Design Equilibrium 2017

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About the Publication

On the Cover

DESIGNER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Malachi Gordon

COVER IMAGE

The Beck Group

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

J. Mark Cropp, Julie Gareleck, James Gross, Michael Kahn, Pierluca Maffey, Shaun Martin, Matt Mitchell, Ganesh Nayak, Craig Park, and Howard S. Wertheimer.

PRINTING

The cover features a rendering of The Beck Group's Peachtree Center Plaza and Retail Center renovation. Learn more on Page 3.

Collins Digital Imaging, Inc. PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

© 2017 AIA Atlanta. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, reprinted, transmitted or stored in any form, or by any means now known or later discovered whether digital, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, without the specific written consent of the publisher AIA Atlanta. Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of AIA Atlanta nor do they accept responsibility for errors of content or omissions and, as a matter of policy, neither do they endorse products or advertisements appearing herein.

Correspondence regarding changes of address or membership should be directed to AIA National.

Design Equilibrium is a trademark of AIA Atlanta.

AIA ATLANTA

100 Edgewood Ave NE, Suite 175 Atlanta, Georgia 30303 www.aiaatl.org (404) 222-0099

AIA Atlanta Staff EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

David Southerland

DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT

Missy Bower

DIRECTOR OF MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS

Malachi Gordon

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS

Chris Yueh

Building Atlanta Together You might say that we were built for each other.

ConstructConnect is proud to support the AIA’s aims and objectives, achieving this through significant financial support, educational resources, and tools. In this spirit of collaboration, we ask in turn that you share your project information with us.

Together we get things done better.

CMD Group (formerly Reed) and iSqFt are now ConstructConnect companies.

To learn more about ConstructConnect, visit ConstructConnect.com .

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On the Cover Renovation to Peachtree Center Plaza and Retail Center CLAYTON DASPIT, AIA, THE BECK GROUP

Peachtree Center is a major mixed-used center in the heart of Atlanta’s downtown business, hotel and convention district. Its six office towers and adjacent hotel towers create one of the most distinctive silhouettes on the Atlanta skyline. Designed and developed by the internationally renowned John Portman & Associates, Peachtree Center was an innovative pioneer of urban-core revitalization concepts explored in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Peachtree Center is home to the Retail Center at Peachtree Center, one of the largest and most heavily trafficked retail locations in Atlanta. With links to MARTA and sky-bridges to the Hyatt Regency Atlanta and Marriott Marquis hotels, the Retail Center is the primary dining and shopping destination for workers, conventioneers, and tourists occupying the surrounding towers and hotels.

The Peachtree Center Plaza is the primary unifying exterior space situated between the North, South, Harris, and International towers, and links the interior of the complex to Peachtree Street, Atlanta’s primary artery. In proportion it is similar to Rockefeller Center Plaza in New York.

Originally designed as a series of large art-filled open-air courtyards overlooking the Retail Center below, skylights were introduced in the 1980s to enclose the Retail Center, dramatically changing the function and character of this major public space.

The complex is about to be transformed by a major redesign and renovation to the Plaza and Retail Center.

Peachtree Center’s owner, Banyan Street Capital, is improving the complex to reinforce Peachtree Center as the premier office, retail and public experience center in downtown. The Beck Group, who will also be the contractor for the project, conceptualized and developed the design.

The Plaza has been redesigned to create a vibrant civic amenity that will engage with the activity of Peachtree

Street. The design removes the barriers that impede pedestrian flow and increases usable space within The Plaza by covering the skylights and creating a new glass enclosed stair connecting to the Retail Center. A suspended canopy of linear lighting elements will create a dynamic and inviting signature design feature. New paving will be installed with a pattern that encourages exploration, and a series of integrated planters and a new fountain will enliven the space with greenery, motion, and sound. A secluded garden space will provide a quiet retreat from the bustle of the street.

Restaurants, a coffee stand, food carts and a weekly farmers market will promote activity throughout the day and into the evening.

The Retail Center will undergo a complete upgrade to all finishes and furnishings. Removal of the escalators at the Peachtree entry and in the Atrium will reduce noise and open up the space to light. A new grand stair will link the Retail Center to the Atrium and provide new seating and dining experiences. Updated lighting will brighten the spaces and compensate for the removal of the skylights.

The design will address accessibility throughout the Retail Center to enhance its enjoyment by everyone.

Three different entrances to the Retail Center will be renovated, including the MARTA entrance on Peachtree Street.

New backlit glass panels and steel canopies will make the entrances more prominent and inviting, and will tie them together across three different street facades with a consistent architectural language.

This project endeavors to strengthen the role of Peachtree Center as a vital participant in the excitement and revitalization of Atlanta’s downtown core. The project has been reviewed and approved by Central Atlanta Progress and construction is targeted to begin in the second quarter of 2017.

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Michael Kahn, AIA

Contributors

Michael Kahn is an architect, lecturer, and journalist. In practice at Rosser International, he also serves as the architectural contributor for ArtsATL, associate editor of Curbed Atlanta, and is a regular contributor to “City Lights� with Lois Reitzes on WABE 90.1. Academically, Kahn writes and lectures on issues at the confluence of urban planning and architectural history, both locally and internationally.

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Howard S. Wertheimer, FAIA Howard Wertheimer, an AIA Fellow and a LEED Accredited Professional, is the AVP, Capital Planning & Space Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he has strategic oversight of the Campus Master Plan, Landscape Master Plan, Historic Preservation Plan, and campuswide sustainability initiatives.

Craig Park, Assoc. AIA Craig Park, FSMPS, Assoc. AIA, is a principal consultant and leads the Omaha and Atlanta offices for The Sextant Group.

Active in the building industry for over 35 years, Park currently serves as an associate director on the AIA Omaha board and North Central Region Vice Chair of Professional Development for the Society of College and University Planners (SCUP).

Matt Mitchell Matt Mitchell PLA, LEED AP creates value through quality space design at HGOR. As a creative problem solver with a holistic approach to planning, Matt strives to find solutions that best meet the needs of clients and of those that will be effected by a space.

Shaun Martin, AIA

Julie Gareleck

J. Mark Cropp

Shaun Martin is a registered architect with a passion for design, art, and education. She serves on the Advisory Board for KSU's Zuckerman Museum of Art and holds several leadership roles with the Smyrna Arts and Cultural Council. She is currently employed by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority working on transit-related projects.

As CEO and founder of Junction Creative Solutions, Julie has built a hybrid firm with the intellectual capital of a management consulting firm and the creative execution of an advertising agency. Her portfolio includes measurable integrated strategies and ongoing execution for prominent brands across a variety of industries.

Mark, a Junction partner and executive strategist, has actively contributed to clients' success, leveraging his 40-year career. He brings experience working as a senior executive at a Fortune 500 company and as an entrepreneur. Mark also has extensive experience in manufacturing, retail, commercial real estate, and professional services.

Pierluca Maffey

Ganesh Nayak, AIA

James Gross

Pierluca Maffey is a principal and Vice President of Design for John Portman & Associates.

By focusing on the people who will actually use the space, he strives to create multiple perspectives and a slow reveal that invoke a process of discovery, resulting in unexpected visual and spatial experiences.

Ganesh Nayak, AIA, LEED AP runs Metier Consulting Inc, consulting on sustainable design and practices. With considerable on-site expertise in quality control on federal projects, he won a USACE award for excellence. He presently serves on the State Advisory Panel for Special Education in Georgia.

James Gross is a landscape architect with HGOR, a landscape architecture and planning firm focused on designing great places for both people and clients. James is a graduate of the State University of New York College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry.

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Articles 30 Beyond Building Design: Architects as Advocates for Atlanta

34 Defining Value in Design

38 Goat Farm Arts Center: A Place Where Design, History and Art Proliferate

Table of Contents

08 Letter from the President Richard Kramer, AIA

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42 The Architecture of Connection: A Case for Technology in the Practice of the Future

Board of Directors

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The Living Building at Georgia Tech

AIA Fellows

52 Inspire Change for Sustainable Growth

Awards

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MultiExperential Office Space: Where Worlds Collide in an Explosion of Creativity

Build Something Great

14 Honor Awards

16 Residential Design Awards

60 Towards a Quality Control Manifesto

62 Adapting Universal Design Principles to Include All Users

Programs 66 48 HRS Competition

72 Designers of Tomorrow Fair

73 High School Student Design Competition

74 Vision for Atlanta

75 Summer Social

76 Emerging Voices

Tours 84 Don & Mary Ellen Harp Student Center

86 Commons at Imperial Hotel

88 3350 Peachtree

90 675 N. Highland

78 URBANfronts

80 Principals Roundtable

82 Academy of Architecture for Health of Georgia Architecture Foundation of Georgia AIA Committee on the Environment Box Lunches netWorking Women AIAS Design for Aging Discover Architecture Procrastination Day SORTAA Tour & Sketch Wednesday Night Drafting Club Student Mentoring Program Tours

Letter from the President RICHARD KRAMER, AIA “Approach the New Year with resolve to find opportunities hidden in each day.” - Michael Josephson

I believe this quote is fitting for all of us personally and professionally. My focus as president of AIA Atlanta is to strengthen our profession through increasing public recognition. If we search for hidden opportunities and embrace those in front of us then we can share our compassion for the profession within our communities.

The economy continues to gain momentum and our profession is growing. With this we have seen an influx of students entering architectural programs. Once these students graduate, Atlanta is attracting and retaining these young professionals. As architects, it is our job to encourage and inspire them to become involved in AIA. We need to continue reaching out to our high school students and make them aware of the exciting prospects the future holds. We have incredible opportunities to do this by becoming more involved with the STEM programs in our local school systems.

With over 1,700 members, we are one of the largest chapters in the country. We have strength in our numbers.

This provides us with the opportunity to accomplish great things.

However, accomplishing our goals requires collaboration among ourselves and those associated organizations we coexist with. It will also mean that as individuals, we become engaged at a deeper level in our profession.

For instance, the month of April looks to be an exciting and energetic month as we host “Atlanta Celebrates Architecture.” It will be a month of various events and

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activities designed to gain exposure to our profession. In addition to working with numerous allied organizations, these events will brighten the spotlight on architects and architecture.

I remain very optimistic about the future of our profession and I challenge each of you to become more engaged in our organization.

We have built a great foundation on which we can propel our profession into the future.

I look forward to serving as your 2017 president. We have an amazing staff and energetic board members. I encourage your support and welcome your ideas.

I’ll leave you with one final thought: “Don’t count the day done until you make the day count.”

Look for those hidden opportunities each day so that when we look back on 2017, we will see a stronger organization.

Richard Kramer, AIA 2017 AIA Atlanta President

Board of Directors From left: Bill Clark, Richard Kramer, Aaron Albrecht, Krista Dumkrieger, Jereme Smith, Michael Kahn, Karen Jenkins, Brandon Chambers, Katie Yielding-Hughes, Ian Hunter, Autumn Brasher, Greg Mullin and William Carpenter.

Not pictured: Ryan Cavanaugh, Desmond Johnson, Tim Keane and Jessika Nelson.

Photo by Perfect Day Photos

Richard Kramer, AIA President

Krista Dumkrieger, AIA Advocacy Director

William Clark, AIA President-Elect

Autumn Brasher, Assoc. AIA Communications Director

William Carpenter, FAIA, PhD Past President

Michael Kahn, AIA Communications Director

Karen Jenkins, AIA Secretary

Jessika Nelson, Assoc. AIA Programs Director

Greg Mullin, AIA Treasurer

Aaron Albrecht, AIA Programs Director

Ian Hunter, AIA Development Director

Brandon Chambers, Assoc. AIA Continuing Education Director

Ryan Cavanaugh, AIA Development Director

Katie Yielding-Hughes, AIA Allied Director

Desmond Johnson, AIA Emerging Professionals Director

Tim Keane Public Director

Jereme Smith, AIA Emerging Professionals Director

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AIA Fellows

2017

The AIA College of Fellows stimulates a sharing of interests among Fellows, promotes the purposes of the Institute, advances the profession of architecture, mentors young architects, and is of ever-increasing service to society. Founded in 1952, the College of Fellows comprises members elected to Fellowship by a jury of their peers. Fellowship is one of the highest honors the AIA can bestow. Elevation to Fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of the architect as an individual but also elevates before the public and profession architects who have made significant contributions to architecture and to society.

