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Architext (Winter 2011 Edition)
By: Chris Dawson, AIA, President
It is with mixed emotions that I write my final newsletter article as your President. I am confident that Rich Gribble, AIA will provide strong leadership in 2012 to our organization and I will appreciate the additional time I will have but it has been a truly rewarding experience to serve as an executive for the past 4 years. I was afforded the opportunity to attend 3 AIA National Conventions (San Francisco, Miami, and New Orleans) and 3 AIA Grassroots Conventions in Washington, D.C. allowing me to learn a great deal more about the AIA, those 4 very different cities, and meet a tremendous number of architects and related professionals. I intend to continue on as the Lecture Series Chairman for the foreseeable future as that has been the role at AIA Central PA that I am most passionate about over the past 6 years. Being a member of AIA provides tremendous value to me as a practitioner in Central PA and I hope that we have taken positive steps during my tenure to increase the value every member derives from our organization. The Membership Directory that we published earlier this year was a success and was useful in my dealings when lobbying in Harrisburg and Washington D.C. or dealing with Affiliates. Consciously increasing the diversity of our Board of Directors and notably inviting Wendy Tippetts, President-Elect, and Tammie Fitzpatrick, Treasurer, to become executives is a source of personal pride. Professionally we are constantly working as teams and at AIA it is no different. In the last few years, with significant effort by many individuals, we were able to properly celebrate our 100th Anniversary in 2009, modified our operating budget to align with the recent financial challenges, established and met our annual goals for a financial reserve policy, began our own architecture scholarship program, provided generous scholarship support to the ACE Mentor Program, began working with other local organizations like USGBC and the Society on Design, and reinvented our Annual Conference & Expo / Design Awards programs to make it a resounding success among other things. Through my involvement with AIA I have learned just how much our professional organization does for each of us, often quietly on our behalf, to advance the practice of architecture. I have become more deeply connected with the architects within our chapter and also at the state, national, and international levels. It has been rewarding to not only attend to our chapter's business affairs at events but also be able to have meaningful discussions with the likes of Peter Bohlin (when he was awarded the AIA Gold Medal in Miami and then again in the much more casual circumstance of crossing paths in New Orleans), Clark Manus (a one on one discussion on a 20 minute bus ride to the AIA Headquarters the year before he ran for President), and Carol Ross Barney (during a 90 minute tour of the San Francisco Federal Building by Morphosis where we broke away from the tour group and got in to some "behind the scenes" spaces) to name just a few. The conversations with my peers and each of the lecturers I have arranged to speak to our chapter have been invaluable in terms of my thinking about how to best practice architecture in this time and place on my terms. I encourage every member to consider engaging AIA Central PA and the larger AIA organization in a deeper manner in a way that will benefit not only yourself but also the collective. At a minimum it would be meaningful to the individuals that put so much time and energy into our events to have stronger attendance. It has been my genuine honor to serve as your President for the last 2 years and I am excited about the future of AIA in Central PA.
By: Angela Anderson, City of New York The City of York, Pennsylvania is requesting proposals from qualified development teams for the disposition of York Redevelopment Authority ("RDA") owned area of land for redevelopment into a mixed-use neighborhood to build upon recent development made in the Stadium District adjacent to the Cordorus Creek. The parcel is located within the Northwest Triangle (NWT) Redevelopment Area created by the City of York in 2006. The Northwest Triangle Project is a targeted redevelopment effort for the City aimed to spur additional downtown revitalization, provide new employment opportunities for City residents and stimulate private investment in a formerly blighted corner of the City and to develop an entirely new mixed-use neighborhood. The City of York and the York Redevelopment Authority seek to expand upon recent development successes in the Stadium District, that includes, but is not limited to, new market-rate residential, new retail and restaurants, and the location of the new York Academy, an International Baccalaureate Charter School, and to ensure that the Northwest Triangle redevelopment serves as an impactful, urban infill project and Gateway to the City's downtown.
By: Chris Dawson, AIA, President
Our 2011 AIA Central Pennsylvania Fall Lecture was held Thursday November 3rd at Armstrong World Industries Corporate Campus in Lancaster. Winka Dubbeldam, Assoc. AIA presented the work of her firm Archi-Tectonics based in New York, New York and Rotterdam, Netherlands in a lecture entitled "Fragmentation as Optimization." Winka's presentation validated my introduction that her work feels like the future of architecture. She noted her stated interest in blurring the boundary between industrial-design intelligence and architecture. Archi-Tectonics' work is unapologetically modern even when sited in locations requiring approval of a historic review board. The work was consistently sophisticated and well resolved ranging from high-end residential to pro-bono work in Africa for a village of orphans. Winka's designs were inspiring in their rigor, elegance, and ultimately their beauty. Archi-Tectonics has not received the media attention it deserves so it was exciting to see the projects and hear Winka's back stories for each.
