Workplace Culture Archives - Page 3 of 6

August 21, 2014

Meet Nate Bailey

While we are already saying goodbye to some of our wonderful summer interns, we would like to welcome a couple new members to our team in the next week. Bialosky + Partners Architects welcomes designer and Kent State CAED graduate (B.S. ’10 & MArch ’11) Nate Bailey.

Born in Kentucky, Nate lived in the States until he was 3 years old. His father, a missionary to Greece, relocated his family to Athens, where Nate enjoyed sunshine and baklava for the next 14 years. While Nate does not explicitly believe growing up in the frantic and historic urban environment of Athens led him directly to architecture, it did shape his world view in ways that make him a better, more thoughtful designer.

Upon returning to the States, Nate attended a community college outside of Toledo, where he earned an Associate of Fine Arts in Interior Design. He continued his education at Kent State University to study architecture. Three very special things happened at Kent. He received a Bachelor of Science, he further received a Masters of Architecture, and lastly met his lovely wife, Lauren. Well, there is a fourth. While we are quite happy that Nate met his would-be spouse at Kent State, we are even happier that he met Bialosky + Partners Principal David Craun. Mr. Craun, who serves as adjunct faculty at Kent, met Nate, while he was serving as a Graduate Assistant in the fall of 2010. While Nate thinks, Mr. Craun merely confused him with rapper sensation Macklemore, we would like to think it was Nate’s freestyle... err, design skills.

Nate Bailey and Macklemore: Separated at birth... or the same person? You decide.

Nate is a busy busy man. He is engaged with the AIA Cleveland Associates & Young Architects Committee, regularly serves as a juror on design studio reviews at KSU’s CAED, and continues to hit the books for the AREs to become licensed. Nate’s experience spans Higher Education, Retail, Healthcare, and Commercial work. When Nate is not living and breathing architecture, or being a general man of international mystery, he is quite a sportsman (which further validates the man of mystery bit.) In the summer, Nate suits up for volleyball, biking, and enjoying the great outdoors. In the winter: snowboarding in the Rockies (nothing against Boston Mills!)

Recently, I sat down with Nate to learn more.

Nate Bailey, international man of mystery.

Favorite building / space / place in Northeast Ohio?

Terminal Tower.

Being a RTA rider for many months, it’s got incredible sectional qualities of infrastructure, public spaces, retail, and restaurant, in addition to offering opportune views to the city.

Hidden Talent:

I can speak, read and write Greek – which is a bit disconcerting to Greeks who are usually thrown off by my fair Irish complexion.

Hobbies When You’re Off the Clock:

I enjoy reading and maintaining an active lifestyle. I’m an adrenaline junkie. Snowboarding in the winter and hiking, beach volleyball, biking, boating in the summer.

Nate and his wife Lauren taking a break from catching some waves on a trip to the west coast.

Your Alternate Reality Career:

Historian / Explorer. Enjoy the thrill of discovering new places and experiencing different cultures.

Your Ideal Dinner With One Architect or Designer (include the meal, place, and topic of conversation). I’d sit down with Rem Koolhaas at the Casa de Musica to a fully loaded Texas BBQ dinner complete with biscuits, beef brisket, mashed potatoes, etc and discuss design, AMO, and his favorite protégés.

Bonus/Optional: Favorite designed object / building in the last year (let’s say back the beginning of 2013)?

Steven L Anderson Design Center by Marlon Blackwell.

Steven L Anderson Design Center; Fayetteville, Arkansas (2013) designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects

Published by Ted Ferringer in Announcements, Workplace Culture

July 14, 2014

Meet Tyler, Jennifer, and Marcela!