Antonin Aeck, FAIA

Larry Lord, FAIA

Robert Brown, FAIA

L. Vic Maloof, FAIA

Scott Braley, FAIA John Busby, FAIA

Robert Cain, FAIA

William Carpenter, FAIA Walter Carry, FAIA

William Chegwidden, FAIA Steven Clem, FAIA

Jerome Cooper, FAIA Gary Coursey, FAIA

Jonathan Crane, FAIA Stanley Daniels, FAIA Ben Darmer, FAIA

Robert Dean, FAIA

Richard Diedrich, FAIA

Michael Dobbins, FAIA Dagmar Epsten, FAIA James Fausett, FAIA

Darrell Fitzgerald, FAIA Brian Gracey, FAIA Peter Hand, FAIA

Philip Harrison, FAIA Helen Hatch, FAIA

Marvin Housworth, FAIA James Kortan, FAIA

Michael LeFevre, FAIA Winford Lindsay, FAIA

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Ivenue Love-Stanley, FAIA Cheryl McAfee, FAIA Paula McEvoy, FAIA

C. Andrew McLean, FAIA Linda Michael, FAIA

Paul Muldawer, FAIA

Roger Neuenschwander, FAIA Ivey Nix, FAIA

John Portman, FAIA

William Pulgram, FAIA Jack Pyburn, FAIA

Richard Rothman, FAIA Edward Shirley, FAIA

Michael Sizemore, FAIA

Raymond Stainback, FAIA William Stanley, FAIA

Preston Stevens, FAIA Eugene Surber, FAIA

Stephen Swicegood, FAIA Richard Taylor, FAIA

Roberta Unger, FAIA

Thomas Ventulett, FAIA Daniel Watch, FAIA

Howard Wertheimer, FAIA

Karen Elizabeth York, FAIA

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Awards

Build Something Great November 17, 2016 Summerour Studio

AIA Atlanta’s largest and most prestigious event of the year unites members of the AEC industry for a celebration of design excellence and the promotion of the built environment.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY PERFECT DAY PHOTOS

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Awards

Honor Awards KWANZA HALL AWARD Shannon Powell

Named after Councilman Kwanza Hall, a tireless champion of the role and importance of great design, this award recognizes the leadership of a non-architect, who has pushed members of the design community to elevate the quality of our work and improve the livability of our towns, cities, and neighborhoods.

DOROTHY SPENCE CITIZEN ARCHITECT AWARD K. Scott Gordon, AIA

The Dorothy Spence Citizen Architect Award honors an AIA member who engages the community through a design lens, breaking down silos, seeing how various community problems are interconnected, and determining how a community leader can find a leverage point for solutions. This award recognizes contributions made outside of volunteer roles within AIA.

JOHN A. BUSBY JR., FAIA AWARD Nicole Hilton, AIA

The John A. Busby Jr., FAIA Award is given to a young chapter member who has excelled in one or more of the areas that make a great architect: design excellence, AIA leadership, community involvement, a pursuit of lifelong education, engagement in the management of their firm, or having started their own.

PRESIDENTIAL CITATION James Fausett, FAIA

Awarded by AIA Atlanta President William Carpenter, FAIA, PhD, this award recognizes an individual who has made a substantial contribution to the community and our profession through the supporting of the chapter's goals and ideals.

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About the Honor Awards The annual Honor Awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated exemplary commitment and service to AIA Atlanta, the community and the profession of architecture. Winners are announced at the annual Build Something Great ceremony.

SILVER MEDAL AWARD

BLDGS | David Yocum, AIA and Brian Bell, AIA

The Silver Medal Award recognizes firm for its general excellence, including small to large entities, and single practitioners.

The recipient demonstrates outstanding performance evidenced by a consistently high level of design quality and demonstrated community leadership in the interests of the profession. The firm must have been in practice for a minimum of five years.

JAMES GANT FAUSETT, FAIA SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION AWARD Kathryn Bedette, AIA; Garfield Peart, AIA; and Jay Silverman, AIA

The Service to the Profession Award honors a firm, group, or individual for outstanding service to the profession, primarily through leadership service in the AIA or a related organization.

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Awards

Residential

Design Awards

The Residential Design Awards honor excellence in work built by AIA Atlanta members and architects registered in the state of Georgia.

A jury deliberated on the criteria of innovative approaches to materiality; incorporation of natural lighting in design; use of new structural systems; design to accommodate a wider variety of lifestyles; and adaptable design that acknowledges aging and changing physical needs.

Jurors included architects Joel Barkley; Erin Sterling Lewis, AIA; and Christopher Rose, AIA.

SINGLE FAMILY: NONTRADITIONAL

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Honor Award

Merit Award

Michael Neiswander, AIA Surber Barber Choate + Hertlein Architects

SINGLE FAMILY: TRADITIONAL

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MULTIFAMILY HOUSING

Honor Award

Brightwater Homes

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Honor Award

Lord Aeck Sargent Merit Award

Dwell Design Studio

RENOVATIONS AND ADDITIONS

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Honor Award

LS3P Associates Ltd.

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Awards

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIRROR LAKE PHOTOGRAPHY

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Single Family: Nontraditional HONOR: NANTAHALA MOUNTAIN RETREAT Michael Neiswander, AIA The project is a modest 1,000-square-foot modern retreat in Scaly Mountain, North Carolina. Its site is a steeply sloping six-acre ridge parcel that borders the Nantahala National Forest mountain ranges.

It is inspired by Japanese bungalo houses, with goals to embrace and engage the surrounding landscape; capitalize on the views of ridge line, treetops and rock face; and expand the square footage by merging interior space with exterior decks.

The main living space is an open plan living/kitchen/dining area with reclaimed wide plank oak flooring; the main focus is the window wall and view. A glass panel door recesses into the wall opening the kitchen to the perch deck. A large reclaimed wood and iron table rests over the kitchen island and easily rolls out to the perch deck for outdoor dining. The wall opposing the view and ceilings are board and batten black stained pine that are inspired by the Japanese technique of Shou Sugi Ban, balancing the room’s neutral color palate and saturation of natural light. The finishes are extended in the bedrooms and bath and are furnished minimally with Japanese-inspired bedding.

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Awards

Single Family: Nontraditional MERIT: CASA DeSILVA Surber Barber Choate + Hertlein Architects The site for this single family residence is located immediately alongside the northern ridge of “El Cerro de Chipinque” in the Sierra Madre Oriental range in the state of Nuevo Leon in northeast Mexico. The house is configured to maximize views of the parallel ridgeline, as well as the dramatic peak, known as La Eme (“the M”), which terminates the eastern vista. In the configuration of the residence, interior and exterior spaces are defined primarily by vertical planes of concrete, sliding in and out of the house to define interior and exterior zones for living, exploring the themes of transparency and penetration.

Secondary forms clad in thinly sliced black granite or contrasting white plaster express more solid and enclosed volumes. The texture and color of the granite alludes to the visible rock peaks of the mountain range looming above. More monochromatic cut stone was used for flooring. Completing the palette of materials, warmer tones of wood are used inside and out which contrast with the coolness of the granite and concrete.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY SURBER BARBER CHOATE + HERTLEIN ARCHITECTS

info@porcelanosa-usa.com www.porcelanosa-usa.com

PORCELANOSA ATLANTA 3255 Peachtree Road NE, Suite B, Atlanta, GA 30305 Phone: 404.973.0640

www.lightingassociates.com 770-448-9250

Awards

Single Family: Traditional HONOR: YONSON RESIDENCE Brightwater Homes On 2.25 acres in the pastoral landscape of Milton, Georgia, the Yonson Residence is a true modern farmhouse — blending essential farmhouse style with a modern vision for a unique result that is a natural evolution of the setting’s horse farm heritage.

The 4,652-square-foot residence sits 250 feet from the road on a shared gravel drive surrounded by traditional four-rail fencing. Mixed exterior materials give the house definition and depth, lending the established feel of a structure built over time. Vertical cedar evokes a barn character on the garage, an important view from the main approach.

Wide porches and a u-shaped plan facilitate indoor/outdoor connections in spectacular style. A central courtyard opens freely into the home via a glass garage door which opens the kitchen’s rear wall to the porch beyond. The interior is an eclectic yet intentional marriage of farmhouse, in reclaimed beams and white shiplap, with modern industrial, in concrete plaster and metal, for a compelling modern interpretation of farmhouse life.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY WARREN BOND PHOTOGRAPHY

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Awards

Multifamily Housing HONOR: SEVENTH MIDTOWN Lord Aeck Sargent Seventh Midtown is a mixed-use, boutique high-rise occupying a prominent corner along Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta.

The building includes luxury residential units over retail space, including a signature Starbucks Reserve.

The nine-level development includes 20 condominiums in approximately 48,000 square feet of residential space. The typical residential floor accommodates three different units, with two unique penthouse units on the top four floors. The penthouse units feature large balconies — complete with fireplaces — overlooking the lively intersection of 7th and Peachtree. Project features include gracious lobby areas and private outdoor living rooms.

Walkway connectors to the adjacent, existing Viewpoint condo high-rise provide access to shared dweller amenities and parking. In addition, the architect redesigned the Viewpoint building’s retail facades stretching all the way to 6th Street, and that provided a valuable opportunity to architecturally tie the streetscape together along the entire city block.

The design objective was to provide a luxury residential building appropriate for upscale, somewhat older dwellers in Midtown Atlanta.

The design strategy incorporates a darker, richer palette of materials than surrounding residential high-rises (typically cladded with a simple window wall expression). The use of punched windows and rusticated brick provided a textural warmth and sense of scale that has proved more intimate and inviting.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN CLEMMER PHOTOGRAPHY

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Awards

Multifamily Housing MERIT: BROOKLYN RESIDENCE Dwell Design Studio The Brooklyn Riverside is comprised of seven buildings that create a total of 310 residential apartment units with 77 private tuck under garages. Each building is a Type VA with an NFPA 13R sprinkler system allowing the four levels. The project consists of platform framed wood stud walls with prefabricated wood floor and roof trusses. The Brooklyn maxes out the density allowed on the site, bringing more people closer to the city center. The layout of the seven buildings on the site provide the look of an urban city block, and having cantilevered balconies provided at each unit connects the residents to the neighborhood.

Using wood as the main building material lends the project to be very sustainable, and compared to using concrete, can reduce the amount of CO2 emissions. At a closer look inside, all exterior, corridor, and demising walls have batt insulation or spray cellulose for their sound dampening abilities but also provide energy efficiency for each building and unit. The roof/ceiling assembly provided prefabricated wood trusses that have batt insulation at the bottom cord.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACKSONVILLE PHOTO INC.

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Awards

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LS3P ASSOCIATES LTD.

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Renovations and Additions HONOR: LAPITZ RESIDENCE LS3P Associates Ltd. Built in 1885 by iron foundry owner William Kehoe, the townhouse at 130 Habersham Street, a contributing structure within the Savannah National Historic Landmark District and the Savannah Local Historic District, has experienced a transformation worthy of attention. Arguably one of the most photographed homes in downtown Savannah, with its infamous vines twining lavishly up the sides of its facades, quite literally bursting life from its structure onto the street, the Kehoe home has become seemingly unrecognizable at first glance through its metamorphosis back to its Italianate roots. It is because of the modern infamy of this historic structure that one might fail to understand decisions made in undertaking a drastic renovation to this iconic downtown home.

However, by acknowledging the greater value of this historic structure, and recognizing that the predominant focus of this home should not be centered on modern public sentiment, the owner was able to come to terms with a genuine restorative plan. Through vine removal, masonry, stucco, railing, and structural repairs, new decking at all balconies, replacement of damaged solid mahogany shutters, a new roof, a complete HVAC overhaul, and an all-encompassing painting to unify architectural elements, the client was able to evaluate the real needs of this building in order for it to be restored to structural integrity while preserving its historic character.

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Articles

Beyond Building Design: Architects as Advocates for Atlanta ARTICLE & PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL KAHN, AIA

In 1847, the fledgling railroad town of Marthasville was dictate the what, where, and when of development, incorporated as Atlanta. Ten years later, with a popuarchitects serve as the thought-leaders of aesthetics, lation of just 9,000 people, the “city” was little more functionality, and integration of new projects into the greater urban context. than an antebellum outpost in a forest clearing on the While there’s a lot more to the history of Atlanta Piedmont Plateau. Meanwhile, that same year, a group than the built environment, and there’s a lot more to of 13 architects gathered in New York City — population some 750,000 — to found the American Institute the role of architects than the design of buildings, as the city grows it is important to examine the impact of of Architects. architects in the context of the city’s history.

Of course, in 160 years, a lot has changed for the profession of architecture, the AIA, and Atlanta. AIA Atlanta has more than 1,700 members, while the metro BUILDING A HISTORY area’s population nears the six million mark.

Architecture is simultaneously the most public form of artistic expression, the stage upon which daily life When Atlanta hosted the AIA National Convention in plays out, and, ultimately, the physical manifestation of 2015, visitors — our colleagues — were amazed by history. When pen meets paper — or in the contemthe development in our city. Indeed, the cranes puncporary case, when mouse meets monitor — architects tuating the skyline tell of the great growth which is wield considerable power when it comes to shaping the seen across the metro. While developers and investors appearance and legacy of the city.

With that influence, however, comes great responsibility. The decisions which are made today will impact the city for many generations to come. An architect’s job is not to merely design a building. Rather, it is to take into consideration a whole host of influences, from program, to context, to sustainability, and crystallize those into singular element which serves both users and the greater city.

The built environment tells the aggregated stories of a place. For a long time, Atlanta’s story was one of perpetual reinvention. Entire decades were spent designing with a wrecking ball, as Atlanta reshaped its core through demolition. There were countless factors which drove the demolition of entire neighborhoods throughout the years — changing in-town demographics, the influence of the automobile, a desire to erase certain embodied histories — but the result was often

A view of Atlanta’s ever-growing skyline.

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The Fox Theatre was almost demolished to build the Southern Bell Building, now AT&T Midtown Center, but was saved through activism and is now one of the city’s most cherished buildings.

the same: Atlanta lost a lot of its identity through development.

This is not to say that demolition of older structures to make way for a more modern, usable city is negative.

However, Atlanta’s legacy has long been one of ephemeral architecture; as soon as a building’s style or function has become passé, the city tosses it aside in favor of something new.

The great cities of the world are a hodge-podge of development, a visual manifestation of the trajectory of their histories. But the useful life of a building in Atlanta is seemingly far shorter than that in other cities. It may be a cultural thing; a city comprised of a majority transplants has nothing that it holds sacred. But at some point, we as architects must recognize what makes Atlanta unique and advocate for its retention.

