delivery pizza shop in the old Favorite Liquor store.

Principals: McGuire Moorman Hospitality (Perlas, Clarks, Lamberts, et al)

Location: 801 W. Sixth St.

Lutie's Garden Restaurant

Concept: Restaurant at the hotel on the Commodore Perry Estate will source from a farm on-site to create seasonal, vegetable-driven dishes, with an emphasis on aged proteins and fermentation.

Principals: Executive chef Bradley Nicholson and executive pastry chef Susana Querejazu, both veterans of Barley Swine.

Location: 4100 Red River St.

Sammie's

Concept: Classic red-sauce Italian restaurant in the spirit of famed West Hollywood spot Dan Tana's. The name is a nod to the restaurant's first iteration as a burger drive-in that Sammie Joseph opened in 1939. The property remains in the Joseph family.

Principals: McGuire Moorman Hospitality

Location: 807 W. Sixth St. (former Huts space)

Simi Estiatorio

Concept: Seafood-centric Greek restaurant serving a menu with grilled octopus, skewered scallops, grilled sardines, marinated swordfish, seafood orzo and more.

Principals: Owner George Theodosiou, a restaurateur with a long history in New York City and a resume that includes Old Homestead and Peter Luger Steak House.

Location: Littlefield Building (601 Congress Ave.)

EAST

Cosmic Saltillo (Second location)

Concept: The operators of Cosmic Coffee+ Beer Garden bring their indoor-outdoor coffee, beer and cocktail bar and courtyard concept to East Austin, along with a taqueria (Cosmic Tacos)inspired by the owners' experiences in Southern New Mexico, El Paso/Juarez and San Diego/Tijuana. Design by Clayton Korte Architect and Ten Eyck Landscape Architect.

Principals: Owner Paul Oveisi, Jason Stevens and Patrick Dean

Location: 1300 and 1302 . Fourth St., insidethe preserved Texas Oil Co/Texaco depot.

Este

Concept: Mexican-inspired seafood restaurant featuring a charcoal grill.

Principals: Suertes Sam Hellman-Mass (owner) and Fermn Nez (executive chef)

Location: 2113 Manor Road, in the old Eastside Cafe space

Micklethwait Craft Meats expansion with name TBD

Concept: The team behind one of the best barbecue operations will expand its offerings to include a market, backyard beer garden and their Taco Bronco food truck.

Principals: Pitmasters Tom Micklethwait and Ren Garcia

Location: 1309 Rosewood Ave.

NORTH

Bird Bird Biscuit (second location)

Concept: Biscuits and biscuit sandwiches.

Principals: Owners Brian Batch and Ryan McElroy, who opened the original Bird Bird Biscuit in East Austin in 2018.

Location:1401 W. Koenig Lane (old Thunderbird Coffee location)

NORTHWEST

Juliet Italian Kitchen (second location)

Concept: The second location of the neighborhood Italian restaurant serving familiar pasta dishes, pizza and more, with Italian-focused wine and cocktails.

Principals: Owner Dan Wilkins and executive chef Wade Guice

Location: The Arboretum (10000 Research Blvd.)

ROUND ROCK

Cork & Barrel Craft Kitchen + Microbrewery

Concept: Irish pub and microbrewery

Principals: Owners Jay Kudla, who has experience operating food-and-beverage concepts at sporting venues, and Irish ex-pat Sam Darlington.

Location: 4000 East Palm Valley Blvd. Round Rock

SOUTH

Jjim Korean Braised BBQ

Concept: Korean BBQ featuring braised meats (jjim), not grilled meats typically associated with Korean BBQ. Menu will also feature popular Korean dishes like japchae, jeon (Korean pancakes) and bibimbap.

Principals: CKN Hospitality, which also operates Donkey Mos Korean Fried Chicken and Roba Katsu.

Location: Lamar Union across from Alamo Drafthouse (1120 S. Lamar Blvd. Ste 2140)

Spring Fed

Concept: Austin-inspired snack bar serving burgers, tacos, salads, beer and wine just steps from Barton Springs Pool.

Principals: Chef Shawn Cirkiel of Parkside Projects (Parkside, Backspace, Olive & June)

Location: Barton Springs Concessions (2131 William Barton Drive)

Tiki Tatsu-Ya

Concept: Chef-owner Tatsu Aikawa and the team responsible for the success of Kemuri Tatsu-Ya, Ramen Tatsu-Ya, DipDipDip Tatsu-Ya and Domo Alley-Gato will open a tiki bar with Japanese-influenced food and cocktails.

Principals: Tatsu Aikawa and the Tatsu-Ya Family

Location: 1300 S. Lamar Blvd.

Tso Chinese Delivery, South (third location)

Concept: Third location of delivery and takeout service with a menu that includes General Tsos Chicken, fried rice, lo mein, soups and more.

