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2020 Best of Design Award for InteriorResidential: Hill Country Wine CaveDesigner: Clayton KorteLocation: Hill Country, Texas

Located at the eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country, this private wine cave is embedded in a solid limestone hillside. The unassuming entry court reveals a bit of mystery belying the space within, camouflaged at the approach by limestone boulders collected from the excavation and lush vegetation. The opening of the cave is capped with a board-formed concrete portal, meant to weather naturally, molded to the irregular surfaces of the limestone and retaining the mouth of the earth cut. A tasting lounge, bar, wine cellar, and restroom are all tucked into an 18-foot-tall, 70-foot-deep tunnel. Sitting under the arch at the back of the cave, the private cellar provides storage for 4,000 bottles.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: 16 Desbrosses StreetDesigner: David Bers Architecture

Project Name: Unit 2808Designer: Vladimir Radutny Architects

Editors Picks

Project Name: Meridian ResidenceDesigner: ROBERT KERR architecture design

Project Name: Tribeca DuplexArchitect of record: Ted Porter Architecture

2020 Best of Design Award for InteriorRetail: Capital One Caf, GeorgetownDesigner: LEO A DALYLocation: Washington, D.C.

Capital One Caf in Georgetown reestablishes the placemaking role of banking with a flagship cafe. Less a branch than a local social/co-working space, the cafe offers a cozy environment for neighborhood residents to stress less, save more, and find inspiration in the people around you. The interior features local materials, furnishings, and artwork. Three stories connected by a spiral staircase provide a variety of seating and functional options to support the social and entrepreneurial needs of neighbors. Communal tables and lounge chairs, meeting rooms with digital presentation media, free Wi-Fi with power outlets, and video ATMs transform the bank into a social hub. Restored brick walls, exposed and rebuilt wood-beam ceilings, and repaired vintage tile celebrate the buildings history.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: BLDWN LADesigner: Montalba Architects

Project Name: EyeconicDesigner: Perkins&Will

2020 Best of Design Award for InteriorWorkplace and Project of the Year Finalist: 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers EastDesigner: Adjaye AssociatesLocation: New York

The public member spaces for the new headquarters of the 1199SEIU labor union embody the principles, ethos, and achievements of its tenant, consolidating the unions operations into one building while integrating its rich history of social justice. The colorful Anton Refregier ceramic tile mural from the unions old building, depicting key moments and figures of the civil rights movement is faithfully replicated in the new entry-level lobby. The murals material language continues through all floors of the building, uniting the member spaces. A central circulation void forms the heart of the building and connects all floors with a quadruple-height feature wall. Icons like Martin Luther King Jr. and James Oppenheim are commemorated through wall art, imagery, and quotations.

The infusion of culture and history through the vibrant visuals creates an inherent sense of belonging, and in doing so allows for an environment in which the work of the union can be celebrated. Jha D Williams

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: 225 PolkDesigner: HASTINGS

Project Name: Steelcase WorkLife DCDesigner: BLDGS

Editors Picks

Project Name: Autodesk Boston Workspace ExpansionDesigner: Utile

Project Name: 335 Madison AvenueArchitect of record: SHoP Architects

2020 Best of Design Award for InteriorHospitality: ASSETDesigner: Bates Masi + ArchitectsLocation: New York

Renovating 329 Columbus Avenue to create ASSET restaurant, the designers sought to excavate the existing space in search of unique textures and hints of the past that would enrich the guest experience. In the process of 3D-scanning the building, vaults of expanded metal lath were discovered above the fire-rated ceiling. The vaults were reintroduced as an exposed element. Formally, their rhythm breaks down the expansive space to a more intimate scale. Structurally, they conceal steel girders; below hang the stairs, bar shelves, and light fixtures, allowing those elements to be much more delicate than if they were self-supporting. The diamond pattern of an expanded metal mesh becomes a motif unifying details.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: 1700 Broadway ClubDesigner: Fogarty Finger Architecture

Project Name: W Montreal Common SpacesDesigner: Sid Lee Architecture

Editors Picks

Project Name: Politan Row HoustonDesign architect: bell butler design and architectureArchitect of record: ASD|SKY

Project Name: Tilda California Natural WineArchitect of record: Stayner Architects

2020 Best of Design Award for InteriorHealthcare: Norwegian American Hospital First-Floor TransformationDesigner: JGMALocation: Chicago

Norwegian American Hospital is a one-hundred-year-old institution in the heart of Humboldt Park, a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago. It is a critical safety-net provider of high-quality, compassionate, and affordable healthcare in partnership with patients, families, employees, physicians, and the communities served. The interior renovation represents a critical first step in a wellness district master plan aimed at completely rethinking the health and well-being of area residents. The firm planned and designed the renovation and reimagination of the lower levels and functions within the hospital specifically related to patient care, visitor flow, and wayfinding. The project consists of over 25,000 square feet of work split into 22 individual phases.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: Beverly ClinicDesigner: Merge Architects

Project Name: Cedars-Sinai Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion Outpatient SurgeryDesigner: CO Architects

