The LEED Gold-targeted Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics by Morphosis recently opened at Caltech. Photo:© Roland Halbe Extra Large Image

New York · 2009.0401
The flagship boutique for Derek Lam International, LLC nears completion in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. SANAA of Tokyo, Japan, designed the 2,800-square-foot (260-square-meter) retail space, located on the ground floor of a 19th-century manufacturing building.

SANAA principals Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa designed curved walls of clear acrylic to define rooms within the store, each one housing a different clothing collection. The store resembles an exhibit space, with custom-fitted furniture of wood and aluminum, a single-pour concrete floor, and the original brick walls painted white. The boutique is blocks away from the New Museum, also designed by the firm.

The executive architect is Toshihiro Oki, RA, of New York City.

Minneapolis · 2009.0327
Minneapolis, Minnesota-based RSP Architects has named Kristine Hargreaves, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, a principal specializing in federal government projects. Hargreaves has more than 25 years of leadership experience on large-scale projects in the public sector. She previously served as architectural practice leader for CH2M Hill, and as a supervisory architect with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Protective Design Center.

The Woodlands · 2009.0327
A new patient-care tower is complete at St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital in The Woodlands, Texas. Minneapolis, Minnesota-based HGA Architects and Engineers (Hammel, Green and Abrahamson) designed the project, which constituted the second phase of expansion for the hospital. The tower features extensive daylighting and views of the 40-acre (16-hectare) site, which includes a lake.

Like the existing facility, the 59-bed, 83,000-square-foot (7,700-square-meter) addition features an exterior of artificial stone and stucco. Multiple indoor and outdoor gathering spaces follow the curve of the lake. Landscaped terraces, loggias, and cornice details shade outdoor walkways.

An existing chapel links the new tower to the hospital. HGA kept the chapel's canted exterior walls as an interior design element, and designed a ring of skylights between the new structure and the chapel.

Columbus · 2009.0326
International architecture firm NBBJ has named A.J. Montero, of the firm's Columbus, Ohio, office, a partner. For over a decade, Montera has been a design lead in the firm's higher education market, contributing to such projects as the Medical College of Georgia Cancer Research Center.

NBBJ has also named five new principals. In the San Francisco, California, office, Lilian Asperin-Clyman, LEED AP, has worked to increase the firm's focus on sustainable design in science and academia since 1999. In Seattle, Washington, Noel Whorton, LEED AP, is a senior cost estimator who has been with the firm for a decade, and Bob Pressley has been an architect at NBBJ since 1994. In Shanghai, China, Rudy Widjaja, AIA, has 20 years of experience in architectural design and project delivery, and Eric Phillips is a nine-year firm veteran; both are leaders in the firm's Asia practice.

Atlanta · 2009.0326
The Freelon Group of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, has revealed its winning design for the planned Center for Civil & Human Rights in Atlanta. Under the leadership of Philip Freelon, FAIA, The Freelon Group is partnering with HOK on the $125 million, 100,000-square-foot (9,300-square-meter) building.

The preliminary design was inspired by an image of interlocking arms. With sustainability as a primary consideration, the design features a terra cotta-clad building surrounding an exterior courtyard, intended to serve as an amphitheater and exhibit space. The part of the building housing the King Papers exhibit will extends toward the street.

London · 2009.0325
A new building has opened at the historic Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement and nursing home for veterans in London, United Kingdom. The London office of Steffian Bradley Architects lead design on the Margaret Thatcher Infirmary, and Quinlan & Francis Terry Architects of Colchester designed the facade. Corridors were planned like streetscapes to facilitate mobility. The design also features daylighting, courtyard views, passive stack ventilation, hydronic underfloor heating, thermal mass, an automated lighting control system, and a building monitoring system.

Coral Gables · 2009.0324
BCArchitects of Coral Gables and Celebration, Florida, has named F.W. "Dub" Evins, AIA, NCARB, principal and director of healthcare. Evins has over 30 years of experience in healthcare planning, design, construction, and operations as both a licensed architect and hospital administrator.

Pasadena · 2009.0305
The Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (pictured above) has opened at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California. Morphosis of Santa Monica designed the $41 million, 100,000-square-foot (9,300-square-meter) building to achieve LEED Gold certification, exceeding the City of Pasadena's LEED certification requirement for all new construction.

Sustainable features include exterior panels that reflect heat, light wells that bring sunlight into the basement laboratory spaces, occupancy sensors for lighting, and drought-resistant landscaping. The Los Angeles office of Heery managed construction as part of a $120 million campus modernization program

People and Places Last Week

People and Places Archive

ArchitectureWeek Professional Directory
ArchitectureWeek Web Directory