SPEAKING OF ARCHITECTURE: June 2014

Monday, June 30, 2014

SFA News - ULI Philadelphia Rouse Award for Excellence

Spillman Farmer Architects is pleased to announce that the Urban Land Institute Philadelphia has awarded a Willard G. "Bill" Rouse Award for Excellence to the SteelStacks Arts and Cultural Campus. Our work at the ArtsQuest Center, which recently won an AIA Pennsylvania Silver Medal, is a key component of this large-scale, multidisciplinary revitalization project. We're proud to be a part of this revitalization effort in our own backyard!

The Urban Land Institute Philadelphia is a branch of the national Urban Land Institute (ULI), a nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to responsible land use and community support. ULI Philadelphia serves the greater Philadelphia area's public and private sectors through education, advocacy, and expertise. The Institute held their first annual awards reception on June 18th, where nine of our region's most exemplary projects were awarded the inaugural Rouse Awards. Head over to ULI's blog to see the full list of winners, including eight other winners across our region.

Of the nine winners, the SteelStacks Campus is the only finalist for the Urban Land Institute's Global Awards for Excellence, an awards program that's been recognizing excellence in land use practices for nearly 40 years. The Global Excellence Award winners will be announced at ULI's fall meeting in October 2014. The finalists for this prestigious award include 10 other North American projects, as well as 12 projects from around the globe. Check out the winners at ULI.org.

Our project at SteelStacks, the ArtsQuest Center, also received an inaugural A+ award from architizer.com and was featured as a top 5 Cultural Building of the Year on archdaily.com. The ArtsQuest Center was also featured in CASABELLA magazine and ARCHITECT magazine.

More information:
Urban Land Institute
Urban Land Institute Philadelphia

SteelStacks Campus Buildings:
ArtsQuest Center, Spillman Farmer Architects
Levitt Pavilion, Wallace Roberts and Todd
PBS 39, URS
Bethlehem Visitor's Center, Legacy Architecture & USA Architects

The SteelStacks Team:
Spillman Farmer Architects
Wallace Roberts and Todd
URS
Legacy Architecture
USA Architects
Artefact
L'Observetoir
Boyle Construction
Alvin H. Butz, Inc.
Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority

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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.