Editors Picks

Project Name: Modern AnimalDesigner: Design, Bitches

Project Name: Yale Child Study CenterArchitect of record: Svigals + Partners

2020 Best of Design Award for InteriorGreen: DPR Sacramento HeadquartersDesigner: SmithGroupLocation: Sacramento, California

The DPR Sacramento Headquarters reimagines two vacant buildings to create a sustainable 34,433-square-foot work environment that fosters collaboration and connects employees to both nature and the surrounding community. The reconfigured space features agile, open office seating areas that reflect the companys familylike culture and offer flexibility to accommodate employees who spend more time at job sites than in the office. The project is the largest use of mass timber in a vertical expansion of an existing building in the United States and includes biophilic design elements: sculptural grow columns and a seed wall art installation. The project aims for net-positive energy and is designed to meet LEED Platinum and WELL certification standards.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)Designer: COOKFOX Architects

Project Name: University of Delaware The Tower at STAR CampusArchitect: BernardonLiving wall manufacturer and designer: EcoWallsLiving wall installation and maintenance: Parker Interior Plantscape

2020 Best of Design Award for Architectural LightingIndoor: Catoptric SurfaceDesigner: Open Source ArchitectureLocation: St. Louis

Catoptric Surface harvests daylight by reflecting it through a building envelope to form an image-based pattern of light. The result produces visual effects and practical applications directing daylight in precise locations, with the potential to replace artificial light in a building. Its adaptability is based on its ability to rotate each mirror independently, controlled by a computer and electric motors. In this way, each mirror produces a pixel of daylight whose target location is determined by analyzing a raster-based image. As each mirror rotates to reflect daylight onto a chosen location, it contributes to the creation of a very low resolution version of the input image.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: Goldring/Woldenberg Complex Expansion, Tulane University School of BusinessDesign architect: Pelli Clarke Pelli ArchitectsArchitect of record: ManningLighting designer: Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design

Project Name: Hunters Point LibraryArchitect: Steven Holl ArchitectsLighting designer: LObservatoire International

Editors Picks

Project Name: King Open/Cambridge Street Upper Schools and Community ComplexArchitects: William Rawn Associates with ArrowstreetLighting designer: HLB Lighting Design

2020 Best of Design Award for InstitutionalInterior: Schiff House Daycare Center at the City College of New YorkDesigner: Michielli + Wyetzner ArchitectsLocation: New York

The 3,000-square-foot Schiff House Daycare Center is intended to serve the children of the students and faculty of the City College of New York. Built in 1912, the neo-Gothic stone house underwent a full gut renovation of the interior as well as a restoration and upgrade to the exterior, including a new playground design. To preserve valuable square footage, disparate floor heights were raised to the same level for ADA compliance. With four classrooms, the school is capable of accommodating 45 children from ages two to six. Curved walls soften the interior environment for small children, and playful fenestration opens up sightlines and brings unity to the space. Maple-clad bleachers form a centerpiece for school gatherings and storytelling.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: Bay Area Children CenterDesigner: March Studio

Project Name: King Open/Cambridge Street Upper Schools and Community ComplexArchitects: William Rawn Associates, Architects with ArrowstreetLighting designer: HLB Lighting Design

Editors Picks

Project Name: Grace Church School Athletic CenterDesigner: MBB Architects

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Presenting the 2020 AN Best of Design Awards winners, part 2 - The Architect's Newspaper

At the tail end of the 19th century, architect F. Patterson Smith (1870-1932) decided to build his own residence on the banks of Upper Mystic Lake in Winchester. For the scenic spot, he designed a Jacobean-style manor house, which was completed in 1899. The three-story brick home is gracious in size and stately in aesthetics, with pleasing symmetry and intriguing castellation.

Fast-forward to 2017, when award-winning architecture firm Jan Gleysteen Architects began the deliberative process of updating the grand dame for an active family. To achieve their wish list of improvementsincluding a new kitchen, family room, and mud areafounder Jan Gleysteen and his associate Joanne Powell formulated a three-phase renovation (phased to maintain livability for the family during construction). Kells Construction, helmed by owner Martin Deane, tackled the craftsmanship-centric transformation.

[F. Patterson Smith] was his own client, and he did some unusual things for the time, describes Powell of what was discovered at the outset. Renovation work uncovered many unique construction systems, including four-wythe-thick masonry walls, three-foot-thick stone foundations, and decorated exposed floor joists. A unique passive ventilation system imparted an unusual amount of ductwork in the basement.

Respecting and honoring the structures Jacobean pedigree was a priority for the architects from start to finish, and existing details were reused or replicated whenever possible. Working on a historic home like this comes with its fair share of challenges but is always a lot of fun, reveals Gleysteen. Its like a detective adventure series with clues hidden along the way.

The first phase involved renovating portions of the homes second and third floors. The couple gained a renovated bath and dressing room for their master suite and a bay window (in place of an infrequently used balcony) for their bedroom. Upstairs, the unfinished attic was converted into an office: We turned it into an aerie of sorts, with lake views framed by the original diamond leaded glass windows, notes Gleysteen.

