UAB School of Optometry

Greetings loyal BPA blog audience! We express our sincerest apologies for keeping our faithful readers in the dark about our exciting projects.

One of those is the renovation to UAB’s School of Optometry building. A significant portion of the work has already been completed, with the remaining renovations scheduled to be finished by the end of the year.

We’re proud to continue our relationship with UAB in designing spaces that empower our clients to bring innovation to the communities around us. The School of Optometry continues to distinguish itself as a top-tier program by providing state-of-the-art clinical practice and partaking in groundbreaking discoveries in vision science.

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Peruse the project page to read and see more about the 18,600 SF renovation: www.bpa.net/uab-school-of-optometry. And learn more about UAB's School of Optometry at their website: https://www.uab.edu/optometry/home/.

St. Vincent's 119 Sisters Garden

After our addition of the Ambulatory Surgery Center at Saint Vincent's One Nineteen, we were tasked with dreaming up a sacred space for the One Nineteen campus to connect the existing wellness facility and the new Surgery Center.

We held collaborative charettes with healthcare providers and caregivers that serve the ministry, and as a product of these work sessions, came up with the idea for the Sisters Garden. Our goal was to develop a space that welcomed growth, sharing, renewing of the inner life, persistence of purpose and reminding us of the spiritual presence in all of creation. 

The St. Vincent’s One Nineteen Sisters Garden is a sequence of outdoor spaces designed as a fundamental component of the St. Vincent’s Health System’s Healing Ministry. This sacred space constitutes a meditative garden and labyrinth, ethereal canopy and intimate gathering spaces. 

The design underscores the physical and spiritual centrality of the project. Each detail element reinforces the concept of suspension between introspection and outward engagement.  Cedar screens shelter visitors, patients and caregivers alike, while maintaining a visual connection to their surroundings. A translucent canopy arcs across the space, drawing passers-by into a moment of rest and contemplation.
 

Check out our project page for more details and photos: http://www.bpa.net/st-vincents-one-nineteen-sisters-garden

Photographs by: Luker Photography

BPA Service Project - Pearson Hall

On November 19th, BPA teamed up with Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center (ADATC) staff for a workday at their Pearson Hall facility in western Birmingham. ADATC is a non-profit facility that provides chemical-dependency treatment services. The team was able to make a significant impact in a short time with carefully chosen material solutions, brightening up the environment for those receiving treatment and improving long-term maintenance for staff.

A special thanks to Fred Armstead at Pearson Hall for allowing us to be of assistance for a few hours, and to the staff for their help. We would also like to thank the donors that supplied materials for our workday: Brown Sales/Acrovyn provided over 200 square feet of wall protection material; Sherwin Williams provided 12 gallons of interior paint; and Armstrong Ceilings provided 500 square feet of acoustical ceiling tile.

More information about ADATC can be found at https://adatc.org/.

Auburn University Urban Studio Open House

Earlier this week, the Auburn University Urban Studio hosted its end of year Open House to display the final projects of the 5th year Architecture students who've been a part of the Birmingham based program.  This year's project had the students focus their efforts on developing a master plan for the Innovation District here in Birmingham, and within that, their individual final projects.  Their hard work and talent was evident in the work displayed. A special shout-out to our co-op intern, Krystal Duchene--we're proud to have worked with you while you were at Urban Studio. We know you're going to be successful wherever the road takes you. 

Links: Auburn University Urban Studio Auburn University Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Construction

Photo Credits: Auburn University Urban Studio

Site Visit: Gray Construction's Southeast Headquarters

Birmingham's chapter of the American Institute of Architects is one of the most engaged in the country, providing numerous services to local architects. One of those services is regularly scheduled site visits for the chapter's Emerging Professionals, a group of Birmingham's brightest young architects and interns. These site visits not only help us better understand the tangible, real-world side of what we do, but also help us fulfill the on-site requirements of our professional licensure process. This week one of our interns took advantage of the most recent of these opportunities and visited the site of the future Southeast headquarters of Gray Construction.

Gray is currently renovating the former Booker T. Washington building at the corner of 3rd Ave. N and 18th St. in downtown Birmingham. The office building is situated at the very heart of one of downtown's brightest stars, the Theater District. We appreciate the investment Gray has made in the continued revitalization of our great city, and look forward to them occupying their new home.

