The new Bellevue Medical Center, designed by Ellerbe Becket and NAC Architecture, recently opened in Bellevue, Washington. Photo: © Benjamin Benschneider. Extra Large Image

Port Aransas · 2008.0806
Architecture, planning, and urban design firm Meeks + Partners of Houston, Texas, has revealed its design for The Palmilla at Port Aransas, a high-end condominium development on Mustang Island, a barrier island off the southern Texas coast near Port Aransas.

Planned for a 30-acre (12-hectare) parcel, the project will include four residential buildings comprising 94 condominiums above structured parking on a 3.5-acre (1.4-hectare) footprint. It will front the Gulf of Mexico on the south side and Corpus Christi Bay along the north side. Surrounded by a public boardwalk, the property will provide access to boats in the bay by including a marina, fishing piers, and boat slips.

The exterior will consist of stucco, cultured stone, and siding. Units will offer water views and feature ten-foot (three-meter) ceilings. The development will also include a clubhouse, game room, cafe, fitness center, and deck. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2009. The developer is San Antonio-based Koontz McCombs.

La Romana · 2008.0805
Construction has begun on a residential development in the province of La Romana, Dominican Republic. Spanish architecture and urban design firm A-cero designed the project, located on a coastal site crossed by the Cumayasa River. The development will include 1,200 condominiums on the ocean, 1,900 residences among the golf courses, 1,360 bungalows along the banks of the river, and 480 apartments around the new marina, as well as a private road network, large gardens, and artificial lakes. Areas of rainforest will be preserved.

Dallas · 2008.0804
Tom Philippi, AIA, LEED AP, has joined multidisciplinary firm Leo A Daly as vice president and director of design in the firm's Dallas, Texas, office. Philippi brings over 25 years of experience designing and managing hospitality, retail, corporate, and mixed-use projects, including both exterior and interior architecture. He previously served as design principal at the Dallas office of RTKL. Prior to that, he served as director of retail and branded hospitality at Graham Downes Architecture in San Diego, California. Philippi is currently working on a master plan for an urban office park in St. Petersburg, Russia, in addition to several hospitality projects.

Chicago · 2008.0731
The Chicago, Illinois, office of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) has promoted 13 employees. Tom Polucci, Sheryl Schulze, and Douglas Smith were promoted to group vice president. Craig Pierson, a manager in the firm's interiors practice, was promoted to vice president. Janet Calkins, Chansik Park, Yolanda Van Hecke, and Jim Wilson were promoted to senior associate, and Nicolas Bracco, Sarah Durio, Cynthia Flamm, Dan Hartmann, and Nageshwar Rao were promoted to associate.

Derby · 2008.0731
A £20.5 million project to replace Sinfin Community School in Derby, United Kingdom is nearing completion. Race Cottam Associates of Sheffield and Knutsford designed the new school to replace one destroyed by fire two years ago.

The firm has also designed a second facility, which will convert the school's existing library and science block to accommodate a vocational skills center, with rooms dedicated for catering and engineering courses. Sustainable features of the new project include a biomass boiler, a wind turbine, gray-water recycling, natural ventilation, a large pond, and wildlife habitat. Construction is expected to start in November 2008, pending planning permission.

Sacramento · 2008.0731
The first phase of construction on The River Plaza Corporate Center in Sacramento, California, nears completion. Smith Consulting Architects of San Diego and Palm Desert designed the 175,000-square-foot (16,300-square-meter) office park development, a joint development between The Allen Group and the California Farm Bureau Federation.

The development includes 12 separate two-story office buildings, ranging in size from 11,000 to 17,000 square feet (1,000 to 1,600 square meters). Each building features 24-foot (7.3-meter) vaulted open-beam ceilings with clerestory skylights on the second floor. The office park is located on an 11-acre (4.5-hectare) site along the Sacramento River, directly adjacent to the California Farm Bureau Federation headquarters.

Peter Bussett AIA, LEED AP, is serving as vice president-in-charge for Smith Consulting Architects.

Kansas City · 2008.0730
The new $80 million Staley High School opens soon in Kansas City, Missouri. The Overland Park, Kansas, office of Hollis + Miller Architects designed the building, which is expected to be LEED Silver-certified.

The school is projected to use 57 percent less energy and 38 percent less water than a conventional building. It features a geothermal mechanical system, extensive daylighting, motion sensor-controlled electric lighting, and low-flow plumbing fixtures. The roof is reflective to reduce solar gain. The gym was built into a hillside for thermal benefits.

Materials include regional brick, steel, drywall, glass, and concrete masonry units; recycled-content steel; and some recycled-content carpet. Of the three million pounds trash generated during construction, about two million pounds has been recycled.

Green space was maximized, and creekside trees and three existing ponds were preserved. Stormwater is harvested from the roof and site and stored in a pond for irrigation.

Bellevue · 2008.0728
The new $120 million Bellevue Medical Center (pictured above) recently opened in Bellevue, Washington. Ellerbe Becket and NAC Architecture designed the four-story, 190,000-square-foot (17,700-square-meter) outpatient facility for Group Health.

The building design is based on a fundamentally flexible chassis to accommodate anticipated growth and changes in care and technology. A modular design allows for diverse clinical uses throughout each floor. Patient rooms are universal and feature soft furnishings and lighting. Daylighting is extensive. The facility is connected via an underground tunnel to Overlake Hospital Medical Center.

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