Creating more modern, open-concept living spaces within the bones of the original structure was possible but maintaining its historic fabric was more important. It just made more sense to group them inside a new wing, explains Powell of the second-phase addition, which stretches off the back of the house toward the lake. It begins with a great roomwhere the kitchen and family room nest togetherand ends with a sunny breakfast room. It took the place of an original three-season porch.

Overhead, the architects imparted a new-old feel to the addition by reproducing Smiths exposed beam/joist system encountered in the original house. What youre seeing is not the actual structure, but it reflects the spacing and location of the structure hidden within the ceiling, details Powell. The larger decorative beams actually wrap the heavy steel frame supporting the cathedral ceiling.

To ensure a seamless transition from old to new, the architects carefully replicated the original homes castellation details on the addition. In true Jacobean style, they alternated a flat roof with parapets over the great room with a pitched roof of slate over the breakfast room. Other mirrored details include a diamond pattern of dark bricks on the new gable end, quoining on the corners, and limestone lintels above the windows.

Interior designer Rhonda Everts wove vibrant blues and greens throughout the new addition, indulging the clients love of color and pattern. The kitchen islands high-gloss blue finish pops against the white cabinets and ceiling. A marine finish protects the islands luxurious three-inch-thick walnut countertop, while three skylights above bring soft, natural light into the space.

Adding on created more family-friendly destinations but also reacquainted the home with its partnering lake. An extreme slope down to the lakeshore prevented proper sightlines from the original house, which is set near the road, 70 feet from the start of the slope. Now, the additions outer wall is just 20 feet from the slope and its rooms all enjoy lake views. Off the breakfast room is an updated outdoor dining terrace; its new pergola replaced an original one that was in disrepair.

For the architects, measuring and replicating the historic brick architecture was easy; achieving the right brick and mortar color was the greater challenge. We used Massachusetts-based Stiles and Hart, a major manufacturer that supplies Harvard, Boston University, Boston College, etc., with brick. Blending just the right red to match the original house was a process, says Gleysteen. In comparison, we were able to source the slate we needed from the same Vermont quarry that was operating 120 years ago.

While the formal living room and front entry were preserved, other parts of the first floor were rearranged for modern living. The existing kitchen and mudroom were converted into a new library, home office, and butlers pantry. Then, the existing butlers pantry off the dining room was turned into a mudroom with access to the garage.

They wanted to contain the visual mess, so the cubbies have doors, explains Gleysteen. We introduced stamped metal as a period detail on the built-in cubbies and bench; its the same pattern you could have bought 100 years ago from the same supplier.

As part of the homes comprehensive update, the architects tackled the basement, which was largely unfinished and used for storage and laundry. The new addition gave us a more usable basement program with taller ceilings that was perfect for a rec room and exercise room, says Powell. Meanwhile, portions of the original basement were renovated, creating a new bathroom, laundry area, and wine cellar.

From top to bottom, Jan Gleysteen Architects wove new and old together seamlessly, prioritizing their clients lifestyle along the way. Inside, the home is a celebration of turn-of-the-century craftsmanship and 21st-century living. Outside, its a well-preserved piece of Winchesters architectural past.

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Jan Gleysteen Architects Revives Winchester Turn-of-the-Century Charmer - nshoremag.com

Alexander Cheongs Alone in the Garden Takes Top Spot;Winners Selected by Internationally Acclaimed Architect Sou Fujimoto from Hundreds of Creative Entries Using Everyday Objects

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles a Japanese cultural destination in the heart of Hollywood together with Sou Fujimoto Architects, is pleased to announce the winners of #TinyArchitect Architecture is Everywhere. The social media contest, inspired by internationally acclaimed Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto and his whimsicalArchitecture is Everywhereseries, asked participants to create tiny, architectural designs using everyday items and figurines.

More than four hundred inventive entries were received from around the country and Japan, from university faculty and students, photographers, to current and aspiring architects and designers. The winners, judged and personally selected by Fujimoto himself, are:

Other creative submissions included innovative usage of items such as dried uncooked noodles, bottle caps, sesame bagels, piano keyboards, forks, toys, paper towels, and coasters.

I chose the top winner because of its simplicity, interestingly leading to a wide range and depth of interpretation. In the title it says garden as in a backyard, but what made it fun for me is that it looks like a garden as the piece of wood resembles a very small human-scale piece of furniture, while also transforming into a garden with many of the pieces coming together, said Fujimoto.

Fujimoto added, I was truly inspired by the imagination and resourcefulness of the contest participants. It was fun seeing their interpretation of Architecture is Everywhere and I hope we encouraged a few budding architects out there to get inspired by everyday objects.

We hope the contest offered participants a creative outlet and brought a sense of shared community at a time when we are physically distanced, said Yuko Kaifu, president, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles. Congratulations to the winners. We enjoyed reviewing your take on the Japanese philosophy of being mindful and finding beauty in ordinary objects.