Armstrong continues to be a gracious host for our Fall Lectures and I was asked to explain the title of the lecture for their newsletter. I responded by quoting Winka from the intro to her book AT-Index, "This notion of the 'right' problem...prioritizes concept development over problem solving, curiosity over absolute knowledge, and immediacy over stasis...The work can be described as an open network, a network of projects linked through 3 fields of investigation: armature, surface, and interface. These fields are not isolated but rather create a synthesis of interests that overlap and inform each other and afford rethinking, reinvestigating, and regenerating of architectural concepts. The focus is not on form but on the performative, not on aesthetics but on intelligence." I also quoted Reed Kroloff who wrote an essay in the same book, "Multivalency, Le Corbusier's familiar term for double-functioning, is thus multiplied, and multiplied again in the "performative" worlds of digital architecture: one assesses an architectural object or component not just for its beauty or its utility, but for its capacity to allow - and even encourage - change. Dubbeldam's performative unit, or walls, or skin perform actual and representational functions, and may perform a different set in the future. It is in creating this flexibility that beauty is born, rather than as a goal unto itself. In other words, aesthetics is no longer a point of departure in the design process; it is a byproduct of analysis." Our lecture series is not possible without the support of our sponsors...Thank you to each one:
By: Tammie Fitzpatrick, AIA, Design Awards Chairman Thank you to all who submitted entries in this year's Design Awards Competition. We had around 35 entries and presneted awards to five projects that showed exemplary design. This year our chapter had the opportunity to collaborate with the AIA's components overseas. Our digital entries made it easy for our jury, which was made up of members of the Continental European Chapter of AIA, to thoroughly consider each project that was submitted. Architect Gregg Broadarick, founding partner of BDG Architecture and Design in Milan, Italy, served as the jury chair. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky and his master's from Syracuse University's Florence, Italy, campus. We are very grateful for the time and efforts of our 2011 Design Awards jury and we are excited about future opportunities to collaborate with our colleagues overseas. Thank you to all of our sponsors! Congratulations to the winning firms:
Project Description: The project design is sensitive to the historical urban context but also distinctive to convey a message of a unique product. The Codo 28 project blends an extremely sensitive adaptive reuse of a vacant and dilapidated historic building with an equally sensitive "contemporary modern" addition that sends a clear message about the nature of the product - and is done in a manner consistent with the use of historic tax credits. The creative "vertical" townhouse design within the walls of the existing building maximized revenue-producing space and also eliminated the need for an elevator.
The new-construction portion of the building is striking in an understated modern and refined manner. It's simple but rich materials are reflective of the care that was historically taken even on industrial buildings in traditional cities. The use of red brick with matching mortar as the basic "field" material is faithful to the surroundings. The primary front facade of thin anodized storefront and copper panels adds a delicate texture/pattern - and conveys the Codo "brand" without overpowering surrounding structures. The project also features a vertical water feature on its exterior wall which has drawn mesmerized stares from downtown employees and visitors and squeals of delight from children. The project is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and is designed to achieve LEED certification. It will be the first LEED-certified residential building in Central Pennsylvania.
Project Description: The building was situated above the bluff, considering views of the landscape, as well as natural ventilation and sun exposures. The building solution was an interpretation of the additive farmhouse, typical of Amish homesteads of Lancaster County; an assemblage of multiple heavy timber frames radiating from the central living space. The timber frames of the structure were fabricated and constructed by local Amish craftsmen, customarily engaged in heavy timber barn structures. The frames were then enclosed with high efficiency wall systems and finished with naturally weathering materials; including wood siding, natural stone, board-formed concrete and lead-coated copper. Heavy stone paving surfaces and tree elements, reclaimed from the house site penetrate the perimeter wall, diminishing the separation of interior and exterior.
From the outset of the design process, there was considerable focus on building systems; including both traditional construction approaches and the use of new, high efficiency products and systems. The structural frame of the building is a collection of heavy timber frames, which were fabricated and erected by a local Amish contractor, customarily familiar with construction of barn structures. Wood frames were fabricated from Douglas fir and connections were drilled and pegged with wooden dowels.
Jury Comments:
Project Description:
At three stories and 53,440 SF the mixed-use structure also houses conditioned storage facilities and tenant space for a local not-for-profit volunteer organization. Featuring shared amenities such as roof terraces, conference spaces, fitness and break room, the facility demonstrates the owner's desire to provide an enhanced work environment for employees, clientele and visitors.
Project Description: Promoting a positive social atmosphere was a key design focus. The west-facing courtyard, framed by an 1890s stone wall and a 1926 neo-classic façade from the hospital era, along with the more contemporary additions, provides a secure area for socialization and facilitation of the busy rush of arrivals and dismissals. While almost half of the original hospital was demolished and replaced with new construction to house the school's core support areas (113,000 SF), much of the historic architecture has been retained including the brick façade of the original wood-frame structure and a 5-story stone chapel which now houses large group instruction areas. The core areas within the new construction now reconnect the preserved historic wings with modern infrastructure. Simple metal and clay tile cladding serve as a neutral transition between the distinct pre-existing architectural styles.
