fall 2009 - aia dallas columns

COLUMNS

APu

blicationof

AIA

Dallas|DallasCen

terforArchitecture

|Fa

llVol.2

8No.

3

Fall Final Cover 2:Dallas Cover 8/24/09 1:56 PM Page 1

Color my world green.

To request your FREE Color Guide for Architects, please visit brick.com/colorguide. Also at brick.com, please download Masonry Designer, a free companion design program.

FREE Color Guide for please visit brick.com/colorguide.

Also at brick.com, please download Masonry Designer, a free companion design program.

Over many decades, Acme Brick has invested in initiatives to reduce fossil-fuel use, clean our air, and recycle the water we use. To date, we have built 17 lakes to reclaim raw material sites. Today, we make durable, recyclable brick from Earths clay, providing a LEED-friendly, regionally derived, sustainable product with incredibly low life-cycle costs. Our network

From the earth, for the earth.

800.792.1234brick.com

of manufacturing plants allows Acme to meet LEEDs 500-mile limit for local materials for most projects. Our brick transcends current LEED goals, too, providing long-term sustainability and design freedom. Many of our natural colorsevery one of them greenare now ready for your selection in a handy new Color Guide that can be yours free.

IBC & IFC:Layout 1 2/27/09 1:22 PM Page 2

1COLUMNS | www.aiadallas.org

2 FALL 2009

A publication ofAIA Dallas | Dallas Center for

Architecture1909 Woodall Rodgers Frwy.

Suite 100Dallas, TX 75201

214.742.3242www.aiadallas.orgwww.dallascfa.comAIA Dallas ColumnsFall, Vol 28, No 3

Editorial TeamBrian McLaren, AIA | Editor

Linda Mastaglio, ABC | Managing EditorKerrie Sparks | Art Director

Publications CommitteeCharla Blake, IDEC, Assoc. AIA

Greg BrownPaula Clements, Hon. TSA

W. D. Collins, II, AIANate Eudaly

Chris Grossnicklaus, Assoc. AIATodd Howard, AIA

Jill MagnusonLinda Mastaglio, ABCBrian McLaren, AIA

Andrew P. MoonKristy MorganJeff Potter, AIA

Robert Rummel-HudsonKatherine Seale

Doug Sealock, Hon. AIAKerrie Sparks

Laurel Stone, AIAJennifer Workman, AIA

AIA Dallas 2009 OfficersTodd C. Howard, AIA | PresidentJoe Buskuhl, FAIA | President-Elect

Bob Bullis, AIA | VP TreasurerDavid Zatopek, AIA | VP Programs

J. Mark Wolf, AIA | Chapter DirectorBetsy del Monte, AIA | Sr. Chapter Director

Jennifer Workman, AIA | TSA Director

AIA Dallas StaffPaula Clements, Hon. TSA |

Executive DirectorGreg Brown | DCFA Program Director

Kerrie Sparks | CommunicationsCoordinator

Ania Deptuch | Program AssistantShani Master | Event Coordinator

Rita Moore | Office Manager/Accountant

PublisherDenise Dawson

Dawson Publications Inc.2236 Greenspring Drive

Timonium, Maryland 21093410.560.5600 | 800.322.3448

Fax: 410.560.5601

Art DirectorJames Colgan

Sales ManagerDave Patrick

Sales RepresentativesSusan Foster, Tom Happel

Columns is a publication of AIA DallasChapter and the Dallas Center forArchitecture. For information onprofessional and public memberships,please call 214-742-3242.

One-year subscription (4 issues): $32(U.S.), $52 (foreign). To advertise pleasecall Dawson Publications at800.322.3448 ext. 125.

For reprint, web posting, or back issueinformation contact: Kerrie Sparks,[email protected].

The opinions expressed hereinor the representations made byadvertisers, including copyrights andwarranties, are not those of theExecutive Board, officers or staff ofthe AIA Dallas Chapter, the Editor ofColumns, or Dawson Publications Inc.,unless expressly stated otherwise.

About ColumnsColumns is a quarterly publicationproduced by the Dallas Chapter of theAmerican Institute of Architects and theDallas Center for Architecture. It isdistributed to members, other AIAchapters, architects, business leaders,public officials, and friends of the DallasCenter for Architecture. The journal of-fers educated and thought-provokingopinions to stimulate new ideas andelevate the profession of architecture.It also provides commentary on the artand architecture within the communitiesin the greater North Texas region.

The MissionThe mission of Columns is to providecontemporary, critical thought leadershipon topics of significance to the architec-tural community and to professionals inrelated industries.

2009 The American Institute ofArchitects Dallas Chapter and theDallas Center for Architecture. All rightsreserved. Reproduction in whole or inpart without written permission is strictlyprohibited.

Some sales insertion orders may reflectSummer 2009.

Cover: Dallas Center for the Perform-ing Arts Margot and Bill WinspearOpera House, photo by JeffreyBuehner.

CONTENTS

3

Presidents Letter 5Use imagination to shape new vision.

Local Arts 11Join the week-long celebration for Dallasnew performing arts center.

Upcoming DCFA Events 11Exhibition explores the architecture of theDallas Arts District.

People, Places & Things 12Whos on the move and whats happen-ing in local arts and architecture?

Creative on the Side 23Dallas-area design professionals createinspiring art on their own time.

Sense of Place 25Art with an architectural sensibility asseen through the lens of photographerJason Wynn

Centered on the Center 36Sustainable design illustrates ourcommitment to the greening of our city.

Profiles 37Insights from Craig Beneke, AIA andValetta Lill

Index to Advertisers 41Support the folks who support Columns.

Web Wise 41Intriguing places to visit in cyberspace

Field Notes 42An interview with DTC creative director,Kevin Moriarity

Social Responsibility 43Architecture for a cause

Critique 44Architects review LeCorbusier: Toward anArchitecture and Architecture Depends.

Practice Matters: The Businessof Design 45Savvy firms embrace the awardsubmission process as an integral facetof their operations.

Edit 47Good architecture addresses the spacebetween the buildings.

Campus Versus City: Towarda More Inclusive Arts Districtfor Dallas 6By Michelangelo Sabatino, PH. D.: Willthe Dallas Arts District simply become anenclave of wealthy arts patrons who rep-resent a small yet influential minority?

Reinventing the OperaHouse 16By Maria May: Representing a radicalrethinking of the traditional opera expe-rience, the design of the Margot and BillWinspear Opera House takes the theatreto the audience.

Imaging the Dee and CharlesWyly Theatre 18By Joshua Prince-Ramus: By emphasizinginfrastructure for transformation, theWyly Theatre grants the artistic directorthe freedom to determine the entiretheater experience.

Vision Achieved for DallasArts District 22By Mark Nerenhausen: The opening ofthe Dallas Center for the PerformingArts marks the completion of the origi-nal vision for the Dallas Arts District.

Illumination in Red 24By Maria May: Explore the vibrant redglass exterior on the Margot andBill Winspear Opera House.

Winspear: Peering Inside theArchitects Vision 26Excerpts from a speech given byNorman Foster, the architect of theMargot and Bill Winspear Opera House

The Gallery 30Compiled by Kerrie Sparks: Beauty, in-ventive design, intelligent creationallunveiled in this print exhibition of com-pelling architecture.

Departments

Features

COLUMNS | www.aiadallas.org

COLU

MNS

Photography by Jason Wynn

4 FALL 2009

September 26, 2009 January 10, 2010Continuing its investigation of contemporary architecture, the Nasher Sculpture Center presents a focused retrospective of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Norman Foster and his architectural firm, Foster + Partners.

Theof

Foster + Partners, Beijing International Airport, Terminal 3, 200308. Photo: Nigel Young Foster + Partners

2001 Flora Street 214.242.5100

NasherSculptureCenter.org


Imagine AIA/Dallas receiving a call from the mayor for ad-vice on the development of new municipal initiatives that provide aclear definition of the citys environmental vision. In this conversa-tion, he notes that with the AIA nationally being over 80,000 mem-bers strong and the leaders in the development of the builtenvironment, he wants to rely on our expertise to shape this new vi-sion. Here are some of the items he would like us to consider:

Renewable EnergyDevelop an initiative that reduces electricaldemand. In that conversation, he asks that the AIA lead the task forceand work closely with city staff, electric delivery companies, and build-ing stakeholders to reduce energy consumption by 400,000 tons ofCO2 annually through the development of renewable energy and co-

generation sources by the year 2012. Also, he would like us to work with the building department to stream-line the permitting process for projects that utilize solar water heating and other alternative energy products.

Clean TransportationThe mayor would like members of the AIA to work with city staff to develop acomprehensive plan of bicycle trails, including presenting ideas related to a citywide bicycle sharing network.Along with this initiative, he would like us to identify locations on city-owned property to designate park-ing for car-share vehicles.

Waste DiversionThe mayor would like the AIA to study how the city can divert 50% of its waste fromthe city landfills through source reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting. He would like restaurants tohave plans in place to reduce street litter caused by carry out and fast-food containers. Additionally, hewould like to ban the use of Styrofoam and require use of compost-friendly or recycled food-service wareat these same restaurants.

EducationThe mayor would also like to develop an award-winning program that would educate theeducators and their students so that they in turn can inform others about the importance of sustainable ini-tiatives. Through this program, schools would begin composting programs and gardening in the schools.Additionally, there would be a program where students use recycled products for art projects and learnhow products can be reused.