The tide is turning. With successes like Ponce City Market, the reimagining of the Flatiron Building, and the BeltLine, we are proving that old buildings, old infrastructure, old Atlanta can be repurposed, reenvisioned, and revitalized through good design.

But for those victories of reuse, there are countless other instances in which the past was too quickly dismissed in favor of an uncertain future. This year dozens of iconic buildings were threatened with demolition. Breuer’s Central Library was saved, a temporary reprieve has been granted for Jova’s Trust Company Bank Branch on Monroe Drive, but Shutze’s Maddox House and the historic Daughters of the American Revolution building are two of many that weren’t so lucky.

And structures aren’t the only victims of new development. Atlanta,

known as a city in the forest, is losing its tree canopy at an alarming rate due to clear-cutting for development.

Where once architects utilized the existing site constraints to shape architecture, now, all too often, the cost of designing around century-old trees is their death sentence. But with each tree lost, Atlanta loses a bit of what makes the city unique.

This doesn’t mean every old building must be saved. This doesn’t mean every tree must be spared. And it certainly doesn’t mean that we should forego density. What this does mean, however, is that architects must be more cognizant of context. Considering challenging constraints, and allowing them to shape our buildings, adds dimensionality and roots buildings within their surroundings.

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Marcel Breuer’s Central Library, threatened with demolition in 2016.

ing its legacy and accommodating growth, it is up to architects to help set a forward-looking vision by learning from and embracing the past.

BEYOND THE PROPERTY LINE

The role architects play in shaping the built environment — the buildings in which we live and work — is also an opportunity to shape the city. The impact of a project does not stop at the property line, and buildings aren’t “complete” the day they open.

Rather than being a stagnant element in Atlanta’s growing urbanity, architecture ages and evolves within its context. Thoughtful consideration of the extant, coupled with

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purposeful design moves to contribute positive influence to the site’s surroundings, go a long way to making a project successful.

But in a world of value engineering, where decisions are made to save a few dollars, it can be difficult as an architect to champion the profession, or go beyond the expectations of a client.

Good architecture doesn’t have to be flashy. Good architecture doesn’t have to be expensive. Good architecture serves its users as well as contributing positively to the greater context.

As the pace of development in Atlanta quickens, it is up to architects to help establish a precedent of good design,

In the heart of Midtown, a tower rises with nine stories of parking fronting two prominent streets with a blank, windowless facade. Large street-facing parking decks are becoming an all-too-common feature in the city.

not just in appearance or function, but in civic ambition. In chorus with existing structures, and in anticipation of future growth, buildings can positively effect change upon their surroundings.

Ultimately, positive, sustainable growth in Atlanta will come down to architects championing the cause and demonstrating that through good design, the city can embrace its heritage while simultaneously pushing the envelope of forward-thinking, responsible design. And, through the process, solidify Atlanta’s identity.

Atlanta existed long before we all came to practice architecture here, and it will exist long after we are gone.

So too will our buildings, coexisting with structures that

preceded them, and structures that are yet to be designed.

As architects, we must be conscious of this timeline, and of our place in history. Architects wield power. Ultimately, the buildings we design shape the world in which everyone lives. We must be thoughtful as we design — the Atlanta that we are creating isn’t the Atlanta for us, but the Atlanta for future generations.

Ultimately, we must be more than just architects. We must be advocates for Atlanta. By taking into consideration the city’s past while we design for the future, the Atlanta of tomorrow will be a much better place.

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Defining Value in Design

BY MATT MITCHELL | PHOTOGRAPHS BY HGOR

Due to a lack of hard empirical evidence, many in the design field are hesitant to talk about a glaring problem in the industry: an absence of recognition in the benefits of quality design.

A design without good bones, made possible from quality planning, is more likely to cause a project to underachieve more so than any other project failure. The failure always results in costing the client more money in the long run than they saved by not using better designers.

To fully assess the value of a particular design, we would need to build two projects in the same exact location with the same construction cost at the very same time and then manage them in the exact same way. The only difference would be the inclusion of a good designer versus a subpar, cheaper designer or perhaps no designer. This controlled experiment would finally prove the value in design. Unfortunately, to accomplish this feat of

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construction would require immense time and use of space. As such, it’s safe to assume a definitive, undeniable conclusion on the economic value of design is not coming soon. The absence of such empirical evidence has led some to discount the potential value of good design vs. cheaper design due since there is no smoking gun, per se.

Instead, take a designer’s word: good design practice leads to higher efficiency, provides the project with additional leadership, contributes a holistic approach, and saves the client money.

ADDED PLANNING EFFICIENCY

“Good” design should not only be defined by the aesthetic quality of the finished product and final cost, but also by the myriad of intelligent design decisions and collaboration made along the way. Quality planning has the ability to produce the great spaces people

HGOR’s team provides the design leadership and planning efficiency needed to turn a good project into a great project.

utilize, as well as efficient structures, with lower infrastructure costs. If planning is not done properly, none of this can be achieved.

Having a superior design team will ensure schedules and timelines move efficiently throughout the whole process while minimizing build out time, potential redesigns, and cost. For example, once generic building modules and footprints are developed, a qualified planner needs to analyze options for best arranging the site to create an efficient building layout. Landscape architects have a unique opportunity to be effective planners, bridging the gap between building, site, and infrastructure — all while having a strong understanding of spatial design and its relationship to place, since we deal with these on a daily basis.

TEAM LEADERSHIP

Additionally, all successful projects are the result of a team effort and a good

designer is critical to producing that cohesive vision connecting all the working parts. If the civil engineer is fighting the landscape architect who is fighting the architect, all of whom are not on the same page with the owner, then an otherwise great design can become completely irrelevant. The product will be far less superior than one with a mediocre design that has a unified design team and vision. Good planners are well versed in creating a cohesive vision throughout all of those involved with creating a project.

HOLISTIC APPROACH

As seasoned designers with extensive experience and expertise, we understand the problems our clients encounter, while also understanding the consequences and benefits of the decisions we make on behalf of them. Our holistic solutions touch on every point of the project from planning to grading to infrastructure. We understand the relationship between grading and infrastructure cost; haul vs. fill; pipe sizing and runs that require excessive depths; stormwater detention; and conveyance methods.

Seemingly more affordable designers — those with less experience, education and expertise — can’t say the same. All of these vital systems significantly affect overall costs and ultimately the value of the project. Costs don’t unexpectedly skyrocket when a good plan takes into account all facets of infrastructure and build out. More complex sites require a greater understanding of the relationship between building and site, thus amplifying the

need for quality design and understanding. More complex sites require a greater understanding of the relationship between building and site, thus amplifying the need for quality design and understanding.

INCREASED ECONOMIC SAVINGS

Though a client may not understand the dire importance of a holistic approach or team leadership, they will immediately understand the value of a dollar. When trying to decide if hiring a designer is necessary for a project, there are many valid measurements used, such as previous experience. However, when selecting design consultants, we should also measure a designer’s potential economic value to a project. Do the designers often provide economic ROI on the project or are they an economic detriment?

After critically examining a designer’s long list of added site expertise and planning insight, it’s clear that in most cases, a good designer is invaluable to a project.

Choosing a design team is directly related to the end value of a project, and one in which design fees are often small compared to the overall value created through that choice. Choosing a design professional based on fee is often “penny wise, pound foolish.” If someone saves $1 on design fee, but spends $5 extra (or receives $10 less in final delivered product) due to problems with planning efficiency, infrastructure costs or overdetailing, then the cost ‘saved’ in design was not justified.

The economic value of a design professional is never fully quantified against alternate choices since generally a

HGOR’s work on Atlanta’s Coca-Cola headquarters is reflective of a good design team with a holistic view of what is best for the client and project.

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In the heart of Buckhead, the least green neighborhood in Atlanta, HGOR created a massive return-on-investment for its client and increased nearby real estate values by making a retention pond an amenity.

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project is designed only once. Nonetheless, discernible monetary implications for projects, and the price of ownership teams that drive them, undoubtedly exist. Design fees or overall build-out cost are often primary factors when forming opinions on a design professional’s economic value. However, these metrics are shortsighted and not indicative of the true economic worth a design professional brings to the table. True value in design is much more complex, consisting of factors such as: • Infrastructure planning and grading • Design team leadership and execution • Delivering on the aesthetic and experiential aspects of design • Overall planning efficiency • Even the detailing choices of a designer Good design professionals have the ability to strongly affect and actively implement an efficient, cost-effective infrastructure design through direct site design and coordination with the civil engineer. For example, integrating stormwater conveyance and detention into an overall master plan creates savings on infrastructure runs and pipe sizes that go directly into the bottom line without compromising on quality or design. Understanding detention and its ability to be incorporated into the overall design can create amenities out of often wasted detention areas — just another example of good designers creating ROI on as many parts of a project as possible.

To pay as little as possible upfront and end up with a run-of-the-mill project, a client should hire the least expensive designer they can find. However, if a site craves a unique experience and seamless build out with increased savings

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over time, a designer with the expertise and experience is the best fit. Understanding the benefits and costs associated with a good designer, especially with issues related to early planning, is a major value that can be provided to a client who is looking to make the most of its resources and ultimately create a profitable, well-designed and resounding place.

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Second Nature exhibit; Goodson Yard Building. Photograph by Octawian Otlewski.

Goat Farm Arts Center: A Place Where Design, History and Art Proliferate

BY SHAUN MARTIN, AIA

Articles

Atlanta Film Festival Sound and Vision; In the main courtyard flanked by Building 5 and Goodson Yard Building.

Photograph by Octawian Otlewski.

Nestled off the beaten path of Midtown Atlanta lies one of Atlanta’s best kept secrets. The Goat Farm Arts Center is making an impact on art and technology using the architecture of place and an enterprise model with great purpose. Upon entry, the view of the goats milling about gives you the sense of humble environs. A newcomer would never know that over 100 contemporary art exhibitions & experimental performances take place here annually. The award-winning Center is a perfect waltz of art and architecture, whimsy and order, innovation and tradition, and past and future, like pendulums in motion set “to push culture forward”.

Original construction spanned 1889-1912 and only included a fraction of buildings that stand today.

The complex sits on a 12-acre site at the corner of Foster & Huff, adjacent to active CSX rail lines that remind all nearby of Atlanta’s industrious

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past. It was originally known as “E. Van Winkle Gin and Machine Works,” then later “Murrays Mill” and was built

by Edward Van Winkle, a 29-year-old entrepreneur and son of a successful builder of cotton machinery. Van Winkle invented a power cotton press that extracted cotton seed oil, a by-product of cotton manufacture once regarded as waste. His success embodies the innovation and ingenuity synonymous with the Goat Farm Arts Center as we know it today.

The size of the complex is inscrutable as the buildings are situated to compliment open space embracing passers-by and framing vistas with walls articulated to relate to the human scale with artful installations. When the complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, approximately 15 structures were recorded with varying architectural features reminiscent of the Beaux Arts era with undeniable charm in their

simple gesture and expression of ornamentation and arrangement.

At its inception, art was the intended objective; however, science and technology start-ups gravitate to this progressive-minded place that has been honed and carved by the sands of time. These buildings serve as studio spaces, creative offices, small batch manufacturing spaces, a delightful cafe, outdoor spaces, and art venues in all sizes for over 470 practitioners of art, science, engineering, and technology.

These creative souls delve in abstract thought by experimenting with abstract ideals that inform and inspire meaningful engagement. Age is the common thread that connects these buildings, unintentionally creating a dialogue between the old and new, the creative and pragmatic, and the organic and intentional.

Contemporary art installations are laced throughout the complex in very thought-provoking ways to augment

Hambidge Auction event; Dovetail Building. Photograph by Arno Hunter Myers.

vistas and spaces framed by these beautiful character-rich buildings. Beautiful corbelled brick cornices are flanked with vines and flowers, “slow burning” plank, and timber interiors that give way to the persistence of time and faded painted letters on walls that hint to building use from days of yore. Skylights and “monitors” hang high like crowns atop noble structures that glisten in the sunlight. Surprisingly, these buildings have withstood the test of time with the help of the new stewards and practitioners who love on these buildings like a mother who gently guides her precocious toddler.

These strokes of love are evident in the culture of the place, focused practitioners, and a work ethic that is apparent and mirrored by the staff.

The architecture inspires the innovation which inspires the culture at the Goat Farm. The owners and their teams pride themselves in creating a forum for contemporary thought, vanguard art, entrepreneurial spirit and a social syntax that attracts forward thinking ventures seeking fortuitous interaction. They are quite successful at the creation of this type of social architecture. The Goat Farm continuously explores programs designed to find new ways of organizing people and their knowledge sharing behaviors. Their model encourages practitioners to leverage off of each other’s knowledge bases engaging in an arrangement that is perpetual, working towards a common goal, to “push culture forward”... together.

Concert performance by Black Lips, a local punk rock band ; Interior of Goodson Yard Building; Photograph by Octawian Otlewski.

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The Architecture of Connection: A Case for Technology in the Practice of the Future

BY CRAIG PARK, ASSOC. AIA

“

Washington University in St. Louis School of Social Work. Photograph by The Sextant Group.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.�

ARTHUR C. CLARKE

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At its core, the practice of architecture is all about potential and connection. Listening, imagining, creating, and solving. Along the way, connecting, communicating, and constructing. The profession shapes the future of the built environment through eyes trained to seek potential enabled by the connection of team-based, client-focused collaboration.

