We were delighted to learn that Bialosky + Partners had been selected to receive a Northcoast 99 Award this year recognizing us as one of the best places to work in Northeast Ohio. It is further affirmation of what we have learned empirically: that our philosophy of work place empowerment and our culture of collaboration have succeeded in attracting and retaining extraordinary talent for our creative enterprise. The Northcoast 99 committee discovered something in particular in our application that made Bialosky + Partners special. Action Planning, the unique internally-driven workplace initiative in our firm, empowers 100 % of our employees to improve and energize our culture, workplace environment and resources, and professional development. A case study for this innovative process tells of its success in growing our firm, and the people within it. It has culminated in senior level advancement and the first ever intern-to-partner promotion in our 60 plus year history. We are very proud of “growing our own” and our clients tell us by their repeat business that they are very happy about it as well. The business of architecture can be just that – a business. We’ve chosen another approach; we believe in a practice of inspiration and collaboration while balancing a client’s vision, project goals and design aspirations. While we lead with experience, we know the next great idea can come from anywhere, and often does. For our clients to believe in this, our employees have to believe it and live it first. Anyone can “talk the talk”. It is very gratifying to receive recognition for doing our best to “walk the walk”.
"COLDSCAPES: New Visions for Cold Weather Cities" is a multi-disciplinary design competition that encourages artists, architects, landscape architects, and urban designers to explore the exciting and untapped potential of cold climate cities. The competition is organized by Kent State University's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC). Over 80 registrants participated in the 2013 COLDSCAPES Competition in its inaugural year, with submissions received from 15 U.S. cities and 13 countries spanning a wide range of cold (and warm) weather climates.
Bialosky + Partners Architects' submission for the 2013 Coldscapes Competition, titled GLOW, proposes iconic inhabitable relics to be built on Lake Erie.
PROJECT NARRATIVE GLOW ignites new poetic relationships between lake, city, and the rhythm of the seasons. A seasonal relic, GLOW engages the Lake Erie break wall, mediating the domestic (city side) and wild (north of the break-wall) sides of the lake, creating an infrastructure for cultures to develop that leverage the latency of water as public space – in both solid and liquid states. GLOW activates this linear infrastructure creating new experiences of the lake all year. Ramps bring users to an elevated deck that allows one to view and be viewed. The structures skin is inspired by the break-wall’s texture that becomes coated each winter by the crashing waves of Lake Erie. Inhabitable house-like (GLOW)bes hover still higher, creating an otherworldly, ethereal experience. The break-wall is a segmented lily-pad network by summer. In winter, when the lake freezes, the system becomes whole. This encourages engagement with the lake through skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, hiking, etc., to transverse the path and create their own way to engage with GLOW. An open canvas, GLOW is activated by each season uniquely, encouraging new cultures and economies in a non-prescriptive manner, providing the elements to awaken latent uses of one of our most important resources– water.
Inside a SNOW(GLOW)BE on Lake Erie.
Bialosky + Partners Architects' submission GLOW, which proposed building captivating structures on Lake Erie, received one of ten Honorable Mentions. The three winning entries and ten honorable mentions were selected by a jury comprised of leaders in a range of design fields, including architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and public art. These entries will be on exhibit in Cleveland in November 2013, and published in Volume 6 of the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative’s Urban Infill journal series, focused on advancing the design of urban environments for winter weather. Leaders of the GLOW submission included David Craun, Hallie DelVillan, Theodore Ferringer, and Michael Abrahamson (University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture; pre-PhD program, History/Theory of Architecture), and would not be possible without the hard work of Nathanael Dunn, Dave Berlekamp, Nick Dilisio, Andrew Vichosky, and Zach Anderson (Kent State University CAED).
The engagement of GLOW with the lake's break-wall to create an iconic network that connects City and Lake.
Bialosky + Partners Architects is proud to announce that we recently received an award at the NAIOP Northern Ohio 2013 Awards of Excellence, winning best Mixed-Use Interior Design project for the Cuyahoga Community College Hospitality Management Center & Pura Vida Restaurant located at 200 Euclid Avenue in the heart of downtown Cleveland. Check out the rest of the winners by clicking here!
Lobby and Demo Kitchen at CCC Culinary
It took two months of planning, sixteen different textiles, and countless hours of cutting and sewing circles, but the Bialosky + Partners / Ohio Desk team took home the award for ‘Haute Couture’ at the IIDA Cleveland Akron hosted Product Runway 2013!