What a great opportunity for the AIA. These ideas are not a figment of the imagination. They are hap-pening in cities all around us through alliances between the AIA and the mayors of large metropolitan areas.These are leadership initiatives. Lets answer the call!

Presidents Letter |

Todd C. Howard, AIA, LEED AP

Photography by Bud Force, budforce.com

6 FALL 2009

CAMPUSVERSUSCITY:TOWARD A MORE INCLUSIVE ARTS DISTRICT FOR DALLAS

With the inauguration of the Margot and Bill Win-spear Opera House and the Dee and Charles WylyTheatre, Dallasites and visitors from around the world arepoised to experience theatre and music performances in note-worthy buildings designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects.At this early point in the life of the new buildings, some uncer-tainties remain regarding the urban qualities and programmingfuture of the site: Will the arts district become a socially-diverseand inclusive civic place where citizens of all walks of life willfeel welcome? Or, will the arts district simply become an en-clave of wealthy arts patrons who represent a small yet influ-

ential minority? Can intelligent and sensitive programming, bythe different arts institutions in the district and developers en-trusted to introduce residential units into the area, ensure thatpeople fill the streets and buildings at all times of the weekdaysand weekends?

The aim of this article is not so much to undermine theplanning that has been done so far but to raise questions andgenerate debate over what can still be done to make it better.Since the zoning strategy, based upon the principle of concen-tration (i.e. campus) versus dispersal of cultural institutions, hasbeen put into place, what still needs to be addressed is how to

Dallas Center for the Performing Arts

introduce residential and mixed use retail. How will it comple-ment the programming initiatives of the arts district while al-lowing the messy vitality of everyday life? Will greedy andmyopic real-estate developers ensure that only high-end resi-dential units contribute to making the arts district a playgroundof the rich or will a civic leadership attitude intervene to ensurethat some middle-income residential units, within and aroundthe fringes of the arts district, temper elitism with a heteroge-neous social reality more in keeping with other progressivelarge cities throughout the United States? Will integrative strate-gies replace segregative ones?

Campus versus City: Is Sensitive Programming the Solution?What makes the 19-block, 68-acre Dallas Arts District distinctiveis the way it brings together a number of institutions that servelike-minded yet diverse constituencies. This type of culturalacropolis builds upon the American university campus tradi-tion of grouping buildings together in pastoral landscapes re-moved from the vice of the city. There are exceptions, ofcourse, in large cities such as Chicago and NYC, where urbanuniversities are vibrant as well as integrated into the city. Theadvantages of this campus-zoning approach are as numerous asthe disadvantages insofar as it makes access easier to move fromone event to another but also tends to be self-selecting andcaters to specific groups at the expense of others.

Along with university campuses, a number of arts districts inthe U.S. and throughout the world have followed the zoningmodel, notably New Yorks Lincoln Center. Its raised pedes-trian plaza creates an urban place that is at once part of the cityand removed from it. To a certain extent, Houston followedthe Lincoln Center model with its Jones Plaza, started in the1960s to give the city a new civic place near the city hall. UlrichFranzens cavernous Alley Theatre, completed in 1968, standsnext to the lofty classical porticoes of Jones Hall and the nearbyawkward mass of the Wortham Center. Despite the uneven ar-chitectural quality of these buildings, the combination of streetand pedestrian life and the proximity to offices, retail, and res-idential venues have made Jones Plaza a lively place for inter-action of different constituencies. Closer to Dallas, Fort Worthhas developed an arts district of its own with Philip JohnsonsAmon Carter Museum (1961), Louis I. Kahns Kimbell Art Mu-seum (1972), Tadao Andos Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth(2002), and a number of other cultural institutions in closeproximity. The addition being planned for the Kimbell by RenzoPiano Workshop will add another distinguished building to thiscampus of the arts.

The conceptual and practical foundations of the Dallas ArtsDistrict are to be found in American zoning trends of the 1970swell before the mixed-use approach common to some of thebest examples of New Urbanism would seriously put this intoquestion. Following the bond election of 1979, the City of Dal-las, under Mayor Robert Folsom, launched an internationalcompetition in 1982. The Boston and San Francisco landscapearchitects Sasaki Associates designed a new urban street forDallas in which art and commerce coexist where dilapidatedbuildings once stood. Rather than eliminate cars altogether, theSasaki plan sought to encourage pedestrian activity by way oftree-lined Flora Street. It is anchored at one end by the DallasMuseum of Art (1978-93), designed by Edward LarrabeeBarnes, and at the other by the recently completed One ArtsPlaza, a mixed-use residential, commercial, and retail high-risedesigned by Dallas architects Morrison Seifert Murphy. The re-cent additions to the arts district build upon the Sasaki plan thus


By Michelangelo Sabatino, PH. D.

Birds eye rendering of the Dallas Arts District

avoiding the need to start everything from scratch. Yet, onemight question the wisdom of using an idea and plan that wasconceived when cars and mono-function zoning were preva-lent. The plan coincides roughly with the rise of the first ex-periment in the New Urbanism at Seaside, Florida and with theincreased influence of Jane Jacobs seminal book, The Deathand Life of Great American Cities (1961). In this book, the au-thor argues in favor of an urbanism based upon co-existenceand integration rather than segregation. Although New Urban-ism has led American cities and developers to questionable useof neo-traditional models, at its core are important urban val-ues of street and pedestrian life. One doesnt need to visit his-toric European cities to understand that mixed use areas thatcombine residential and commercial are key to lively and di-verse neighborhoods. Sadly, it grows clearer as the arts districtis gradually completed that developers have converged on thesite trying to take advantage of the prestige factor of proxim-ity to signature buildings by adding a number of residential unitsthat do not take into account middle-class pocket books.

The second phase of One Arts PlazaTwo Arts Plaza, wedgedinto a site next to the Woodall Rodgers Freewayand the pro-posed Museum Tower next to the Nasher Sculpture Center areboth emblematic of this attitude. This 42-story new centerpieceof the Dallas Arts District designed by Scott Johnson promises tobring 123 luxury residences to the site. As it stands now, land to theeast of the arts district on Ross Avenue should be used to offerresidential opportunities for people other than the very wealthy.Even though theWoodall Rodgers Park, designed by The Office ofJames Burnett, and the initiatives around the Trinity River Corri-dor promise to bring lakes, parks, and sidewalk cafs, will they beenough to create a pluralistic place for all citizens of Dallas?

Interestingeven iconicarchitecture is effective in draw-ing people of all walks of life: Frank Gehrys Guggenheim Bilbaoin Spain for instance. Clearly, Dallasites behind the arts districtinitiatives have as much ambition as deep pockets to makethese projects a reality.

The Bill and Margot Winspear Opera House was designedby Foster + Partners (Spencer de Grey, senior partner and

8 FALL 2009

Justin Terveen, Urban Fabric Photography

9principal architect) with Houston-based architects of recordKendall-Heaton Associates. When it opens next fall, it will pro-vide performance space for the Dallas Opera, Texas Ballet The-atre, touring Broadway productions, and numerous otherperformances. The opera-house design is distinguished by itshigh-tech monumentality and transparency. The deep-red glasspanels that wrap around the auditorium, thrusting above thecanopy, contrast with the precious travertine employed ascladding in Renzo Pianos nearby Nasher Sculpture Center(2003) and the Indiana limestone-clad Dallas Museum of Art.The Nashers transparent storefront faade is echoed in thetransparency of the Winspear Opera House. The restaurant,caf, and possibly a bookstore will remain open throughout theday in order to welcome both the opera-going and the non-opera-going public into the building. Amenities like these arekey to encouraging street life at all times of the day outside ofthe performance schedule. A similar open access is stressed inFoster + Partners design for the Annette Strauss Artist Square,an outdoor performing arts space that can accommodate asmany as 5,000 people on its lawn and terraced seating.

A monumental yet airy canopy of louvers envelops the2,200-seat auditorium. The choice of reflective red panels andthe rounded contours of the auditorium echo the dramaticbaroque draperies typically employed for theatre stages. I. M.Pei & Partners Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center (1989)to its west also exploits the curves of baroque architecture tocreate theatrical effects. The Winspears 60-foot-high canopyprojects beyond the building to create an urban space shadedfrom the Texas sun. It invites opera patrons to linger outsidethe lobby and public concourse, even as the spacing and an-gles of its louvers reduce the air-conditioning load on the build-ing. A clear glass faade, enabled by this canopy, is foundationalto making the building transparent and accessible to the public.It can be raised on the east side, where the caf and the restau-rant are located, to provide an opening of about 85 x 23 feet.Although the building has not gone through the LEED certifica-tion process, Foster + Partners incorporated many energy-ef-ficient design features for exceptional sustainability incomparison with other buildings of its kind.

The visual and spatial drama of the Winspear is not chal-lenged by the understated and recently completed addition tothe Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing andVisual Arts (2008) on its east flank. The design for expanding ahistoric high school at this site, completed in 1922 to serveAfrican American students, was won in a 2001 NEA competi-tion by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture of Portland,OR. Cloepfils design uses horizontal brick bands and a pin-wheel plan to create a modest yet thoughtful building. BookerT. Washington School includes an outdoor amphitheatre forpublic performances, classrooms, and visual art studies.