Sou Fujimotos personal video message to each of the top three winners and why he selected their entries, the 1st place winners photograph that was transformed into a short animated video, and the digital posters created from the 2nd and 3rd place winners can all be found on the Contest Winner Announcement Page.

The contest was sponsored by JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles and Sou Fujimoto Architects with support from TOTOGALLERYMA.

More events and content can be found on JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeleseventsordiscoverpages.

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

ABOUT JAPAN HOUSEJAPAN HOUSE is an innovative, worldwide project with three hubs, London, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo, conceived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. It seeks to nurture a deeper understanding of Japan in the international community. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles occupies two floors at Hollywood & Highland. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles offers a place of new discovery that transcends the physical and conceptual boundaries creating experiences that reflect the best of Japan through its spaces and diverse programs.

Location: 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028Website: http://www.japanhousela.com

ABOUT SOU FUJIMOTO ARCHITECTSEstablished in Tokyo, Japan in 2000, Sou Fujimoto Architects is a Tokyo-based group of over 50 architects, designers, craftsmen and thinkers all dedicated to pursuing their craft and operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and innovation. In 2016, Sou Fujimoto Atelier Paris was established. They now correspond to projects all around the world from these two bases.

Location:Senju Soko No.5, 2-1-38 Etchujima, Koto-ku,Tokyo 135-0044, JapanWebsite:http://www.sou-fujimoto.net/

Media Contacts:Nerissa Silao | 310-874-9230 | nerissas@ca.rr.comLisa Nakanouchi | 323-904-9298 | lnakanouchi@japanhousela.com

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JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles Announces '#TinyArchitect Architecture is Everywhere' Contest Winners - GlobeNewswire

Pup Architects on designs that enrich culture and community

The world is changing and architecture is adapting, and a new wave of young practices in London emerges. They are armed with bold ideas, digital tools, new studio set ups and innovative designs and approaches. In our Next Generation series, join us in hailing this nexus of exciting studios from the UK capital through an ongoing series of weekly profiles. Pup Architects, run by directorsChlo Leen, Theo Molloy and Steve Wilkinson, putarchitectures role in enriching social and cultural life in the community at the heart of their work.

2012 was a key year for Chlo Leen, Theo Molloy and Steve Wilkinson. The Olympics not only turned the global spotlight to London but also marked the triosfirst collaboration,a series of pavilions commissioned by the Greater London Authority for the Games. The architects, who have previouslyworked at practices such as Sam Jacob, Ash Sakula andGrimshaw,eventually formally joined forces in 2017 forming Pup Architects, an energetic, community-orientatedstudio based in East London.

The interaction of people and architecture, a sense of community that this brings, coupled with ideas of playfulness are key to the teams approach. Our projects are usually both pragmatic and playful, they explain.Fundamentally we are concerned with how people interpret and use a space.We approach every project differently and treat it as an opportunity to create something unique.The use and combinations of materials is fundamental to this at many levels: from playing with architectural language, to how they make a space feel. Sustainability is another key consideration for us, which often helps to define material choices thinking about how to be resourceful, efficient and purposeful. Its a good constraint to drive innovative solutions.

Their very first work as Pup was HVAC,the winner of the inaugural Antepavilion competition in 2017 an opencall by the namesake charity for an experimental temporary structure. From there, they engagedwith a number of smaller and medium scale works, culminating to the most recent completion,Surrey Docks Farm, an elegant, crisp refurbishment of a then-derelict, now-black-wood-clad tower into an animal-rearing facility withcommunity and education spaces. [It]is our largest completed project to date, and it demonstrates a lot of our values of working with communities in a public setting, they say.It will be great to see the developments impact over the coming years.

Surrey Docks Farm, Rotherhithe, 2020

The next big thing for them is the ongoingCody Dock Community Centre project, a new community centre constructed from hempcrete and timber for Cody Dock in Newham.Pup, here again, are developing ways for architecture to create a dialogue and support the local community, while remaining respectful to the natural environment as well as the multi-layered existingcontext. A common threadin their socially and environmentally friendly approach slowly and steadily becomes apparent.

Achieving their goals, of course, also takes the right client. In the UK there is still quite a lot of conservatism around architecture and ideas about what it should be, they say.If you look to other countries, architecture often has a much greater plurality. Clients can be very risk-averse and this diminishes the lack of opportunities for young practices. There is a real breadth of young talented architects with a diversity of approaches who are often overlooked in favour of established practices. And there is still a real disparity when it comes to representation of minorities and women in the field.

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Their hope is that in the not-too-distant future, architects will be able toinput more on societal issues and have a positive and useful contribution to solving problems, from housing to the climate crisis and inequality.

The dynamic trio has been busy through the pandemic and has plenty of plans and ambitions for the future. They have been redesigning their website, pitchingand designing on all scales, while trying to remain true to their vision.In general we are interested in architectures role in enriching social and cultural life, they add.So far, this is embodied in our projects with charities and community-led organisations such as Surrey Docks Farm and Cody Dock. However we do have a much broader ambition to work on positively impactful public-facing projects, which might include work with museums, fashion, housing, workspaces.