Today, potential and connection are enhanced through a seemingly ever-growing, ever-evolving sea change of technologies. Leveraging that advancement is critical to both creating a sustainable practice that competes effectively in a progressive and interlinked global economy, and creating technologically and sustainable projects for your clients.

Understanding how clients are using technology to compete in the international marketplace, collaborating with more efficiencies and effectiveness, and communicating higher value, extends the significance of architects as service providers beyond that of the traditional design practice.

Some of the tech trends impacting design practices are a natural evolution (think version updates; 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc.) from computational tools that have been in use in some form since the 1960s. Those early programs, created with punch-card user data, were veritable Neolithic tools compared with the 3D design and rendering tools available now.

Other trends are truly revolutionary and will undoubtedly have significant impact on the future of the practice. The growing field of data analytics and informatics, the rise of internet-connected sensor-based monitoring and control of anything, and the rapid development of virtual visualization technologies, only touch the surface of change on the horizon.

North Carolina State University Hunt Library lobby. Photograph by North Carolina State University.

And to be certain, the one constant when discussing technology is change.

Today’s tools will inevitably be replaced with new technologies that will improve building performance, design flexibility, as well as improve the connections you make within and outside of your practice. Planning for change is fundamental to effectively planning for technology.

TECHNOLOGY YOU NEED TODAY

Without delving too deeply into the ocean of technology acronyms, there are three technologies that are critical to the future of the design practice: CRM, BIM, and IoT. CRM

The first has little to do with potential (in the design sense), but everything to do with connection. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have been around for more than

three decades. When used effectively, CRM can be the database repository of firm-wide knowledge — a filterable benchmark library of cost, size and quality, with referable evidence of success — that can both increase marketing effectiveness and improve client communication.

Unfortunately, CRM systems are difficult to implement — tying value to all those whose input is critical to seeing the ‘whole’ picture — and too often become only a glorified Rolodex. That said, advancements in data analytic algorithm development is changing CRM from simply a historic library into a prescient predictor of client needs and the critical information needed to successfully meet those needs.

BIM

The second has little to do with connection, but has everything to do with potential. Building Information Model-

ing systems have also been around for over 40 years. They are equally difficult to implement, but have quickly, in the last decade, become the cost of entry to compete. With advancements in 4D (time) and 5D (cost) modeling, augmented and virtual reality imaging, and artificial intelligence-driven Computational Generated Design (CDG), the next generations of BIM will enable building design and performance as never before.

Today, augmented and virtual reality are hot topics. Microsoft HoloLens and Facebook’s Oculus Rift are providing visualization experiences that come as close to “real” as we’ve seen. Tomorrow, CDG algorithms will be created that take project programmatic data and create a fully functional building design, including siting, massing, orientation, and integration of structural, mechanical, and electrical elements. Combine that technology with the growing field of large-scale DESIGN EQUILIBRIUM

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North Carolina State University Hunt Library video wall. Photograph by North Carolina State University.

3-D printing and you have a potential artificial intelligence-driven minimal cost design/build solution that could (read “will”) revolutionize how architecture is delivered.

IoT represents an opportunity to collect real-time information about every physical operation of an organization. IoT sensors can deliver information real-time and convert raw IoT data into business and operational insights using effective data analytics.

IOT The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to IoT is being used for a wide range of an environment of intelligent systems activities from facilities issues of airwhere devices can send and receive flow, air quality, temperature, humiddata over the Internet, store their ity, lighting, connectivity to flexible information in “the cloud,” and connect displays or personal devices, modular users anywhere in a “bring-your-own- Energy Resource Management (ERM) device” (BYOD) world. These smart dashboards, and simplified device conbeacons and sensors, wired or wiretrols. The use and integration of IoT less, provide real-time access, control, devices into building design holds great and intelligent information drawn promise for creating truly intelligent from multiple resources, with results “self-aware” buildings. implemented via simple Application INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY Programming Interface (API) and algorithms designed to extract and use INTO THE PRACTICE Creating a knowledge culture requires relevant data to provide information a commitment to spanning traditionand to control the environment.

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al silos of management, operations, design and marketing, building synergy through shared, relevant, and timely data. Typically, this is accomplished using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that integrates financial, operations/project management, human resources and marketing/business development efforts into a large relational database.

Software vendors like Deltek, Cosential, Microsoft and others have developed robust ERP systems that encompass all the firm’s relevant data in a relational and searchable database.

While many firms have embraced this approach, the ability to simply and efficiently extract needed information is still the bane of most users. New algorithmic dashboards will simplify that process and put relevant real-time information directly in the hands of the users, whether or not they are using a

computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Elevating technology to a seat at the table in the management of the practice is critical.

Recognizing that technology can enable integral applications that encompass research, planning, and analysis can improve strategic communication internally and externally. Internally, technology allows sharing of success, whether financial health, project progress, and forecasts opportunities. Externally, technology simplifies collaboration by allowing for virtual extensions of the office, wireless connectivity, interactive multi-touch screens that replace the conventional analog of meetings (e.g., marker boards, post-it notes, napkin sketches, etc.) with digital equivalents that raise the efficiency and effectiveness, while extending the connection to a wider, more engaged, audience of clients, collaborators and contributors.

exposes the potentials for technology based on applications that might not be obvious or readily available. Because you don’t know what you don’t know, the traditional business (and technology) planning relies heavily on what is known now.

Future thinking changes that.

Rather than simply a statement of business goals, this method is more akin to writing science fiction. In the same way firms research, analyze and implement new building technologies into their designs, all will benefit (the firm and the practice) when planning includes research, analysis and potential for new technologies for connection.

LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY FOR INTELLIGENCE

One way to future-proof the practice is to engage in scenario-based planning during strategic business forecasting efforts of the practice. Integrated strategic planning that encompasses all aspects of the practice, including technology, through an appreciative inquiry process of “what’s working,” “what could be,” “what should be,” “what will be,” becomes more effective when you add “what if ” and “what else?”

Foregoing the negative-focus on weaknesses and threats for the positivity of aspirations and results, changes the dynamic and the conversation. Engaging with a wide variety of inputs (i.e., advisors from other industries) further

University of Missouri-Kansas City Bloch School of Management fourth level. Photograph by The Sextant Group.

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The Living Building at Georgia Tech

BY HOWARD S. WERTHEIMER, FAIA

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What’s in a challenge? For the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Living Building ChallengeTM is an opportunity to demonstrate the most advanced measures of sustainability and improve our Campus Master Plan. The Living Building Challenge is more than the construction of a building. It’s a program, advocacy tool, and philosophy that defines the most progressive sustainability measures possible in the current built environment. Meeting the challenge requires adherence to some of the world’s most stringent building performance standards. To be certified under the program, a building must meet all of

the program requirements for a 12-month period of continued operations following occupancy.

Over the next several years, with the support and partnership of The Kendeda Fund, Georgia Tech will design, build, and operate what is anticipated to become the first major Living Building Challenge certified education and research facility in the Southeast. The goal of this project is a lofty one: to transform not only Georgia Tech’s approach to sustainable design but to extend this knowledge and practice across the South — in a manner that is both transparent and replicable.

Because it will be located on an urban college

The Miller Hull Partnership in collaboration with Lord Aeck Sargent proposed design rendering for the Living Building at Georgia Tech.

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The Miller Hull Partnership in collaboration with Lord Aeck Sargent proposed design rendering for the Living Building at Georgia Tech.

campus with world-renowned academic and research programs, the Living Building at Georgia Tech has the potential to serve as a living-learning laboratory for students, faculty, staff, and visitors by providing hands-on educational and research opportunities that will be a model for the region and similar environments around the world. This project will transform how we plan, design, construct, own, and operate buildings, educating designers, constructors, building owners, and product manufacturers on how to take a comprehensive and holistic approach in expanding our built environment.

It holds great significance for me and others who are involved in this project. As the director of Capital Planning and Space Management at Georgia Tech, I have strategic oversight of our Campus Master Plan, Landscape Master Plan, Historic Preservation Plan, strategic sustainability initiatives, and most things that are visually exposed. As a two-time alumnus from the Georgia Tech College of Design

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(formerly the College of Architecture), I’ve had the chance to work on many wonderful and challenging projects on campus. Working on the Living Building at Georgia Tech takes those challenges to a new level. This opportunity requires everyone to think and act holistically, integrating architecture, engineering, landscape, technology, ecology, and fiscal stewardship as we create a regenerative building that meets all of the stringent requirements of the Living Building Challenge.

CAMPUS PLANNING

In 2013, Georgia Tech developed a sector plan that addressed approximately 100 acres of our 400-acre campus.

A significant portion of this sector includes the precinct of campus known as the Engineered Biosystems Sector and Eco-Commons. The Eco-Commons was originally conceived during the development of the 2004 Campus Master Plan, and updated and expanded in the subsequent Landscape Master Plan. The Eco-Commons is

part of the Georgia Tech performance landscape that increases tree canopy and helps manage campus stormwater.

The Eco-Commons plan also daylights previously buried streams so they become educational, research, and recreational amenities to the campus community, expanding the campus as a living-learning laboratory.

With the Living Building at Georgia Tech strategically planned for the Eco-Commons area, this provides the opportunity to transform this sector of campus from impervious surface parking to an ecological oasis that creates much-needed green space for recreation and reflection, while reducing heat island effects. We accomplished a similar transformation several years ago when we transformed the heart of campus from a sea of asphalt to what is now known as Tech Green, a central green space.

DESIGN TEAM SELECTION: A FRESH APPROACH

Achieving the status of a Living Build-

This image from the Georgia Tech 2013 Engineered Biosystems Building (EBB) and South-Central Campus Sector Plans shows the Eco-Commons lawn and the site of the future Living Building, at that time a placeholder, in a larger campus context.

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ing Challenge certified building means taking into account a broad array of requirements and considerations. This is not your typical campus project, but that’s the point. This project requires us to rethink how to approach the process of planning, designing, building, and even occupying this facility. To meet these criteria, you have to define the end product before you break ground, which requires a considerable amount of investment in time and resources upfront — but creates efficiencies in the long run.

To that end, we took a fresh approach to selecting one of our vital partners — the design team. Georgia Tech created an “Ideas Competition” approach to facilitate information-sharing and transparency. This process provided the three finalist design teams the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with their respective team members and representatives of the Georgia Tech team, which included students, faculty, and donor representatives.

With the Ideas Competition, we observed unprecedented interdisciplinary collaboration, communication, and collegiality among architects and landscape architects; civil and structural engineers; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers; cost estimators; high-performance building specialists; materials experts; branding experts; and individuals with previous Living Building experience. The Ideas Competition required each of the teams to carefully examine how the seven petals and 20 imperatives of the Living Building Challenge could be met with the allocated funds.

Each of the shortlisted teams was given a conceptual building program of 42,500 square feet, site data, and previous planning documents related to the eight-acre vicinity.

The participating teams included Perkins + Will; Collins Cooper Carusi with Eskew Dumez Ripple (New Orleans) and Helmuth Bicknese (St. Louis); and Lord Aeck Sargent

Rendering by Andropogon. A conceptual rendering of the future Living Building site and the surrounding EcoCommons.

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with The Miller Hull Partnership (Seattle). During a series of workshops, Georgia Tech observed how the team members worked together and communicated amongst themselves to address the unique aspects of the Living Building Challenge and our region.

Because Georgia Tech intentionally did not provide a specific building site, each team developed multiple building site options. Layering site information with the stringent requirements of the Living Building Challenge such as net positive water, net positive energy, and urban agriculture, all three teams quickly narrowed down their site options.

Much to our surprise, the thoughtful analysis by all three teams had one thing in common: a recommendation to locate the building at the corner of State Street and Ferst Drive — in the heart of the Eco-Commons.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

As transparency and replicability are key goals of the project, Georgia Tech is placing a strong focus on outreach opportunities, both within Georgia Tech and beyond campus, to teach and promote the tenets of the Living Building Challenge and further the sustainable design conversation.

Community presentations, incorporation of Living Building principles into Georgia Tech curricula, and work with regulatory agencies to examine policies that affect achievement of Living Building standards are just a few ways in which the reach of the Living Building extends beyond its walls.

On Tech’s campus, the project’s Academic and Research Council utilizes the knowledge and expertise of faculty across campus in the careful incorporation of Living Building concepts into the academic curriculum. In the spring 2016 semester, the College of Design conducted the Portman Prize Studio, a graduate-level studio project

sponsored by Georgia Tech alumnus John Portman of John Portman & Associates. Unlike traditional studio projects, this one afforded students not only the opportunity to work on a real-world project but gave them the opportunity to participate in the Living Building workshops and final interviews, something that has not occurred before in our profession. It is an experience they will never forget.

The month following the final selection of the design team, the three finalist teams participated in a panel discussion that was open to the public.

It was recorded so others could learn from this unique process. As a reflection of the quality and character of all the teams, each team willingly shared ideas and lessons learned. From my perspective, the personal and professional bonding that occurred among the competing teams is unprecedented. Each of the teams remains deeply committed to the project by continuing to participate in panel discussions around the country, sharing their experience and how it has influenced other projects within their firms and the clients they serve.

It’s been a remarkable journey thus far, and this project will help us continue to challenge and reimagine traditional design processes as we deliver a fully certified Living Building in Atlanta, Georgia.

