Philadelphia · 2007.0619
Construction on the Comcast Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has reached the topping-out point. At 975 feet (297 meters) tall, the building will reportedly be the tallest between New York City and Chicago, Illinois. Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP of New York City designed the 58-story building, which will comprise approximately 1.4 million square feet (130,000 square meters) of office space. Kendall/Heaton Associates Inc. of Houston, Texas, is serving as associate architect. The structural engineer is Thornton Tomasetti.
A nine-story glass-enclosed winter garden leads to a three-story lobby and a 90-foot- (27-meter-) tall, column-free atrium. The lobby will also feature direct access to the subway. Safety features include a concrete core with very thick exterior walls that provide shelter for the emergency stairs. Completion is scheduled for later in 2007.
San Diego · 2007.0619
Architects | Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker of San Diego, California, has revealed its design for a new three-story building at San Diego Mesa College in the Clairmont areas of San Diego. The 49,000-square-foot (4,600-square-meter) facility will house classrooms; medical, clinical dental, and physical therapy labs; faculty and staff offices; and a computer lab. Paul Schroeder, AIA, is serving as principal-in-charge for the firm.
To reduce the vertical emphasis of the building, the firm incorporated multiple horizontal design elements, such as a continuous ribbon window curtain wall system with integral horizontal window eyebrows that also shade the glass and reduce solar gain. Stone cladding defines the stronger vertical elements, such as stairs and entry areas. The interior is organized around a large, two-story atrium lobby. Construction is scheduled for April 2008 to August 2009.
Sheffield · 2007.0619
The Butcher Works adaptive reuse housing development has opened in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Sheffield-based Race Cottam Associates designed the project, which converted an 1835 cutlery factory into high-end one- and two-bedroom apartments. Part of the ground floor now features office and retail units. The red-brick buildings are set around a courtyard, in the shadow of the original chimney. Louis Gay was the project architect for Race Cottam.
Denver · 2007.0619
Real estate developer Great Gulf Group of Toronto, Canada, has announced that Seattle, Washington-based artist Dale Chihuly will collaborate on its $165 million high-end condominium tower project in Denver, Colorado. In addition to contributing original installations, Chihuly will participate in the design of the 51-story tower with Toronto designers Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance, Anna Simone of interior design firm Cecconi Simone Inc., and Janet Rosenberg of landscape architecture firm Janet Rosenberg + Associates.
Washington, D.C. · 2007.0614
Liz Peterson, RA, RID, LEED AP, has joined the Washington, D.C., office of Chicago, Illinois-based VOA Associates Incorporated as a vice president. Peterson has over 25 years of experience in architecture and interior design, most recently in the Washington, D.C., office of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) as practice leader of national accounts and director of interiors.
Chicago · 2007.0614
Architecture, interior design, and planning firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) has promoted Ted Strand, AIA, to principal in the firm's Chicago, Illinois, office. In his new role, Strand is responsible for corporate communications and new business development. His design experience includes large-scale mixed-use projects in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Before joining SCB in 2001, he was an associate partner with Skidmore Owings & Merrill SOM, including a stint as the firm's director of Far East operations in Hong Kong. Strand was a founding member of Boston firm Elkus Manfredi Architects, and previously worked for the now-defunct The Architects Collaborative (TAC) of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Naples · 2007.0613
JLT Architecture & Consulting, LLC of Naples, Florida, has merged with Boston, Massachusetts-based architecture and engineering firm Cubellis. JLT will now operate as the Naples office of Cubellis, which also has an office in Fort Lauderdale. Cubellis recently revealed its designs for Hyatt Place hotels in Jacksonville, Florida, and South Bend, Indiana. Both hotels are expected to open in spring 2008.
Albany · 2007.0613
Albany, New York-based Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture & Engineering (EYP) has appointed Robert A. Kennedy, P.E., as director. Kennedy previously developed and managed East Coast operations for the performance-contracting group at Honeywell Building Systems SES in upstate New York. His experience includes overseeing large, comprehensive energy-efficiency and renewable-energy project designs, including energy audits, design, construction, and financial management.
Minneapolis · 2007.0613
Ray D. Greco, FAIA, has joined the Minneapolis, Minnesota, office of Ellerbe Becket as a design principal. Greco's professional practice spans almost three decades, with a focus on design of court facilities and law schools. Prior to joining Ellerbe Becket, he was founder and owner of Greco Architects in Minneapolis, working on such projects as the Warren E. Burger U.S. Courthouse in St. Paul, and the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Bangor, Maine. He was also previously a design principal and the courts sector leader for The Leonard Parker Associates Architects (now the Minneapolis office of Durrant).
Ketchum · 2007.0612
Architect Tom Kundig, FAIA, principal of the Seattle, Washington, firm Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects, has revealed his schematic designs for a new building for The Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Ketchum, Idaho. The two-story, 43,000-square-foot (4,000-square-meter) facility will feature exhibit galleries, expanded classrooms, a public resource center, offices, reception areas, underground parking, and a 240-seat auditorium.
The interior will be open, with visible structural elements and moveable gallery walls. The exterior will be a mix of reclaimed brick, wood, Cor-ten steel, and extensive panels of glass. It is largely transparent at street level, with a wrap-around wooden sunscreen that incorporates operable shutters. The angled roof will echo the mountain slopes behind it. A landscaped outdoor area will accommodate sculpture, small performances, and outdoor films. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2008, with the building opening slated for 2010.
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