Many new faces have joined our office this month. Today, we'll introduce three - all are just starting their careers and just cut loose from school (or wrapping it up). We're pleased to have these talented millennials working alongside us! Meet Tyler Gentry A recent graduate from the University of Cincinnati's DAAP program, Tyler Gentry (BArch '13) joins our office making his Cleveland debut. His hometown is Bellbrook, OH near Dayton. Tyler previously worked for FRCH Design Worldwide, which specializes in retail design and brand implementation. Throughout school, he landed great eye-opening co-ops, such as working alongside UC's University Architect, and teaching a design studio at an inner-city STEM school. The semester challenged engineering students to see everything in our world as a design opportunity. To prove the point, Tyler had a break-dancer visit his class to show that design doesn't just mean buildings, or even objects. Design can have many applications. With a trained design eye and an appetite of a hungry designer, Tyler decided to do something big. It began with a lonely warehouse that needed a lot of tlc. With his church, Missio Dei, Tyler and his team converted a lonely warehouse into an active art studio for church members. He's also done great graphic design work for their sermon series.

An old warehouse has found a new life as a church's gallery / cafe. Tyler helped make this happen in Cincinnati.

As a New Clevelander, What Landmark/Sight Are You Most Excited to See? As a new Clevelander, I really don’t know what to go see, so I’m open to suggestions! I’m excited to spend time by the lake, and I think that counts as a landmark. Hidden Talent: Well, I played washboard and mandolin in a bluegrassy folk band for the last couple years before I moved up here. That was very fun.

Tyler on drums in his band "Wretched Redeemed".

Tyler on washboard in the bluegrass band "Wretched Redeemed".

Your Alternate Reality Career: I would have to say I would be a photographer or a musician. Luckily, I can still do both of those things on the side. Your Ideal Dinner With One Architect or Designer: I would say Charles and Ray Eames, in their shop, eating steak, talking about furniture. Bonus: Your Ideal Dinner With One Non-Architect/Designer: C.S. Lewis on a mountaintop, surrounded by forests, talking about life. Still probably with steak. And bacon. Bacon makes everything better. Meet Jennifer Hlavin Fresh out of Bowling Green State University, Jennifer Hlavin (BS in Interior Design '14) applied all over the country before choosing to join us in Cleveland. One of the biggest selling points? The water. With a hometown of Sandusky, OH, Jen has always loved having Lake Erie as a backdrop. She has spent many a beautiful summer working at Cedar Point skillfully adorning visitors with hair-wraps, henna and face paintings. Jen, self-described as a "city person" is living the Live/Work/Play dream, with a three minute walk to work from her new apartment in Shaker Square.

Jen is unpacked and art is on the walls!

We were impressed to learn that as a young designer, Jen has credentials! She is a LEED Green Associate, and is looking to join International Interior Design Association (IIDA). She earned the Green Associate title while still in school, as BGSU has many interesting electives (one that where she learned all one could ever want to know about textiles). In total, she was trained by just 4 professors, ranging in different cultures and disciplines (such as the arts and architecture). As a New Shaker Square Resident, What Is Your Favorite Weekend Spot? Dewey’s Coffee is by far my favorite spot in Shaker Square. Any place that has coffee, ice cream, and popcorn all at one stop is definitely good in my book. Hidden Talent: My hidden talent would probably be my ridiculously strong sense of smell - I’m basically a blood hound. I'm also a band nerd and was the drum major during high school, I miss it!

Jen absorbing the applause, applause, applause.

Your Alternate Reality Career: I would want to be an animal conservationist and have a T.V. show where I travel around the world and hang out with cool animals while simultaneously educating people about them. I ultimately just want to hold baby animals all day. Your Ideal Dinner With One Architect or Designer: Philippe Starck is one of my favorite designers and seems like an awesome guy to hang out with. Since he is a Parisian, we would have dinner in Paris followed by cappuccinos and crepes while discussing his vast collection of interior, product, industrial, and architectural design work. Meet Marcela Sandoval Marcela Sandoval joins us for two months on an internship focused on planning. After her time with us in Cleveland, Marcela will return to the coast of South America to complete her Bachelors of Architecture at the University of Northern Chile. The skinny country of Chile sports a coastline the distance between New York and San Diego, and is sprinkled with deserts, mountains, and lush greens. Being able to always see the ocean is something Marcela has come to love about Chile (and all the friendly Chilean people!).

Marcela will journey back to Antofagasta City, Chile to complete her Bachelors.

