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Posts from the ‘Design’ Category

Apr 26

Education Exchange

The 21st Century Classroom, one that focuses on the Four C’s; Communication, Creativity, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking was the main topic of discussion at the inaugural Napa Valley Education Exchange, a three day conference that I was able to attend last week in Napa.  The conference attendees included school district superintendents and educators from all over the State of California.

We were treated to very informative and inspirational presentations from education futurists Dr. Yong Zhao, Ken Kay, and Dr. Pat Wolfe.  The presentations were focused on the current state of our education system and how it needs to be changed in order to support the learning needs of our current and future students.

This conference was especially interesting as I was able to learn about many of the challenges being faced by school districts.  As architects, we play an important role in developing educational environments that are inspirational to those who use them.  Flexible classroom spaces that incorporate advanced technology, flexible furniture, natural daylighting, fresh air, and good acoustics are critical elements of today’s classroom.

John Dybczak AIA

Feb 15

TLCD Architecture Projects Set to Receive Awards

We are pleased to announce that two projects designed by TLCD Architecture for the City of Santa Rosa will be receiving statewide recognition.

On February 28th the City of Santa Rosa Utilities Field Office project will receive an award for Outstanding Architecture/Engineering Project. The American Society of Civil Engineers will be presenting this award to GHD, TLCD Architecture’s engineering partner on the project. This project includes offices, maintenance shops, and a training center. Its design and engineering emphasize a quality workplace environment within the context of a healthy, sustainable facility.

 

Utilities Field Office

On March 20th the City of Santa Rosa will be presented with the California Park and Recreation Society’s annual Excellence in Design Award for the DeTurk Round Barn. This award recognizes projects under $5 million that demonstrate high standards of planning, design, community involvement, operation and maintenance, quality of aesthetics, usability, accessibility and versatility. Built in 1891 for a prized racehorse, the DeTurk Round Barn is one of only two true round barns remaining in California and is listed on both the state and federal registries of historic places. After decades of use as a city corporation yard, this unique adaptive reuse project seismically upgraded and restored the building to its new life as a Community Center.

DeTurk Round Barn

The North Bay Business Journal has also recognized both projects as “top projects”.

Dec 15

Proud Moment for TLCD Architecture

I feel very fortunate to have attended the annual North Bay Business Journal Top Projects awards last night with Don Tomasi, Suzanne Nagorka, Kevin Teel and his wife Carolyn. This was a very special event for all of us because 2 of the 11 winning projects were Civic projects led by Mark Adams.

DeTurk Round Barn was honored in the historic renovation category, and the City of Santa Rosa’s Utilities Field Office was honored in the green/sustainable category.

Don was able to present both awards to the owners and he was very eloquent in his praise of Mark’s leadership skills, his passion and dedication to these two very diverse projects, and his ongoing focus on design excellence in the built environment. For all of us who attended, it was apparent that this was far more than just a simple awards ceremony, it was a tribute to Mark’s work and achievements.

Marc Richardson with the City of Santa Rosa Recreation and Parks department, commented on Mark’s amazing skill at leading multiple neighborhood meetings and gaining community consensus to move the renovation of the DeTurk Round Barn forward. Miles Ferris with the City of Santa Rosa’s Utilities department commended Mark for pushing them to design a building that was more than just functional. The Utilities Field Office (UFO) is a model of sustainable design and is the first commercial project approved within the City’s new Green Building Development program.

From Don’s heartfelt words, to the high praise from our clients, it was an affirmation of Mark’s work and the legacy of his projects in the North Bay. It was one of the proudest moments I’ve had with TLCD Architecture and I know Mark is smiling on us all.

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Dec 12

TLCD’s Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Hospital Expansion Wins ENR’s Best Healtcare Project

TLCD Architecture attended the 2011 ENR California Best Projects awards  on December 12th  as a member of the Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Hospital Expansion team that won the ENR Best Healthcare Project category. The award is a reflection of the great teamwork between the Owner, Design Team and Contractor who all shared a common goal to make this the best project possible. The Hospital Expansion opened a year ago and also won the North Bay Business Journal’s Top Project award. Congratulations to the whole team!

