Archive for: AIA NC

TMH Presents “Modernism at Risk,” An International Architecture Exhibit

Categories: Triangle Modernist Houses
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The International Style Goodyear House (1938) designed by Edward Durell Stone. Architecture critic Paul Goldberger has called it “one of the most important houses built in the United States between the two world wars.”

April 24, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) — Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH), the award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design, will present “Modernism at Risk: Modern Solutions for Saving Modern Landmarks,” an international exhibit, from June 1-9 in the new AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design in downtown Raleigh.

“Modernism at Risk” features a large-format photographic gallery of destroyed or endangered Modernist buildings by internationally renowned photographer Andrew Moore.  The exhibit has traveled the world including the Art Institute of Tampa, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, The AIA New York Center for Architecture, Lund University in Sweden, the University of Florida-Gainesville, the University of Montreal, and the University of Michigan’s Taubman School of Architecture.

A project of the World Monuments Fund, “Modernism at Risk” presents five case studies exploring the role designers play in preserving Modern landmarks. These include buildings by architectural luminaries Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Eduardo Catalano, Paul Rudolph, Charles Gwathmey, Edward Durell Stone, and Warren Platner. The exhibit’s goal is to persuade the public that Modern buildings can continue to be economically and functionally viable.

“The demise of Modern buildings is a local issue,” said TMH founder and board chair George Smart. “Starting with the destruction of Raleigh’s Catalano House in 2001, we have lost many ‘livable works of art.’ In addition to the photographs, the exhibit will include rare models and a ongoing video loop of award-winning houses in North Carolina. People can learn about great NC houses still standing, which ones are endangered, and how we can work to preserve them.”

Modernist architecture firms and product vendors in the Triangle area are sponsoring each day of the exhibit. They will share samples of their own work and be on hand to speak with tour-goers. These sponsors are: Frank Harmon, FAIA, of Frank Harmon Architect PA; Vinny Petrarca of Tonic Design + Construction; Phil Szostak, FAIA, of Szostak Design/Build; Steve Schuster, FAIA, of Clearscapes Architecture; Kenneth Hobgood, FAIA, of Kenneth Hobgood Architects; Matthew Griffith, AIA, and Erin Sterling Lewis, AIA, of In Situ Studio; Will Alphin of Alphin Design Build; Jerry Nowell of Nowell’s Contemporary Furniture; and Dan Nicely, Assoc. AIA, of VMZINC.

Tickets to the exhibit are: Opening night, June 1, $6.95 in advance, $10 at the door; June 2-9, $3.95 advance, $5 at the door. AIA North Carolina members are admitted free.  Each night is hosted or sponsored by a different design firm.  For more information and tickets, visit http://www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/atrisk.htm. Proceeds benefit TMH’s ongoing documentation, preservation, and promotion projects.

The new AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design is located at 14 East Peace Street directly across from Peace College. For more information, contact George Smart at 919-740-8407.

About Triangle Modernist Houses

Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) is an award-winning 501C3 nonprofit established in 2007 dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. The award-winning website is now the largest educational and historical archive for Modernist residential design in America. TMH also hosts popular Modernist house tours several times a year, giving the public access to the Triangle’s most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. For more information: www.trianglemodernisthouses.com. TMH also has an active community on Facebook.

About the World Monument Fund:

Founded in 1965, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private international historic preservation organization based in New York City. For nearly 50 years, WMF has worked to save and preserve endangered historic sites in all areas of the world. The “Modernism at Risk” exhibit is underwritten nationally through a generous gift from Knoll. For more information: www.wmf.org.

Architect Irvin Pearce Assumes Leadership of AIA North Carolina

Categories: Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee
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Irv Pearce, AIA

March 7, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) – Irvin Pearce, AIA, a founding principal of the Raleigh, NC, architecture firm Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee, has been elected president of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA NC) for the year 2012.

Pearce has been active in the AIA NC chapter and other design community initiatives for several years. He was president of the AIA Triangle Section of AIA NC (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) in 2008, having previously served as a board member, secretary, and treasurer. He received a 2008 AIA Triangle Section President’s Award in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the profession.