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Pup Architects on designs that enrich culture and community - Wallpaper*

Architects Declare has made a peace offering to Zaha Hadid Architects and Foster & Partners after they pulled out of the climate commitment signed by more than 1,000 practices.

The group said it regretted not trying to talk to ZHA before publicly suggesting the firm should step down because of pro-growth comments made by its principal Patrik Schumacher.

It invited both ZHA and Fosters to consider re-signing the declaration which commits practices to 11 principles around working to mitigate climate change and biodiversity decline.

We are saddened and disappointed that two such globally influential practices have found it necessary to withdraw, it said.

Fosters was first to pull out at the start of the month, with Norman Foster himself issuing a statement criticising Architects Declare (AD) for using protest rather than innovation to tackle the issues. He was denounced by a separate group, the Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN), for what it called a bizarre, outdated statement relating to the aviation industry.

Foster said emissions from the production of hamburgers, steaks and similar agricultural products was equivalent to those produced by air and motorised transport and called for a sense of proportion.

The following day ZHA announced it too was walking away from AD because the group had published a statement asking it to consider its position. Members objected to remarks by Schumacher about the primacy of growth and prosperity.

In a statement published last night AD said: from the outset it has been ADs policy not to publicly call out our signatory colleagues work. We recognise that practices have varying approaches to meeting the goals of the declaration. What unites us is a shared vision of a built environment that addresses the climate and biodiversity crises.

The reason we felt compelled to respond to Patrik Schumachers recent statements was because they appeared to represent a shift away from this shared vision and thereby undermine the principles of the declaration.

Having read ZHAs withdrawal statement, we regret not having sought further dialogue with ZHA before suggesting that they withdraw from the declaration. We would like to encourage both Foster & Partners and ZHA to consider signing the declaration again soon in order to be part of this growing collaborative network.

More than 1,000 architectural practices have signed the pledge in the 18 months since it was launched by all 17 Stirling Prize-winners, including ZHA and Fosters.

It has set up regional groups, begun writing a Climate Emergency Practice Guide, raised 15,000 towards a paid coordinator and met government officials including former PRP chief Andy von Bradsky, who is now head of architecture at MHCLG, and Catherine Westoby from BEISs behaviour change division.

We have built real momentum and we now face an absolutely critical 12 months before [climate talks] COP26 in which we can grow the seeds of transformative change in the built environment, It said.

We believe that high ambitions for change will benefit from unity and the coming together of all architecture practices, large and small, and that this collective, practice-level action is central to the strength of Architects Declare.

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Architects Declare offers olive branch to ZHA and Fosters after walk-outs - Building Design

The Smile Architects - Dentists in Huntersville, NC

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (PRWEB) December 09, 2020

The team at The Smile Architects in Huntersville, NC is excited to announce the release of their new hybrid-responsive website: https://www.smilearchitects.com. Just as the practice prides itself on building beautiful smiles, Chris Meletiou, DDS and Jim Meletiou, DDS have been hard at work building a better website for their patients.

As Dr. Chris Meletiou explains, "My brother and I are very excited to provide our new and existing patients an easy to navigate website and app. This will allow our patients the flexibility to schedule and contact us with their dental needs quickly and efficiently. The new interactive website and app are ever-changing to meet our patients needs now and into the future. Please take a moment to see how they have evolved and how our new website and app can benefit you."

The Smile Architects has been serving the Huntersville community since the early 1980s. The current head dentists are brothers with a combined over 60 years of knowledge and experience between them. Providing exceptional dental care is the brothers mission and the new website facilitates this by allowing patients to access the information they need and connect with the practice more easily.

On the new Smile Architects website, patients will find intuitive navigation and improved usability. With a hybrid-responsive design, the site renders equally well on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. Whether patients are at home, at work, or on-the-go, theyll find a website that is easy to read and navigate, allowing them to find exactly what they need when they need it.

Above all else, the brothers goal with the new website is to create a resource for their patients. Rather than simply using the site as a marketing tool, Smile Architects provides information about insurance, dental conditions, procedures, and aftercare instructions. Patients can email their doctor, request an appointment online, and read updates from the practice on their blog.

In addition to working on the new website, the Smile Architects team has been busy implementing new protocols to protect patients and staff from COVID-19. The practice is following all guidelines from the American Dental Association, Centers for Disease Control, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, including screening all patients prior to their appointments, offering hand sanitizer for patient use, and adjusting schedules to allow for social distancing between patients.

About Chris Meletiou, DDS

Dr. Chris Meletiou earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Iowa and completed a hospital residency program at the university upon graduation. He has been practicing in Huntersville, NC since 1991, with a focus on complete family dental care including Invisalign orthodontics, restoration of implants, and aesthetic dentistry.

About Jim Meletiou, DDS

Dr. Jim Meletiou received a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Iowa and worked as an instructor in the universitys Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology. Before joining his brother at The Smile Architects, Dr. Jim practiced in Wisconsin. He has advanced training in the restoration of dental implants and aesthetic dentistry.