Nov 11

TLCD Architecture Recognized for 2 Top Project Awards

The North Bay Business Journal announced it’s selection of the 2011 Top Projects in real estate that will be honored at their upcoming awards event in December. TLCD Architecture was the design architect for the Santa Rosa Utilities Field Office selected for the Green Category, as well as the DeTurk Round Barn selected for the Historic Renovation category.

“We’re excited about this recognition because these projects represent the City of Santa Rosa’s commitment to the quality of the built environment”, said Mark Adams who oversees TLCD’s Civic practice.

Jul 11

Oscar Niemeyer Cultural Center

Oscar Niemeyer
Oscar Niemeyer with project model

Recently completed Oscar Niemeyer Cultural Center located in Aviles, Spain.

An extraordinary new project by the 103-year-old Architect:
http://www.niemeyercenter.org/
http://www.niemeyer.org.br/

May 31

Guy Messick Presenter at June San Francisco Revit User Group

Guy Messick will be presenting at this month’s San Francisco Revit User Group meeting on June 8th. He will be sharing highlights from several recently completed projects and discussing best practices. Don’t miss it!

May 24

Don Tomasi Featured in Santa Rosa Magazine’s Issue on “Community Connections”"

The latest issue of Santa Rosa Magazine, published by the Press Democrat, focuses on the many threads and relationships that connect a community. Throughout the issue, influential people from the world of sports, food, arts, philanthropy, technology, public safety and architecture were asked to talk about the people they admire most. The result is a fascinating look at the invisible threads that connect us all.

Don Tomasi of TLCD Architecture is featured in the issue on pages 24-25 (online version), where he talks about the people who have directly and indirectly influenced him, and who contribute to a vibrant and  rich community life. This is a must read for anyone who lives, works and feels their own sense of connection to Santa Rosa.

Mar 10

Innovative Multi-Purpose Room Unveiled

Last evening our design for a new multi-purpose building at Yulupa School in Santa Rosa was presented to the Bennett Valley Union School District board. This building represents a unique approach to the design of multi-purpose buildings, and is part of a larger project that will reconfigure and transform the campus. Other key project features include 12 new classrooms, conversion of the former multi-purpose room into a library, and rooftop solar panels that will provide almost all of the school’s electricity.

The building is configured with a large sloped roof to accommodate as many solar panels as possible. The orientation of the building allows a large expanse of glass on the back, north-facing wall of the main room, as well as the stage. The stage is only 18 inches in height, scaled to the primary aged students at this grade K-3 school.

Unlike most stages, the curtains will customarily be open so that the stage’s north-facing windows are open to the main room. This unique and informal relationship between the main room and the stage is emphasized by stage curtains that when drawn, are visible through a metal mesh from the main room.

The building orientation and roof slope facilitate passive nighttime cooling by means of natural, stack ventilation. This is accomplished by means of hidden louvers on the south and operable clerestory windows above the stage. An exposed radiant concrete floor slab will provide heating, while below-stage displacement cooling will eliminate the need for ducts. Wall mounted lighting is entirely indirect, leaving the acoustical roof deck free of light fixtures or ducts.

Water from the main roof will be collected by vertical tubes, and discharged into a bioswale, and natural filtration system. The entire process of conveying rainwater from the gutter, into the tubes, then into the bioswale will be visible.

Interior View Looking North at Stage

Feb 24

Cash Conference 2011

Don and John attended the 2011 CASH conference held at the Sacramento Convention Center. The event was attended by nearly 1000 school district personnel, architects, engineers, and contractors involved with the design and construction of school facilities. The theme of this year’s conference was “Your Challenges, Your Solutions, Your Conference”. Many of the workshops and roundtable discussions were focused on high performance schools, and improving academic performance through good design. It was also inspiring to see some of the award winning projects that school districts around the state have recently completed.

 

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