The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre is the most unconven-tional and daring building in the arts district and will provide ahome for the Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Black Dance The-atre, and the Anita Martnez Ballet Folklrico. Bold architecturecan lend visibility to an art form threatened by cinema andYouTube. The potential architects for the theatre were invitedto Dallas in 2001 to deliver lectures. They included Rem Kool-haas and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, Daniel Libe-skind, Snhetta, and UN Studio van Berkel & Bos. Local patron


Foster + Partners

Skidmore Owings & Merrill/City of Dallas

Above: Nighttime rendering of the Margot and Bill Winspear OperaHouse, designed by Foster + Partners, at the Dallas Center for thePerforming Arts Below: Model rendering of City Performance Hall,to open as part of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts in 2010

10 FALL 2009

Deedie Potter Rose chaired the committee that eventually se-lected Rem Koolhaas and the Office for Metropolitan Architec-ture (OMA). More than a tastemaker, Deedie Rose has beenpart of a core of dedicated volunteers who have galvanized theDallas business community into supporting the Dallas Centerfor the Performing Arts.

In the interim, OMA partner Joshua Prince-Ramus formed anew firm, REX. Then REX/OMA, Joshua Prince-Ramus andRem Koolhaa, created a design that includes the 600-seat Pot-ter Rose Performance Hall and a black box theatre, as well assupport spaces that are organized vertically, stacked on top of orbelow the performance space. Seen against the backdrop of twoornate postmodern towers in downtown Dallas, designed bySkidmore, Owings & Merrill, the austere spaces of the WylyTheatre serve as a lesson in modesty and a hymn to verticalityin a land of horizontal sprawl. With its structures of reinforcedconcrete and suspended steel, the Wyly refuses the opulence ofsuch materials as the travertine cladding of the Nasher or thelimestone of the Dallas Museum of Art and Meyerson Hall. Theunderstated, even gritty quality of the Wyly echoes the recentlydemolished corrugated steel shed building that once served asan alternative performance space for the Dallas Theater Center.

The curtain wall that wraps around the truncated Wyly toweris made of unpainted aluminum extrusions of different diame-ters; the overall effect is that of an undulating theatre curtainwrapped around a building. In an attempt to integrate the build-ing with the city, the architects provided access to the Wylyalong a downward sloping ground planeknown as the drawor the scoop. The subterranean entrance allowed the de-signers to keep the performance hall open to the public gaze onboth Flora Street and Ross Avenue.

Blue Chip Versus Local ArchitectsWith the completion of the Winspear Opera House and theWyly Theatre, the Dallas Arts District will boast four Pritzker

Prize laureate-designed buildings. Unlike Houstons PritzkerwinnersPhilip Johnson, Rafael Moneo, I. M. Pei, Renzo Piano,James Stirling, and Robert Venturiall of whom were honoredfollowing their commissions in the Bayou City, the Dallas ArtDistrict architects received their local commissions only afterreceiving their Pritzker Prizes. In selecting the design of theseimportant additions to the built environment of Dallas, businessand civic leaders have relied on the expertise of a number ofAmerican and European architects, landscape architects, andurban designers. The architects of the Winspear Opera Houseand the Wyly Theatre were chosen on the basis of pastachievements and the excellence of their preliminary designs.American institutional and private clients, unlike their Europeancounterparts, seem reluctant to adopt the talent-scoutingmethod of open competitions as a way to discover talent. Theyprefer selective interviewing instead.

The concentration of high-profile buildings in the Dallas ArtsDistrict has generated a spirited debate about what is to be val-ued in contemporary architecture. Critics have charged that thearts district will amount to a cultural playground for the wealthywith its collection of iconic buildings all calling out for attention.Some have claimed that, rather than create an inclusive civicplace by working collectively to meet the challenges of the city,architects have given Dallas objects, destinations for wealthybenefactorsa jewel-laden tiara, not a vibrant arts district ofmixed uses for people of mixed incomes. Since so much good-will and money has gone into the Dallas Arts District, it wouldbe a shame to see it fail its civic mission of creating an inclusiveneighborhood that attracts citizens of all walks of life. Develop-ers should take note of the crucial role that residential units andmixed use commercial retail can still play in making this a trulyheterogeneous and engaging place for all.

Michelangelo Sabatino, PH. D. is assistant professor at the Gerald D.Hines College of Architecture, University of Houston.

Editors Note: The research and writing for this article draws upon an articlerecently published in Cite The Architecture + Design Review of Houston(Spring 2009, n. 78) entitled Dallas Reaches for the Stars.

Charles D. Smith, AIA

One Arts Plaza from Florida Street

Rendering of promenade at Performance Park, designed by MichelDesvigne, part of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts

Luxigon/JRR


The long-awaited grand opening ofthe Dallas Center for the Perform-ing Arts will take place from October12 through 18 with a series of publicevents designed to showcase the world-class new facilities and the types of per-formances that will take place inside ofthem. Among the highlights of the week,will be two architectural forums, provid-ing rare opportunities to hear firsthandfrom two of the most prominent archi-tects in the world in buildings of theirown design. On Thursday, October 15,Pritzker Prize-winning architect RemKoolhaas will give a public lecture in theDee and Charles Wyly Theatre, designedby REX/OMA, Joshua Prince-Ramus andRem Koolhaas. Koolhaas will discuss notonly his radical concept for the WylyTheatre, but also the future of theatredesign in general. On Friday, October 16,Norman Foster, the Pritzker Prize-win-ning architect of the Margot and Bill Win-spear Opera House will speak about hisinspiration for the 21st century operahouse. These events will be presented inconjunction with the Dallas Architecture

Forum and will be open to the public andfree of charge.

The grand-opening week will beginwith a civic dedication of the Dallas Cen-ter for the Performing Arts on Monday,October 12. Performances in the cen-ters Elaine D. and Charles A. SammonsPark will take place throughout the week,capped off on Sunday, October 18, withfree performances throughout the dayand public tours of the Winspear OperaHouse and Wyly Theatre. In addition topublic performances by acclaimed jazzmusicians David Sanborn and NestorTorres, the center will also showcase theunique performance art of Luma, a one-of-a kind light show; Mass Ensemble, fea-turing Earth Harp, a large-scalearchitectural stringed instrument; andAntiGravity, which combines art and ath-leticism in performances that evoke flight.

For more information on the grandopening activities, including detailed times,visit www.dallasperformingarts.org.

Jill Magnuson is vice president of publicaffairs with the Dallas Center for thePerforming Arts.

Local Arts | Lectures, Exhibitions, and Events of NoteBy Jill Magnuson, Greg Brown

UpcomingDCFA Events

Week-Long Celebration forNew Performing Arts Center

Foster + Partners

The premier event for the Dallas Cen-ter for Architecture this autumn is anexhibition exploring the architecture ofthe Dallas Arts District. We will have aschedule full of eventstours and films,lectures and symposia, and a party ortwo produced not only by DCFA, butalso our partners and allied organiza-tions. Visit DallasCFA.com for all the lat-est details.

Putting it in Context: The Architectureof the Dallas Arts DistrictOctober 7, 2009-January 8, 2010

With the completion of the DallasCenter for the Performing Arts, thelargest urban arts district in the UnitedStates now has its crowning jewel. Butthe foundation for the District beganover 25 years ago with the relocation ofthe Dallas Museum of Art from Fair Parkto its newly constructed EdwardLarrabee Barnes-designed buildingdowntown. Today, the Arts District is averitable living museum of architecture,featuring not only the work of fourPritzker Prize-winning architectsNor-man Foster, Rem Koolhaas, I.M. Pei, andRenzo Pianobut also other buildingsimportant in the civic history of the city.This exhibition will examine the Districtsevolution and place its buildings into alarger context within the extraordinaryarchitectural richness of the region.

The exhibition will be accompanied bywalking tours of the Arts District as well asother special events and programs.

Greg Brown is the program director for theDallas Center for Architecture.

Rendering of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera Hous, designed by Foster + Partners, at theDallas Center for the Performing Arts

PeoplePSA-Dewberry has named JenniferTaylor to the position of BIM managerin the firms Dallas office.

dsgn associates announces the additionof Emily Harrold, Assoc. AIA, to theirstaff as an architectural intern and PatMeckfessel, IIDA, LEED AP, as a seniorassociate and director of interior design.

SHW Group announces that construc-tion is underway for the new greenWorkforce and Continuing EducationBuilding at Brookhaven College, part ofthe Dallas County Community CollegeDistrict. The $6-million facility is slatedto open in January 2010.

Laurie Waggener, RRT, IIDA, AAHID,has joined WHR Architects in theirknowledge resource studio.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Amer-ica has chosen Thomas Parrett toserve on its board of directors. Tommyis managing director in the project anddevelopment services division of JonesLang LaSalle.

Corgan Associates Inc. also announces thepromotion of Eric Horstman to principal.

UT Arlington School of ArchitectureAssistant Professor Wanda Dye hasbeen awarded a 2009 Education honoraward for excellence in course devel-opment and architectural teaching bythe American Institute of Architects forher course, The Everyday City.

Halff Associates Inc. is pleased to an-nounce that Dan Lee, AAHID, AIA,ASID, IIDA, is now an evidence-baseddesign accreditation and certification(EDAC) professional.

BASIC architecture + interiorsnamed Steve Elliott, AIA, NCARB,LEED AP, to vice president.

Keith Anderson, AIA, is now a princi-pal at WRA Architects.

JHP Architecture/Urban Design is pleasedto announce ARE completion by ChrisButler, AIA, and Kirby Zengler, AIA, andLEED accreditation by Robert Bullis, AIA,Kim Dresdner, Kenny Simmons, JohnSchrader, AIA, and Yogesh Patil.

Paul Pascarelli, Assoc. AIA, at WKMCArchitects Inc. has achieved architec-tural registration and licensing.

Omniplan promoted Lisa Lowrie to di-rector of interiors.

