RMJM has revealed its design for the LEED Platinum-targeted Vista Center in Trenton, New Jersey. Image: RMJM Extra Large Image

Salt Lake City · 2009.0422
The University of Utah has broken ground for a $130 million interdisciplinary research facility in Salt Lake City. The first of four buildings in a new Interdisciplinary Quadrangle, the James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building was designed by the Atlanta, Georgia, office of architecture firm Lord, Aeck & Sargent, with associate architect Prescott Muir Architects of Salt Lake City.

The 200,000-square-foot (19,000-square-meter) building will comprise five levels, including one below grade, plus a mechanical penthouse level. The building will be clad in sandstone combined with a glass curtain wall, intended to suggest a dialog between contemporary science and the ancient imagery of regional Native American structures.

LEED Gold certification is expected. The design is predicted to reduce energy use at least 40 percent from current laboratory code requirements. Daylight will reach at least 75 percent of occupied spaces, with sunscreens to modulate the quality and intensity of light. Other sustainable features include multistage evaporative cooling systems that include energy recovery, concrete with high fly-ash content, local stone and copper mined within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the site, rainwater collection for irrigation and sewage conveyance, and onsite stormwater management,

The building is slated for completion in fall 2011. Lord, Aeck & Sargent, in association with Salt Lake City-based Architectural Nexus, developed the building's program and also created the master plan for the quad. Jerry Percifield is serving as principal-in-charge for Lord, Aeck & Sargent.

Philadelphia · 2009.0422
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Wallace Roberts & Todd has promoted two staff members to principal: Amy Carpenter, AIA, LEED AP, and David Rouse, ASLA, AICP, PP, LEED AP. Carpenter has 15 years of experience and leads the senior living portion of the firm's architecture practice. Rouse is a planner and landscape architect with nearly 30 years of experience in community planning and design.

Skokie · 2009.0419
The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center has officially opened in Skokie, Illinois. The 65,000-square-foot (6,000-square-meter) museum was designed by Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman. The majority of the exhibit installation is complete, with work continuing on the permanent exhibit.

Created with the active participation of Holocaust survivors, the center is expected to reach approximately 250,000 schoolchildren from across the Midwest annually. The project was born of the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois, which taught school and community groups through a small storefront museum starting in 1981.

Arlington · 2009.0417
Construction is complete on the Pioneer 360 Business Center in Arlington, Texas. Alliance Architects of Richardson, Texas, designed the 1.16 million-square-foot (108,000-square-meter) complex, located on 70 acres (28 hectares) along State Highway 360. The three-building business park is LEED-registered and targeting Gold-level certification under LEED for Core & Shell.

The project was built on the site of the former Festival Marketplace, a 40-year-old regional mall that was demolished to make way for the business park. Locating the project on an abandoned mall site improves community connectivity and avoids contributing to further suburban sprawl. Over 91,000 tons (83,000 metric tons) of steel, concrete, asphalt, copper, and aluminum from the mall were recycled rather than sent to landfill.

Other sustainable features include daylighting, sensor-controlled electric lighting, and a white roof and light-colored concrete to reflect heat and reduce cooling costs. Bob Moore Construction of Arlington was the general contractor.

Singapore · 2009.0415
Miami, Florida-based Arquitectonica has revealed its design for The Alba, a high-end residential tower in Singapore. The 20-story building is Y-shaped in plan. Ribbons of white marble wrap the glass facades. Residents will enter their apartments through a private foyer with natural ventilation, views, and daylighting. The project is scheduled for completion in 2010. Bernardo Fort-Brescia, FAIA, founding principal of Arquitectonica, is the design architect. The developer is Far East Organization of Singapore.

Los Angeles · 2009.0415
A pair of high-fashion boutiques in Los Angeles, California, has been completed. Architecture firm Standard of Los Angeles designed the 7,000-square-foot (650-square-meter) project with an unified exterior, but different interior finishes to clearly distinguish the two spaces for Madison and Diavolina. The storefront features a single 100-foot- (30-meter-) long white stucco facade with pop-out vitrine windows, punctuated by separate street entrances defined by ipe wood cladding and black concrete.

The Madison store was conceived of as a large, open gallery, with concrete floors, warm oak shelving accents, designer furniture, and an exposed wood ceiling. In contrast, Diavolina was conceived of as a more playful, glamorous, feminine space. Bright white resin floors and a ceiling of painted white wood contrast with leopard-print carpet, pink ceilings accents, and shiny brass details. The stores are slated to open to the public in May 2009.

Bucheon · 2009.0414
Construction is underway on the Korean Animation Museum in Bucheon, South Korea. Designed by the Los Angeles, California, office of NBBJ, the two-building complex will house a library, auditorium, dining halls, restaurants, clubs, offices, and a museum.

The public area slopes along the site's natural contours, creating an amphitheater for large-scale public gatherings. The museum and the adjacent office building for the Korean animation industry were designed as two complementary buildings, with related, but opposing, shapes and exterior materials. A bridge links the structures.

The office component consists of simple, loft-style, open-plan work spaces organized along a single support backbone for maximum flexibility. The building's exterior tapers upwards alongside the museum, creating rooftop terraces. Completion is slated for mid-2009. Robert Mankin, AIA, is serving as principal-in-charge for NBBJ.

Trenton · 2009.0401
United Kingdom-based architecture firm RMJM recently revealed its design for the Vista Center (rendered above) in Trenton, New Jersey. The slender 25-story Class A office tower is planned to rise directly adjacent to the Trenton Transit Center, a major hub along the Northeast Corridor. Sergio Coscia, an architect in the firm's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, office (formerly RMJM Hillier), is the project designer.

The 700,000-square-foot (65,000-square-meter) transit-oriented development will include 12,000 square feet (1,100 square meters) of ground-level retail and a parking garage for over 1,000 cars. The tower and surrounding plazas will effectively fill in the gaps around the train station and provide pedestrian pathways. The form of the building minimizes east-west exposure to sunlight to prevent excessive heat gain, and maximizes northern and southern exposure.

LEED Platinum certification is targeted. The floor plans and high ceilings will allow daylight to enter deep into the building, and a high-performance air distribution system will optimize indoor environmental quality. Other sustainable features will include high-performance facades with low-e glazing, energy-efficient lighting with daylight dimming, roof-mounted solar panels, local materials with high recycled content, and onsite stormwater management.

People and Places Last Week

People and Places Archive

ArchitectureWeek Professional Directory
ArchitectureWeek Web Directory