Photo credit: Charlie Abram, Graduate Architect at BPA

Walk MS Birmingham

This past weekend, BPA joined the St. Vincent’s Marching Saints team for Walk MS Birmingham, at Regions Field and Railroad Park.  The weather was beautiful and the energy of the event was amazing!  It was St. Vincent’s 4th year participating in the Walk and the team ranked in the top 10 overall in fundraising, which is an incredible accomplishment.  The Team and the Walk are both very close to their fundraising goals.  Please visit the Walk’s website for more information on how you can help create a world free of MS: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/ALCWalkEvents?pg=entry&fr_id=27185

B'ham Rising: Spring has Sprung

You’ve probably noticed a change in your surroundings over the last couple of weeks. The cold tones of winter have melted away to be replaced with a panoply of the brightest greens and purest blues you’ve ever seen. Spring has sprung in Birmingham and there’s no better time to be outside in our city! Birmingham has a wealth of public outdoor space and its calling your name.

Situated at the very center of downtown, Railroad Park is the heart of the outdoor energy of our city. The park occupies 4 full city blocks and has been the catalyst for much of the growth our urban core has seen since its opening in 2010. Lovingly known as the city’s “front yard,” the lives of its residents are on full display. Grab the hand of someone you love and wander the landscape as trains glide by like kinetic sculpture. Find the workout of your life and some unexpected friendships at one of the park’s free exercise classes. Whatever you do, come and experience for yourself the range of activities Railroad Park has to offer.

If you’re looking for more of a walk on the wild side, you need look no further than the edge of the city center. Two former mining camps have been repurposed as nature preserves that offer more rugged experiences for the bold among us. Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve has a network of wooded trails that will make you forget you’re in the middle of one of the city’s resurgent neighborhoods. Red Mountain Park is one of Birmingham’s newest outdoor spaces. Thrill seekers will enjoy the park’s many adventures, including the Red Ore zip-line tour.

The Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System is the name given to a vision for connecting the many cherished outdoor spaces Birmingham has to offer. Far from a pipe dream, the first of the systems many trails has been constructed and is open to the public. The crown jewel of the trail is Rotary Trail Park, where the trail runs four blocks through a former rail line that is sunken many feet below street level. Set to open next week, Rotary Trail Park is unlike anything you have encountered in Birmingham or beyond.

Your outdoor opportunities are not limited to those listed here. Walk along the historic, tree-lined Highland Avenue. Take in the urban theatre all around you as you dine street-side at a downtown café. It doesn’t really matter what you do so long as it’s outside. A brand new Birmingham is waiting for you.

Congratulations to our Winners!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our giveaway!  We're excited to announce our two winners!

Jessica Gemeinhart has won the YellowHammer Creative Sloss Poster

Susan Roberts McWilliams has won the YellowHammer Creative "It's Nice to Have You in Birmingham" shirt

Make sure to subscribe to our blog and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep a lookout for our next giveaway!

GIVEAWAY ENDS TONIGHT!

GIVEAWAY ENDS TONIGHT!!

This is your last chance to enter to win some awesome Birmingham paraphernalia designed by Yellowhammer Creative. We'll be ending the giveaway tonight at MIDNIGHT (CT). Tomorrow we'll draw two names and announce the lucky recipients! Don't miss out on this chance!

How do you enter to win you ask?

01. GO to our Facebook page ! (click on the little facebook logo below!)

02. LIKE our original Giveaway post & SHARE our page to be entered to win! 

03. FOLLOW us on Instagram for an additional entry.

It's Giveaway Time!

We're excited to be giving away the following from one of our favorite Birmingham design companies Yellowhammer Creative!
--Yellowhammer Creative 12"x18" print. This is the fourth design in the ongoing "Neighborhood Drawing" series of Birmingham. Hand Printed, 4 color, on French cover stock. #58/75
--Yellowhammer Creative "It's nice to have you in Birmingham" shirt!

For a chance to win:

LIKE our Facebook post and SHARE our Facebook page to be entered to win!

FOLLOW us on Instagram and Twitter for an additional entry

We'll announce the winner on March 18th.

B'ham Rising : An Introduction

The city of Birmingham is being transformed right before our eyes. The Magic City benefits from a unique combination of resources that led to the city's early development and continued growth. However, Birmingham's population peaked in the 1950s and has since suffered from the effects of suburban sprawl. The steady migration of people out of the city has been reversed thanks to a concentrated effort to bring people, activity, culture and life back to the city's urban core. Recent reinvestment in the city's downtown neighborhoods has increased momentum behind the rapid growth. This revitalization of the city is not only attracting locals back into the downtown areas, but is also garnering attention across the nation. Just check out this link from Lonely Planet: 

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/the-south/birmingham/travel-tips-and-articles/birmingham-alabama-the-souths-newest-rising-star

Birmingham is more than just a resilient, Southern city rising from the ashes; Birmingham is BPA's home. It is exciting to witness the change as spectators, but more so, it is an honor to use our design talents to contribute to the revitalization of our city. Visit our blog in the future to read more about some of the things that we love about the city we call home.

Photo Credit: Charlie Abram, Graduate Architect at BPA