Our Office Renovation Wins Big at the AIA Birmingham Design Awards!

We are thrilled to announce that our recent Office Renovation project has been honored with the prestigious Honor Award and the People’s Choice Award at the AIA Birmingham Design Awards Ceremony! These accolades recognize our commitment to exceptional design, innovation, and community engagement.

A huge thank you to everyone who voted for us for the People's Choice Award! We couldn't have achieved this without an amazing community that believes in our vision.

Nestled within the historic walls of a 1960s vintage office building, our firm has maintained a steadfast presence within the urban landscape of downtown Homewood, AL, since its founding in 1987. We considered relocation but opted for continuity, drawn to the convenience and vibrancy of downtown Homewood. The original building layout posed a unique challenge with its lack of internal vertical connection between floors, but there was an opportunity to convert it into a single-tenant space.

“This project is transformative in an admirable and intuitive way. The impactful moves clearly reflect the firm’s values and priorities, and the interior is clean and nicely detailed.”

Through a comprehensive renovation, we endeavored to increase connectivity, infuse daylight, foster collaboration, and establish presence & brand recognition. 

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The winning project team included Muya Engineering, LBYD, and RJ Mechanical.

Featured materials by Steel City Metal, Nydree Flooring, Interface, Sesco Lighting, Business Interiors, JSI Furniture, J+J Flooring Group, and Carpet Specialities.

Project photos by Rob Culpepper and event photos by Olivia B. Photography.

Celebrating with drinks + dessert at Juniper!

Outside of Back Forty Beer Company, this year’s Design Award’s venue!

AIA Birmingham's 2022 People's Choice Award

The BPA crew had a great night celebrating the talented architectural community we have here in Birmingham at the AIA Design Awards! We had the honor of winning Birmingham's 2022 People's Choice Award! Thanks to everyone who voted for our UAB Optometry project and a special congrats to the design team.

See below for more about your 2022 People's Choice Award Winner.

The winning project was the UAB School of Optometry Phase I & II Renovations. The Optical Shop shown above was completed during phase II of the renovations.

Cassandra, Wallace, & Melissa accepting the People’s Choice Award.

Renovations to the UAB School of Optometry span over five floors of the building. On the second and third floors, BPA provided a rejuvenated learning and research environment – matching the School’s commitment to enhance student experiences and provide necessary infrastructural updates. Third floor updates were completed first and feature a combination of instruction and student support spaces.

On the ground floor, the new Optical Shop was designed to streamline the process of selecting and fitting the correct optics for the patient. From the “Triage” pods in the check-in area to the final fitting of the perfect prescription, the new Optical Shop showcases an extremely popular and needed aspect of the school, not only important for the thousands of patients, but also a wonderful real-life experience for the students.

“BPA provided a rejuvenated learning and research environment... not only important for the thousands of patients, but also a wonderful real-life experience for the students.”

A design goal was to open views into adjacent spaces wherever possible to encourage interaction and enhance the student experience. Also, providing the appropriate lighting reinforced the functional use of the new spaces.

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The winning project team included: Bernhard Engineering, Muya Engineering, Wyatt General Contractor (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5h floors), UAB Project Manager Erin Patterson, P&M Mechanical (Optical Shop), & David Acton Building Corp (Specialty Exam Clinic).

Featured materials by Interface, Inerior Elements, Cambria, and the Mohawk Group.

Photos by Katherine Horton, Mason Fischer, Olivia B. Photography, and Steve Wood.

Auburn University Hotel & Dixon Conference Center

BPA has strong ties to Auburn—several members of the BPA family graduated from Auburn University, support its various athletic teams, and consider the Loveliest Village on the Plains to be a second home. For our team, it is a great privilege to work on a project at our old stomping grounds for our alma matter.

The Hotel at Auburn University & Dixon Conference Center is a notable landmark for anyone traveling along South College Street through the Loveliest Village on the Plains. Last year, The Hotel debuted interior upgrades for its world-class conference center. Strategic construction phasing was necessary to facilitate the extensive renovations while allowing the hotel and conference center to maintain operations.

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Check out the project page to read and see more of the 21,000 SF renovation: www.bpa.net/auburn-university-hotel-dixon-conference-center

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/.

Mercedes-Benz US International In Review

As we begin a new year, let's take a look back at the completion of the 2017 office renovations at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Alabama. With over 80,000 square feet already completed, we are proud to say we are currently under design and construction for several additional areas throughout the plant. Stay tuned in 2018 for more exciting updates!

Each renovation begins with a conceptual idea that is conveyed through a sketch, thanks to our very own Wallace Williams! This allows us to convey our ideas to the client before we begin the construction documentation process. So far this has been well received and leaves each area with a piece of art to motivate them for the future!

A special thanks to the talented Chris Luker with Luker Photography for these images http://www.lukerphotography.com/

For more photos and information on our work at the Mercedes-Benz plant, visit our project page www.bpa.net/mercedes-benz

Project Update: ALDOT Tuscaloosa Main Administration Building Renovation

The Alabama Department of Transportation’s Tuscaloosa District Office on Skyland Boulevard is in the midst of significant interior and exterior upgrades. 

The facility currently serves as an administrative and technical branch for ALDOT’s West Alabama region. Initially constructed in 1961, the office space has experienced a series of expansions to reach its current 33,000 SF footprint. Our scope of work features a comprehensive upgrade to the existing facility, including building code and life safety corrections, interior finish improvements, new exterior metal panels, and a new public entrance and lobby. The existing facility had difficulty establishing a formal street presence, making wayfinding and access by visitors difficult. BPA approached the challenges of the renovation project as an opportunity to enhance the ALDOT District Office’s visibility while creating a fresh, welcoming environment for ALDOT employees and the public.

Overall renovation work and the new entrance are currently at the mid-point of construction, and the final completion is expected this spring.  This project is one of several statewide that we are excited to be assisting ALDOT with. BPA is also pleased to be working with K&A Builders of Tuscaloosa on the project. Photos of construction progress can be found in the gallery below. 

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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NCIDQ Practice Practicum

Over the weekend, interior designers at BPA took part in the NCIDQ Spring Practice Practicum on both the testing and the grading sides. What is a practice Practicum, you ask? It’s a mock exam for the hand-drafting portion of the NCIDQ Exams set up by the IIDA Alabama chapter to help designers prepare for the actual exam on April 2nd.

Never heard of NCIDQ? No one explains it better than NCIDQ themselves:

"The Council for Interior Design Qualification, or CIDQ, is the global leader in establishing standards of competence for interior design/interior architecture professionals.

CIDQ protects public health, safety and welfare by identifying interior designers who have the knowledge and experience to create interior spaces that are not just aesthetically pleasing but also functional and safe.

Interior designers who meet the eligibility requirements for education and experience and pass the rigorous NCIDQ Exam are assigned a unique NCIDQ Certification number that attests to their qualifications for employers, state regulators and the general public."

There are three parts to the NCIDQ Exams: two multiple-choice, computer based exams (IDFX & IDPX) and a hand-drafting portion called the Practicum that includes 7 timed exercises to demonstrate knowledge of space planning, lighting design, life safety, egress, accessibility compliance, building systems integration and millwork design. 

BPA currently has four NCIDQ Certified Interior Designers who are Registered in the State of Alabama, including one who sat as Chairman of the Board from 2005-2013.

Check out www.NCIDQexam.org to learn more about the examination process and what it means to be a certified interior designer.

Quote from: www.NCIDQexam.org