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WHAT'S CHANGED?
MEDITATIONS ON LARGE LAW FIRM DESIGN
THINKING ABOUT CHANGE: This new 8 story building in downtown Washington, DC is being developed so that it can change from single hotel rooms to 1 or more bedroom apartments before or after the building is completed. The core and shell are being built like a speculative office building, with service shafts adjacent to the core so there are no vertical penetrations in the floor plate that would limit flexibility in replanning the floors later. Because of the small site and limited area for construction staging, the floors and shell will be prefabricated and brought to the site. If the Owner decides to take advantage of Inclusionary Zoning and LITC bonuses now, the skin of the building can easily be replaced with new upscale panels after the affordable housing obligations sunset.
THINKING GLOBALLY / DESIGNING LOCALLY: After designing more than 150 projects in 100 locations around the globe for the World Bank, it was only natural that SKB would be invited by private companies to submit design ideas for new buildings in some of the most beautiful and challenging places on earth. This design is a proposal for the Bank of Burundi's headquarters in Bujumbura. The building is a combination civic center, spec office building, apartment block and, of course, a branch bank. The exoskeleton was designed as a structural cage to resist earthquake forces known in the country. The building uses an atrium to let in filtered light and exhaust humid air. Solar panels on the roof and parking structure and a geothermal heat exchange system make the building net-zero / carbon positive.
NEWS: RETHINKING ROADSIDE ARCHITECTURE
52 years after publication of Robert Venturi's seminal book Learning from Las Vegas, the questions raised and insights presented by co-authors Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and Steven Izenour are just as prescient.
Recent SKB commissions to design convenience stores and retail shopping centers where the small villages along I-35 are rapidly turning into towns and cities, has required the design teams to think about the now and not-too-distant future in a different way.
NEWS: SKB COMPLETES NEW BUILDINGS IN AUSTIN
SKB has recently completed full architectural services for the Pecan Flex Office building, The Howerton Eye Clinic Building and the Elder Mitsubishi Service Building, all in the Austin facility.
For more information, contact Alfred Brice, AIA, SKB Austin Director at abrice@skbarch.com
NEWS: SKB DESIGNS NEW OFFICE PROJECTS IN MASSACHUSETTS, NORTH CAROLINA, CALIFORNIA AND TEXAS FOR REAL ESTATE FIRM WALKER & DUNLOP
SKB has been designing office space around the country for Walker & Dunlop since 2011. The latest of these projects consider tweaks to the design of high-performance workplaces after the Pandemic.
For more information, contact Mark Baughman, SKB President at mbaughman@skbarch.com