Her hometown, though, is San Luis Potosi, Mexico- a central city boasting 1 million inhabitants. One very special district of San Luis she describes is right along the Gulf of Mexico, called La Huasteca. It is filled with falling waters, tropical rainforests (with about 2,000 species of plants) and all kinds of animals. Marcela explains that the downtown is closed off to cars, and she enjoys seeing that kind of planning in cities.

San Luis Potosi, Mexico - Marcela's hometown.

As you may guess, Marcela loves traveling and absorbing new cultures, and how those other cultures approach design. She comes to Cleveland to do just that. In her own words "travel is the way in which you can understand the past, present and future; and also is the only way to understand that architecture may be different in distinct places and times, but always has something constant: the pursuit of human welfare as its main objective." Marcela predicts pursuing a Masters after graduation, and a LOT more travel in her life. If she had a golden ticket to go anywhere in the world, Marcela would fly right to China, as she finds their culture very fascinating. One characteristic of San Luis Potosi you would give to Cleveland: In San Luis, there is always music in the streets, with people enjoying it and dancing to it. Hidden Talent: Well I don't know if it's a talent, or if I'm being conceited….. but I think, that I'm a really good shower singer. Your Alternate Reality Career: Well, I declare myself a CHOCOLATE LOVER, I have some kind of addiction for it, so I’m always baking cakes (it’s the only thing that I could bake because I’ve been trying with muffins or cupcakes and …. Well let's say that it’s not my thing. So I choose baker. Your Ideal Dinner With One Architect or Designer: I’m a huge fan of Daniel Libeskind as an Architect, but I choose Michel Rojkind. We probably we could have dinner at the restaurant that he designed: Tori- Tori, that is so cool that you could spend all the afternoon there feeling like in a bubble. The topic of the conversation…. I think that we discuss his theory of fun and study of a space, because I think that it’s brilliant. Bonus: Your Ideal Dinner With One Non-Architect/Designer: Toshiyuki Inoko, founder of teamLab. I love what they do, so it would be really interesting.

Published by Hallie DelVillan in Announcements, Workplace Culture

Tags: Cleveland, new hire

May 22, 2014

Meet Chelsey Finnimore

Bialosky + Partners Architects welcomes our newest team member, graphic designer and Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) graduate (Communication Design BFA ’13) Chelsey Finnimore. Growing up Chelsey wanted to be a fashion designer, a writer or a detective. Combining her creativity, a passion for communicating, and a strong desire for problem solving, graphic design seemed like an obvious choice. Chelsey’s skill set will come in handy if the office decides well designed private detective work is a lucrative market. At CIA, Chelsey’s Communication Design program included an emphasis in Fiber and Material Studies. This interest in the digital and tactile resulted in developing skills in silk-screening. One such project included a series of “fake products”, like the Apocalypse Survivor Backpack. Backpack contents included tools like bug spray to protect one from giant locusts, and a rope with carabineer set in case of accidental accession. The project was a commentary on the role of technology becoming a hindrance to our survival in times of crisis.

Be Prepared For Anything... With Chelsey Finnimore's Apocalypse Backpack!

Chelsey’s favorite professor at CIA was Graphic Design professor, Gene Pawlowski. Chelsey learned from Professor Pawlowski’s “old school” style of teaching typography. He was detailed orientated, pushing his students to be specific and precise in their designs. Chelsey’s favorite class with him was a Hand Made Bookmaking Class. The class included learning and using tons of ancient gadgets for bookmaking. Chelsey is continuously striving to find a legitimate use for the font Adobe Giddy Up in her work. She loves storytelling and believes that great design can be used to tell great stories. Her dream project would be to design a coffee table book of objects organized neatly in rainbow order.

Adobe Giddy Up aka the New Comic Sans.

Prior to joining the team at Bialosky + Partners, Chelsey worked at Agnes Studio where she had interned since 2011. In addition to her work at Agnes, she has worked on freelance projects for Case Western Reserve University, Cuyahoga Community College, and Reclaimed Cleveland. Chelsey was attracted to the Bialosky team, as many of her favorite projects bridge the gap between the digital realm and the real world as tactile objects. This could be through environmental design or other means, with a particular interest in the ongoing life of projects and materials once the designer’s “scope of services” is complete. She brings value to our team with a multi-disciplinary skill set to engage with print and environmental design in unique ways. A native of Sharon, PA and former elevator operator at The World’s Largest Off-Priced Ladies’ Fashion store. Chelsey spent much of her childhood making “bad” fan websites for her favorite bands. Chelsey currently resides in Lakewood with her two feline roommates, Steve and Trevor. In her free time she enjoys riding bikes, drawing terrible horses, and telling bad jokes. One day she will own a kayak or a hammock to aid in her favorite hobby: marathon weekend napping.