Principals: Min Choe (CEO) and his wife, Jenna Choe (chief culinary officer).

Location: 2407 S. Congress Ave., with all ordering done through tsodelivery.com.

SOUTHWEST

Keepers Coastal Kitchen

Concept: Casual seafood restaurant from owners of District Kitchen + Cocktails in collaboration with executive chef Amir Hajimalekis mentor Rene Melendes.

Principals: Amir and Ali Hajimaleki

Location: 5701 W. Slaughter Lane (former North by Northwest space)

Oasthouse Kitchen & Bar (second location)

Concept: Pub food with a Texas twist and a menu similar to its original location in Northwest Austin.

Principals: Amir and Ali Hajimaleki

Location: 5701 W. Slaughter Lane

The rest is here:
Restaurants opening in Austin and Central Texas in 2021 - austin360

krak. architects introduces casa odyssia, a leisure residence situated within the island of corfu, in greece. settling on a verdant landscape at an altitude of 250 meters, the concrete dwelling emerges from the ground to accommodate its occupant as a modern odysseus.

all images courtesy of konstantinos stathopoulos, krak. architects

casa odyssia by krak. architects grows like a seed on the ground, by finding space among the surrounding trees and rocks, looking for ideal positioning and orientation. the synthesis develops around a central pillar, which refers to the sporadic outbursts of cypress trees, and turns south-east, opening towards the vast horizon.

all the elements of the project, made of raw concrete, meet on the site between the olive trees and the stones, creating spaces, boundaries, and views, in a logic of endless movement. the scale, the simple geometries, the materiality, provides a visual weight to the building and contribute to a doric character. the house covers an area of 142 sqm, with the possibility of expansion.

featuring a series of large openings, the dwelling becomes one with the landscape, with its areas functioning as a semi-outdoor terraces during the summer months. meanwhile, a circular section bathes the living area with plenty of natural sunlight, and an interesting play of light and shadow is created.

casa odyssia seeks to serve as a station of rest, meditation, hospitality; as a rescue raft to save occupants from urban life. in addition, the project intends to inspire the habitant to search for his own personal ithaca. only then, the concrete blocks are transformed into a home with spatial qualities, with reason and with a dream lead architect konstantinos stathopoulos shares. casa odyssia has been selected amongst the best designs in the 10th biennale of young greek architects organized by the hellenic institute of architecture.

project info:

name:casa odyssiaarchitecture office: krak. architectslead architect: konstantinos stathopoulosdevelopment: C3 chalikiopoulos corfu constructionslocation: corfu, ionian sea, greece

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom

Read more here:
geometric concrete residence in greece by krak. architects overlooks the ionian sea - Designboom

The goal of every designer is, of course, to exceed their clients expectations. But when a project attracts editorial attention, the result is exceptionally rewarding. These AD100 designers have all graced the pages of Architectural Digestsome, many times overbut you always remember your first. Here, weve asked designers to recall the first time their work was featured in AD. Although some knew at the time they were taking on a special project, others were surprised at the feature. But when asked if in hindsight they would have changed any aspect of this AD debut project, each of these accomplished creatives offered a simple response: No!

Jamie Drake

My first appearance in AD was in November 2003. The feature was on the restoration, renovation, and redecoration of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York Citys mayors, completed for Mayor Michael Bloomberg. To say I was thrilled would be an enormous understatement. To be in the pages of AD was a dream of every designer, as it remains to be today.

Mayor Bloombergs commitment to history, and preservation, was fervent and empowered me to create a house to live in and use in a modern fashion, while respecting the traditions and stories of the Peoples House. An amusing sidebar is that Mike is the only mayor to not actually live in the house since Fiorello LaGuardia first occupied Gracie Mansion in 1942. He never spent a night there, although he hosted the greatest number of visitors and events of any administration [at the house]. But, fear not: He was happily ensconced in his own home that I also designed, 16 blocks away.

Frank de Biasi

My very first time in AD was in 2016 when I got the cover for George Lindemann Jr.s house in Miami Beach. It was such a shock, but I had an idea what we were doing there was a game changer. George is a fearless design client with a definite opinion but very much open to my ideas, and we were the perfect team.

That cover shot was of the main staircase, consisting of maybe 30 different marble species on the floor, walls, and ceiling in concentric circles and was the last part of our challenging puzzle to lead from ground floor up to first floor. We couldnt decide on what was best, and George had the brilliant idea to commission Martin Creed through Gavin Brown Enterprise for the task.

To be put on Amy [Astley]s very first AD100 cover [as editor in chief] was beyond exciting!

Frank de Biasi's first project to be published in AD: a Miami Beach home.

Originally posted here:
AD100 Designers Remember the First Time They Were Published in AD - Architectural Digest