For those interested in following the progress of the project, check out Kendeda Fund’s Living Building Chronicle blog at livingbuilding. kendedafund.org.

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Inspire Change for Sustainable Growth

BY JULIE GARELECK & J. MARK CROPP

PHOTOGRAPH BY TINNAPORN SATHAPORNNANONT / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

The practice of architecture is one that requires an ability to reconcile a vision with the requirements of a project. The ability to translate those ideas into reality ultimately determines success or failure for architects. Similarly, architects and firms are challenged to turn the notion of “marketing” into a successful path for business growth.

The first Principles of Practice adopted in 1909 by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) actually barred architects from marketing themselves. It is no surprise that even in the relatively early stages of the newest century many architectural firms remain relatively new to the art and science of marketing.

Sydney J. Harris, an American journalist and popular author, once said, “Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to

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remain the same but get better. Just as many of us struggle to understand the language of 21st century technology, many architects trained to focus on design are struggling to understand the language or the practice of modern marketing. Traditional marketing efforts for some architectural firms consist of little more than requests for proposals (RFPs), afternoon golf matches, club memberships, expensive dinners, and personal networking. While personal relationships and referrals remain a critical component in building a successful firm, it’s not a strategy for sustainable growth. Advancements in technology have changed customer behavior and how customers make purchase decisions. At the same time, the industry has become saturated, making it increasingly more difficult to cut through the digital noise and resonate with customers. While many architectural

“

Architecture starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There it begins.”

LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE

firms have been early adopters to the new marketing continuum, the industry has reached an inflection point that requires innovative thinking yet a pragmatic approach to implementing change.

Developing and implementing an effective marketing strategy has much in common with the design/build process. Every design begins with a set of fundamental elements, each discovered from experience and each universally recognized as critically important to the final results of any design. Every individual element of a design’s creation or marketing campaign becomes an integral part of the whole by a process

PHOTOGRAPH BY DIGITAL MEDIA PRO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

that is focused on accomplishing a predetermined outcome and guided by an interconnected process.

Do you understand the dynamics of the people you are trying to reach?

Firms must define not only the target customer but the wants, needs, and motivations of this audience. Over the past several years marketing has experienced a digital epiphany as savvy customers have developed an affinity to all things internet and smartly mobile.

The move has opened up new opportunities to successfully target, segment, and connect with an intended audience.

Who are they? How do they consume information? How do they make purchase decisions and what factors influence those decisions?

Armed with this knowledge of the people you seek to reach, adapting to the new era of marketing requires a comprehensive approach to executing the “big idea” but only if it’s the “right idea.” In this industry, you have the unique ability to showcase your work.

It’s important that you have an interactive online experience that effectively highlights your firm, your process, and your portfolio. Stories are now being told online with the use of engaging content and imagery across multiple channels at the same time.You must have a content strategy, to compliment your online experience, to reach your customers where they are consuming content. The effort must be consistent, constant, and measured over time.

The measuring process is designed to avoid market spend on acquiring low value customers. This effort requires collecting and analyzing real data to determine the most efficient way to reach high-value client candidates. The process includes metrics to quantify return-on-investment (ROI) and reDESIGN EQUILIBRIUM

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“

PHOTOGRAPH BY NESSA GNATOUSH / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Architects in the past have tended to concentrate their attention on the building as a static object.

I believe dynamics are more important: the dynamics of people, their interaction with spaces and environmental condition.”

JOHN PORTMAN

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turn-on-advertising spend (ROAS) to determine the real cost of customer acquisition. Calculating the “cost per acquisition” for all marketing spend whether it’s content, SEO, PPC, or social is critical. The data can be measured against your business goals and objectives. If a part of the strategy is not working, you have the ability to adapt in real-time, further optimizing your marketing dollars.

Accepting change and embracing the plethora of new tools and approaches that have been born from the technological era will be required to advance the performance goals and objectives of the once marketing-timid architectural industry. It isn’t going to be as easy as setting up a Twitter

profile or connecting with folks on LinkedIn. Partner with the right executive-level marketing professionals who will bring the energy, competency, and leadership needed to drive the successful development and execution of a comprehensive strategy. Challenge yourself to define goals and objectives, establish a brand, identify target customers, and engage those customers.

Inspire change to create a more sustainable business.

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MultiExperiential Office Space Where Worlds Collide in an Explosion of Creativity

BY PIERLUCA MAFFEY

RENDERINGS BY JOHN PORTMAN & ASSOCIATES

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OFFICE SPACE DESIGN BASED IN THE STUDY OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR

Left to their own devices, human beings do not naturally gravitate to sit in boxes or aligned in straight rows.

Whether it is Class A, Class B or T for technology, MultiExperential office space is what powers today’s innovation districts. Created with a focus on the human experience to promote collaboration and encourage a spirit of community, MultiExperential design offers a mix of fixed and fluidly-defined spaces and flows so as to create opportunities for interaction between people and groups that otherwise would not likely cross paths in traditional office building environments.

Providing microcosms within the design, there are lively active spaces and collaboration zones, as well as inviting nooks for small groups and intense discussions, creative shops for crafting prototypes, along with more isolated spaces for quiet conversation, recharging, and undisturbed contemplation.

The result is an endless potential for all types of engagement, creating a nurturing environment for people to come together, share their points of view and spark a process that leads to the next big idea.

BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN ACADEMIA AND ENTERPRISE

MultiExperential offices are a perfect solution when two or more industries want to collaborate on evolving their industry. Next generation incubator space must support an overlay of technology, inter-disciplinary thought leadership, and public-private collaboration. The Georgia Institute of Technology had the idea to pair innovative office space with a high performance computing center to attract businesses to collaborate and research with the university to fast track the commercialization of ideas. The result is Coda, a complex in Midtown Atlanta, designed by John Portman & Associates, that includes MultiExperential Class T

office space paired with a high performance computing center and catering to the Georgia Institute of Technology as an anchor tenant. The data center — the brains of the project — will deliver about 9,000 kilowatts of power to make short work of complex data models. The potential for innovation is unprecedented.

This project represents an alignment of institutional goals with societal and business objectives. Adding an institutional element enables unparalleled collaboration between research and industry. Here, business leaders pitch ideas to researchers to vet, and researchers engage students to explore new angles, and each group inspires the others to look at opportunities differently and discover fresh approaches to real-world problem solving.

At Coda, education takes on new immediacy, advancing from the exploration of theory to actively responding to critical real-life needs. Business enterprises gain unprecedented access to multi-disciplinary research and data

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modeling to streamline the launch of new products and commercialization of ideas. The whole world benefits from the catalytic effect of different schools of thought coming at problems from various vantage points to create win-win solutions.

NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER’S OFFICE PARK

There was a time when ‘going to the office’ meant retreating from everyday life to a place of single-focus.

MultiExperiential design responds to today’s live/work/ play society with a new way of thinking when it comes to office spaces. The key is to create a seamless environment where the typical walls of formality are gone. Coda, which includes the adaptive re-use of a historic neighborhood building, street-level retail, and an expansive open public plaza, actively works to integrate into its Midtown Atlanta neighborhood, becoming a gift to the community as both a destination and a portal.

Coda’s 63-foot-tall arcade acts as a gateway into a new world—a world of dynamic collaboration. Coda is the newest component of Georgia Tech’s Technology Square and represents a point where the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology meets the community. Almost one-third of the project’s total area is open to the public.

Situated between MARTA stations and bisected by a major thoroughfare between Buckhead and downtown Atlanta, it is a high-traffic area. The base of the Coda complex is designed and positioned to engage people passing through, creating a 24/7 buzz. Coda serves as a draw to those visiting Technology Square’s Hotel and Conference Center, a dining

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destination and a funnel of activity for people walking between campus and the MARTA stations. Inside, the building will include food venues, open, informal spaces and stacked atriums on every third floor connected by a spiral staircase.

It is only a matter of time before “Meet me at Coda” becomes part of the vernacular for GA Tech and the Midtown neighborhood.

DIFFERENT BY DESIGN

The architectural design enhances an environment of engagement by creating opportunities for interaction within an atmosphere to incite a sense of search. The façade treatment is primarily glass and transparent to create a physical and visual connection between the ideas happening within and the world functioning outside. Natural light contributes to a lively, activated and inviting space. The use of chilled beams allows for a reduction in the floor-to-floor height that provides a significant savings in the cost of the curtain wall. Savings will continue over the life of the building in the form of reduced energy usage. A monitoring system will oversee the amount of energy usage, correcting and improving performance over time. The monitoring system will also alert maintenance to issues before they become a major problem. Coda aims to be the first market-rate, LEED Platinum high-rise office building in the Southeastern United States.

TECHNOLOGY ON THE RISE

Even the vertical transportation within Coda will be hightech. For the first time in the Western Hemisphere, a TWIN

elevator system willwill be be employed.

The elevator system employed.

Thesystem systemfeatures featurestwo two cars,cars, arranged on on toptop of each other, that arranged of each other, thatoperate operateindeindependently in the one hoistway.

The advantages of this pendently in the one hoistway. The advantages of thissystem system include efficient usage of available space, include efficient usage of available space,less lessenergy energyuse useand and the the ability to transport up to 40 percent more passengers ability to transport up to 40 percent more passengers thanthan conventional elevators.

Each TWIN conventional elevators.

Each TWINelevator elevatorhas hasitsits ownown major mechanical andand electrical components major mechanical electrical componentsand andshares shares the the same guide railsrails andand landing doors same guide landing doorsinina single a singleelevator elevator shaft.

TWIN features four safety systems shaft.

TWIN features four safety systemswhich whichensure ensurea a minimum separation of the cars is maintained.

These minimum separation of the cars is maintained. Thesesafety safety features monitored independentcontrol controlsystem systeminin features are are monitored by by an an independent compliance 508, whichis isthe thehighest highestsafety safety compliance withwith IECIEC ENEN 6161 508, which classification of Safety Integrity Level3 (SIL3), 3 (SIL3),used usedbybythe the classification of Safety Integrity Level aviation industry.

In addition installationofofa TWIN a TWIN aviation industry.

In addition to to thethe installation elevator system as part both buildingdesign designinfrainfraelevator system andand as part of of both itsitsbuilding structure as well as its innovation ecosystem,Coda Codawill willalso also structure as well as its innovation ecosystem, feature an intelligent Destination Dispatch elevator control feature an intelligent Destination Dispatch elevator control system groups swiftly transportspassengers passengersthe the system thatthat groups andand swiftly transports efficient possible. mostmost efficient wayway possible.

ELEVATING THE ENTIRE CITY ELEVATING THE ENTIRE CITY

While Georgia Institute of Technologywill willbebethe thecomcomWhile the the Georgia Institute of Technology plex’s anchor tenant, a new modelforforthethe“research “researchtoto plex’s anchor tenant, as aasnew model commercial path,” Coda will serve as a beacon forthe thecity cityofof commercial path,” Coda will serve as a beacon for Atlanta, attracting leading technologytalent. talent.ProfessionProfessionAtlanta, attracting thethe leading technology als anxious to work with pioneering companies, supported als anxious to work with pioneering companies, supported byengaged an engaged student base, fueled inquisitiveresearchers researchers by an student base, fueled bybyinquisitive innovative professors flock city. and and innovative professors willwill flock totothethecity.

Invest Atlanta, the official economic development Invest Atlanta, the official economic development authority of Atlanta, beenvery verysupportive supportive authority for for thethe CityCity of Atlanta, hashas been of the project, which is anticipated to have an economic of the project, which is anticipated to have an economic impact of $813.8 million over twentyyears yearsand andwill willhave have impact of $813.8 million over twenty significant economic benefits — not only through the cresignificant economic benefits — not only through the creof 2,100 construction jobs, and2,400 2,400jobs jobsonsite onsiteafter after ationation of 2,100 construction jobs, and completion, but also through its impact on innovation in the completion, but also through its impact on innovation in the region. region. complex, with MultiExperientialdesign, design, TheThe complex, with its its MultiExperiential programmed around high-performance computing (HPC) programmed around high-performance computing (HPC) modeling, simulation a sustainableinnovation innovationecosystem ecosystem modeling, simulation andand a sustainable that integrates the existing assets of Technology Square with that integrates the existing assets of Technology Square with opportunities in interdisciplinaryresearch, research,commercommernewnew opportunities in interdisciplinary cialization and sustainability, becomes a desirable addressfor for cialization and sustainability, becomes a desirable address world’s leading companies emergingpowerhouses. powerhouses. the the world’s leading companies andand emerging Furthermore, a landmark with symbolicsignificance, significance, Furthermore, as aaslandmark with symbolic Coda develops an architectural expression, bothinterior interiorand and Coda develops an architectural expression, both exterior, a reflection of Atlanta’sidentity identityasasa acity cityofof exterior, thatthat is aisreflection of Atlanta’s progress with a commitment to excellence. progress with a commitment to excellence.

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Towards a Quality Control Manifesto

BY GANESH NAYAK

Quality control in architectural offices means different things to different people. In the context of this article, it refers to the standard of architectural service that architects provide their clients, from procuring the job via marketing, to design, constructability, documentation, and construction administration. The standard or level of care recalls the musty thick binders on professional practice that we all see on office bookshelves and hear about from time to time, but really need to summon and apply in our daily work routines.

CORE VALUES AND CULTURE

A firm’s commitment to quality control has to arise from its core values — what does the firm stand for? Or conversely, what would the firm try to defend if one of these values is threatened? These core values contribute to and form the culture of a firm. A firm’s culture is a bit hard to define and pin down, but one definition works in this context: it is the glue that binds the organization together.