From 2010-11, Pearce served as a board member of North Carolina GreenPower, the first statewide green energy program in the nation supported by all the state’s utilities. From 2008 to today, he has served as Co-Chair of the Design and Construction Committee for AIA NC’s new Center for Architecture and Design headquarters building, which was recently completed in downtown Raleigh.

A graduate of North Carolina State University’s College of Design, Pearce was principal in charge on several projects for the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, including renovations to Memorial Auditorium and design and construction of the Fletcher Opera Theater and Meymandi Concert Hall. Irv’s involvement was a key contribution towards making Meymandi Concert Hall such a resounding acoustical success.

As AIA NC’s president, Pearce acts as leader for and has general supervision over the affairs of the chapter. He is responsible for building consensus among the membership over relevant issues and acting as a liaison between AIA North Carolina, AIA South Atlantic Region, and AIA National.

“I will use all available resources of AIA North Carolina, including the recently completed Center for Architecture and Design, to advocate for the profession of architecture and each and every architect’s ability to design and help build a better and more sustainable North Carolina,” Pearce said.

The American Institute of Architects is the voice of the architecture profession and has been the leading professional membership association for licensed architects, emerging professionals, and allied partners since 1857. The AIA NC chapter includes seven sections across the state. For more information, visit www.aianc.org.

For more information on Irv Pearce, visit www.pbclarchitecture.com.

About Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee:

Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee (PBC+) is an award-winning, full-service architectural firm specializing in academic and cultural arts projects. PBC+L has offices in Raleigh and Asheville, North Carolina. The firm’s work has been published in numerous professional journals and was ranked 23rd in Architecture magazine’s Top 50 Firms in the nation. For more information, visit www.pbclarchitecture.com or find the firm on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

 

Umicore Building Products Donates VMZinc Roof for AIA NC’s New Headquarters

Categories: architecture, building products, business, construction, downtown Raleigh, environment, environmentalism, green architecture, landscape architecture, modern architecture, news, sustainability
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Modern, “Green” Architecture & Design Center to be crowned by

Rendering, AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design

PIGMENTO Red architectural zinc.

September 22, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) – Umicore Building Products USA (UBP), headquartered in Raleigh, NC, has donated $70,000 worth of PIGMENTO® Red VMZ standing-seam zinc panels to be used for the roof of the American Institute of Architects North Carolina Chapter’s new, modern, sustainable headquarters building that is now under construction in downtown Raleigh.

“We are proud to be a supporting member of the AIA NC building. It is wonderful to be a part of such an important project in our own backyard,” said Daniel Nicely, an associate member of the AIA and UBP’s Director of Market Development.

Officially named the AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design, the building was designed by Frank Harmon Architect PA of Raleigh, a multi-award-winning firm well known for its modern, green, regionally appropriate design. Under the direction of principal Frank Harmon, FAIA, the firm won a professional design competition for the project.

The design competition required submissions to be as “green,” or environmentally sustainable, as possible. Among the building’s many eco-friendly features will be the zinc roof.

“The three main environmentally sustainable qualities of architectural zinc are its  durability, its recyclability, and the moderate amount of energy required to manufacture it,” said Nicely. “Using architectural zinc for roofing materials or exterior cladding helps architects achieve LEED points.”

The new building’s other green features include: careful siting, extensive use of glass, operable windows, and open porches to maximize natural lighting and ventilation; a geothermal heating and cooling system; an underground rainwater collection cistern, the use of locally available and recycled materials wherever possible; a broad roof overhang to protect the interior from harsh summer sun; a special energy-conserving elevator; and an innovative parking “garden” comprised of porous paving that will eliminate all storm water run-off.

“There were three irreplaceable elements in the design of the AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design: stone walls, landscape, and the metal roof,” said Frank Harmon. “Of these, the zinc roof was the most generous donation, and I think it will shelter the AIA for generations.”

The red pigment in the PIGMENTO® Red panel is created through a factory process that adds the red pigment to the coil during the manufacturing of the sheets and coils. The advantage of adding the pigment during manufacturing is that the panel will not require any reapplication of color, and the color will weather evenly and smoothly as it ages. VMZINC is recognized for blending well and easily with other architectural products, such as the AIA NC Center’s wood siding (cypress), stonework, concrete, steel, and glass.