Gresham, Smith and Partners congrat-ulates Travis Apodaca, Sean Bogart,AIA, Greg Schon, AIA, and AmandaSlack, Assoc. AIA, on achieving LEEDaccreditation. The firm has also namedJane Ahrens, AIA, LEED AP, as direc-tor of sustainability.

Ford Price and General Dr. DavidYoung have joined the 2009 board ofdirectors at Rees Associates Inc.

Dan Noble, FAIA, FACHA, LEED AP,has been elected to the HKS executivecommittee.

Places

The following firms/offices/organizationshave adopted and are committed toimplementing the 2030 Challenge360 Architecturedsgn associatesGresham, Smith and PartnersHDR Architecture Inc.HKS Inc.HOKLittleOBrien & AssociatesPerkins + WillPSA-DewberrySHW Groupt howard & associates inc.,

12 FALL 2009

People, Places & Things |By Laurel Stone, AIA

13

Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford is pleased toannounce the completion of an addi-tion/renovation project for First Presby-terian Church of Fort Worth.

The non-profit group, DowntownDal-las, is leaping into active managementof the Dallas Arts District and proudlyannounces former Dallas City Councilmember Veletta Forsythe Lill as its ex-ecutive director.

Corgan Associates Inc. has been se-lected as the architect for the new Dal-las Holocaust Museum/Center forEducation and Tolerance in the historicWest End district.

CamargoCopeland Architects re-ceived a 2009 American Institute of Ar-chitects (AIA) Housing Award, theprestigious 2009 AIA HUD SecretarysAward, and the 2009 Clide Award forSpecial Development for The Bridge Dallas Homeless Center.

Rees Associates Inc. announced that100% of its officers are now LEED Ac-credited Professionals. In addition, theirTexas Department of TransportationManagement Center project won a Bestof 08 award of merit for public designfrom Texas Construction magazine.

Congratulations to the Dallas office ofPSA-Dewberry for receiving LEEDNC 2.1 Gold certification from the U.S.Green Building Council for the newTimberglen Branch Library whichopened in 2007 for the City of Dallas.

PageSoutherlandPage has been namedamong the top 10 firms in the U.S. forits healthcare design interiors with aranking of 6, and among the top 25 in-terior design giants in the industry withan overall ranking of 16. The interna-tional firm is one of only two withheadquarters in Texas to earn thisrecognition, based on 2008 revenues,according to Interior Design magazine.

HKS accepted the sustainability awardat the Dallas Arboretum Playhousecompetition for their storybook play-house for Peter Pan. They also receivedspecial mention in the 2009 eVolo Sky-scraper Competition for the overturned

vertical landscaper. Project team mem-bers included Brian Ahmes, GreggHicks, and Chad Porter.

James, Harwick+Partners Inc., nowJHP Architecture/Urban Design wasnamed a merit award winner in the2009 Residential Architect designawards for their Bayou District at CityPark project in New Orleans.

ThingsGallery AnnouncementsAt the DMA Performance/Artopening October 10 - March 21The Artistic Furniture of Charles RohlfsSeptember 20 January 3

At the MAC Ivan Stoytchev,Philip Van Keuren, Eric McGehearty:New works opening November 7 -December 12

Laurel Stone, AIA is a project leader at5Gstudio_collaborative, llc.Send your People, Places & Things submissionsto her at [email protected]. Be sure to putColumns PPT in the email subject line.


14 FALL 2009


COLU

MNS

Columns is the primary arts and architecture magazine inNorth Texas. As such, we offer many opportunities for our readersto express their creativity and share themselves with their peers innew and interesting ways. Below are features that run in every issuewhere we would like to have your involvement.

People, Places & Things

Wed like to hear about happenings in the design dis-

ciplines send us news of your company / organi-

zation, your achievements, your accomplishments,

your personal awards (community, professional,

etc), accolades, promotionsor if youve com-

pleted an art or architecture project of which you

are really proud, wed like to know about it! Never

fearLe Corbusier was one of the most shameless

self-promoters in the history of architects, so follow

his example and share. If youre too humble, have a

friend send it for you. Send entries to Laurel Stone,

AIA at [email protected]. Be sure to put

Columns PPT in the email subject line.

Creative on the Side

Wed also like to provide YOU, the readers, with ad-

ditional opportunities for personal, creative expres-

sion. If you write poems, paint pictures, take

photographs, draw cartoons, write non-fiction, or are

inspired by any other means of artistic, written or

graphic expression, wed like to see it and possi-

bly include it in an upcoming issue. Again, your

contact is Laurel Stone, AIA at [email protected].

Sense of Place

This feature showcases one piece of art per issue. It

should be expressive of architectural sensibility from

an artists perspective. It might be a photo of an in-

tricate grid of icicles, a simple piece of glass, or a new

perspective of an old building. Watch each issue for

the unique items we feature and then send your best

example to Kerrie Sparks, [email protected].

The Gallery

A favorite feature of each Columns is the multi-page

gallery of fine architecture. To have your project con-

sidered for inclusion, send a photo and a one-sentence

statement from one of your principals describing the

attributes of the structure. Entries should again go to

Kerrie Sparks, [email protected].

Have an Attitude?

Do you have high praise for Columns? Would you

like to see any changes to it? Do you wish wed offer

an article on a specific topic? Do you have a nomi-

nation for a person to feature in the Profiles segment?

Send your ideas and attitudes to our editor, Brian

McLaren, AIA at [email protected].

YouCan HelpBuild

16

Representing a radical rethinking of the traditionalopera experience, the design of the Dallas Center for thePerforming Arts Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House ad-dresses the questions: What is the nature of the opera housein the 21st century and How can we create a building thatoffers a model for the future?

The design of the Winspear Opera House follows the prac-tices formulation of a master plan for the Dallas Arts District,which will eventually contain buildings by other Pritzker Prize

winners: Rem Koolhaas, IM Pei, and Renzo Piano. Designed toensure accessibility within a pedestrian-friendly environment,these new buildings will relate to one another along the greenspine of Flora Street. The Winspear Opera House faces theElaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park and the AnnetteStrauss Artist Square performing space and will provide a focalpoint for the entire district.

Organizationally, the Winspear Opera House reinvents theconventional form of the opera house, inverting its closed, hier-archical structure to create a transparent, publicly-welcoming se-ries of spaces, which wrap around the rich red-stained drum ofthe 2,200-seat Margaret McDermott Performance Hall. The am-bition is to create a building that will not only fully integrate withthe cultural life of Dallas, but will become a destination in its ownright for the non-opera-going public, with a restaurant and cafthat will be publicly accessible throughout the day. In elevation,the building is transparent with soaring glass walls revealing viewsof the public concourse, upper-level foyers, and grand staircase.Entered beneath a deeply overhanging canopy which shades the

FALL 2009

Reinventing the Opera House

By Maria May

Foster + Partners

Above: Rendering of the Margaret McDermott Performance Hallatthe Margot and Bill Winsoear Opera House, designed by Foster +Partners. Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House is part of the DallasCenter for Performing Arts

17

outdoor spaces from the harsh Texas sun, the transition from theSammons Park, through the foyer, into the auditorium is designedto heighten the drama of attending a performancein effect, totake the theatre to the audience.

Annette Strauss Artist SquareThe Annette Strauss Artist Square forms part of the Dallas Cen-ter for the Performing Arts development, completing the en-semble of performance venues in the arts district. Its redesigncreates an external performance park for music and dance,while also offering the opportunity to bring the neighboringsymphony and opera to a wider audience.

A permanent sound system directs sound to the audience inthe performance lawn area. The performance lawn is graded downtowards the stage to improve sight lines. A new stage enclosureprovides improved lighting and scene staging opportunities and gen-erous storage for equipment and seats. With a separately desig-

nated truck dock, performance equipment loading is a fast andseamless process. Elevated side terraces also provide excellent stageviews and a platform for beverage and concession stands.

The integrated lighting within the hard landscaped areas con-tinues the site lighting scheme for Sammons Park and the over-all center, unifying and consolidating the different elements withinthe scheme. Concrete site walls border the performance lawn,sheltering the audience from the traffic noise of Woodall RodgersFreeway. The walls replace the old temporary fencing and cre-ate a permanent ticketing boundary. The Annette Strauss ArtistSquare will attract a diverse cross section of the Dallas populationand, in so doing, will ensure that the center becomes a real des-tination for the community as well as a vehicle for the continuedsupport and growth of the performing arts in Dallas.

Maria May is the public relations director for the Dallas Center for thePerforming Arts.


The Dallas Theater Center (DTC) is recognized as oneof the countrys few innovative theater companies located out-side the triumvirate of New York, Chicago, and Seattle. Ironi-cally, the companys artistic success can be attributed largely toits former accommodations in a dilapidated, steel shed. Free ofthe need to respect these architectural surroundings, the groupregularly challenged its arts physical conventions. The com-panys makeshift residence also allowed it to be multi-form;throughout its season, DTC routinely reconfigured its stage.

Imagining a new home for DTC posed two distinct chal-lenges. First, like a restaurant renovation, which polishes outthe character that made the original establishment successful,the creation of a pristine venue threatened to stultify the envi-ronment that had facilitated the companys originality. Second,the houses potential flexibility had become de facto rigidity:DTCs operational funding had grown taxed to the point that itcould no longer afford the labor and materials necessary to re-arrange its stage configuration.