About The Smile Architects

The Smile Architects provides comprehensive dental care to patients in Huntersville, NC. Services include preventive care, cosmetic dentistry, restorative dentistry, root canals, periodontics, sleep apnea treatment, and Invisalign orthodontics. To learn more or request an appointment, visit the new website at https://www.smilearchitects.com, schedule a visit to the office at 131 Marguerite Lane, Huntersville, NC 28078, or call 704-875-1621.

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The Smile Architects of Huntersville, NC Announces New Responsive Website - PR Web

Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects have both withdrawn from Architects Declare, an organization seeking to raise awareness of the climate and biodiversity emergency.Photo Hufton+Crow

Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) have left Architects Declare, a network of architecture practices seeking to raise awareness about climate change and loss of biodiversity.

As per Dezeen, the decision to exit Architects Declare was made after signatories, such as Foster + Partners and ZHA, were criticized for designing airports and for being involved in the aviation sector. Last week, Architects Declare told Dezeen that high-profilearchitects are clearly contravening climate pledges.

Foster + Partners has withdrawn from Architects Declare because, since our founding in 1967, we have pioneered a green agenda and believe that aviation, like any other sector, needs the most sustainable infrastructure to fulfil its purpose, said Norman Foster, studio founder,in a statement issued to Dezeen.

Agriculture and aviation are not going to go away and they will both need the most sustainable buildings to serve them together with the architects who can most responsibly design them, the statement said.

Architects Declare released a statement on Foster + Partners saying, We are disappointed that Foster + Partners have chosen to withdraw from the declarations and we would welcome a conversation with them on the points raised. We recognize that addressing the climate and biodiversity emergencies challenges current practice and business models for us all, not least around the expansion of aviation. We believe that what is needed is system change and that can only come about through collective action. Architects Declare is not a protest movement but a collaborative support network to innovate positive transformation. Our movement is global.

ZHA exited the group asserting that Architects Declare is setting the profession up for failure.

Architects Declares steering group has unilaterally decided on its own precise and absolute interpretation of the coalitions commitments, ZHA said in a statement to Architects Journal. By doing so, we believe they are setting the profession up for failure. Redefining these commitments without engagement undermines the coalition and trust. We saw Architects Declare as a broad Church to raise consciousness on the issues; enabling architectural practices of all sizes to build a coalition for change and help each other find solutions. We need to be progressive, but we see no advantage in positioning the profession to fail. In fact, it would be a historic mistake.

In response, Architects Declare said, Patrik Schumacher of ZHA (a signature practice to Architects Declare) had asserted that we need to allow prosperity and progress to continue and that will also bring the resources to overcome [the climate crisis] through investment in science and new technologies. That must be built on continuous growth. He also warned against those voices who are too quick to demand radical changes. We believe these statements are fundamentally in conflict with the Architects Declare commitment to advocate for faster change in our industry towards regenerative practices. We also believe these statements are scientifically flawed and decades out of date in terms of informed intellectual thought. Click here to read the full statement.

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Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid withdraw from Architects Declare - The Construction Specifier

Bjarke Ingels, Danish founder of the architectural practice BIG (short for Bjarke Ingels Group), bridles at the suggestion that he is megalomaniac. I made a mistake at the dawn of time when I named my office BIG, he tells me, speaking from the converted car ferry in the port of Copenhagen that is one of his homes. It felt sweet when we started off in Denmark. Now it means we always get re-interpreted as megalomaniacs.

Well yes, maybe, but his new book, Formgiving: An Architectural Future History, does place the work of his practice in the context of a timeline of the creation of absolutely everything that goes back via the evolution of life to the big bang. It also introduces the concept of Masterplanet, whereby the Earth and its climate would be put to rights by the sort of plans that architects sometimes prepare for neighbourhoods and large-scale development proposals. The magic of form the architectural technique whereby BIG can, for example, give a twisting shape to an art gallery outside Oslo or a tower in Vancouver is in this view continuous with problem-solving for a whole planet.

Its partly a guy thing. Ingels, 46, doesnt seem troubled by the striking gendering of Masterplanet. The practices website address is Big.dk, which, however droll it might have seemed 15 years ago, has surely outlived its welcome. But he has his answers to the accusations of megalomania: You can dismiss the desire to deal with a very important issue or you should believe that youre going to intervene for the better.

Its fair to say that Ingels is a can-do sort of person. BIG is now big, with more than 550 employees in its offices in Copenhagen, New York, London and Barcelona. He has made his name with monuments for the Instagram age CopenHill, the Copenhagen power plant that is also a ski slope; or West 57th, his courtscraper in Manhattan a giant off-kilter pyramid punctured by a garden courtyard. He has designed (with Thomas Heatherwick) headquarters for the mighty Google, now rising in London and in Silicon Valley.

In BIGs world you can have it all. Yes is more, to quote the title of one of his earlier books. Opposites can be reconciled into what Ingels calls oxymorons or bigamy. You can have a power plant and a ski slope. The courtscraper, says the official blurb, combines the density of the American skyscraper with the communal space of the European courtyard. He speaks of pragmatic utopianism and hedonistic sustainability, which means you can save the planet and still have a good time. The Dryline, his plan for combining flood defences for lower Manhattan with public parks, encapsulates the idea.

