Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Turning Dunes into Architecture

TGIF!
“Check This out Folks"

Do Enjoy! Y.our E.nvironment O.f the W.eek
(Sorry for the late post!)

[If anyone else has any YEOW’s they’d like to share, please feel free to let me know! Thx]

Blog: YEOW!
Post:
Turning Dunes into Architecture






Friday, June 17, 2011

LEEUM MUSEUM - The Three Architeers




 

MUSEUM 1 Conveying Sublime Visual Capacity of Leeum

Mario Botta believes that museums should play a similar role to the religious buildings of the past. As houses of culture, he believes they should inspire solemnity and dignity.
MUSEUM 1 is a minimal but massive hexahedron & inverted cone on the slope of Namsan Mountain set against the backdrop of the Hangang River. This intersection of these powerful geometric volumes has symbolic value. The reverse cone mass marks a powerful threshold allowing people to enter underground crossing the southern road. The rooftop of the building evokes the battlements of old fortifications, taking us back to an image of ancient Seoul. Bottas building sits in stark contrast to the robust horizontal platform by Rem Koolhaas, which is also different from heavy mass by Jean Nouvel.
His proposal for stark and simple rectangular forms and reverse conical shapes produce a fortress-like quality, protecting the traditions that the museum houses. The exterior terracotta walls are a metaphor for Korean porcelain since both materials are created from earth and fire. The use of this material recalls traditional Korean earthenware, which constitutes many of the exhibition items. The respect for tradition is expressed by Botta distinctively with the geometrical symbolic volumes and stylized exterior wall at Leeum.


Aerial Shot
   
Mario Botta's  101... Today's Class Focus: "Atrium Space Design"
from top


to Bottom.

 
Outside Shot
 

Sensuous Architecture Employing Progressive Technology and Materials

Jean Nouvels work is positioned at the intersection of state-of-the-art technological innovation and contemporary aesthetic practice, rendering his work both radical and provocative. Nouvel defines architecture as both ‘the technique of organizing space and the technique of creating an image. MUSEUM 2 of Leeum reflects his design philosophy.
MUSEUM 2 integrates itself into the natural landscape while remaining an autonomous contemporary art object in its own right. MUSEUM 2 for contemporary art collection is composed of rectangular ‘exhibition boxes’ of various sizes. These boxes are arranged in a seemingly loose manner to create a random-like arrangement, giving viewers a sense of surprise in each unique individual exhibition spaces. While programmatically well choreographed and highly organized the random-like arrangement of exhibition boxes gives the building an interesting form, which is integrated well with the site. MUSEUM 2 was designed to house the diverse collections of the Samsung Foundation of Culture. MUSEUM 2 will not only exhibit important works of Korean Modern artists but internationally renowned artists such as Donald Judd, Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol.
 


MUSEUM 2 contains conference facilities and office spaces in addition to the exhibition spaces. The viewers enter the MUSEUM 2 through the lobby of MUSEUM 1. The material for the exhibition boxes is rusted stainless steel, which is being used as building material for this project for the first time in the world. This new material, rusted stainless steal, has been researched through numerous testing processes, to ensure the process of natural rusting of the building over time will render the building itself to a progressive icon of contemporary art in an urban context.

Congrats Baker! Welcome JMA, The New Kid on the Block

On behalf of YEOW! Welcome!

TGIF!
Today’s Environment of the Week will be JMA Architects Office a Portfolio
Thank you Gary Nelson for today’s YEOW suggestion!
[If anyone else has any YEOW’s they’d like to share, please feel free to let me know! Thx J]



JMA owner Thomas Schoeman will stay
on board as company president.
Schoeman hopes the acquisition will
help double the size of JMA within five years.

Michael Baker Corporation announced on Friday, May 7, 2011 that an affiliate of the Corporation has acquired JMA Architects, Inc., d/b/a JMA Architecture Studios (JMA), a 40-person architectural and interior design firm based in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The addition of JMA, with its particular expertise in the design of healthcare, hospitality, education and commercial facilities, significantly broadens the spectrum of architectural services offered by Baker and allows both firms to expand geographically and strengthen their combined ability to provide an elevated level of design services worldwide.  
 



“One of our growth objectives has been to expand our architectural practice into the healthcare and education sectors,” says Brad Mallory, Michael Baker Corp. president and CEO, in a statement. “The addition of JMA is a significant step forward in that pursuit.”



JMA’s self-designed headquarters
Design Approach: The design approach
for the Architect's Office evolved from a simple premise
that all of the firm's support functions shall surround and
nurture the processes housed within the Large
Volume that would become the “Studio.”
  