It is the hardest thing for competitors to copy. Hence it becomes a main, lasting source of competitive advantage.

It is what defines a firm. It is what comes to mind first when the firm is mentioned.

Where quality control is not a core value of the firm and hence not ingrained in the firm’s culture, it ends up on some occasions getting the short shrift. In the galaxy of events and milestones over the duration of a project in the office, quality control occupies an orbit of privilege close to the action during marketing and procuring the job, advertised as a desirable value. But it can get relegated to the outer orbits in the face of compressed schedules and

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looming deadlines, and might not even exist but in a perfunctory way. There are leaps of faith, large and small — perhaps the detail can be addressed during construction; clashes in the BIM model could be resolved later on at RFI time, and so on.

Like most things, sometimes it works; more often, it doesn’t.

Repairs to the holes cost extra time and labor, and erode into profits.

The article’s title refers to the bestseller "The Checklist Manifesto" by Atul Gawande, a physician who laid the case for the checklist in hospitals as a tool to minimize mistakes in the medical profession and save lives, while also significantly cutting healthcare costs. In the book, he studies the quality control systems in the construction industry (on construction sites), and finds the checklists, workflows, and detailed schedules coordinating the trades as among the most effective (along with checklists in the aviation industry) measures of quality control. It might be instructional for architects to gain some insights into how our partners in the field handle quality, and adapt some lessons in the office.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

One of course doesn’t have to look far for a quality manage-

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ment system for architectural firms — Chapter 12 in the AIA’s "Practicing Architecture - Best Practice" addresses quality management and provides detailed checklists at each phase of documentation. It provides an excellent framework for a firm to adapt and devise a quality management system which can be project-specific and continually changing according to project needs and circumstances. As always, looking outside the profession for lessons to bring into the firm is a valuable exercise. In this regard, the ISO 9000 Quality Management System, mostly adopted by manufacturing and (customer-oriented) service organizations holds some key relevant concepts. It iterates the "Plan-Do-Check-Act/Adjust" cycle for processes, which is similar to an architectural firm’s workflow plan for a project. The key concept, to be added at the end of each cycle is that of "continuous improvement" between the cycles. In other words, the next Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle is implemented as an improvement over the previous cycle.

system runs against the grain — the perception of a mundane, tedious process reigning in design and creativity is counterproductive. Quality control plans need to vary by project, tailored to its specificities. Quality control thrives or withers away depending on how much team members are vested in the process. They need to understand how their own part fits into the larger whole, and own it. Making it an everyday practice is key, and ties directly to the core values of the firm forming its culture.

Here are a few suggested techniques to improve quality within a firm: 1. Educate staff continually. We draw what we know. Encourage staff to ask questions constantly — when one is not sure of something, and draws it anyway, one makes mistakes.

A culture of open and constant dialogue is key to making staff vested in their projects.

Encourage them to generate their own redlines first.

2. Bring in lessons from the field LEAN ARCHITECTURE through seminars and learning Improving systems continually, worksessions by construction ading smarter, and eliminating waste in ministration staff or contracthe process of time, labor, and material tors. They provide valuable define the concept of lean architecture, insights into constructability. which is a "congoing process of re3. Implement a rigorous thinking and improving methodology." post-project review and Gleaning insights from process imfeedback process. Asking provement systems such as Six Sigma, which detail worked and did which has been effectively adopted by not, and which drawings were industry, lean attempts to cut through redundant can be a revealing the chaff of redundant documentation, exercise towards the goal of reduce variation across project doccontinuous improvement for uments and workflows, and improve the next project. communication.

4. Review addenda and RFIs across projects and identify TOWARDS GREATER QUALITY which ones can be incorporatFor a creative profession such as ours, ed into the documentation in having a standardized quality control the first place, shaving addi-

5.

6.

7.

8.

tional time off the project that is spent by addressing them later.

Bring all consultants on-board the quality management plan for the project. Getting them to understand and gel with the firm’s values and culture is key to adherence to the quality control process.

Track design changes closely — tracing their impact across the project and disciplines and addressing them minimize coordination errors.

Review non-standard contract language for water-tightness and clarity of roles and scopes.

On complex projects involving many consultants with overlapping roles, establish a responsibility matrix to clearly demarcate roles and scopes, diminishing grey areas.

In sum, quality control is one of the fundamental bases of client service, design excellence and firm profitability. The mantra of continuous development and its implementation in all processes distinguishes the firm from the competition. It should orbit in its rightful place in the galaxy of events, lest the project spirals out of control.

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Rather than incorporating stairs into stormwater retention pond’s center, HGOR created a walkway to accommodate all types of users.

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Adapting Universal Design Principles to Include All Users

BY JAMES GROSS | PHOTOGRAPHS BY HGOR

It is said the disabled community is the only minority group that anyone can join at anytime. However, people can be unnecessarily disabled by society’s constructs, not by their impairment. The user should be the one that decides his/ her limitations, not the spaces where he/she lives, works, or plays. Therefore, it is an architect’s responsibility to enhance the human experience and design spaces that are usable to all — regardless of any disability. Though it’s extremely difficult to know how each user will interact with a site, we can work carefully and diligently to be as inclusive as possible. Not many individuals fully understand the difficulties with mobility for those in a wheelchair, or how an individual with autism feels and perceives the world. However, by referring to an established, universal code that thoughtfully guides our design decisions, we can better accommodate those who experience the world differently. That’s where Universal Design (UD) comes into play.

UD and the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) are not the same things. The ADA, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, is an enforceable set of rules regarding accessibility standards. ADA rules apply to places of public accommodations, multifamily dwellings, and state and local government facilities. UD, on the other hand, is not an enforceable code, but a voluntary set of design principles to accommodate those with disabilities, those without disabilities and the elderly. UD is the philosophy of Ron Mace who wanted designs to “accommodate the broadest spectrum of human ability.”

Where ADA strives to provide for a narrow group of disabled individuals, mainly those with physical, hearing or vision impairment, UD strives to include all. UD aims to provide an equivalent experience so nobody feels physically or psychologically segregated.

There are seven principles of universal design, described below by the National Disability Authority: 1. Equitable Use: The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. The design should provide the same outcome for all users when possible, avoiding segregation or stigmatization of any individuals. Examples include power doors with sensors that are convenient for all users and adaptable seating in assembly areas.

2. Flexibility in Use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.

Designs should provide choice and facilitate the user’s accuracy and precision. Guidelines include providing a choice in methods of use, such as rightor left-handed accessibility. One example is an ATM that features visual, tactile, audible feedback, a palm rest, and a tapered card opening.

3. Simple and Intuitive Use: Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. The design can accommodate a wide range of literacy and language skills while eliminating unnecessary complexity. Examples include an instruction manual that relies on drawings, rather than text, and walking sidewalks.

4. Perceptible Information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities. Guidelines include using different modes of information presentation (pictorial, verbal, tactile) and maximizing the “legibility” of essential information.

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Mercer University’s Diane Owens Garden incorporates many UD principles including flexibility, low physical effort and simple use.

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5. Tolerance for Error: The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions such as an “undo” feature in computer software or a double-cut car key that works regardless of how you enter the key.

6. Low Physical Effort: The design can be used efficiently, comfortably and with minimum fatigue — like a touch lamp operable without a switch.

7. Size and Space for Approach and Use: Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation and use regardless of user’s body size, posture or mobility. This includes providing a clear line of sight to important elements for any seated or standing user and accommodating variations in hand and grip size.

ADA regulations define accessibility largely in terms of numbers and specific measurements. This method of quantifying and standardizing takes the creativity and thinking out of accessible design. When you follow a set of rigid rules for so long, it is easy to forget why the rules were made in the first place. Sites that are ADA compliant can be frustrating or completely unusable for certain members in society. ADA should be the launch pad when designing for accessibility, then designers should go on to include all UD principles.

"We're trying to get people to address a larger paradigm, including health, wellness, and social participation," said Edward Steinfeld, the Director of the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access, in Curbed. "The bottom line is, if you have a library that's 'accessible,' but people with disabilities can only be in certain parts of the space and need people to get a book for them, that's not full social participation.You need to go beyond bottom line legal thinking."

UD transcends ADA rules to provide a more thoughtful approach to design spaces. As the 77 million baby boomers age, and we begin to accommodate more elderly citizens than ever before, and as 20 percent of Americans identify with a disability, it’s imperative UD becomes the standard — rather than the ideal. Fortunately, according to AIA’s 2016 Home Design Trends Survey, UD is becoming more and more common in residential homes. The survey revealed in-home accessibility and interior design elements meant to aid aging in place topped the list of “biggest drivers of work at residential architecture firms in the first quarter of 2016.”

“Minor lags in demand for accessibility features within the home are a signal universal design concepts have become a more common feature in existing housing stock,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker.

UD is also making its way into other fields. Dr. Sheryl

Burgstahler founded DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center and the Access Technology Center at the University of Washington. These two centers promote (1) the use of mainstream and assistive technology and other interventions to support the success of students with disabilities in postsecondary education and careers and (2) the development of facilities, computer labs, academic and administrative software, websites, multimedia and distance learning programs that are welcoming and accessible to individuals with disabilities. Both centers are guided

by UD. To fulfill the equitable use principle, she advocates for professors to make their websites accessible to everyone, including those who are blind or hearing impaired. For the principle on “size and space for approach and use,” she advocates for a flexible science lab work area has adequate workspace for students who are left- or right-handed and for those who need to work from a standing or seated position With or without a disability, it can be difficult to fully understand how an individual different from you experiences the world.

UD aims to make the feeling of segregation or stigmatization in public places, private residences and even in the classroom non-existent. By only adhering to ADA principles in our architectural designs and implementations, we’re underserving our communities and underselling our great places.

HGOR’s team incorporates Universal Design principles as often as possible into its campus, corporate, urban and community projects.

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Programs 48 HRS Competition The 48 HRS Competition is a biennial program produced by the Young Architects Forum. Once the theme is chosen and the project brief is announced, participants have 48 hours to design and submit their responses. Through the competition, AIA Atlanta spotlights emerging designers and promotes the value of good design by fast, innovative thinking. The 2016 design prompt was a nature- and technologydriven mobile library that will guide readers to their local library branch.

1st Place: City Media Garden

CITY MEDIA GARDEN ALEJANDRA LOPEZ AND TRENTON MCGUGIN

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space within. These screens can act as study tools, entertainment centers, or informational displays. The framework also stores a panelized vertical garden that allows visitors to explore the overlap between nature and technology.

Citizens from all over Atlanta have the ability to visit the library while it is in their neighborhood and “check-out” panels to grow vertical crops. Visitors can choose from hundreds of books on the interactive digital library wall, where books are stored on USBs and available for check-out. The City Media Garden provides resources for the community’s evolving needs, both technologically and spatially. It is an idea of the library as a place that is more than just for books and individual study — it becomes a place for community gardening, gathering, sharing, and discovery.

COURTLAND AVENUE

City Media Garden proposes a transformation of the library as we know it. It aims to become the nexus between the Central Library and the greater community of Atlanta, providing a place for people to gather, ideas to be shared, CITY MEDIA GARDEN PROPOSES A TRANSFORMATION OF THE LIBRARY AS WE KNOW IT. IT AIMS TO BECOME THE NEXUS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL LIBRARY AND THE GREATER imaginations to run free, and IDEAS knowledge to be gained. City COMMUNITY OF ATLANTA, PROVIDING A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO GATHER, TO BE SHARED, IMAGINATIONS TO RUN FREE, AND KNOWLEDGE TO BE GAINED. CITY MEDIA GARDEN EMBRACES THE DIGITAL AGE AND SHIFTS THE FOCUS OF THE digital COLLECTION age and shifts the focus Media Garden embraces the FROM PHYSICAL BOOKS TO DIGITAL MEDIA. THE POD IS TRANSPORTABLE TO ANY DESTINATION IN THE CITY BY TRAILER, CONFORMABLE TO THE CONSTRAINTS OF of the collection physical books to digital media.

WHATEVER NEIGHBORHOOD IT INHABITS. THE from LIBRARY, MADE UP OF THREE PODS CONNECTED BY HINGES, FOLD OUT TO ACCOMMODATE VARYING GROUPS OF PEOPLE THE The pod is transportable any destination in the AND ACTIVITIES. PODS ARE ENCLOSED WITH INTERACTIVE TOUCHto SCREENS ANCHORED ON A MOVEABLE FRAMEWORK THAT ALLOW THEM TO ROTATE AND VARY THE QUALITIEScity OF THEby SPACE WITHIN. THESE SCREENS CAN ACT AS to STUDY TOOLS, trailer, conformable the constraints of whatever ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS, OR INFORMATIONAL DISPLAYS. THE FRAMEWORK ALSO STORES A PANELIZED VERTICAL GARDEN THAT ALLOWS VISITORS TO EXPLORE THE neighborhood it inhabits.