18

By Joshua Prince-Ramus

FALL 2009

IMAGING THE DEE ANDCHARLES WYLY THEATRE


Photos by: Justin Terveen, Urban Fabric Photography

19

To overcome these challenges, the Dallas Center for thePerforming Arts Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre repositionsfront-of-house and back-of-house functions below house andabove house. This maneuver redefines the typical theater build-ing in several ways. First, it transforms the building into onelarge fly tower, a theater machine that eliminates the tradi-tional distinction between stage and auditorium. Second, it lib-erates the perimeter of the theaters chamber. Exposed on allsides, the auditorium can directly engage the city around it. Andthird, as all pristine elements within stage and auditorium can beflown, the remaining environment can be cut, drilled, painted,welded, sawed, nailed, glued, and stitched at limited cost.

To engender flexibility without requiring additional spending,each of the performance chambers componentsseating, lightcontrol, acoustic separation, and surfacecan be altered with-out compromising any other component. At the push of a but-ton, seating and balconies can move, rotate, tilt, and disappear

completely to create proscenium, thrust, traverse, arena, flat-floor, and black-box configurations. The light-control blinds canbe uniformly or individually lifted. The acoustic enclosure is pro-vided by a facade of operable glass. The stage and auditoriumsurface materials are deliberately not precious to encouragescenic alteration.

By emphasizing infrastructure for transformation, the Wylytheatre grants the artistic director the freedom to determinethe entire theater experience from arrival to performance todeparture. Suspension of disbelief can be established or endedat any point in the patrons experience. On consecutive days,the Wyly theatre can perform Shakespeare in a traditional, her-metic environment; or, stripped of the auditoriums protectivecocoon, Beckett, through the lens of the Dallas cityscape.

Joshua Prince-Ramus is president of REX.


By the NumbersDee and Charles Wyly Theatre 4,100 cubic yards of concrete 888 tons of structural steel 15,300 square feet of glass 47,000 square feet of aluminum 466 vertical aluminum tubes, eachapproximately 100 feet high 80,300 square feet Up to 600 seats, depending onconfiguration

The Wyly Theatre wasdesigned by REX/OMA,Joshua Prince-Ramus(partner in charge) andRem Koolhaas.

20 FALL 2009

Elevator Consulting z Materials Management/Materials Handling z Facade Access

Lerch Bates Inc.1925 East Beltline Rd, Suite 350, Carrollton, TX 75006

T: 972.294.5221 F: 972.294.5222 www.lerchbates.com

Lerch Bates offers the following AIA/CES approved training programs: - Elevators: Technology & Design Guidelines - Working With Machine-Room-Less Elevator Systems - Introduction to Facade Access - Vertical Transport in Healthcare Facilities - Horizontal Transport in Healthcare Facilities

New Construction

Modernization

Maintenance

Acquisition

7UDIF $QDO\VLVDesign Documents6SHFLFDWLRQVInstallation Reviews

Maintenance ContractsField AdministrationMaintenance AuditsMaintenance Monitoring

Looking overhead at aerialrigging in the Dee and CharlesWyly Theatre.


22 FALL 2009

The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, opening inOctober of this year, is the result of a decades-long dream.When the first plans for the Dallas Arts District were created inthe late 1970s, they called for a district in the heart of down-town Dallas that would feature both the performing and visualarts. The first tenant of the district, the Dallas Museum of Art,moved into its current home (designed by the Edward LarabeeBarnes) in 1984. Now, 25 years later, the opening of the Dal-las Center for the Performing Arts marks the completion of theoriginal vision for the Dallas Arts District.

Plans for the center began in earnest when the capital cam-paign was launched in 2000. After the creation of a small Boardof Directors, committees were formed to select architects forthe centers venues: a new opera house and multi-form the-atre. The committees chose Foster + Partners to design whatwould be known as the Margot and Bill Winspear OperaHouse and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture for theDee and Charles Wyly Theatre.

From those early planning stages, the project grew both interms of the building scope and in its artistic ambitions. The centernow encompasses the 2,300-seat Winspear Opera House; the600-seat Wyly Theatre; Annette Strauss Artist Square, an outdoorperformance venue; and the City Performance Hall, a multi-use fa-cility for small arts groups. These venues are all set within the ElaineD. and Charles A. Sammons Park, designed by noted landscape ar-chitects Michel Desvigne and JJR6.5 acres of green space in theheart of the city and the largest public park in downtown Dallas.The center also includes two underground parking structures.

Led by the volunteer board, the center is more than 95% pri-vately fundedan astonishing accomplishment. The total designand construction budget is $354 million, with only $18 million from

the city of Dallas. The community has responded to this campaignoverwhelmingly with more $1-million gifts than any capital cam-paign for cultural facilities in the history of the United States.

The capital project, however, is only the beginning. Onceopen, the Center will be a vibrant addition to the North Texas cul-tural scene, providing performance spaces for The Dallas Opera,Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Texas BalletTheater, and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico. The Center willfeature TITAS performances, the Lexus Broadway Series, BrinkerInternational Forum, family programs, concerts, and more. Withmore than 600 performances annually, there will be a perform-ance at the Center nearly every night, creating the vitality in theDallas Arts District first envisioned more than 30 years ago.

Mark Nerenhausen is president/CEO of the Dallas Center for thePerforming Arts.

By Mark Nerenhausen

Dallas Center for the Performing ArtsBy the NumbersMargot and Bill Winspear Opera House

28,500 square feet ofclear glass for the SimmonsFaade Each of the three opera-ble section of the SimmonsFaade weighs 7.5 tons 43,000 square feet of redglass; each panel weighsapproximately 300 pounds

400,000 square feet ofconcrete The solar canopy con-tains 850 tons of steel andhas 630 louvers 2,200-2,300 seats, de-pending on the configura-tion of the orchestra pit 316 acrylic tubes com-prise the chandelier

Birds-eye-view rendering of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts

VISION ACHIEVED FOR DALLASARTS DISTRICT

Luxigon/JRR

Comanche Sky, 36X48 Oil on CanvasRoger Stephens, Stephens Marks Architects, PLLC


Creative On the Side | Things People Create on Their Own TimeCompiled by Laurel Stone, AIA

Untitled, Digital PhotographyJason Oliver, Corgan Associates Inc.

Champagne Chair, SculptureKevin Parma, AIA, LEED AP, parmadesign

Electrons, Kinetic ArtJason Mellard, Corgan Associates Inc.

24

Designed by Foster + Partners, under the direction ofPritzker Prize-winning architect Norman Foster and deputychairman Spencer de Grey, the most dominant feature of theDallas Center for the Performing Arts Margot and Bill WinspearOpera House is the vibrant red glass skin that will clad the five-story drum-shaped performance hall.

The design team made a statement through the exteriorcladding of the Winspear Opera House. After researching var-ious materials, from stained concrete to mosaic tiles, the archi-tects chose to use glass. They then turned to Dallas-basedcurtain wall experts, Haley Greer, to perfect the assembly andinstallation process. Haley Greer is known for high-visibilityprojects including the Nasher Sculpture Center and the newDallas Cowboys Stadium.

Each glass panel, measuring approximately 10 feet wide byfour feet high, and weighing nearly 300 pounds, consists of twopanels of glass with a red interlayer laminated between themand affixed to an aluminum frame that is mounted to the face ofthe building. The red interlayer, consisting of many thin polyvinylfilms, was manufactured in Italy. The glass was produced in Ger-many and then shipped to Vision Products Inc. in Houston forthe bending and lamination processes. The aluminum frameswere assembled in China, then shipped to Dallas.

Before Haley Greer could begin installation of the red glass,their workshop team first had to develop a system for affixingthe curved red glass to the aluminum frames. This was no easytask. The team in the workshop developed a unique process

with customized equipment. First, to detect any possible flaw,each piece of glass was placed in front of a light source, eventhough all of the glass had already been inspected in Houston.Next, the aluminum frame was cleaned of debris and dust andtwo-sided, structural tape was applied to the frame. Using awinch with four electric suction cupsset in a customizedarrangement to account for the curvature of the glassthepanel was raised above the frame and carefully set in place onthe structural tape. After cleaning the edges again, a heavy-dutysilicone was injected between the glass and frame to firmly se-cure the glass to the frame. This process was repeated morethan 1,100 times for each of the red glass panels. The num-bered panels were then carefully packed in shipping crates andtransported to the site.

Haley Greers crews began installing the red glass panelson the building in late summer of 2008. Beginning with the ex-terior portion of the building that rises above the massive solarcanopy, teams mounted each panel to a specific location, basedon the curvature of the building. This was accomplished by se-curing the aluminum frames to mounting brackets already in-stalled in the concrete walls. In the spring of 2009, they beganthe interior installation process. Because of the clear glass faadesurrounding the lobby, these interior panels are still visible fromoutside the building, creating the effect of one solid red objectfrom the exterior view. Deepening the dramatic impact, thered glass will be illuminated with red light at night, making for astunning new addition to the Dallas skyline.

Maria May is the public relations director for the Dallas Center for thePerforming Arts.

By Maria May

Illuminationin Red

FALL 2009


This sculpture, Demsicaby Eduardo Chillida, isone of many visual de-lights that capture theessence of the expressiveand expanding DallasArts District.

Sense of Place | Art with an architecturalsensibility from an artistsperspective

Jason Wynn, www.jasonwynnphotography.com

WINSPEAR:PEERING INSIDETHE ARCHITECTS

VISION

By Linda Mastaglio

Jeffrey Buehner

27

The following paragraphs are excerpts from a speechgiven by Norman Foster, the architect of the DallasCenter for the Performing Arts Margot and Bill Win-spear Opera House. His remarks were made at a pri-vate press conference regarding the project in NewYork in 2008.