   Eight State Region


Founded in 1945
Design Team: Architect: JMA Architecture Studios
Design Team: Thomas J. Schoeman, AIA; Ed Vance, AIA
Interior Designer: JMA Architecture Studios – Jonelle Vance, NCIDQ
Landscape Architect: JW Zunino & Associates
Structural Engineer: Martin & Peltyn, Inc.
Electrical Engineer: Harris Consulting Engineers

 
Mechanical Engineer: Harris Consulting Engineers
Civil Engineer: GC Wallace
Owner/Developer: JMA Crossing, LLC
General Contractor: Martin Harris Construction
Photographer: In Site Photography – Peter Malinowski; Ed Vance, AIA; Kastytis Cechavicius
A/I Firm

Architecttural Record 2009 Architectural Record 2009 ENR 2009 LVHCA 2008  NAIOP 2007 AIA WMR 2004
“Architecture Firm of the Year” 
 “Las Vegas Firm of the Year”
The company specializes in both
private and public work in four market sectors:
health care, commercial, public works and hospitality.
JMA's current projects include the $146.2-million,
308,990-sq-ft Las Vegas City Hall, under
construction now in downtown.





And JMA just bagged... The new $364.9-million dollar contract mentioned in the  march issue of ENRSouthwest magazine. The new hospital is the VA’s largest contract ever awarded.

VA Builds New Medical Complex in Southern Nevada

Image: RTKL/JMA
As its first new hospital in over 20 years,
the VA is pulling out all the stops with a nearly
1-million-sq-ft building in North Las Vegas.
  
Photo: Clark/Hunt JV
The seven-story hospital will be skinned with blast-proof laminated glass and Trespa-brand smooth finish insulated metal panels. The ground-level will be skirted with a resilient concrete masonry block.
The U.S. Dept. of Veteran’s Affairs is betting big on Southern Nevada.
The federal agency in charge of soldiers’ health is building its first new hospital in more than 20 years. The 1-million-sq-ft building is going up at 6900 N. Pecos Road in North Las Vegas.
“We look forward to a future of greatly expanded medical care that will meet the needs of Nevada veterans, not just for today, but for generations to come, especially in southern Nevada where we have one of the fastest-growing veteran populations in the country,” VA Secretary Jim Nicholson says in a statement.
The joint-venture team of Bethesda, Md.-based Clark Construction Group and Hunt Construction Group, Scottsdale, Ariz., won the $364.9-million construction contract in September 2008. It’s the largest VA contract ever awarded. About 900 workers from 70 companies will be onsite during the peak of construction activity. Clark is the lead partner under a 55/45 partnership. Baltimore-based RTKL Associates Inc. and JMA, Las Vegas, are the joint-venture architects.
“The VA has built very few new medical campuses over the last 20 to 30 years,” says Scott Rawlings, vice president of RTKL’s health care design group. “They have primarily expanded and upgraded existing facilities and weren’t set up for building new from ground up.”
Building plans took shape after several stakeholder meetings and planning sessions. The seven-story hospital is skinned with blast-proof laminated glass and Trespa-brand smooth-finish metal panels. The ground-level is skirted with a resilient concrete masonry block.

A quick look at JMA's Portfolio.
“2008 Revenues of RECORD’S
Top 250 Firms”


 
JMA Organization Structure


 
Design Approach: The design approach for the Architect's
Office evolved from a simple premise that all of the firm's support
functions shall surround and nurture the processes housed within
the Large Volume that would become the “Studio.”
 
Narrative/Project Description:
The building is steel and metal stud framed with an EIFS exterior finish. The use of technological materials (i.e. metal panels, and mullionless glazing) and indigenous materials (i.e. stone) and colors blend the highly technical mature of the owner’s medical imaging business with the surrounding desert environment.
Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging is an innovative and expanding medical imaging company. As the building owner, they decided to combine their administrative functions into this one location. By doing this they are freeing up space in their other facilities to add additional imaging functions. The remaining space in the building’s first floor is for medical related tenants. This type of space is needed in the medical corridor this building is located within.
The building owner is very design oriented. We were requested to go beyond the typical medical office and create a building that represents the type of technical advances that the medical industry is making today. The “MRI slice” that is made through the building is one detail that signifies this. The detailing that highlights the infusion of materials and forms was of great importance.
A decision to change contractors was made between design and the start of construction. This change brought with it necessary construction budget revisions that required revising certain exterior materials and landscape designs. The final building represents the result of the design team and contractor’s resolve to provide the owner with a building that met his expectations for design and construction quality.


Sustainability Description:
The landscape design included low water usage plants which are native to the arid climate of the southwest. The use of these plants will reduce the water consumption by over 50%. As it matures this desert landscaping will enhance the desert color palette of the building.
The building placement on the site required orienting the building so that its mullionless window wall (MRI slice) was north facing. This allows for views to the mountains and the natural daylighting to extend into the building’s open office space reducing the need for continuous fluorescent lighting. The perimeter windows incorporate an integral solar shading device to control direct sunlight into the building.