The AIA NC building and landscape were designed as one interlocking system with the majority of the site left as green, open, park-like space in this urban setting. The building should be complete by the end of November. The landscaping will not be complete until the spring of 2012. For more information on the AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design, visit www.frankharmon.com and click on “current projects.”

For more information on UBP and VMZ PIGMENTO® Red products, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

About Umicore Building Products USA, Inc.

Umicore is a world-leading producer of architectural zinc. For over 160 years, Umicore has been providing innovative solutions for building owners, architects and contractors. Umicore has offices and representatives all over the world. In the United States, Umicore Building Products USA, Inc., is based in Raleigh, NC. For additional information, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

Frank Harmon Wins High Award for Simple Project

Categories: architecture, business, construction, environment, garden design, green architecture, modern architecture, news
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The JC Raulston Arboretum Lath House at NC State University wins AIA NC Honor Award 

September 15, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) – Frank Harmon Architect PA has received a 2011 Honor Award from the North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA NC) for the firm’s design of North Carolina State University’s JC Raulston Arboretum Lath House in Raleigh.

The Lath House received one of only two Honor Awards presented this year, and it was a pro bono project for Harmon’s firm as a gift to the Arboretum.

The Lath House is an open-air laboratory for horticultural research. Its screen of wood two-by-twos fulfills the specific light-to-shade ratio young plants need before they transition into the larger gardens.

According to the firm’s principal, Frank Harmon, FAIA, the structure was designed as an abstract of a tree that spreads its branches to protect the plants.

The Lath House replaced an older structure that sheltered approximately 700 young and tender plants that perform best in shade. The new structure may provide space for 1000 new plantings.

The 10 and a half-acre JC Raulston Arboretum is a nationally acclaimed garden with one of the largest and most diverse collections of plants, shrubs and trees adapted for use in Southeastern landscapes from over 50 different countries. Plants are collected and evaluated in an effort to find superior plants for use in southern gardens. The Lath House is a key element in the arboretum’s work.

“Over the last three decades, the JC Raulston Lath House has nurtured some of the most successful plants for use in Southern gardens, including hostas, ferns, hydrangea and rhododendron,” Harmon said. “We were honored to be a part of the Arboretum’s mission by designing the new Lath House.”

Will Lambeth, a former member of Harmon’s design team who left to attend Harvard University, served on the design team for the Lath House, which received a Merit Award this summer from the Triangle section of AIA NC and has been published at ArchDaily.com.

Harmon’s firm is known for designing projects that celebrate plant life, such as the cluster of buildings for the NC Botanical Gardens Visitors Education Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Walnut Creek Wetlands Education Center in Raleigh, and the NC Museum of Natural Science’s open-air classroom at the Prairie Ridge Eco-station, also in Raleigh.  For more information visit www.frankharmon.com.

About Frank Harmon Architect PA:

Frank Harmon Architect PA is an award-winning architectural firm located in Raleigh, NC, and recognized nationally as a leader in modern, innovative, sustainable and regionally appropriate design. For the third consecutive year, the firm is ranked as one of the Top 50 Firms in the nation by Architect magazine, and Frank Harmon, FAIA, founder and principal, was included in Residential Architect’s recent “RA 50: The short list of architects we love.” The firm’s work has been featured in numerous books, magazines, journals and online magazines on architecture, including ArchDaily.com, Dwell, Architectural Record, Architect, and Residential Architect. For more information, go to www.frankharmon.com.

Kenneth Hobgood Wins AIA NC Design Award for Modern “Tower”

Categories: architecture, business, construction, downtown Raleigh, modern architecture, news
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Future residence is a secluded retreat within an established neighborhood. 

Architectural model of the award-winning Jones Residence II.

September 14, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) – An as-yet-unbuilt residential “tower” designed by Kenneth E. Hobgood Architects in Raleigh has received a Merit Award from the North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA NC).