Team model, Hannelore Berken, is prepped by the Product Runway Make-up Team!
Hannah is ready to walk the runway
Our team, consisting of Mandisa Gosa (Bialosky + Partners), Sandy Weigel (Bialosky + Partners), Hallie DelVillan (Bialosky + Partners), Raina Hooper (Ohio Desk), and model Hannelore Berken (Independent Artist & Published Poet) competed against 16 rival teams at Product Runway held at the State Theater on Friday night. Our team worked with manufacturer representatives Chrstine Drabicki (Steelcase) and Donna DeCarlo (Ohio Desk) - without their support none of this would have been possible! Bialosky + Partners was excited to participate in the competition and also be a red carpet sponsor at the event!
Tracy Sciano Vajskop and Savannah Farris Dugan on the Red Carpet at the IIDA Akron Cleveland 2013 Product Runway!
Team Fantastical Tea Party from L to R is: Mandisa Gosa (Bialosky + Partners), Sandy Weigel (Bialosky + Partners), Hannelore Berken (model), Hallie DelVillan (Bialosky + Partners), and Raina Hopper (Ohio Desk)
Our Final Design, was inspired by both the historic location of this year’s event and Alice in Wonderland, our primary objective was to create something theatrical and eye catching. We selected an array of textiles in blues, blacks, and grays from our sponsor, Steelcase. The bodice was made using a black and white striped panel fabric. Fifteen different fabrics were cut into circles, sewn into over 850+ rosettes, and attached in an ombre fashion to create our volumes base. We also had several accessories including a bow made of scrim and resin jewelry created by Erica Hoosic.
Friends and team members from Bialosky + Partners, Steelcase, and Ohio Desk
The other winners from this year’s event are:
Fit and Finish: Interface / Sherwin Williams
Best of Show: Mannington Commercial / Process Creative Studios
Most Wearable: Allermuir (Team 2)
Best Use of Materials: Wolf Gordon / Dimit Architects
People’s Choice: Interface / Sherwin Williams
Congratulations to all of the winners and teams! It was a fantastic show!
T minus three weeks for the couture competition event of the year - Product Runway. Presented by the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), the competition challenges interior designers, architects and artists to test their creativity and technical skills by transforming interior finish materials (such as upholstery, ceramic tile, and laminates) into runway-fashion. This theatrical show of haute couture at the State Theater May 3rd 2013, will be judged by a prestigious panel, that includes fashion icon Cheryl Tiegs, deemed “America’s First Supermodel”. Bialosky + Partners is not only a participant but also is a proud sponsor of this event which raises money for Harvest for Hunger!
This year's Product Runway will rock the State Theater here in Cleveland May 3rd. http://www.iidaohky.org
Competition:
The Ohio/Kentucky Chapter has 16 competing teams, including a team from our office, who will compete in 5 categories: (1) Best in Show (2) Most Wearable (3) Haute Couture (4) Fit & Finish and (5) People’s Choice (one vote is $1).
Team and Inspiration:
Our team, Mandisa Gosa (Bialosky + Partners), Sandy Weigel (Bialosky + Partners), Hallie DelVillan (Bialosky + Partners), Raina Hooper (Ohio Desk), and Hannelore Berken (Independent Artist & Published Poet), are constructing a dress inspired by both the State Theater (which once-upon-a-time, was a vaudeville/movie house filled with magic) and the fantastical wonderland of Alice. We followed the rabbit hole to a time and place where the two theatrical motifs overlapped. This garment, Through the Looking Glass, boldly explores the melding of Alice in a whole new world. We're in the process of constructing the dress over the next few weeks so- fellow BPAers, you can ask a team member for a sneak peek! Jewelry crafted from translucent resin samples are created by the talented Erica Hoosic.
Materials: Choosing a palette of blacks, charcoals, and blues, our materials from Steelcase products are rich in texture and variety. The base of this dress is composed of 850+ hand-cut circles folded into rosettes.
Event Details:
When: May 3rd, 5:30pm - 11:00pm
Where: State Theater: 1519 Euclid Ave. Cleveland 44115
Tickets: Special discounts for students and IIDA Members. http://clevakproductrunway2013tickets.eventbrite.com/