Gray Puksand’s Post

Looking at building projects is an inspiring way to travel around the world, so let's start the week with this beautiful timber and brick day centre from the UK. The RIBA Stirling Prize 2023 winning John Morden Centre project from UK architects Mæ has some interesting features that relate to the use of space and maintaining ties with the past through thoughtful architecture. Comments from RIBA included: "The John Morden Centre’s elegance and efficacy set a high standard for spaces that support healthier, happier and more independent lives. It illustrates the positive potential of architecture to strengthen vibrant and active communities". "This building provides comfort and warmth, with thoughtful features designed to prevent isolation. It illustrates how buildings can themselves be therapeutic – supporting care and instilling a sense of belonging. Great architecture orients people so they can thrive, and this building is exemplary at achieving exactly that". As we all begin another busy week, a good reminder on why we create space and why the ways in which we do that matter. #architecture #architecturaldesign #timberbuilding #timberconstruction https://lnkd.in/eZBgVbRs

See you at NACAS East in Virginia Beach? Warren Bulseco, AIA, NACAS, NIRSA, Senior Vice President and Principal will be presenting a Breakout Session with our client Alison Bonsell, Regional Director, Housing and Food Services Commonwealth Campuses, Penn State University. The session will take place Sunday, June 16 from 3:15 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is titled “Revitalizing Traditional Dormitories through Bathroom Privatization.” Over the last 20 years, new Student Housing construction has kept pace with contemporary student expectations for bathroom features, accessibility, gender neutrality, and privacy. Outdated bathroom design prototypes, even if well maintained, now render older housing stock more obsolete than ever before. Where does this comparison position smaller colleges and satellite campuses, whose budgets cannot support new housing?  Join us to explore this question and more! https://lnkd.in/evubMtag #conference #NACAS #architecture #studentspaces #highereducation #NACASEAST #dormitories #studenthousing

Exciting times ahead

NEWS: University of Wisconsin-Madison Breaks Ground on First New Humanities Building in 50 Years -- The University of Wisconsin-Madison broke ground in May of 2024 on the College of Letters & Science’s new Irving & Dorothy Levy Hall, a 136,000-sf facility that will serve as the new home for eight academic departments. The building was designed by Bora Architecture & Interiors in collaboration with RAMLOW/STEIN Architecture + Interiors, with C.D. Smith Construction serving as the construction manager. Standing four stories above ground and one below, the building will contain 13 classrooms with a total of 1,100 student seats, neighborhoods of faculty offices, and multiple collaboration/study spaces. The transformative development will serve the departments of African American Studies, American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicano/a and Latina/o Studies, Gender & Women’s Studies, History, Jewish Studies, and Religious Studies. Sustainability features include a rooftop garden, a self-sufficient irrigation system to repurpose rainwater, and spaces to park 280 bicycles. Representing a total project cost of $115 million, Levy Hall is anticipated to open in the summer of 2026. https://lnkd.in/eN8WzGJJ #Collaboration #GroundBreaking #HigherEducation #EnergyUseReduction #Sustainability

What is better than one student activities complex? Two student activities complexes!   The Socorro ISD Student Activities Complex II will allow the six schools within the school district more flexibility in scheduling sporting events and special events, including concerts, movies, festivals, and banquets. The facility will also support fine arts, career and technology programs, and administration.   In collaboration with HKS, Inc., Parkhill served as associate architect for the multi-level District Building on the south end. The terrace and floor-to-ceiling windows in the banquet hall offer premium stadium views.   Parkhill also provided civil and landscape architectural design which artfully celebrates the local landscape aesthetic by integrating the 6500-seat stadium into the topography with terraces behind the end zones, accessibility guided by the landscape, and stadium fencing which blends into the facility. The field’s design allows for competition-level play including a separate field events zone. Site development unifies the site creating efficient event parking, safe pedestrian and traffic circulation, and proper drainage improvements.   City of Socorro, Texas Socorro ISD HKS, Inc. Banes General Contractors Inc. Hector De Santiago Jacob Hernandez Lynda Macias, EIT, CNU-A Landon Bell, RLA, ASLA Hector Rodriguez II, Assoc. AIA   #BuildingCommunity #RibbonCutting #TeamSISD #K12Education #Architecture #SiteDevelopment #LandscapeArchitecture”