The winning design, “Jones Residence II,” is one of two concepts the firm has proposed for the same client and site. Located on a steep, heavily wooded site just inside the beltline in Raleigh, North Carolina, this concept is an 1800-square-foot home that balances the client’s’ desire to be part of a well-established neighborhood while yet feel as if they’re in a secluded retreat.

“The client is a young cancer researcher at Duke University,” said the firm’s principal, Kenneth Hobgood, FAIA. “The house is a retreat from the rigors and pressures of a life in medical research.”

This firm is well known for modern, progressive, minimalist design, and the Jones Residence II is no exception. The design of the house “represents a simple diagram,” Hobgood explained. “A simple cube is separated into three equal segments with a shift in the central segment.”

The house becomes, then, a three-level tower that minimizes disruption to the site. In fact, it’s footprint covers only 1.25 percent of the site and would result in the loss of only two trees.

While all three levels are simple square plans, the middle level has been shifted forward, allowing dramatic views of the site and creating outdoor balconies. This level, clad completely in glass, contains the entrance, living room, dining room and office. The main entrance is reached via a bridge that spans from a parking terrace to the living/dining level.

The lowest level includes two guest bedrooms, the upper level houses the master bedroom suite, and a continuous stair connects all three levels. So the day-to-day living in the house occurs on the two upper levels.

The design team for Jones Residence II consisted of Kenneth Hobgood, Paul Hobgood, and Patrick Hobgood.

Tom Pfeiffer, FAIA, and Craig Dykers, AIA, served as chairman of the 2011 AIA NC Design Awards jury. (Pfeifer designed the new NC Museum of Art.) Other notable architects from the New York area, where the jury met, served as jurors. The awards were presented during the AIA NC Annual Conference held this past weekend in Raleigh, NC.

For more information on Kenneth E. Hobgood Architects, visit www.kennethhobgood.com.

About Kenneth E. Hobgood, Architects:

Kenneth Hobgood, FAIA, founded Kenneth E Hobgood, Architects in Raleigh, NC, in 1992. Since then, the firm has received 39 design awards from the American Institute of Architects North Carolina chapter and its work has been published and exhibited in the United States, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, England and Germany. In 1997, Kenneth Hobgood as awarded the Kamphoefner Prize from North Carolina State University’s College of Design for “consistent integrity and devotion to the development of modern architecture” in North Carolina. He has served as a visiting critic at Auburn University, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, and the University of Kentucky, and as an adjunct professor at North Carolina State University since 1988. For more information visit www.kennethhobgood.com.

Kenneth Hobgood Architects Anticipates Completion of Glass Villa in Kuwait

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The residence will be a showcase of modern design, special engineering

Villa Al Bahar under construction (south wall)

and meticulous construction.

June 24, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) — Construction is nearing completion on Villa Al Bahar, a modern, 22,000-square-foot, four-level glass house in Kuwait City, Kuwait, designed by  of Kenneth Hobgood Architects of Raleigh, NC.

Designing and building a glass and steel villa that can handle the heat and glare in Kuwait has been challenging, the firm admits.

The client, businessman Adnan Al Bahar, discovered Kenneth Hobgood Architects during one of his summer stays in Durham. Impressed by the many modernist houses Kenneth Hobgood has designed, he hired him after one meeting and challenged the firm to create an elegant, modern, state-of-the-art, glass villa for his family. Budget was not an issue. The villa needed to include very generous, and completely separate, spaces for formal entertaining, for the family’s private living space, and for the servants’ living quarters. He also wanted a large garage and workshop for his automobile collection.  And the villa had to be fully accessible.

“That’s very unusual in Kuwait,” said senior associate architect Alan Tin, AIA, who has worked closely with Hobgood on this project and visited the site often. “Accessibility is not as important there as it is here.”

Architect's model of the future Villa Al Bahar

The site is flat, extremely sandy, and in an exclusive neighborhood of gridded plats where most villas are built in the center of property. Ignoring that precedent, Villa Al Bahar is comprised of a central glass, steel, and concrete mass with glass wings that wrap around and overlook a central courtyard. “Public” spaces are on the ground level. The family’s private living spaces are on the second level. Women servants will live on the third level and the men servants’ will occupy generous quarters below grade near a huge garage and workshop.