The library, made up of three pods OVERLAP BETWEEN NATURE AND TECHNOLOGY. CITIZENS FROM ALL OVER ATLANTA HAVE THE ABILITY TO VISIT THE LIBRARY WHILE IT IS IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND “CHECK-OUT” connected PANELS TO GROW VERTICAL CROPS. VISITORS CHOOSE by hinges, foldsCANout toFROM accommodate varying HUNDREDS OF BOOKS ON THE INTERACTIVE DIGITAL LIBRARY WALL, WHERE BOOKS ARE STORED ON USBS AND AVAILABLE FOR CHECK-OUT. THE CITY MEDIA GARDEN PROVIDES groups of people and activities. The pods are enclosed with RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY’S EVOLVING NEEDS, BOTH TECHNOLOGICALLY AND SPATIALLY. IT IS AN IDEA OF THE LIBRARY AS A PLACE THAT IS MORE THAN JUST FOR interactive touchA PLACE screens anchored BOOKS AND INDIVIDUAL STUDY – IT BECOMES FOR COMMUNITY GARDENING,on a moveable frameGATHERING, SHARING, AND DISCOVERY. work that allow them to rotate and vary the qualities of the

SITE PLAN NTS

HEAD / RIVET

50% DEPLOYED

LEAF 1 TRANSFORMATION

BASE DEPLOYED/ TRANSPORTABLE

GROUP STUDY

GROUP STUDY / INDIVIDUAL STUDY

USB DIGITAL LIBRARY

DIGITAL LIBRARY

1

2 6

4

1

5

3

5 43’-6”

3

1

STORAGE

4

2

INDIVIDUAL STUDY

5

3

GROUP STUDY

6

6

DIGITAL MEDIA STORAGE

USB DIGITAL LIBRARY

INTERACTIVE SCREENS / GARDEN

12’-0”

12’-0”

DESIGN EQUILIBRIUM

9239

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48 HRS Competition

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DESIGN EQUILIBRIUM

2nd Place: The Network STEPHANIE BAKER

The Network is made up of a system of "sub-hives" that communicate with one another through their physicality and the integrated system of technology implemented within each compartment's interconnecting walls. Each group of sub-hives is connected to the others and displays messages or images when physically engaged.

These connections trigger a link back to the Central Library where any individual or group can participate in information sharing or engage in an impromptu person-to-person video game while waiting for their train or for their phone to charge.

The intersection at MARTA's Peachtree Center Station is busy with pedestrians, cars, and buses through most of the day most of whom pass through the area with an occasional person waiting for the light rail.

This location offers a real opportunity to entice people into spending a few extra minutes to catch up on politics, take a language course, play a game, or research their favorite team's current stats while on a lunch break or waiting to meet up with friends. The Network is meant to provide convenience and security while adding an element of fun to get people engaged with the library.

Groups of hives are equipped to communicate with other hives around the area including the Central Library. Occupants can use the space to play games with other users in another hive or simply check on the train times while they wait out the weather.

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BRINGING STORIES TO LIFE

48 HRS Competition

LIBRA LIBRARY BRINGING STORIES BRINGING STORIES TO LIFE

PEOPLE TODAY ARE MORE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER THAN EVER BEFORE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY HAD STARTED TO MOVE AT A FASTER PACE. NATURE CONTINUES TO TRANSFORM AND CHANGE TO ADAPT TO THE DAILY PACE OF THE MODERN LIFE. SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC NEED TO DO THE SAME TO SURVIVE. EVERY YEAR TREES CONSOLIDATE THEIR EXTERNAL FEATURES UNTIL THE SPRING WHERE THEY UNPACK THEIR LEAVES, SO THEY CAN PROVIDE ENERGY AND SERVICES NEEDED FOR THE TREE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. SERVICES NEED TO FOLLOW THE SAME MODEL AND ADAPT TO THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND THEM. A MOBILE LIBRARY THAT CAN UNPACK ITSELF AND POWER ITSELF WHEN NEEDED, TO PROVIDE THE SOCIETY WITH CULTURE AND KNOWLEDGE THROUGH A VEHICLE THAT CATERS TO SOCIETY’S CURRENT LANGUAGE CAN CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE LEARN AND INTERACT. THE AV LIBRARY USES VIRTUAL REALITY, AUDIO-BOOKS, INTERACTIVE SCREENS, AND BOOKS TO HELP FACILITATE GROWTH THROUGH BOTH SOCIAL INTERACTION AND DISCOVERY.

3rd Place: AV Library

ENERGY CONSERVATION:

PLE TODAY ARE MORE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER THAN EVER BEFORE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY HAD STARTED TO MOVE FASTER PACE. NATURE CONTINUES TO TRANSFORM AND CHANGE TO ADAPT TO THE DAILY PACE OF THE MODERN LIFE. SERVICES THAT 11' AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC NEED TO DO THE SAME TO SURVIVE. EVERY YEAR TREES CONSOLIDATE THEIR EXTERNAL FEATURES UNTIL THE NG WHEREZACHARY THEY UNPACK THEIR LEAVES, THEY CAN PROVIDE ENERGY AND SERVICES NEEDED FOR THE TREE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. NELSON ANDSO JON PHARIS VICES NEED TO FOLLOW THE SAME MODEL AND ADAPT TO THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND THEM. A MOBILE LIBRARY THAT CAN UNPACK ITF AND POWER ITSELF WHEN NEEDED, TO PROVIDE THE SOCIETY WITH CULTURE AND KNOWLEDGE THROUGH A VEHICLE THAT CATERS TO TODAYUSES ARE MORE CONNECTED TO EACH AUDIO-BOOKS, OTHER THAN EVER BEFORE T PeopleLANGUAGE today are more connected to WAY each PEOPLE other than ever AND INTERACT. THE AVPEOPLE IETY’S CURRENT CAN CHANGE THE LEARN LIBRARY VIRTUAL REALITY, A FASTER CONTINUES TO TRANSFORM AND CHANGE TO HAD ADA PEOPLE TODAY ARE MORE CONNECTED TO AT EACH OTHERPACE. THANNATURE EVER BEFORE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY RACTIVE SCREENS, AND BOOKS TO HELP FACILITATE GROWTH THROUGH BOTH SOCIAL INTERACTION AND DISCOVERY. ARE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC NEED TO DO THE SAME TO SURVIVE. EVERY YEA before through technology, and society had startedATtoA FASTER movePACE. NATURE CONTINUES TO TRANSFORM AND CHANGE TO ADAPT TO THE DAILY PACE OF THE MODERN LIF 13'

- PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS ARE INSTALLED ON THE ROOF TO HARVEST SUNLIGHT FOR THE TRAILER. - RAIN WATER IS COLLECTED AND STORED UNDER THE DECK FOR ANY WATER NEEDS.

WHERE THEY UNPACK SO THEY CANTHEIR PROVIDE ENERGYFE A ARE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC NEED TO DOSPRING THE SAME TO SURVIVE. EVERYTHEIR YEAR LEAVES, TREES CONSOLIDATE EXTERNAL

FOLLOW THE SAME MODEL AND ADAPTFOR TO THE WHERE SO THEYNEED CAN TO PROVIDE ENERGY AND SERVICES NEEDED THEENVIRONM TREE AND at a faster pace. Nature continues to transform andSPRING change to THEY UNPACK THEIR LEAVES,SERVICES SELFAND ANDADAPT POWER ITSELF WHEN NEEDED, TO PROVIDE THE SOCIETY WITH CUL SERVICES NEED TO FOLLOW THE SAME MODEL TO THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND THEM. A MOBILE LIBRARY THA SOCIETY’S CURRENT LANGUAGE CAN CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE LEARN IN ENERGY CONSERVATION: NEEDED, TO PROVIDE THE SOCIETY WITH CULTURE AND KNOWLEDGE THROUGH A AND VEHIC adapt to the daily pace of the modern life. ServicesSELF thatAND arePOWER ITSELF WHEN PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS ARE INSTALLED ON THE INTERACTIVE SCREENS, AND BOOKS TO HELP FACILITATE GROWTH THROUGH B SOCIETY’S CURRENT LANGUAGE CAN CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE LEARN AND INTERACT. THE AV LIBRARY USES VIRTUAL REA ROOF TO HARVEST SUNLIGHT FOR THE TRAILER. INTERACTIVE SCREENS, AND BOOKS TO HELP FACILITATE GROWTH THROUGH BOTH SOCIAL INTERACTION AND DISCOVER available to the public need to do the same to survive.

- RAIN WATER IS COLLECTED AND STORED UNDER - Open SECTION - CLOSED THE DECK FOR ANY WATERSECTION AA NEEDS. AA Every year, trees consolidate their external features until 11' ENERGY CONSERVATION: the spring where they unpack their leaves, so they can provide energy and services needed for the tree and the environment.

Services need to follow the same model and adapt to the environment around them. A mobile library that can unpack itself and power itself when needed, to provide the society with culture and knowledge through a vehicle that caters to society’s current language can change the way people learn SECTION - OPEN and interact. The AV Library uses virtual BB reality, audio-books, 2614 interactive screens, and books to help facilitate growth SECTION - CLOSED A AA SECTION - Open SECTION - CLOSED AA AA through both social interaction and discovery.

SCALE: 1/4" =

SCALE: 1/4" =

1'-0"

1'-0"

11'

- PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS ARE INSTALLED ON THE ROOF TO HARVEST SUNLIGHT FOR THE TRAILER. - RAIN WATER IS COLLECTED AND STORED UNDER THE DECK FOR ANY WATER NEEDS.

13'

13'

13'

11'

SCALE: 1/4" =

1'-0"

SCALE: 1/4" =

SCALE: 1/4" =

SECTION - CLOSED SCALE: 1/4" =

BB DESIGN EQUILIBRIUM

SCALE: 1/4" =

AA

1'-0"

70

1'-0"

1'-0"

SECTION - Open SCALE: 1/4" =

SECTION - OPEN SCALE: 1/4" =

1'-0"

1'-0"

BB

SECTION - OPEN SCALE: 1/4" =

1'-0"

1'-0"

Honorable Mention: Magnet Pavilion MAXIM KOVTOUN AND LINDA KOVTOUN

The way we access information has experienced a recent shift.

Libraries have found themselves forgotten in a sea of technology where "instant" rules supreme.

Atlanta libraries have become vulnerable during this shift. Their presence is lost amongst the rapid pace the Internet offers.

In the deepest, darkest ocean waters, angler-fish are still able to hunt. They possess a luminescent organ removed away from their main body that allows them to find and attract food. In the age of click-bait, libraries must evolve to attract patrons or else risk their very existence in our city fabric.

The Central Library in downtown Atlanta is a prime example of an architecturally important hub of knowledge that is being

underutilized by the people who pass its location daily. We are proposing that the Central Library evolve.

With the potential of offering an array of information and services remotely, our proposed design will act as a beacon for the greater library. Internet access, a book depository, and interactive puzzles are just a few of the features that this proposed design could offer. With its visually bold design attracting the pedestrian gaze, it aims to engage the otherwise uninterested public.

Not all will take the added steps into the library, but we are attempting to provide an approachable object that promotes and reinforces the importance of the library it serves.

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Programs

Designers of Tomorrow Fair The Designers of Tomorrow Fair, open to students in grades kindergarten through 12, is an exciting event allowing young minds to explore architecture and design concepts. A guest speaker first welcomes the attendees and introduces the fair’s theme. Following, attendees break up into small teams led by architects and volunteers. In groups, students are given program cards and begin sketching ideas with the intent to build their models. There is also a drawing charette exercise and storytelling. Attendees later reconvene in the main lobby, where students present their models. The fair is a great learning opportunity for the students and an inspiring experience for all.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAUREN PRICE

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High School Student Design Competition BEGINNER

1st

2nd

3rd

Winners

The High School Student Design Competition, sponsored by YKK AP, engages students in the design process and introduces the possibility of careers in architecture. In 2016, we saw projects from 139 students representing 28 different high schools. Following the competition, we hosted a gallery of all the projects and announced the winners during a special ceremony. First, second and third place winners of the advanced competition received college scholarships.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY PERFECT DAY PHOTOS

William Conety Jackson County Comprehensive High School Austin Montecalvo East Jackson Comprehensive High School Gabriel Denton East Jackson Comprehensive High School

ADVANCED

1st

2nd

3rd

Neil Isaiah Capangpangan Allatoona High School Marc Alano North Cobb High School Anna Colwell Chattahoochee High School

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Programs

Vision for Atlanta

PHOTOGRAPHS BY PERFECT DAY PHOTOS

Held in April, Vision for Atlanta is a panel discussion uniting Atlanta’s leading experts on community, planning, and real estate development. The event highlights the opportunities and challenges for revitalizing communities, creating innovative affordable housing, and developing high-quality projects around Atlanta, as well as the designs that lead to success. This year’s discussion was moderated by Creative Loafing editor Thomas Wheatley, with panelists Tim Keane, Dawn Luke, Mary Norwood, and Egbert Perry. Staging was provided by Martin Nash.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY PERFECT DAY PHOTOS

Summer Social Summer Social is an annual networking event organized by AIA Atlanta, The Circle of Trust, and ULI Atlanta. The event welcomes professionals from an array of backgrounds, including architects, attorneys, bankers, marketing professionals, realtors, and developers. In 2016, Summer Social was hosted at Topgolf in Midtown Atlanta, complete with food, beverages and high-tech golf.

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Programs

Emerging Voices

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOANNA ROBINSON

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DESIGN EQUILIBRIUM

Emerging Voices is an annual citation awarded to individuals and firms with a distinct voice demonstrating the potential to influence architecture and design within the Atlanta area.

Since 2001, the juried series has provided a public forum for the exhibition of local early-career architects and designers, encouraging the exchange of ideas among young practitioners and the public.