Our firm was retained by the Waldorf School through the Community Design Collaborative to complete a master plan for the School’s new campus. The School was awarded a design assistance grant from the Collaborative, with the project being an adaptive reuse of vacant church property. The intent was to create a conceptual design plan for integrated outdoor spaces. The goal was to create sustainable outdoor spaces that integrated and connected many aspects of the educational programs of the two-acre school for the pre-K through eighth-grade students. The concept for the project is called “The Body of Play”. The intent was to show the interconnection between man and nature, and how systems in the body are similar in nature. Key Features: -A series of outdoor learning areas and classrooms -Report to be used to obtain grants -Spaces perform multiple functions -Interactive design process to develop a master plan -Participation by students staff and neighbors in the design process Team: Community Design Collaborative; Lindsey Allen, Historic Preservation; Clemens Construction Company #campusdesign #sustainablespaces #outdoorclassroom #landscapearchitecture #historicpreservation

For this year’s final #BlackHistoryMonth community spotlight, KAI looks to the Arlington Grove Apartments project. Located in the City of St. Louis, this special project included the redevelopment of the William B. Ittner designed Arlington School, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Established under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register of Historic Places, managed by the National Park Service, aims to facilitate public and private initiatives in identifying, assessing, and safeguarding America's historical and archaeological assets. KAI was chosen by the St. Louis Housing Authority to perform Design-Build services and transform the block into a $34 million, 162,000 square foot mixed-income and mixed-finance residential development that includes 112 units of apartments, townhouses, and semi-detached housing as well as a mixed-use building and renovated school. The 91 construction housing units included a heavy emphasis on sustainability that positively impacts both the residents and the community for years to come. The opportunity to help provide people in underserved areas with a meaningful place to live and a starting point for a better future is something on which we’ve built our legacy. Our mission of transforming communities is part of every project we take part in and is a mission we strive for with each step we take into the future. Read more about this historic and meaningful project in the link below. https://lnkd.in/g-m-VSSp #TransformingCommunities #CommunityImpact #AEC #Design #Engineering #CommunityInvestment #Construction #CommunityDesign #ResidentialDesign #EducationDesign

Another exceptional project completed with McCorkell Constructions, scope of works included - 10,000m3 of cut - 8,000m2 of cement stabilisation (proposed in order to eliminate over 3,000m3 of subgrade improvement) - 5,500m2 of building pad preparation - 13,000m2 of asphalt pavements (netball courts and footpaths) - 2,300m2 of exposed concrete pavement - 1,400lin.m of kerbing and edge strip

Did you know these 3 FACTS about BOSTON? Historical Significance and Preservation: Boston is a city with rich historical significance, and this is reflected in its real estate landscape. The city is home to numerous historic buildings, some dating back to the colonial era. Preservation efforts, such as the Boston Landmarks Commission, play a crucial role in maintaining the architectural heritage of the city. The balance between modern development and historical preservation contributes to the unique character of Boston's real estate market. The Boston Brownstone: Brownstone townhouses are iconic to Boston's architecture. These elegant buildings, often made of a reddish-brown sandstone, line many of the city's neighborhoods, particularly in areas like Back Bay and South End. The brownstone style has become synonymous with Boston real estate and is highly sought after for its historic charm and classic aesthetic. Living in Boston - The college experience: The Boston metropolitan area encompasses a population of approximately five million residents. Within this dynamic urban landscape, a substantial student community thrives, boasting a total of 250,000 individuals attending over 50 esteemed colleges and universities. Drawing students from diverse corners of the United States and around the globe, notable institutions include Harvard, MIT, Wellesley, Tufts, Boston University, and Boston College. A distinctive aspect of the local collegiate culture is the prevailing inquiry at social gatherings, where attendees are more inclined to ask, 'What college do you attend?' as opposed to the conventional 'What’s your major?' commonly heard at other U.S. colleges.

"62% of UK waste comes from construction - mindlessly tearing down and replacing good solid buildings like Smallbrook." #DontWasteBuildings It's a shocking statistic from the take-make-waste approach of most of the property development industry. And that's before we understand the huge damage to the climate, currently tottering on the edge of an unstoppable slide into oblivion, that's endangering our lives today. Most policy makers in the UK are lagging horribly behind the curve when it comes to the climate damage caused by new build development. Some, like The Labour Party led Westminster City Council are leading the way. "Our new retrofit-first policy will prioritise the retrofit and refurbishment of existing buildings to meet future needs over unnecessary demolition and redevelopment, reducing the impact of development on climate change." Birmingham City Council can make a political choice to get on to the right side of history. Fighting in court to promote climate destruction by an offshore owned entity isn't a good look today, never mind tomorrow.