Some of the villa’s other special features are:

  • A series of glass planes and tubes custom designed by structural engineer Tim Macfarlane of London to function as veils to filter light.
  • A custom-designed stainless steel structural system.
  • Operable wooden louvers to allow an abundance of natural light yet accommodate the family’s need for privacy, modesty, and separation.
  • A grand staircase comprised of three-inch-thick, cantilevered glass risers.
  • An 800-pound glass front door with electro-magnetic lock.
  • Full automation via control panels, and all mechanical systems include back-up systems.

The primary interior materials are marble, fine wood, and raw concrete. All casework has been custom designed and crafted.

“Adnan Al Bahar is an incredible man,” Kenneth Hobgood said. “He has been so involved in this project in the best sense of the word, and his comments have been extremely insightful. We’ve admired his obvious respect for his servants and the entire construction crew. We’re determined to make sure this house is as perfect as humanly possible for him.”

For more information on Villa Al Bahar and other projects by Kenneth Hobgood Architects, visit www.kennethhobgood.com.

About Kenneth E. Hobgood, Architects:

Kenneth Hobgood, FAIA, founded Kenneth E Hobgood, Architects in Raleigh, NC, in 1992. Since then, the firm has received 39 design awards from the American Institute of Architects North Carolina chapter and its work has been published and exhibited in the United States, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, England and Germany. In 1997, Kenneth Hobgood as awarded the Kamphoefner Prize from North Carolina State University’s College of Design for “consistent integrity and devotion to the development of modern architecture” in North Carolina. He has served as a visiting critic at Auburn University, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, and the University of Kentucky, and as an adjunct professor at North Carolina State University since 1988. For more information visit www.kennethhobgood.com.

 

Frank Harmon To Address Wisconsin Audience for AIA Lecture Series

Categories: architecture, business, environmentalism, environmentalist, events, green architecture, land planning, landscape architecture, modern architecture, news, people
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Raleigh architect will discuss modern, sustainable, regionally appropriate design in

Frank Harmon, FAIA

Madison.

February 18, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) — Frank Harmon, FAIA, principal of Frank Harmon Architects PA in Raleigh, will be the featured speaker for the Wright Lecture Series in Madison, Wisconsin, on March 10, beginning 7 p.m. in the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center.

Harmon will also serve as a juror for the AIA Wisconsin Design Awards program.

Frank Harmon is a multi-award-winning leader in modern, innovative, sustainable, and regionally appropriate architecture, and he frequently lectures on the subject “Place Making: America’s New Regionalism.” The AIA Wisconsin lecture will follow a similar presentation he is making at the Dalhousie University School of Architecture in Nova Scotia on February 28.

Both lectures will discuss how regional architecture can produce high-performance, or sustainable, buildings by addressing context, materials, textures, colors and form particular to the region in which they are built, using both traditional and non-traditional methods.

“I believe that one of the primary goals of architecture is to make it possible for people to understand the world around them,” Harmon says. “If we sense that a building is rooted in the earth and warmed by the sun, that fresh air flows through its windows and its materials are friendly to the touch, then we may feel that the building belongs to its place, and so do we.”

The Wright Lecture Series is sponsored by AIA Southwest Wisconsin, the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Heritage Program.

Harmon’s lecture free and open to the public. For more information on the entire series, visit www.aiaw.org.

For more information on Frank Harmon, visit www.frankharmon.com.

About Frank Harmon, FAIA:

Frank Harmon, FAIA, is a Professor in Practice at NC State University and was the 1995 recipient of the Kamphoefner Prize for Distinguished Design over a Ten-Year Period. He founded his firm, Frank Harmon Architect PA, in 1985. In 2010, his firm was ranked 13th out of the top 50 firms in the nation by Architect magazine, and was included in Residential Architect magazine’s “RA 50: The Short List of Architects We Love.” Harmon’s work has been featured in numerous books, magazines and journals on architecture, including Dwell, Architectural Record, Architect, Residential Architect and Environmental Design + Construction. For more information, go to www.frankharmon.com.