Project Description: An anchor building within the redevelopment is needed to achieve a critical mass and generate significant momentum to transform the neighborhood. We are exploring the possibility of a mixed-use anchor building at the east end of the corridor. The building should be flexible enough for the building's program to evolve as the needs of the community change and the building should be perceived as a physical positive sign of respect for the surrounding community.
Lessons Learned by a Yeoman Architect By: James A. Mehaffey, AIA My office was about 50 percent Japanese, and sometimes it was just like working in another country. Not only was I in an ethnic minority there, but the Architectural Division was a much smaller part of the corporate structure than the Construction Division, housed in the same building. It was a completely different world to me.
I didn't really have anything else to add to the meeting, but as an intern right out of college, it would have been valuable for me to hear the rest of the discussion. At that exact moment, I realized that I either needed to learn Japanese or I needed to go somewhere else. I figured I was too old to learn a different language, especially one that doesn't read left to right.
By: Chris Dawson, AIA, President I've had the privilege to serve on the ACE Mentoring of Central PA Board of Directors for the past several years and occasionally am able to make presentations to our local program affiliates. There are 4 county programs now (York, Dauphin, Lancaster, and Cumberland) serving roughly 200 high school students each year by providing access to area industry professionals and craftsman. On December 6th, I made a presentation to the Dauphin County group of about 60 students relaying my passion for architecture and touching on some architectural history basics in an attempt to help them think about the group project they are developing during the 16 week program. After my presentation they broke out into two teams and then further into smaller working groups of 5-10 as they tackled specific issues for the project. I had attended the previous session where Holly Williams Leppo made a presentation about how one becomes a licensed architect and the exercise of thinking about a project in terms of bubble diagrams. I pushed the students to think about the project design in terms of developing a parti and was duely impressed as they developed a concept of historic versus modern ideas for their entertainment facility. The one student was adept at Sketch-Up and over the course of about 90 minutes the group of about 30 students developed a strong massing and programming layout that consisted of a glassy cylinder form connected to a brick historic bar form via a cantilevered wedge form containing a gallery and dining spaces with dramatic views of the surrounding landscape and program elements. There are quite a few area professionals, including AIA members, involved in the ACE mentoring program and AIA Central PA has made sizable contributions to the ACE Scholarship Program for students pursuing accredited architectural studies over the past 6 years. Our Associates have also been committed to helping ACE participate in the Canstruction Program over the past several years through providing funds and volunteering to manage the process with the student volunteers. I want to applaud the individuals supporting the ACE Program and remind our members that all of the local ACE Mentoring Programs (York, Dauphin, Lancaster, and Cumberland Counties) are continually looking for professionals to mentor students as they work on their projects. The ideal mentor is often a young professional that the high schoolers can more easily relate to and be more comfortable engaging as they dip their toes in our field in an effort to determine what they will pursue as a career. See http://www.acementor.org/617 to learn more about the program and find the contacts for each of the area affiliates.
2011 Distinguished Service Award By: Richard Gribble, AIA, Vice President and David Morrison On October 28, 2011 the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Institute of Architects recognized Mr. Duryea Cameron, AIA, with its Distinguished Service Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award was presented in recognition of his many significant contributions to the profession of architecture, as well as his sterling example as a visionary community servant, loyal volunteer and beloved role model. Duryea Cameron, AIAIn today's modern age of architecture, it is refreshing to see an architect so dedicated to preserving historic buildings and landmarks. Development and profitability is important, but preservation and sustainability are equally important. That's why it is such an honor to give the AIA Distinguished Service Award to Duryea Cameron, an influential architect whose mission is to protect our history through a vision of preservation and reclamation. While Duryea focused much of his career on residential and commercial projects, he is most widely recognized for his role as a historic preservationist in both his personal and professional life. He has, in many ways, been the clear voice of the historic preservation movement in Harrisburg. In 1952,he purchased and restored a long-vacant historic townhouse on Front Street where he and his wife Pat began raising their family. In 1954, Duryea opened an architectural practice in a first-floor studio in the home and continued in that location for more than half a century. Rich Gribble and Ken Frew visiting DuryeaDuring his many decades as a practicing architect, Duryea consistently provided professional historic preservation design and consultation services to a host of neighborhood groups, churches and other local associations. His generosity frequently enabled grassroots initiatives to become a reality which, in turn, created a significant contribution to the enhancement of the built environment. Duryea's contributions have been greatly influential during his lifetime and will continue to benefit the Harrisburg community for many years to come.
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