We've all been waiting patiently for weeks, (and some of us not sleeping for weeks) for the robust competition for KSU's College of Architecture and Environmental Design. Tonight the four finalists take their designs to the stage; each team is granted 20 minutes for a public presentation. The finalists are: Bialosky + Partners Architects, LLC with Architecture Research Office Richard L. Bowen + Associates, Inc. with Weiss/Manfredi The Collaborative, Inc in association with Miller Hull Partnership, LLC Westlake Reed Leskosky, Ltd DETAILS WHEN: 7pm Tonight. Doors open at 6pm. WHERE: Cartwright Hall, Kent State U. (campus map) PARKING: You can park in R1 Rockwell, R2 Business or R15 Cartwright. WATCH LIVE: If you cannot attend, watch the live stream of the presentations at 7pm here: https://ksutube.kent.edu/watchlive.php?playthis=5049
BPA is proud to announce that our team is one of the four finalists to take part in the design competition for Kent State University’s new College of Architecture and Environmental Design building! Kent State University’s CAED is currently housed in three separate structures around campus. A new facility is to unite the college under one roof. Kent State is in the process of hosting a design competition for the new architecture building to be constructed along the Kent State University Esplanade extension near downtown Kent. The selection process for an architect for the new CAED building is now on the road to one from the final four. From the original list of 37 competing teams, (including tops firms such as Zaha Hadid Architects and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson) the process has been thorough with over 7400 pages of material reviewed to move to eight semi-finalist interviewees. Of these eight, the four teams chosen to move ahead to the competition phase of the process are: Bialosky + Partners Architects, LLC with Architecture Research Office Richard L. Bowen + Associates, Inc. with Weiss/Manfredi The Collaborative, Inc in association with Miller Hull Partnership, LLC Westlake Reed Leskosky, Ltd Each of the teams is in the process of preparing a concept that incorporates function/image, sustainable synthesis, and detailed cost data. All four Teams will present their ideas to the selection committee Thursday, January 17, 2013. That same evening Bialosky + Partners Architects with Architecture Research Office, as well as the other three teams, will introduce schemes to the Kent State Community in Cartwright Hall between 7:00 and 9:00 PM. Mark your calendars as this will be open to the public. Materials will then be displayed in the campus library for a period of time with public feedback opportunities. If you can't make it in person, you can watch a live stream of the presentations online here: https://ksutube.kent.edu/watchlive.php?playthis=5049 The winner of the competition is expected to be announced in February 2013. For more information and a full list of competing firms please visit: http://www.kent.edu/universityarchitect/foundationsofexcellence/design_competition.cfm
Our Monday Morning Meetings have brought us closer together. Literally. Now with our largest staff in years, (if not, ever) we're filling up the BPA conference room more rapidly than we ever predicted. We asked our new hires from 2012 a few questions we may not have asked otherwise. DAVE BERLEKAMP 
Previously Worked: Westlake Reed Leskosky / Cleveland, OH Your Alternate Reality Career: Furniture designer/fabricator…or an architectural photographer….or a professional endurance athlete.
Dave is a fine woodworker. No wonder he would be a furniture fabricator in another life.
Hidden Talent: While now on hiatus from racing, for ten years I was a competitive cyclist. Needless to say, when it comes to riding a bike quickly, I have that one covered. Favorite Designed Item of 2012: Besides a number of small wooden furniture pieces and objects, one of my most favorite projects is Perk Park in Downtown Cleveland – it’s a very well executed urban landscape project & one that hopefully has raised the standard of urban design in Cleveland. West Side or East Side? West Side for sure, born and raised, however I have warmed up to the East Side since I moved here. KIERA SZYTEC 
Previously Worked: Kaczmar Architects Inc. / Cleveland, Ohio Your Alternate Reality Career: Dentist/Orthodontist Hidden Talent: Baking & Mountain Biking Favorite Designed Item of 2012: Caterpillar House was designed by Feldman Architecture
Caterpillar House was designed by Feldman Architecture www.feldmanarchitecture.com
West Side or East Side? West Side, of course! PHILIP ERB 
Previously Worked: Milan Bender & Associates, Architects (MBAA) Your Alternate Reality Career: Writer/Author/Journalist Hidden Talent: 2x Kickball Champion Favorite Designed Item of 2012: Skyspace @ Rice University West Side or East Side? West Side MANDISA GOSA 
Previously Worked: Ohio Desk / Cleveland, OH Your Alternate Reality Career: Circus Performer Hidden Talent: Recently named the official BPA runway model for Ugly Christmas Sweater Competitions. Favorite Designed Item of 2012: Actually a company that launched in 2012 w/ great prints…Detroit Wallpaper Company. (http://detroitwallpaper.com/) West Side or East Side? East Side HALLIE DELVILLAN 
Previously Worked: Skynear Designs / Washington, DC Your Alternate Reality Career: Film set-designer or a horse-trainer. Hidden Talent: Seeking out and rescuing antiques.