Frank Harmon Joins “Appetite 4 Architecture” Dinner To Benefit AIA NC

Categories: architecture, business, downtown Raleigh, environmentalism, fundraising, green architecture, landscape architecture, modern architecture, non-profit
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Frank Harmon, FAIA © f8 Photo Studios

All proceeds will go to AIA NC’s Building Fund.

 

January 14, 2011 (RALEIGH, NC) – Frank Harmon, FAIA, principal of Frank Harmon Architect PA and Professor in Practice at the NC State University College of Design, will be one of the three featured guests for Triangle Modernist Houses’ “Appetite 4 Architecture” dinner on Tuesday, February 8th, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at 18 Seaboard restaurant in Raleigh.

 

Proceeds from ticket sales to this dinner will go to the North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA NC) for its building. The AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design headquarters, designed by Harmon’s firm, is under construction now in downtown Raleigh.

AIA NC Exec. Vice President David Crawford

 

David Crawford, AIA NC’s Executive Vice President, and Steve Schuster, AIA, principal of Clearscapes, will join Harmon for the February 8th A4A dinner. Steve Schuster helped lead the effort to secure financing for the new building. The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on December 9th.

 

Sponsored and hosted by Triangle Modernist houses (TMH), Appetite 4 Architecture dinner events are opportunities for the general public to have informal discussions with Triangle area architects in an upscale dining environment. While TMH founder and director George Smart stresses that there will be no presentations during the Harmon/Crawford/Schuster dinner, “No doubt the new, modern, thoroughly ‘green’ headquarters building will come up!”

Steven Schuster, AIA

 

Tickets for the February 8th dinner at 18 Seaboard are $49 per person and include three courses (appetizer, entree, dessert) from a pre-selected menu plus coffee/water/tea, tax, and gratuity. Vegetarian options are also available. Ticket reservations are available at www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/a4a.htm.

 

For more information on Frank Harmon, FAIA, visit www.frankharmon.com.

For more information on TMH’s series of Appetite 4 Architecture dinners, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.

 

About Frank Harmon, FAIA:

Frank Harmon, FAIA, is founder and principal of Frank Harmon Architect PA, a multi-award-winning firm in Raleigh that is recognized nationally as a leader in innovative, modern, and regionally appropriate “green” architecture. Professor in Practice at NC State University’s College of Design, Harmon is a sought-after speaker at AIA and other conferences and events, and was the only North Carolina architect included in Residential Architect magazine’s recent “RA 50: The Short List of Architects We Love.” The year Harmon’s firm was ranked 13th out of the top 50 firms in the nation by Architect magazine, an annual rating that emphasizes ecological commitment and design quality as much as profitability. His work has been featured in numerous books, magazines and journals on architecture, including Dwell, Architectural Record, Arch Daily, and Residential Architect. For more information visit www.frankharmon.com.

Frank Harmon Makes National “Short List of Architects We Love”

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Residential Architect releases its first-ever “RA 50”

Frank Harmon, FAIA © f8 Photo Studios

December 30, 2010 (RALEIGH, NC) –  For the first time in its history, Residential Architect magazine has published its “RA 50: A Short List of Architects We Love.” And Frank Harmon Architect PA of Raleigh, NC, is among them.

According to editor Claire Conroy, “This collection comprises [firms] whose names keep rising to the top.” Along with Harmon’s firm, the list includes such illustrious names as Glenn Murcutt, Brooks-Scarpa Architects, Lake/Flato, and Michelle Kaufman.

Senior editors Nigel Maynard, Cheryl Weber, Meghan Drueding, and Bruce Snider say the RA 50 represents “a broad collection of people who simply – day in and day out – do very good, interesting work.”

Frank Harmon Architect PA is no stranger to Residential Architect’s pages. In 2003, the Taylor Vacation House the firm designed for a couple in the Bahamas was named RA’s House of the Year. In 2005, the firm received the magazine’s Top Firm of the Year accolade.

Since then, founder and principal Frank Harmon, FAIA, has been featured in a number of the magazine’s articles on sustainable, regionally appropriate residential design and construction, and he has been a speaker at RA’s annual “Reinvention” design symposium.