Shot of City of Las Vegas Public Studio.


Project Name: Miley Achievement Center
Building Type: Educational
Completion Date: March 2006
Architect: JMA Architecture Studios
Building Location: 245 N. Pecos Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89101


Project Name: Centennial Hills Library
Building Type: Public Library
Completion Date: January 2008 (opening)
Architect: JMA Architecture Studios
Building Location: 6711 N. Buffalo Dr. Las Vegas, NV






Project Name: World Market Center, Bldg A,B,C
Building Type: Commerical
Completion Date:  Bldg A July 2005 Bldg B January 2007 Bldg C July 2008
Architect: JMA Architecture Studios
Building Location: 495 S. Grand Central Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV 89106







Project Name: Vegas PBS/CCSD Technology Campus
Building Type: Broadcasting/Educational Facility
Completion Date: November 2008
Building Location: Las Vegas, NV
Type of Construction: Steel, metal framing
Materials Used: Steel, Low-e glazing, metal paneling, E.F.l.S
Building Area: 108,056 sf

Statement of Design Approach:This project serves both as a broadcasting station for Vegas PBS and a Virtual High School for Clark County School District. The prime objective of the project was to construct an integrated facility providing seamless interaction between both institutions and allowing the electronic distribution of educational tools. The second objective of the project was to build a sustainable building which will serve as a model for green broadcasting stations and as a national PBS business model for public/private partnerships. The third objective was to build a facility to serve as a homeland security and emergency response center.

The two programs combined into a single high-tech facility that can share electronics while maintaining their own missions led to a design with two single wings and a central core. The use of technology and LEED requirements blended into the design to create a 21 51 century facility.

Sustainable Description:
The campus is targeting Gold LEEOTM Certification. Two hundred and two geothermal wells were installed below ground to keep the water temperatures going in and out of the cooling lowers al a 55 degree ambienllemperature. The electrical control systems have been designed to minimize power consumption and mechanical equipment has been designed with intricate controls and the highest efficiency ratings. Sloped rooftop for water to be captured during rainstorms and stored for later use as "gray water". Outside lighting is being transmitted into the building using SolaTube skylights throughout the roof. The 180 KWOC photovoltaic system installed on the roof will produce 17.5% of energy demand. Additional features ensure that the Campus will have an average energy savings 35 percent below current Clark County building codes.

 More details at this link:
 http://southwest.construction.com/southwest_construction_firms/2011/0610-nevadadesignfirmjmasoldtomichaelbakercorp.asp
http://southwest.construction.com/features/2010/0301_Vegas-1.asp


Friday, June 10, 2011

Fire!!

Happy Friday folks~!

The past few days has been HOT HOT HOT!!! Luckily we had rain yesterday evening to give us a pretty good start today :)

....which brings me to today's building. The Fire Station #12 in College Park, MD.
(Thank you Tom Williams for today's blog!)


Located inside the DC Beltway about a half mile north of the main entrance to the University of Maryland, College Park campus, on U.S. Route 1.



Let me first tell you that I like this building.  With all the bad civic architecture out there (like Bowie’s brand new City Hall), I happen to think this one is rather nice.



The building’s parti is simple:  T-shaped in plan, the offices, training rooms, breakrooms are all located in the top of the “tee” (shown in the first photo below).  The truck storage bays with dorms above are located in the leg of the “tee”. 



A few things that I don’t think work so well: 

·         -The hallways are too narrow.

·         -The building is shoe-horned onto a really tight site – it would have been better served if more land could have been acquired.

           - Regrettably, the chimney bookends are fake, but they are a purposeful design element that recalls the architecture of the buildings on the university campus located directly across the street. 



But despite its very few flaws, here are some things that do work well:

·         - The building has a commanding handsome presence, appropriate for the function it serves. 

·         - The building is appropriately scaled – both in context with its surroundings (mostly residential and low, one and two-story commercial) and the fact that it is a civic building. 

·         - The building’s entrances are clearly articulated – one entrance is clearly visible in the first image below. 

·         - The building’s site design separates pedestrian and vehicular traffic patterns.

·         - The balconies and outdoor patio areas are “nice-to-have” features which allow building occupants to bring in the outdoors once in awhile, or perhaps step outside for a breath of fresh air.

·         - Palette:  The color palette is rather restrained, but the building materials have been selected for their long-lasting, low maintenance, abuse-resistant characteristics – brick with precast concrete shapes, standing seam metal roof, and porcelain ceramic tile.