Schluter Systems Headquarters - Montreal

Last month, Pam Lowery of BPI invited some of the BPA interior designers to make a trip to Schluter Systems’ North American headquarters in Montreal, Canada. Schluter Systems hosted a workshop to discuss the challenges in traditional floor, wall, and exterior tile applications as well as new technologies available to address these issues. Working sessions and seminars were given throughout the visit with topics covering building efficiency and LEED, tile installations, proper drain installation, water-proofing and moisture management. 

The ladies also made time to explore the cultural gem that is Quebec’s most populous city. They enjoyed a dining cruise on Le Bateau-Mouche down the St. Laurent River and under the Jacques Cartier Bridge, a walking tour of Old Montreal and the Port, a tour of Le Notre Dame cathedral, and a visit to world-famous Gibby’s Steakhouse.

A special thank you to Steve Brasington and William LeBlanc from Schluter Systems for graciously hosting the visit and to Pam for coordinating the festivities!

BPI: http://www.bpiteam.com/

Schluter Systems: https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/

AIA Conference 2016

Last weekend was the 2016 American Institute of Architects’ Annual Conference, held this year in Philadelphia. It was an invigorating weekend with energizing speakers, hundreds of interesting seminars, city sketching tours, playful installations, the unveiling of new technology and gadgets, and even a historic moment. Here are some of the highlights below.

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Robert Venturi + Denise Scott Brown, recipients of the 2016 AIA Gold Medal

Denise Scott Brown, studying her 2016 AIA Gold Medal

View of the Expo Floor, photo credits: AIA

Neri Oxman, Keynote Speaker, photo credits: AIA

An NCARB staff member showing a pilot version of ARE 5.0 off. photo credit: NCARB

Our own BPA designer, Allison Vosicky, outside the Expo Hall.

Neri Oxman, an architect and a professor at the MIT Media Lab, was the Keynote speaker for Day 2. She captivated the crowd with a presentation on the intersection of technology and biophilic design, and the possible applications for that work in the future of design and architecture.

http://new.aia.org/articles/12881-neri-oxman-captivates-architects-with-mind-blowing-projects?utm_source=Real%20Magnet&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2396434907&utm_campaign=96951729

In a historic, and emotional moment, Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi were awarded the 2016 AIA Gold Medal. As the AIA states,

“The Gold Medal is the highest honor the AIA can confer on an architect or architects. It acknowledges a significant body of work that has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. “

This recognition is so noteworthy because not only was it the highest award an architect could receive, but never in the award’s 109 year history has it ever before been awarded to a duo. In fact, the AIA changed their bylaws so that they could award the medal to both Venturi and his wife, and life-long collaborator, Scott Brown. Mrs. Scott Brown was escorted to the stage and greeted by a powerful standing ovation.

This years’ #ILookup Film Challenge was launched during the conference. “The I Look Up Challenge calls upon filmmakers to share their vision with a 2-3 minute video exploring the power of architecture to create solutions and uplift communities.” – AIA. To kick off the challenge, the AIA released a short film documentary featuring Rural Studio, a community design-build program through Auburn’s Architecture school that several of our BPA architects and designers have had the privilege of participating in over the years. Here are both links to the Rural Studio Film and the ILookUp Film Challenge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKqCE1V8u-U

http://ilookup.org/filmchallenge/

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

Carpet Mill Tour

Last week, Kari Davis with J+J Invision was kind enough to take the BPA interior designers on a tour of their carpet manufacturing facilities in Dalton, Georgia.

The trip began in Chattanooga with a glass blowing class at iGNiS Glass Studio, some spare time for a self-guided walking tour, and a fabulous dinner at Easy Bistro & Bar downtown. We stayed at The Bluff View Inn which was conveniently located to the Hunter Museum of American Art (seen behind us), the glass bridge shown above, and the pedestrian foot bridge that crosses the Tennessee River. In just an hour we were able to explore all of these things and soak up some sunshine along the way!

The next morning we made the short drive to Dalton where we spent the day learning the ins-and-outs of carpet production from the design team's studio (we even got a sneak peek of future designs!) to the packaging and distribution of the modular tiles. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures on-site but promise we looked really good in our neon vests and headsets. 

The mill tours are beneficial to both suppliers and specifiers because they provide a chance for interaction and discussion on future trends and needs in the industry. We were grateful for the good company, cuisine and experiences this trip had to offer!

"Then I realized.. Adventures are the best way to learn." - Author Unknown

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