The RA 50 list first appeared in the magazine’s November-December digital version at http://mydigimag.rrd.com/publication/?i=55205 then in print. Harmon’s firm appears on page 30 beside Australian architect Glenn Murcutt, Hon. FAIA. Expanded versions of each architect’s profile will soon be featured on the website www.residentialarchitect.com.

“One of the most exciting things about this is that my firm is featured on the same page as Glenn Murcutt, the most important contemporary architect working today, and a designer from whom I have learned so much,” said Harmon. “I’m also honored simply to be included in the pages of Residential Architect. RA is truly the finest publication on residential design and construction in the nation.”

Residential Architect is an award-winning national magazine focusing exclusively on the residential architecture profession.

“We put this short list together as an end-of-year tribute to this admirable profession,” the editors state.

For more information, visit www.residentialarchitect.com.

For more information on Frank Harmon Architect PA, visit www.frankharmon.com.

About Frank Harmon Architect PA:

Frank Harmon Architect PA, a multi-award-winning firm headquartered in downtown Raleigh, is recognized nationally as a leader in innovative, modern, and regionally inspired “green” architecture. The year the firm was ranked 13th out of the top 50 firms in the nation by Architect magazine, an annual rating that emphasizes ecological commitment and design quality as much as profitability. Recent projects include Duke University’s Ocean Science Teaching Center in Beaufort, the NC Botanical Garden’s new Visitors Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Merchants Millpond Outdoor Educational building in Gatesville, N.C. The firm’s work has been featured in numerous books, magazines and journals on architecture, including Dwell, Architectural Record, Arch Daily, and Residential Architect. For more information, go to www.frankharmon.com.

Construction Begins On AIA NC’s New, “Green” Headquarters

Categories: architecture, business, downtown Raleigh, environmentalism, garden design, green architecture, land planning, landscape architecture, modern architecture
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Future LEED- Platinum building breaks ground in downtown Raleigh.

 

December 8, 2010 (RALEIGH, NC) – After two years of planning and waiting for financing, the North Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects will finally hold its official, public groundbreaking ceremony for its new headquarters building and design center on Thursday, December 9, at 11:30 a.m. The building will be constructed on an oddly shaped, previously unused lot on Peace and Wilmington streets between Peace College and the NC Government Complex.

 

Designed by Frank Harmon Architect PA after the firm won a professional competition for the project in 2008, the AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design will be “a modern building with a green heart,” as Frank Harmon, FAIA, likes to call it.

 

The building has been designed to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards at the highest Platinum level, and AIA Committee On The Environment (COTE) goals, which include regional appropriateness and the use of regionally available materials, land use and site ecology, sustainable materials and methods of construction, reduced water usage, and increased energy efficiency.

 

“As we come out of the recession, we won’t be building in the same wasteful ways,” Harmon said. “With new emphasis on alternative energy and sustainable design, the AIA NC Center will show us a new way to build.”

 

Harmon also believes the Center will be a compelling example for responsible revitalization of the cores of towns and cities across the state, including Raleigh.

 

“It will demonstrate sustainable urban development and put Raleigh ‘on the map’ as a leader in this endeavor,” he noted, “from re-using every shovel of earth removed for the footprint, to the porously paved parking garden and state-of-the-art ‘green’ technology.”

 

Deferring to the natural topography, the new building will be situated along the edge of the property and porously paved so that the majority of the site will be park-like – a public park in an area of the city that doesn’t have one. This will provide an outdoor gathering space for AIA NC and community events and effectively expand AIA NC’s outreach program.

 

“One of AIA NC’s goals is to contribute to the vitality of that section of downtown by transforming an awkward, unused piece of property into a ‘people center’ that will, in turn, impact the businesses around it,” Harmon said.

 

Architecturally, the overriding objective of the building’s concept is “to demonstrate and encourage aesthetic and ecological integrity – to create a flagship for green architecture in North Carolina that is architecturally, environmentally, socially, and aesthetically inspiring,” Harmon said.

 

Construction should be completed in 10-12 months.

 

For more information on the building’s design, visit www.frankharmon.com/current/3/. For more information on AIA NC, visit www.aianc.org.