SPEAKING OF ARCHITECTURE: Living in the Brownfield - Industrial Architecture Part 1

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Living in the Brownfield - Industrial Architecture Part 1

Our office is located on a 1000-acre site that was the former home the to Bethlehem Steel Corporation. The site still contains many of the iconic structures that define the architecture of the industrial revolution in America. Over the next few days we'll be sharing some imagery of those buildings, but today we wanted to explore industrial scale and the current condition of the site.

Spillman Farmer Architects is currently working "one of the largest speculative industrial projects under way in the U.S." for Liberty Property Trust as noted in the Wall Street Journal's Deal of the Week | by Maura Webber Sadovi . Her article, titled "A Steel Site is Recycled", explained the scale of the project in numbers as "1.2 million square feet" of space.  Our project, item #1 above, can be viewed in context
of the overall site. Some interesting facts below to help set the scale of the structure :

1. You could fit 62 offices the size of our own within the structure - see item #2.
2. If the project was an open office space you could have 26,530 people in cubicles.
3. If you wanted to host an indoor soccer tournament you could play 60 games at the same time, thats
     a lot of soccer!

More next week on the exisitng structures that surround our office and are still in use today by Lehigh Heavy Forge.

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ABOUT US

Spillman Farmer Architects is an interdisciplinary practice of design professionals focused on the delivery of innovative building solutions based on human-centered design. Since 1927 we have been working closely with people and communities to deliver high quality, effective, and inspiring places to live, work, play, and learn.

Our design process empowers people to make responsible, thought provoking and inspiring decisions related to the built environment. Through this process, we explore each project’s unique opportunities for honest, expressive solutions specifically suited to the building’s site and use.

The materials we work with are familiar; however, our curiosity about them and their methods of assembly are not. Our priority is to develop an architecture that is rational, leveraging a distinct, precise and honest building vocabulary that shows clear evidence of how and why it was made.

We are deeply influenced by place and choose honest materials which honor the location and achieve a lasting patina as they age. In the end, our works are authentic, responsive to the environment, sustainable, resourceful, and grounded in the unique history of each context, a tangible result of our critical thinking and thoughtful approach to the practice of architecture.

BLOG CONTRIBUTORS

Joseph N Biondo - Material, Process, Product:

Spillman Farmer Design Principal Joseph N. Biondo was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and graduated from the Kansas State University College of Architecture, Planning and Design. Shortly after graduation, he pursued a lengthy career with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects, where he worked closely with AIA Gold Medal recipient Peter Bohlin. In 1996, he established JOSEPH N. BIONDO ARCHITECTS, before joining SPILLMAN FARMER ARCHITECTS in 2003, where he is currently bringing design excellence to the forefront. Joe’s architecture is recognized for its ties to regional traditions. His buildings represent an architecture that is clear, precise and honest; an architecture that reflects on what is absolutely necessary. He specializes in developing architecture from the intense working of materials and their means of construction. His work has been recognized by his peers in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and has been featured in the profession’s most prestigious publications. Joe's work celebrates the process of making and is deeply influenced by his family background, which is rooted in the garment and construction industries. Joe believes that beyond site considerations, client program requirements, and issues of sustainability, thoughtful planning of a building must include a lasting aesthetic.

Dan Harrigan - Great Heights in Higher Education:

In Dan's 30 years with Spillman Farmer, he has worked on projects on over 30 campuses. His experience and expertise encompass nearly every sector of our practice, and his special interest in designing for colleges & universities makes him an asset to clients across the country.

As a lifelong athlete, Dan has special interest in athletic design for higher education clients. In his college days, Dan was a 16-time Division I All-American and a Top Five NCAA Student Athlete. After college, Dan went on to win a bronze medal in the 1976 Olympics and a gold medal at the 1975 Pan-American Games.

Christa Kraftician, LEED AP - Speaking of Green:

Christa's passion for sustainability & green initiatives has taken hold at Spillman Farmer, and her continuing committment to environmental stewardship shapes our practice daily. Christa is also involved with the United States Green Building Council, acting as a board member for the Delaware Valley Chapter (DVGBC) and a co-chair for the Lehigh Valley Branch.