The 2016 honoree was Christina Shivers, an architectural designer at plexus r+d and studio instructor at Kennesaw State University. At the Emerging Voices ceremony, Christina presented her installation, “Architectural Drawing Machines for Atlanta,” which identifies the endangered features of Atlanta’s built landscape to create an appreciation for Atlanta’s history and idiosyncrasies through the act of “voicing” the unheard histories of spaces, sites and buildings within the city.

Growing up in a military family, Christina moved to a new location every two years; because of this, she considers many places and no place home. Christina has gained much recognition having recently presented her research at the Berlin Unlimited Urban Symposium in Germany and the AIA Washington D.C. Emerging Architects Thesis Showcase.

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Programs

URBANfronts Held in the fall, URBANfronts Creative Expressions is a one-night gallery featuring works of art and architecture, along with dialogue on design and multicultural entertainment. Creative Expressions was designed to promote design conversations in a public forum, utilizing the works of Atlanta designers and artists. URBANfronts Storefront Galleries coincides with the exhibit, seeking to enhance the built environment through the adaption of empty retail storefronts to thought provoking works of art.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ENG TAING

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DESIGN EQUILIBRIUM

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JESSICA STEELE-HARDIN

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Programs

Principals Roundtable Each month, principals, executives and representatives from local AEC companies meet at Principals Roundtable (PRT) to discuss fresh topics relevant to the industry and businesses. Meetings include a breakfast buffet, presentation and either a Q&A or a moderated discussion. Topics include design, best practices, political issues, sustainability and technology.

PRT is open to anyone, from principals to intern architects, meeting on the second Wednesday at Midtown’s Ansley Golf Club.

AIA members may receive CES credits for qualifying topics.

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DESIGN EQUILIBRIUM

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Programs & Academy of Architecture for Health of Georgia

AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE)

The Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) addresses unique issues related to improving the quality of healthcare through design. As a forum, it provides the exchange of ideas, concerns, failures, successes and resources to advance the practice of healthcare architecture.

Networking and educational events are held periodically to help strengthen the local knowledge base of healthcare design expertise that will ultimately improve healthcare environments within the region and beyond.

Committee on the Environment hosts a lunch-and-learn meeting on the second Friday of each month. The one-hour meetings comprise a presentation on various sustainable design topics, including federal regulations, energy efficiency and LEED certifications.

Architecture Foundation of Georgia In addition to their time commitments, many members provide financial support to specific causes that align with the Institute’s values. In Georgia, the Architecture Foundation of Georgia supports construction and renovation of housing for the physically and economically disadvantaged; raise public awareness of these activities to explain the value of great architects and architecture; and enhances educational opportunities within the profession.

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Box Lunches AIA Atlanta’s box lunch series allows education providers from AEC companies to meet with members and discuss the latest trends in the design and construction. Box lunches are held monthly throughout Metro Atlanta, including in Midtown, Marietta, Buckhead, and the Northeast Section.

netWorking Women Established in 2004, netWorking Women (nWW) is an advocacy and networking group for women in design, meeting quarterly for social outings and workshops. nWW’s mission is to promote and expand the presence of women in the AEC industry and provide resources for success. In 2017, nWW becomes Equity in Architecture under AIA Georgia.

AIAS

AIAS, AIA’s student chapters, are active at the campuses of Georgia Institute of Technology and Kennesaw State University.

The chapters hold networking events and job fairs throughout the year, and also participate in the Freedom by Design program, leading small projects transforming the lives of disabled members of the community.

Volunteer architects are a fundamental part of these projects, helping ensure that they meet health, safety, and welfare needs.

Design for Aging (DFA) A national Knowledge Community, Design for Aging was formed to more effectively represent the aging professionals who share common challenges, opportunities, and passion for design for aging. As a knowledge community, this group collaborates to deepen its understanding of our aging society through ongoing learning and knowledge sharing.

Knowledge Communities Discover Architecture Discover Architecture was created by Melody Haclerode, AIA and Phillip Alexander-Cox with a goal of raising awareness of architecture among schoolaged children. The program was inspired by the successful Portland, Oregon-based Architects In Schools, which demonstrated students’ desires for an education in architecture.

Discover Architecture is now an after-school program fostering engaging design creativity with classroom and extracurricular activities.

Procrastination Day To maintain licensure and AIA membership, architects are required to take a number of continuing education credits annually. While AIA Atlanta provides several of these opportunities throughout the year, busy schedules can make it difficult to attend. Procrastination Day is a full-day seminar allowing members to catch up on missing credits with presentations by AEC providers.

Slate of Ready-to-Assist Architects (SORTAA)

Student Mentoring Program

AIA Fellows Rocky Rothschild and Cecil Alexander, with Sally Price, hosted the first SORTAA meeting on October 4, 1989, with the goal to gather architectural knowledge from the “old guard” and share these experiences with the emerging generation of practitioners through mentorship.

The student mentoring program matches students from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Kennesaw State University with design professionals varying in years of experience and areas of expertise. Students meet with mentors to gain insight on the field, attend AIA events together, enjoy office tours, and visit college studios. Students are paired with professionals with similar interests, offering a glimpse of the world beyond graduation and a chance to develop a long-lasting relationship with a fellow practitioner.

Tour and Sketch Tour and Sketch invites middle and high school students to tour the Zuckerman Museum of Art, being led by volunteer docents and mentor architects. Following, students and volunteers break into small groups to sketch drawings until their satisfaction.

Wednesday Night Drafting Club Wednesday Night Drafting Club is a monthly networking event where AEC professionals come together to relax, connect and reconnect. WNDC travels throughout the city to a different location each month exploring new restaurants and bars. The event is open to all with an interest in design.

Tours In an effort to raise public awareness of great design, inform the public about the design process, and show the value of architects, our tour series invites the community inside of new and redeveloped architectural works in the Atlanta area. Tours are small and intimate, allowing for comfortable, organized viewing. Attendees are also able to ask questions to gain a better understanding of the project.

2016 tours included the Don and Mary Ellen Harp Student Center, Commons at Imperial Hotel, 3350 Peachtree, 675 N. Highland and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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Don and Mary Ellen Harp Student Center Collins Cooper Carusi Architects, Inc. PHOTOGRAPHS BY CREATIVE SOURCES PHOTOGRAPHY/RION RIZZO

Tours Peachtree Road United Methodist Church recognized the need to expand its campus to accommodate its booming youth and teen ministry. The 51,873-square-foot Student Center performs as a multifunctional “home” adjacent to PRUMC’s main campus. It balances a sense of community with a level of independence and belonging. A versatile gymnasium acts as a hub for contemporary worship and can be transformed to cater to banquets and films.

At the building’s core is an active lounge that permeates through the upper and lower levels, offering connectivity and an opportunity to divide the space in a unique manner. 3D structural walls frame the core. The spaces that surround them

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offer a variety of small and large breakout spaces. The high energy within the center delineates into private and focused areas once one moves towards the outer edges.

The furniture brings the space to life and uses texture, color and clean, sophisticated lines to enhance the experience. The furnishings work in unison with the interior architecture and balance the vitality of youth with sophisticated growth as textured plywood, interactive pieces such as a chalkboard lining the entry hallway and a balanced palette of bright accent colors with natural materials move through the spaces.

The design team worked in unison with the client and youth ministry to identify the goals of the space. The budget was balanced to satisfy these needs, resulting in a space that is completely reflective of the youth personalities that inhabit the space. The gymnasium contains a mid-sized basketball court, a stage and a state-of-the-art audiovisual system for an enhanced worship experience.

The Student Center’s entry includes a textured plywood front desk and a refined chalkboard that covers the majority of the entry hallway. The number of meeting rooms contains a wide variety of seating to accommodate all types of encounters, and hallways are lined with breakout spaces that encourage serendipitous interaction. The two

seminar rooms are set up in a stadium format, each level lined with colorful, oversized beanbags.

The lounge area has technology stations lined with reclaimed wood with a pool table and large screen and sound system to project movies and play music. Private benches lay below the staircases and various nooks are situated in the corners of the “living rooms.” The lower level lounge has a fully functional kitchen with a long “dining room” table to bring the family that is the youth ministry together.

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Tours

Commons at Imperial Hotel Columbia Residential

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DESIGN EQUILIBRIUM

The Imperial Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, which opened in 1911, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a recognized Landmark Building by the City of Atlanta. The building has undergone an extensive renovation for its new use providing state of the art permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless and persons with special needs. The building now offers 90 living units, a tenant support and services suite, and amenities that include meeting rooms, computer stations and a fitness room. This adaptive use project built to LEED Gold for Homes Multifamily Mid-Rise certification and includes dramatic improvements to building envelope and installation of all new high-efficiency building systems.

The development team that included Columbia Residential and National Church Residences leveraged both State of Georgia and Federal tax incentives available for historic preservation projects, which required review and approval of the design by the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service. In addition, as a recognized local Landmark Building, all work on the building required review by the Atlanta Urban Design Commission.

The building is nine stories tall and has a gross area of 59,368 square feet, constructed with a cast-in-place reinforced concrete frame with brick veneer walls.

The location is uniquely suited to the re-purposing for permanent supportive housing, with accessible transit, services, health facilities, community institutions and employment.

The Commons at Imperial Hotel had to overcome many obstacles, starting with ‘rescuing’ the building from foreclosure and displacement of existing residents.

A creative acquisition structure and unwind of the prior partnerships allowed the acquisition to go forward.

The financing required a great deal of creativity and seven separate sources of financing to be orchestrated to allow for the development. Many challenges were overcome during design and construction balancing historic preservation with 21st century systems and operations (including controlled access, security systems, smart-building HVAC and electrical systems, etc.).

There was also great care given to the residents who were in the building upon acquisition, through a careful relocation and provision of services through the development period, allowing for residents who wished to return to have priority.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CREATIVE SOURCES PHOTOGRAPHY/RION RIZZO

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Tours

3350 Peachtree ASD | SKY ASD | SKY recently completed the comprehensive repositioning of One Capital City to 3350 Peachtree for Parkway Properties. The scope included reconfiguring the main lobby, the building entry sequence, and elevating the street presence from both the Peachtree Road pedestrian entrance to the vehicular drop off area.

With a very tight budget, ASD | SKY took a dated lobby with monumental stair and mezzanine and transformed it into a modern, clean, straightforward space. This was accomplished by removing the stair and adding square footage back into the GLA on the first and second floor, the inclusion of an accent wall and ceiling element consisting of CNC-cut Corian to provide the backdrop in the two story lobby space, replaced the existing travertine floor with a cost effective porcelain tile, and adding in modern yet comfortable seating arrangements. In addition,

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY DARRIS LEE HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY

LOOKING FOR MORE VALUE IN ONE POLICY? TALK TO US. the design team redesigned the elevator lobby and cabs, new building signage and wayfinding, and exterior landscape and hardscape. Throughout the process, ASD | SKY retained as much of the existing structure and finishes as possible including the travertine columns, glazing system, and improved the exterior entry through the installation of a new exterior canopy and by painting the existing concrete.

ASD | SKY is also working to further activate Peachtree Road through the addition of South City Kitchen, which will take over the double height space along the front of the building for Fifth Group’s latest location of this concept.

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Tours

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JONATHAN PHILLIPS

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DESIGN EQUILIBRIUM

675 N. Highland Lord Aeck Sargent The site is a true urban infill in that it is surrounded on three sides by lively, neighborhood scale streets.

Each street offers a unique experience. North Highland is the main thoroughfare with bustling small-scale retail, while Blue Ridge holds mostly 3-story apartment buildings. Seminole is the most varied being a cross street with smaller commercial buildings to the north and single family homes to the south. The site’s challenge was hosting all 3 of these programmatic elements in one place, as well as, the parking to accommodate them. After several rounds of design, weighing the pros and cons of program placement on the site, the design settled on a logic that reinforces the friendlier, human scale of the neighborhood. N Highland acts as the primary retail front with 2 retail anchor spaces at each end of the block. Blue Ridge will hold the primary residential pedestrian entry, as well as, provide much-needed office space for small businesses like insurance firms or light medical facilities. Seminole provides garage access and is primed for 675 N Highland, Phase II. A new access drive to the north holds residential townhome units and provide an alternate entry into the parking deck beyond. The program placement creates a natural progression through the site while meeting the unique needs of both the public and private elements.

Architectural inspiration stemmed from two primary sources: the adjacent Druid Hills Baptist Church and the project owner’s love of Frank Lloyd Wright prairie style architecture. Designed by Atlanta architect Edward Dougherty in the early 1920s, the church is Beaux-Arts masterpiece and acts as a visual anchor along Atlanta’s famous Ponce de Leon Avenue. Several features of 675 Highland, such as the rich brick color and patterning, pay homage to the unique details of the adjacent church.

The concept of visually elongating the building down North Highland was a useful tool in blending this larger building into the smaller Poncey-Highland framework. The deep eave along building perime-

ter, the horizontal break at the concrete podium, and Norman sized brick all aid in pulling the eye from left to right along North Highland Avenue. Exterior fiber cement lap and textured siding reinforce the horizontality and are finished in rich, muted colors.

Although no specific accreditation was sought, an established standard of sustainable practices runs throughout the project. 1 member of the ownership team is a certified HERS rater and routinely observes the site for best energy-saving practices. Smaller moves like exceptional weather-proofing and the use of LED lighting (both interior and exterior) work to save energy and lower operational costs. Photocells connected to the parking deck will adjust power to varying daylight levels. A large portion of the building materials were also locally or regionally sourced.

DESIGN EQUILIBRIUM

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