Hallie pushed her luggage limit rescuing antiques at Architectural Antiques in Chicago.
Favorite Designed Item of 2012: The Onkel Sofa by Norman Copenhagen (purple or dark grey, please!) West Side or East Side? East Side for Little Italy (and the exciting renderings of Field Operations vision of Public Square) . TED FERRINGER 
Previously Worked: Studio Techne Architects, Payto Architects, CUDC (student Intern) Your Alternate Reality Career: I’d be shepherd tending to my herd in rural Saskatchewan. Or I’d go back to masonry. Hidden Talent: I used to work as a mason for about eight years starting in high school through college with my father, in West Pennsylvania. I got to lay brick and CMU, pour and finish concrete, and build fireplaces. I started out as a laborer, but over time as I learned the craft and trade, I was given more skilled tasks. I quite enjoyed historic preservation work, which I got to work on a few jobs of re-pointing and restoring century old brick walls and decorative elements one summer. I also am intimately familiar with the finer points of building Rumford Fireplaces and Finnish and Russian Masonry heaters. Favorite Designed Item of 2012: Reading Between The Lines by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, in Looz, Belgium. An amazing piece of architecture, that blurs lines between art / architecture, solid / void, traditional / contemporary spirituality, allowing for multiple, very personal readings of a very traditional typology and building form. West Side or East Side? As a homeowner on the near west side of Cleveland, I have to go with the west side. CHRISTINA MANCO 
Previously Worked: Westlake Reed Leskosky / Cleveland, OH Your Alternate Reality Career: Detective. I'm a sucker for crime shows. Hidden Talent: Thrifty shopping. I love finding a deal! Favorite Designed Item of 2012: Keeping it local, the redesigned Perk Park in downtown Cleveland was an amazing transformation. West Side or East Side? West! NATHANAEL DUNN 
Previously Worked: College at Judson University Your Alternate Reality Career: Professional baseball Hidden Talent: Piano Favorite Designed Item of 2012: Shelby GT500 West Side or East Side? West Side TOM ADOMAITIS 
Previously Worked: McCarthy, Lebit / Downtown Cleveland, OH (20 years) Your Alternate Reality Career: Architect. Hidden Talent: Golf. Favorite Designed Item of 2012: Replica of Seattle Space Needle in Lego Architecture Series (with my 8 year old nephew) .
LEGO® Architecture Set Space Needle
West Side or East Side? East. SANDY WEIGEL 
Previously Worked: Marble and Granite Works Your Alternate Reality Career: The new host of ‘No Reservations’ Hidden Talent: Sewing Favorite Designed Item of 2012: I love the ‘Design Your Floor!’ carpet tile from Interface floor. There are some great large scale patterns. West Side or East Side? West Side! LUKE VISNIC 
Previously Worked: Perspectus Architecture Your Alternate Reality Career: Angel Investor, it’s all of the perks and enthusiasm of being in a start-up, without all the headaches and sweat equity. Hidden Talent: Juggling, sandwiching, handwriting analysis Favorite Designed Item of 2012: Clipper Street Residence by envelope a+d. I have a difficult time describing why I am drawn to this type of historical white-washing, but I think this is a great example. I don’t know if it’s my favorite designed item of 2012, but it is probably the most memorable.
Clipper Street Residence by envelope a+d. www.envelopead.com
West Side or East Side? West Side.
As one looks back through the six decades Bialosky + Partners Architects have been in business, you'll see how the times have shaped us and how we've shaped the times. Fast forward to today where, with much excitement, we launch our design blog. Consider this blog a worldwide round-table, with an aim to connect the practice of Bialosky + Partners Architects with architectural discourse. It's a fluid medium for the innovations, advances and enthusiasm in the evolving landscape of architecture, design, and the built environment. The designers from our office hold many passions and expertise, so you can expect posts in the realms of new technologies, R&D, sustainability, events, current work, engineering, urban strategies, theory, practice, landscape design, construction, interiors and beyond. If that isn't enough to entice, our guest bloggers will encourage an interdisciplinary approach, offering topics like graphic design and film, to fill out the whole rainbow of design. We created this blog not just for ourselves, but for the community, as a living/growing resource, so whether it's used as a digital library, an educational tool, or a source for design theory, take part and enjoy.