We can talk about the Winspear Opera House at dif-ferent levels. It is very much a symbol for Dallas and one of thenew, key elements in the cultural quarterthe Dallas Arts Dis-trict. Before I visited Dallas, I had a mental picture of the car asdominant, and I was wonderfully surprised when I first visited,and every time I go back, with the extraordinary contrast be-tween the car, the city and the extraordinary cultural initiativeof the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. Everything is veryaccessible, and I very much enjoy this contrast. This culturalquarter is a wonderful pedestrian extension of the city anddowntown. The city, then, which has an image of being dividedby the car, in reality is something wonderfully different. The cul-

tural district has an extraordinary mixture of uses, from the re-ligious, to all of the arts, to the Booker T. Washington HighSchool for the Performing and Visual Arts, brought to life bynew residential elements inserted into a green landscape.

In one sense, the Winspear Opera House announces itselffrom Woodall Rodgers Freeway, which is a kind of throbbing,arterial road. In that sense, the Winspear Opera House is asymbol related to the scale of the car. Approaching the buildingfrom Leonard Street to Flora Streetwhich runs parallel to the

freewayis a much more pedestrian-friendly access point.One of the challenges, as we saw it, was how to not only em-brace and attract the pedestrians in this lush landscape, whichbrings together all of the buildings for the arts, but, at the sametime, to embrace the car in a very inclusive way: perhaps in away that is much more associated with the heydey of the au-tomobile, when buildings really did accommodate the car. I feelthat in the evolution of modern architecture weve lost that,and we sought to rediscover it here. Approaching the buildingoff of the Freeway, then, turning on to Jack Evans Street, weveutilized the slope of the site so that one can enter, by car, thethree levels of underground parking. Then through an escala-tor bank filled with natural light, patrons can ascend in such away so that everyone enters the building through the primaryentranceno matter how youve arrivedwhether you aredropped off, whether you come from the parking garage or ar-rive as a pedestrian. From the earliest design meetings, we de-veloped an idealism about making the arrival a great sense ofoccasion, and I think that weve held on to that idealism.

One aspect of the design of the Winspear Opera House isthe absence of a fly tower. That is always an architectural chal-lengehow to embrace that element of a performing arts fa-cility and essentially make a compact building. Weve done thatwith the red drum of the performance hall. Although the coreof the building is very, very compact, the building extends outthrough the solar canopy and becomes indissoluble from thesurrounding gardens of Sammons Park, which provides a gen-erosity of shade. In that sense, it is very welcoming.


Rendering of Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House with solar canopy, designed by Foster + Partners, at the Dallas Center for the Permorming Arts

Foster + Partners

28

The building is also accessible and permeable to the publicthrough the caf. In a different sense, on those great occasionswhen everyone is to see and be seen, it is very much a sequenceof celebratory spaces in the tradition of opera houses. The Win-spear Opera House also has the capability of opening to the out-side climate. The faade near the caf moves away. So, manytimes during the year, with the shade of the solar canopy, it is pos-sibly to dissolve, literally and physically, the inside and the outside.

The Winspear Opera House has a very compact plan,which is also rooted in the traditional opera houses. At 2,200seats, it is a similar size to Covent Garden. In working with BobEssert, the acoustics consultant, it was challenging to achievethe very high level of acoustic performance set for this project.Structural concrete rings give necessary acoustic mass withinthe space. There are five levels of seating, with extraordinarysightlines, creating an intimacy of experience. We also have theability to change the mood of the space by dropping the chan-delier down. The technical challenges, the spaces back ofhouse, and the way in which we modify the climate distinguishthe Winspear Opera House from others of its kind.

By introducing dappled shade, through the solar canopy, wecreate an immediate reduction in the temperature. So we

modified the climate, worked with climate, always seeking so-lutions which are sustainable and ecological. Above all else, thequality of the public spacesthe events within the building orwithin Sammons Parkwere of primary importance.

FALL 2009

The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing

and Visual Arts

Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of

Guadalupe

Lone Star Development & Existing Arts District Garage Dee and Charles

Wyly Theatre

Future site ofCity Performance

Hall

Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

Jac

kE

va

ns

Blv

d

Jac

kE

va

ns

Blv

d

Ro

uth

St

F l o ra S t F l o ra S t

Le

on

ard

St

Cro

ck

ett

St

Wo o d a l l R o d g e r s F w y A c c e s s R o a d

R o s s Av e

Annette StraussArtist Square

D

The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

Lone Star Development & Existing Arts District Garage Dee and Charles

Wyly Theatre

Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

Jac

k E

va

ns

Blv

d

Jac

k E

va

ns

Blv

d

Flor a St Flor a St

Le

on

ard

St

Ross Ave

Annette StraussArtist Square

Jeffrey Buehner

Jeffrey Buehner



OBOBXBMMDPN

0QFO UIF EPPS UP FYIJMBSBUJPO&OKPZ UIF CFTU PG CPUI XPSMET B SPPN XJUI B WJFX UIBUPQFOT UP UIF PVUEPPST ZFU HJWFT ZPV UIF QFBDF PG NJOEPOMZ B XFBUIFS SFTJTUBOU /BOB8BMM QSPWJEFT

(SBOE 5SBOTGPSNBUJPOT

6-7x i -`i > >`` >ViV E >i

5IF -FBEFS JO 0QFOJOH (MBTT 8BMMT

> >i] i>i V>Vi ,iVi\ {{i>\ >iJLiiViV

www.reed-engineering.com 214 . 350 . 5600

COMMERCIALINDUSTRIALMULTI-FAMILYMUNICIPALRESIDENTIAL

Engineering solutions you can rely on.On time. In budget.

30YEARS ofINNOVATION

UUU

UUUUUUU

UUUUU

U

UUUUUU

UUU

RECREATION PAVILIONFREE SPAN-BIRD ROOST FREE

ARCHED STANDING SEAM ROOF PANELS

Spanco Building Systemswww.spanco-building-systems.com 214.905.9600

30 FALL 2009

The geometry of the buildings and space define acentral iconic composition intended to symbolize theunity between doctors and patients.

TOM REISENBICHLER, AIA, LEED AP, MANAGING PRINCIPAL

GALLERY

BAYLOR OUTPATIENTCANCER CENTERDallas, TXPerkins + Willwww.perkinswill.com


GALLERY

The new design was articulated into an aestheticallysensitive and extremely functional project within atight budget.

RALPH BLACKMAN, AIA, RID, LEED AP

WPLGMiami, FLRees Associates, Inc.www.rees.comPhotographer: Stuart GobeyIsland Studio Photography

32 FALL 2009

GALLERY

Genslers philosophy centers on providing design thatis inspirational and performance-driven, reflecting theclients vision, aspirations, and brand.

JUDY PESEK, IIDA, LEED AP PRINCIPAL/MANAGING DIRECTOR

GENSLER DALLASDallas, TXGenslerwww.gensler.comPhotographer: Chas McGrath


GALLERY

The interior volumes and daylighting promote interac-tion and dialogue while the exterior reflects DCCCDsmission to advance learning from within the community.

CRAIG REYNOLDS, FAIA

DCCCD-EL CENTRO WEST CAMPUSDallas, TXBrown Reynolds Watfordwww.brwarch.comPhotographer: Michael Lyon

34 FALL 2009

GALLERY

The large expanses of glass visually extend theinterior spaces into the exterior terraces, sculpturegardens, and reflecting pools.

PATRICIA MAGADINI, AIA

MEADERS RESIDENCEDallas, TXBernbaum Magadini Architectswww.bmarchitects.comPhotographer: Charles D. Smith, AIAArchitectural Photography


GALLERY

The two-story concourse creates a dynamic entrypoint connecting the original building to the newaddition while infusing the building with natural light.

RONALD J. SHAW, AIA

LEWISVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARYLewisville, TXF&S Partners Inc.www.fsarchitects.comPhotographer: Craig Blackmon, FAIABlackink Photography

No, we are not training for anOlympic medal, but we have com-pleted a sustainable design to illustrateour commitment to the greening of ourcity. The Dallas Center for Architecture(DCFA) has applied for certification fromthe U.S Green Building Councils(USGBC) Leadership in Energy and En-vironmental Design (LEED) program tovalidate the energy conservation of thisvenue. Dallasites can look forward to aself-guided tourpointing to the designand material elements that make thecenter sustainable. DCFA leaders aresubmitting credentials in hopes of receiv-ing a Gold LEED interiors certification,the second highest rating conferred bythe USGBC. (By the way, the NorthTexas Chapter of USGBC is one of theDCFAs virtual residents.)

So what makes DCFA green? Letssee a sneak preview.

We begin with the daylight harvest-ing that provides direct views to the ex-terior throughout the work space, whilesensors control the light fixtures in theopen office area. The locally manufac-tured, etched crinkle glass makes a dis-tinctive design statement for the spaceand also provides glare control for thenatural light in the classroom and multi-

purpose room. A layer of sheer drap-ing behind the glass diffuses a multi-colorLED lightshow for evening drivers alongWoodall Rodgers Freeway.

Looking downward at the flooringyou will find a sparkling terrazzo floor thatis regionally manufactured from recycledglass and mirrors. The carpet carries agreen label from the Carpet and Rug In-stitute for its reused material and lowVOC adhesives. Additional use of recy-cled materials can be seen in the bambooveneer ceiling, reused and donated furni-ture, and the translucent countertop thatserves as catering center for the space.

