Colleville-sur-Mer · 2007.0606
A new $30 million visitor center was dedicated at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, on June 6, 2007 — the 63rd anniversary of D-Day. The Washington, D.C., office of SmithGroup was the lead architect on the project. The 30,000-square-foot (2,800-square-meter) center is a simple, low-slung building of stone, glass, and concrete, located on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach.
David Greenbaum, FAIA, of SmithGroup led a collaborative team that included John Lampros Architecte of Paris, associate architect; the Bethesda, Maryland, office of Gallagher & Associates, exhibit design; Michael Vergason Landscape Architects of Alexandria, Virginia, landscape architect; and the Washington, D.C., office of international firm Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering.
Cottonwood Shores · 2007.0604
Plans have been revealed for CK Ranch, a master-planned community in Cottonwood Shores, Texas, designed to imitate a walkable small town. SLR Design and Development, Inc. of Cedar Park, Texas, created the community concept. RVi of Austin provided additional planning and design services.
Located in the Hill Country of Texas, the development will restore and renovate existing homestead, schoolhouse, and post office buildings, which date to the area's early ranching history, and will preserve creeks, pecan bottoms, and 200-year-old live oak trees. A system of low-impact pathways will connect each phase of the development with retail, services, and the community center, as well as with natural features and open space.
New York · 2007.0604
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission recently approved the design for a 31-story tower in Manhattan for the "1" Hotel and Residences, a new high-end hotel line that emphasizes environmental friendliness. Morris Adjmi and his firm, Morris Adjmi Architects of New York City, designed the project to meet LEED standards. Environmentally friendly features include extensive use of materials procured locally or with a high level of recycled content; a high-performance building envelope that makes use of daylighting and occupancy sensors; low- and no-VOC-emitting materials; and sourcing half the energy from renewable sources. The Natural Resources Defense Council is serving as an advisor to the hotel.
Los Angeles · 2007.0604
Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center has been dedicated at the University of California, Los Angeles. The project was designed by I.M. Pei, with C.C. Pei and his firm, Pei Partnership Architects of New York City, and the Los Angeles offices of Perkins + Will and RBB Architects Inc.
The facility houses 520 large, private patient rooms, and state-of-the-art technology. Structures were designed to create the sense of several smaller hospitals rather than one large one. It was built with over 1,500 tons (1,400 metric tons) of travertine marble imported from Tivoli, Italy. The grounds feature gardens, green space, open terraces, fountains, and outdoor play areas for pediatric patients.
Toronto · 2007.0602
The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, has opened its new addition, the 175,000-square-foot (16,300-square-meter) Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, designed by Daniel Libeskind. The dramatic new four-story wing houses seven galleries, two special exhibition spaces, new retail and dining facilities, and the museum's new main entrance and lobby.
The aluminum-and-glass addition comprises five self-supporting, interlocking structures that evoke the form of natural crystals. Its sloping walls create unusual interior spaces, with sections of the existing historic building facades exposed. Angled strips of windows frame city views and provide daylighting. The "Spirit House" void at the center of the structure is traversed by criss-crossing bridges. The project also includes a newly designed public plaza in front of the addition.
The expansion is the centerpiece of a $250 million project that also includes renovation of 75 percent of the museum's historic 1914 and 1933 buildings. Studio Daniel Libeskind of New York City designed the overall project in a joint partnership with Bregman + Hamann Architects of Toronto.
Hong Kong · 2007.0531
Construction is underway on the Landmark East Office Development in the Kowloon waterfront area of Hong Kong, China. The complex is a dynamic composition of two rectilinear slab towers, each at a different angle. The towers rise to 40 and 43 stories high, respectively, and provide a total of 1,185,000 square feet (110,000 square meters) of office space. The project also includes 38,000 square feet (3,500 square meters) of landscaping.
The Hong Kong office of Miami, Florida-based international architecture firm Arquitectonica designed the project, with founder Bernardo Fort-Brescia, FAIA, as design architect. The project received a 2006 Design Merit Award from the Miami chapter of the AIA. It is scheduled to open in September 2008.
San Diego · 2007.0531
Construction is complete for a new $6.8 million clinical diagnostic testing laboratory for LabCorp in San Diego, California. Pacific Cornerstone Architects designed the 110,000-square-foot (10,000-square-meter) facility, which will also house administrative offices. Kevin Perry, AIA, served as principal-in-charge.
Other San Diego firms on the project were Lyons Warren & Associates, Inc., structural engineering; MPE Consulting, Inc., electrical engineering; and Pacific Building Group, general contracting; and also the San Diego offices of Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc., civil engineering, and Walsh Engineers, Inc., mechanical engineering.
New York · 2007.0531
Construction continues on the Calendonia, a 24-story residential tower in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The New York City office of Handel Architects LLP designed the project, which includes 245 rental apartments, 189 condominiums, retail space, parking, a lobby, a landscaped courtyard, and a sports club. The facade features iron-spotted brick at the building's base, with lobby and storefronts accented in a flamed jet mist granite, and a tower of glass, metal, and brick above. A glass wall abuts the adjacent park.
Higley · 2007.0523
Gilbert Hospital has broken ground for an 8,200-square-foot (760-square-meter) expansion to its Higley, Arizona, facility. The architect for the project is the Phoenix, Arizona, office of HKS, Inc. Construction is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2008. A four-story patient tower with an additional 108 beds is slated to begin construction later in 2007.
Seattle · 2007.0522
Correction: In the May 23, 2007, People & Places column, ArchitectureWeek reported on several promotions at Seattle, Washington-based international design firm NBBJ. Two names were misreported. The National AIA Honor Award-winning project designed by partner Jonathan Ward, AIA, LEED AP, is Telenor World Headquarters. The staff member promoted to principal in the firm's Los Angeles, California, office is Robert Mankin, AIA.
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