Ingels cites as inspiration The Rational Optimist (2010) by Matt Ridley, the British viscount, self-described climate lukewarmer and former chairman of Northern Rock bank. I recognise a lot of the vibe, says Ingels of Ridleys book. He makes the claim that optimism is not a question of naivety. Its empirical. You can see that things tend to evolve in a good way. And this is part of the thesis of Formgiving. There is an ever-increasing ability to collaborate, of doing better and better. Where others get nervous about such things as artificial intelligence and the replacement of crafts by robots, Ingels gets excited.

In the world of architecture, Ingels presents a challenge. Hes prolific, hes rich. He turns the cherished tropes and dreams of other architects into smash hits. He makes the visionary physical. For the Burning Man festival he designed a structure in the shape of a giant orb. His Oceanix project proposes a floating city. His Google Bay View building puts a multiplicity of human life under a great oversailing roof. All seem to owe something to visionary architects of the past respectively to the 18th-century French revolutionary tienne-Louis Boulle, to the 1960s Japanese metabolist group, to the 20th-century American Buckminster Fuller.

Most obviously he has learned from his former employer Rem Koolhaas, with whom he shares a love of crashing together seemingly incongruous uses and forms a WTF fondness for puncturing piety and pomposity, an attitude that says lets embrace the modern world for all it is, in all its extremes of beauty and ugliness. Like Koolhaas, Ingels has a prodigious publishing habit: Formgiving is the last of a trilogy.

Koolhaas, however, comes with a certain amount of existential angst, which Ingels discards, which doubtless makes him more attractive to clients. He more generally dispenses with the difficulties and complexities and sometimes the social issues over which other architects agonise. He rinses out the problematic. Instead, he offers his oxymoron, which makes complexity and contradiction into a charmingly consumable package. Which raises a question: are the angst and scruples of other architects actually important, or should we just accept Ingelss invitation to lie back and enjoy the ride?

This is partly about detail. His projects tend to come with loud clunks, where his ambitions of his ideas and shapes are imperfectly reconciled. In those of his works that I have seen, there is often a lack of joy in the way cladding panels and Planar glazing enable the transition from computer screen to physical reality. At the 8 House, an early housing project on the outskirts of Copenhagen, many of its residents have furnished their flats and terraces from Ikea: combined with BIGs construction they conjure a dizzying feeling of just-stuck-togetherness, of coalitions of convenience between processed sheet materials.

Its also about politics. In January, Ingels met Brazils forest-wrecking, racist and homophobic president Jair Bolsonaro, in order to discuss a plan (as the countrys tourism minister put it) to change the face of tourism in Brazil. For this, Ingels was accused by a leading architecture critic of lacking a moral compass, and the controversy may have contributed to office space company WeWorks decision soon afterwards to cease employing Ingels as their chief architect. Id like to raise this with him, but the publicists for his book rule it out: there is no direct link to Formgiving with regard to politics, they say beforehand; please strike the question from the interview. Ingels, however, has previously expressed himself on the subject: criticisms of his Bolsonaro visit, he said, were an oversimplification of a complex world.

He also pushes back at critiques of detail. He cites his recent museum for the Audemars Piguet watch company, a grass-roofed spiral in the Swiss Jura. Its hard to complain about detail with that, he says. The 8 House was a very inexpensive project. It was finished in the middle of the biggest financial crisis in my lifetime. Every cost that could be reduced was reduced.

Its probably clear that Im what Lord Ridley might call a BIG-lukewarmer. I believe that much gets lost in Ingelss blithe renunciation of the complex and the particular. But those of us who would curl our lips and wrinkle our noses should answer his challenge. A project such as CopenHill makes a powerful and direct appeal to almost all the non-professionals who see it, as the Dryline in New York probably will. What can more fastidious beings offer to match them?

Continued here:
Bjarke Ingels: the BIG-time architect with designs on the entire planet - The Guardian

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CAMH Research Centre, by KPMB with TreanorHL - Canadian Architect Award of Excellence winner.

Winners have been announced for the 53rd annual Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence. The awards are considered the highest recognition for Canadian architects and projects currently in the design and construction phases. This year 132 entries were submitted and reviewed by the jury.

The awards program shared that the entries themselves "show that Canadian architects are still amply producing innovative designs that are sensitive to their physical, social and environmental contexts."

View this year's winners in all five categories and select project images below.

2020 CANADIAN ARCHITECT AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

2020 CANADIAN ARCHITECT AWARDS OF MERIT

2020 CANADIAN ARCHITECT STUDENT AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

2020 CANADIAN ARCHITECTPHOTO AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

2020 CANADIAN ARCHITECTPHOTO AWARDS OF MERIT

Award-winning projects will be featured in the December issue of Canadian Architect. To learn more about the winners and their projects click here.