We could not have accomplished

such a sophisticated yet sustainablevenue without funding from our found-ing partners (architectural firms who col-lectively donated $550,000) and to theprofessions manufacturers and consult-ants who gave an additional $350,000 byway of in-kind products and services.Stop by the center for your free LEEDtour brochure and take a quick self-guided tour yourself!

Grassroots Dollar-a-Day CampaignIn an effort to retire the debt of theDCFA build-out, AIA Dallas has launched

a Dollar-a-Day campaignseekingpledges from its membership-at-large tofund the remaining $150,000 debt forthe build-out. We are counting on eachof you to take personal ownership of thisunique opportunity to support AIA Dal-las commitment to sustainable designand public outreach and to promote thevalue of good architecture and planning.

Sign up today by going towww.aiadallas.org

Paula Clements is executive director of theDallas Center for Architecture.

36 FALL 2009

Centered on the Center | Going for the Gold

By Paula D. Clements, CAE, Hon. TSA

Craig Blackmon, FAIA Blackink Photography

You would think that Veletta Forsythe Lill had spent her entire life inDallas, considering how passionate she is about sustaining and revi-talizing downtown and its surrounding areas. However, the Illinoisnative has always been fascinated with big cities, and Dallas was thevehicle that eventually provided her with the opportunity to allowthis fascination to take flight. Upon moving to Dallas, she becameinvolved with her neighborhood association to challenge the city onimpacts that concerned her family. From there, she moved fromneighborhood activist to sitting on boards and commissions. Then,with the encouragement from a city council member, she ultimatelybecame the council member for District 14.Recently she accepted the role of executive director of the Dallas

Arts District with DOWNTOWNDALLAS, which advocates alive/work/play lifestyle in downtown and helps create that connectiv-ity by bringing more services and therefore more people into down-town. Here are some of her more compelling insights.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishments while actingas a city council member?Saving St. Anns School, Dallas first school for Hispanic children built in1927. When I came here, I was shocked how cavalier we were with build-ings and how people would tear them down simply because it was easier.

What do you like most about downtown Dallas?I admire the continuum of design that has peppered downtown Dallaswith architectural jewels, but there is still more work to be done. Thearts district is a perfectly arranged patchwork of different institutions,churches, and schools. I just love that about it. Its not sterile; its multi-faceted and it continues to evolve.

What advice would you give others who want to become involvedin creating positive changes in downtown?If you dont like the way things are done, you go out and change them.We have these great spaces and neighborhoods that are distinct anddont look like other neighborhoods; but we need to ensure that theconnective tissue is there to bring all these pieces together. We need tokeep the conversation alive about the importance of the pedestrian. Weneed to smooth out the freeway edge. Through public planning, design,and events we are bringing people back downtown.


Profile | Veletta Lill, Hon. AIA

Daniel Driensky Photography

About Veletta Forsythe LillAlma Mater: University of IllinoisFavorite Childhood Books: Anything on Abraham LincolnProud Moment: Son attends Emerson College in BostonPersonal Tidbit: When on the board for the Hollywood-SantaMonica Heights neighborhood association, she was fondlyknown as part of the East Dallas Mafia.


Exposed structure pierces throughthe patron lounge in the Dee andCharles Wyly Theatre.


Profile | Craig A Beneke, AIA

If youve met Craig A. Beneke, AIA, before, you might know him as anarchitect, or a carpenter, or a furniture builder, or even an inventorwith a patent. Attributing much of his success to good connectionsover the years, he feels that the friendships he has built since movingto Texas from Long Island, NY in 1981 are what have allowed him allof his opportunities. The AIA has been responsible for a lot of myfriendships, he says, mainly my involvement with Retrospect sinceIve been doing it for about a dozen years. Once the owner of hisown firm, Ground Zero, Craig went on to work for other firms andthen returned to entrepreneurship by establishing af architecture &fabrication. Adding to his many endeavors, Craig enjoys taking uniqueobjects or furniture and turning them into diverse pieces. Owners ofhis work all praise his unique style, craft, and attention to detail.

What change would you like to see in the architecture profession?I wish I could see more of the young, who are wanting to do stuff, get in-volved and make the profession something other than grinding out draw-ings and models.

What do you like most about your work?It allows me to get out of the office and interact with old colleagues and dis-cuss design. Ive been a part of things in their earliest and most secretivestages. Its very exciting.

When you create unique objects, what drives your decisions?I try to communicate how passionate I am about my designs through myuse of materials. Im eclectic. My career has been built flexing modern andtraditional styles.

What is the most meaningful thing youve created?My girls lungs were underdeveloped and they needed to stay in the intensivecare unit for awhile. In order to feed them, nurses would strap a syringe to thewall and drip the food down into their system. I decided to come up with abetter, more high-tech solution for them. I designed a Gavage Syringe Re-straining Device (GSRD), which I then went on to patent in 1998.

Profile interviews conducted by Jennifer A. Workman, AIA. She is an architect forGood Fulton & Farrell, the TSA director for Dallas and the communications advi-sor to the National Young Architects Forum advisory committee.

Daniel Driensky Photography

About Craig BenekeFavorite Place to Visit: San Francisco, and then on tothe wine countryFavorite Book: Devil in the White CityMagazine Subscriptions: Dwell, Cigar Aficionado,Wine Spectator, Travel & LeisureFavorite Wine: Justin Meyer - Silver OakNickname: Yankee

40 FALL 2009

NOTE WORTHY

Prairie Recital Hall - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Minneapolis 612 339 5958

schulershook.com

Dallas 214 747 8300Chicago 312 944 8230

INSTALLATION SOLUTIONS FOR TILE AND STONE

ArchitecturalResources

Installation Solutions for Tile and Stone

Custom is the leading industry provider of tile and stone installationproducts. We simplify the specification process with installationsystem CAD details, product specifications and personalizedconsultation with certified professionals.

For further information contact:John Gallup, CTC, CSI Architectural Consultant

Sacramento, CA 209-518-1153

Surface Preparation Products Setting MaterialsColored Tile Grouts Care and Maintenance

For further information contact:Terry OHara, Architectural Consultant

Northeast 856.341.6790

For further information contact:Mike Little, CSI, CDT, CTC Architectural Consultant

Texas 817.995.3231

FOODSERVICE DESIGN PROFESSIONALS

HH.G. Rice & Company2655 Villa Creek Drive, #233Farmers Branch, Tx 75234Telephone: 800.745.7423Email: [email protected]: Mr. Lance Brooks

Millunzi and Associates, Inc.26215 Oakridge Dr.The Woodlands, Tx 77380Telephone: 888.253.9148Email: [email protected]: Mr. Robert Millunzi

Web Site: HGRICE.COM


Index to Advertisers Web wise |

materialicioushttp://www.materialicious.com/Consisting of user-submitted projects that range from resi-dential architecture to products and materials, materialiciousis a cleverly designed site that allows visitors to see new dailyimages along with an easy to search database.

dezeen design magazinehttp://www.dezeen.com/This online blog is an important source for current architecture,interiors, graphics, and furniture design. The clearly presentedpostings from around the globe are rich in content and variety.

Worldchanginghttp://www.worldchanging.com/Worldchanging presents articles and discussions from a vari-ety of journalists and designers exploring new approaches forestablishing and living a sustainable future.

World Architecture Newshttp://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/Featuring daily headlines from around the world, this site con-tains claims to be the worlds leading supplier of architecturenews. This site also contains a fully-developed database ofglobal projects and job opportunities.

Living Car-Free In Big Dhttp://carfreeinbigd.blogspot.com/This prolific local blog focuses on urban design and sustain-ability as it relates to Dallas. Visitors are treated to the authorsthoughts on the current state of Dallas with analysis based incurrent design thought and historic precedents.

Chris Grossnicklaus, Assoc. AIA is with RTKL Associates Inc. Tooffer your ideas for websites that others might like to visit, send himsuggestions at [email protected].

Online spaces that intrigue,engage, and educate

By Chris Grossnicklaus, Assoc. AIA

IFC

40

OBC

29

40

4

46

20

40

41

40

2

20

48

48

29

4

1

29

IBC

40

1

29

46

2

29

Acme Brick Company www.brick.com

AE Financial Consultants

Blackson Brick Company www.blacksonbrick.com

Bollen Resources www.bollenresources.com

Custom Building Products www.custombuildingproducts.com

D|C|CADD www.dccadd.com

Dallas Center for the Performing Arts www.dallasperformingarts.org

Elegant Additions www.elegantadditions.net

Elleco Construction www.ellecoconstruction.com

EZ Wall Premix Inc. www.ezwallpremix.com

HG Rice / Millunzi www.hgrice.com

L.A. Fuess Partners Inc. www.lafp.com

Lerch Bates Inc. www.lerchbates.com

McCarthy Building www.mccarthy.com/texas

McLaughlin Brunson Insurance www.mclaughlinbrunson.com

NanaWall Systems www.nanawall.com

Nasher Sculpture Center www.nashersculpturecenter.org

Purdy McGuire Inc. www.purdy-mcguire.com

Reed Engineering Group www.reed-engineering.com

Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Inc. www.satpon.com

Schuler Shook www.schulershook.com

Soil Building Systems www.soilbuildingsystems.com

Spanco Building Systems www.spanco-building-systems.com

Thomas Reprographics www.thomasrepro.com

Thornton Tomasetti www.thettgroup.com

Walter P. Moore & Associates Inc. www.walterpmoore.com

Advertise!Call Dawson Publications, Inc. for more information.