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The annual Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence highlights its 2020 winners - Archinect

MONROE, CT Michelle Kaplin was on remote leave as a nurse at ACES Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School last the spring, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced educators to close the building. But, rather than stay home, Kaplin chose to join her colleagues on the front lines, taking a job at The Watermark, a continuing care retirement community in Bridgeport.

Kaplin, who now works at David Wooster Middle School in Stratford, served on the medical team at The Watermark, treating residents on the COVID floor, and witnessed the heartbreak of seeing some patients dying alone.

I just felt this calling to go, Kaplin said. I just couldnt imagine sitting home. Its not about the money, its about helping people. I needed to do something about the pandemic.

Kaplin, who lives in Monroe, was recently recognized as aHeartthrob Hero in MDF Painting and Power Washings campaign to show appreciation to health care workers during the pandemic.

Michelle Kaplin, an R.N., at work at The Watermark in Bridgeport.

We all know someone who is working at the front lines of this virus, the company website says. Whether it is a friend, family member, or significant other, those who work in healthcare are appreciated now more than ever. To say thank you to those who are working for us, were going to work for you.Nominate the frontline hero that you love for a chance to win them painting services worth up to $6,000. Say thank you by giving them one less thing to worry about.

The campaign is named after the Sherwin Williams paint shade, Heartthrob, which inspired it.

Kaplin said she doesnt have a clue who nominated her, adding she was surprised to receive a phone call about being awarded the free painting services from the Heartthrob for Heroes campaign.

I thought it was a spam call and asked her to stop calling me, she said of the woman from MDF. Then she emailed me to say, were not kidding.'

Painters from MDF Painting & Power Washing, from left, Renaldo Lima, Alceu Neto and Edson Santos, carry supplies into Michelle Kaplins house in Monroe Thursday.

Who would nominate me? Im a nurse from Monroe and youre in Greenwich, Kaplin thought. Its nice. Im just shocked. There were a lot of doctors and nurses in the ICU doing far more than I was. I was just doing my part in COVID land.

On Thursday morning, a white van pulled up on Kaplins street and three painters from MDF emerged, carrying painting supplies.I cant believe theyre here and Im not paying for this, she said.

She expressed her appreciation to whomever nominated her, calling the painting services a nice gift.

Perfect timing

Kaplin and her wife, Karen Widdows, recently paid Basement Systems to waterproof the walls and floors of their basement, and install a drainage system with a sump pump, after two flooding incidents at their Monroe home.

The guy left and said we should really get it painted. We couldnt afford that, Kaplin said. I got cancer in December. My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in February. Then COVID struck. No one was thinking about paint.

Because of the pandemic, Kaplin said her radiation treatment was delayed by eight months and her first session was in August.

Michelle Kaplin, right, with, from left, her son Shalom, 14, daughter, Emma, 10, and wife, Karen Widdows.

Kaplin and Widdows have a daughter, Emma, 10, and their 14-year-old sons name is Shalom. Kaplin also has another daughter, Hadassah, 16, who lives with her grandmother, while going to high school.

Emmas bedroom will be painted a blue color called Wave Top.

Aside from type 1 diabetes, Shalom has Autism and a broken femur. The basement is set up like an apartment for him with a medical bed. His area will be painted a green color called Fern Canopy.

Hes into Army and nature now, Kaplin explained.

While working in the living room, Widdows, a human resources professional, was seated on the couch with her laptop and phone in her lap.

I think its fantastic, she said of her wife being honored as a Heartthrob Hero. She deserves it. She worked hard. She has a good heart. When this was happening, she wanted to help out.

Widdows said Kaplin would come home from work and sanitize herself inside their garage, before entering the house to make sure no one would get sick.

I would spray Lysol and get undressed in the garage, Kaplin said. I kept my work clothes in there.

I would bring her clothes and she would come in and shower, Widdows said. The next day, we would take the work clothes from the garage.

While treating patients, Kaplin said she never worried about catching COVID. One time, a woman with the disease checked in and was within inches of Kaplin, who said she was fortunate not to contract it.

She said she probably received 12 COVID tests, while working at The Watermark, where staffers were tested weekly.

Sad goodbyes

The Watermark did not want to risk spreading the coronavirus by having too many visitors coming and going, so Kaplin said families could not visit their loved-ones, until they were at deaths door.

She said family members would either arrange for a video call or sit on a chair in the parking lot to look at their loved-one from their window, while talking on the phone.

When patients were near death, relatives could be suited up with protective gear and go in the room to hold their hand.

Kaplin said some relatives declined to visit, saying that was not how they wanted to remember their loved-one. She remembers talking to a woman, who was incapacitated, telling her that her family loved her, wanted to be there, but it was hard. Kaplan hoped the woman could hear her and feel comforted.

People were scared to go in there. The longterm care facilities were hit the hardest, Kaplin said. Thats why we went into nursing. It was a calling. I was a school nurse on leave and I just couldnt fathom sitting idly by, while people were dying.

Kaplin said people at The Watermark were kind to the medical staff, providing lunches for them every day, adding, those three months were perhaps the most rewarding of my career.

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Hero of the pandemic: Diagnosed with cancer, a Monroe nurse answers the call - The Monroe Sun