800-322-3448

42

With the completion of the Dee and Charles Wyly The-atre, the members of the Dallas Theater Center (DTC) are ex-cited about their move to the Dallas Arts District and into thisunique Rem Koolhaas-designed building. Dallas Theater Centerhas a long history of working in facilities designed by a famous ar-chitect. They recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of boththeir founding and their original performance space, The KalitaHumphreys Theater, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. With itsrotating stage it creates an intimate engagement between theaudience and the actors; but the Wright-designed theater haspresented many unique challenges as well as opportunities forthe interpretation and types of performances put on by the cen-ter over the last decades. The theater design has definitely de-termined a lot about the creativity that is being produced,comments Kevin Moriarty, creative director for the DTC.

When asked how the new Wyly Theater might be used bythe center, Moriarty explains, The flexibility of the new spacewill allow us greater creative expression because, instead ofstarting with the building and deciding how we can make theplay fit the space, we can choose the play and then design thespace around how we will create the audience experience.Because of the multiple, flexible layouts the building can ac-commodate performances in a variety of stage and audience

arrangements. In essence the entire theater can become anextension of the play.

Theater has always been written in a venue and as the ar-chitecture of those venues has changed and evolved so has thewriting of those plays, notes Moriarty, Shakespeare and Greektragedy are radically different types of theater because of thedifferent architecture of the venues they were performed in.

The 2010 season will fully utilize the advantages of this mul-tiform theater. A Midsummer Nights Dream will be performedin a traditional format true to Shakespearian theater. Supermanwill be performed using a proscenium stage and orchestra pit be-cause it is more of a spectacle experience and the technical as-pects of hiding fly wires is easily solved in the picture frame ofthe proscenium. Death of a Salesman will again use the thruststage setting for intimacy in a style that will be totally new for thisplay. Give It Up is a debut play about basketball and cheerlead-ers and will use the flat floor. The performance space and the au-dience will all be in the gymnasium turning the entire room intothe setcomplete with basketball goals and bleacher seats.

The opportunities for creatively touching the audienceseem limitless with the opening of this new theater.

Brian McLaren, AIA, is a principal with Ware Architecture and editorof Columns.

By Brian McLaren, AIA

FALL 2009

Field Notes | An interview with DTC creative director, Kevin Moriarity

Luxigon


Most architectural firms, particularly ones that practice inspecialized markets, have been notoriously introspective whenworking within their communities. Over time, this created adisconnect in public perception that does not, in any way, cre-ate a positive impact for the architecture profession. In fact, itdistorts many of the relationships we have developed withinthe society when articulating the value of our services. We be-lieve it is our responsibility to initiate the changes needed torehabilitate these lost connections. That is a primary reasonwhy we created an in-house program to encourage all archi-tects in our firm to work throughout the local communitythrough a pro bono service model.

At Oglesby Greene Architecture, we subsidize an annual100-hour (per employee) commitment which allows us to payour architects for the time they spend in service to the localcommunity. The selection of these pro bono engagements aredriven almost entirely by the initiative of the employees andnot prescribed by the firms ownership. Although a few tech-nical issues have surfaced from time to time, no one has evermentioned curtailing or changing the focus of the initiative, onewhich we began over 15 years ago.

Several years ago, a San Francisco based non-profit, PublicArchitecture, created a similar model and scaled it into a na-

tional 1% Program (www.theonepercent.org) which incorpo-rates firm-based, pro bono service pledges into a formalizedpolicy or business model. The model has been rapidly gainingsuccess and now has enlisted over 400 design firms to pledgea total of 200,000 hours of pro bono service to communityprograms. In the aggregate, this contribution is the equivalentof a 100-person firm working full-time on behalf of low-incomecommunities and the nonprofit organizations that serve them.

Urban planners have been more aware of the social and cul-tural community context and have been in the forefront of thepublics awareness of what the design profession provides invalue to a community. Not surprisingly, many of the pro bono

engagements our employees selected are related to municipaland neighborhood planning, zoning, and development matters.

This kind of service activity has had the unforeseen benefit ofenlivening the ongoing discussions within the firm, especially re-garding current issues affecting our environment and urban culture.Additionally, it has enhanced the understanding of what we per-sonally value. The unexpected value our employees and our firmgain from active engagement in a professional service initiative morethan offsets the expenditure facilitate this kind of commitment.

Graham Greene, AIA, is a principal with Oglesby Greene Architecture.

Social Responsibility |By Graham Greene, AIA

Rehabilitating Lost Connections

44 FALL 2009

Le Courbusier: Towardan Architecture trans-lated by John GoodmanTo broadly sum up JohnGoodmans brilliant newtranslation of Le CorbusiersVers un Architecture, oneneed look no further than thetitle for a definitive compari-son with the venerated 1927translation by British scholarFrederick Etchells.

Originally published To-wards a New Architecture,

the current translation, released by The Getty Research Institute,removes the adjective. Nouveau was never part of the originaltitle. Considering how later generations of architects, critics, andperiodicals seemingly pounced upon new as being synonymouswith modernity, it may be an unsettling realization that An Archi-tecture was the imperative and not newness for its own sake.

To an American reader, the Goodman translation consis-tently makes more sense. The sometimes arcane British-Eng-lish of Etchells and its forced attempts at concrete equivocationsgets in the way of content and message. In one example, heused the expression pukka Roman, which Goodman revisedinto roman Romans as a reference for the people of the im-perial civilization. In another, a sane morality became soundmorality. Overall, the text reads as less martial and clipped,more lyrical, and allows the ambiguities and double meanings ofthe original French to unfold for the English-speaking reader.

The introduction by Jean Louis Cohenan acknowledgedLeCorbusier scholar at New York Universitys Institute of FineArtsis fascinating and revealing. Amongst interesting (and lit-tle-known) information, Cohen reminds us that, in an act ofutter falsification, LeCorbusier brazenly retouched the photo-graphs of North American grain elevators and factories, re-moving historical pediments, porticos, and other decorativeconceits they contained to embolden his argument that a greatnew epoch has begun.

Consider reading the translations together along with therecent biography LeCorbusier: A Life, by Nicholas FoxWeber. You might discover, as did I, that there is a profounddifference between the modern architecture of the early 20thcentury and the moderne architecture of today.

Reviewed by Kevin Sloan, ASLA, of Kevin Sloan Studio

Architecture Depends by Jeremy TillArchitecture Depends is not about titanium diapers. Jeremy Till,architect, philosopher, teacher, theorist, academician, historian,gives us his take on the architectural profession beginning withthe education of the architects of tomorrow, a gauntlet muchunchanged since 1671. He brings us to the practice of todaysmainstream architect and even to the stratosphere in which ar-chitectural theorists, philosophers, and starchitects are indulgedand allowed to indulge themselves.

Till takes the readerfrom Plato, who admiredthe architect as a metaphor,but despised the architect asan earthly laborer, to whathas degenerated to todaysapproach to practicing archi-tecture. Architecture De-pends is a short book butcertainly not a light read. Tillpresents a sequence of ideasto be considered, de-voured, reconsidered, un-derstood, and applied.

He reminds us that, in practices gone by, architects sharedour visions of space and time by sketching our dreams so thatwe and our clients could see the possibilities, the concept, thepotentials in our visions. The power of the microgigaprosessorfools us, our clients, their lenders, and their investors into be-lieving that what you see on the screen is what you will get.

Till leaves us with the reassurance that we architects willsurvive, we will always be able to ply our trade, our services dohave value, our toilet and stair details, our door and hardwareschedules are means to an end. He challenges us to return tothe art of practicing and to put the earthly labor into its appro-priate place, to return to the process of designing the what if.

Taken accurately from Tills book:You know you are an architectural student when you believeyou will someday create space.

Misquoted from Tills book:You know you are destined to be an architect when someonehands you a BIC pen and you are offended.

Learned from Architecture Depends:You know when you are an architect when contingency

is your gyroscope / your approach to practicing architecture.

Reviewed by Walter Kilroy, AIA, of Beeler Guest Owens Architects

Critique | Professionals Share Perceptions of Publications


The Value of Creating DynamicAwards SubmissionsWe have helped our company receivedozens of project awards. As a result, wewanted to share with you our under-standing of the importance of the awardsprocess and how it impacts the successand reputation of an architecture, engi-neering and/or construction (AEC) firm.

And the Winner Isthe Team!Savvy and innovative AEC companiesbuild teams that create award-worthyprojects. In order to win project awards,though, the team benefits from integrat-ing whoever will write the award sub-mission, whether marketing and publicrelations professionals or others. Theprocess requires long-term collabora-tionmind-melding with a commongoal. When the project and market-ing/PR teams work collectively to inform,to encourage, and to understand howthe other functions, everyone wins.Teamwork enables a dynamic award sub-mission that truly conveys the essence ofthe project.

And theWinner Isthe Design Firm!A firm that recognizes the value of submit-ting and winning awards embraces theawards process as an integral facet of theiroperationsnot a sideline possibility or adrudgingly boring recitation of project mile-stones. The receipt of awards brings intrin-sic value to AEC firms. Media coverageimpresses current clients. Potential clientsgain confidence in the corporations abili-ties. The public in general becomes awareof the firms quality and ability to innovate.

An AEC firm reaps many internalbenefits, as well, from submitting awardssubmissions. A sense pride develops amongall participants. Employee esteem increases as eachrealizes his/her value to the firm. A feeling of ownership grows as staffsees their work recognized. Team unity increases.

And the Winner I