The Winner - A Sharon, PA legend.

We recently sat down with Chelsey to learn a little more: Favorite designed object / project in the last year (could be a building, piece of graphic design, product design, etc.): I am a huge fan of pretty much anything Vallee Duhamel has produced in the last year—super playful graphic and motion design. I love to see designers bringing in tactile/handmade elements into their work.

Cover art and album design for the album Bellevue, from Montreal electro-jazz band Misteur Valaire.

Hidden talent: Not so much a hidden talent as much as a deep dark secret—I played bass in a sludge metal band called “Lightning Bug Collection” in high school. And I can solve a rubik's cube in a minute and a half. Alternate Reality Career: A florist or a CIA agent. If You Could Have Dinner With One Architect or Designer, who would it be and where or what would dinner be? Spaghetti with Massimo and Leila Vignelli off of their Heller dinnerware followed by an intense game of Risk and fashion parade of Leila’s jewelry.

Chelsey's table setting for dinner with Massimo and Leila Vignelli would look something like this.

We’re ignorant architects. What is the different between a typeface and a font? The best analogy I’ve ever heard for explaining the difference is that typeface is to song as MP3 is to font. Typeface refers to the design of the letter forms where as font refers to the physical (or digital) means for reproducing a letter. Bonus sub-question: Legendary designer Massimo Vignelli once said a designer should only use 5 typefaces (bodoni, helvetica, times roman, century and futura) in their career. Is he right or crazy? I obviously love Vignelli and think he’s pretty on point with this—while I love playing with new typefaces, I find that most that really stay with me are offshoots of those “classic” five.

Published by Ted Ferringer in Announcements, Workplace Culture

Tags: Architecture, Bialosky Cleveland, Congrats, Graphic Design, new hire

March 28, 2014

Four Forgotten Females in Architecture History

For the close of Women's History Month, I've profiled four female architects that may not have made it into our Architecture History courses. These women have each lived over 90 years and together span several decades of design. 1. Anne Tyng (1920 - 2011): Louis Kahn’s Muse Born in China in 1920, Anne Tyng was born to Episcopalian missionaries with an old New England bloodline. Anne was one of the first women to be admitted into the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1942, where she studied under Walter Gropius, a master and pioneer of modern architecture.

Anne Griswold Tyng Collection/The Architectural Archives, University of Pennsylvania

Anne moved to Philadelphia, impressed Louis Kahn, and joined his office, Stonorov & Kahn in 1945. She remained beside him when the firm split in 1947, and would later have a daughter with him after nine years of companionship / partnership. With a passion for geometry and organic forms, she heavily influenced Kahn’s work. She was often regarded as Kahn’s muse, although Bucky Fuller called her "Kahn's geometrical strategist." 2. Marion Mahony Griffin (1871-1961): Frank Lloyd Wright’s First Employee As a small girl, Marion Mahony Griffin, Chicago-born and raised (1871), witnessed the erased landscape of the Great Chicago Fire, and became fascinated with the suburban homes that would infill the void. In 1895, Frank Lloyd Wright hired Marion, a fresh MIT graduate (1894) as his very first employee; she was one of the first women in the world to have a license in architecture. She influenced the development of the Prairie style, which Frank Lloyd Wright is most known for. Marion’s elegant watercolors of buildings and landscapes became synonymous with Wright’s work, though never given credit.

Marion Mahony Griffin, 1936, via savewright.org

When Wright eloped to Europe in 1909, he offered Marion all the studio’s commissions. She declined, and was then hired by Wright’s successor under the condition she would have control of design. Proving it is a small world, Marion married an ex-employee of Wright’s, Walter Burley Griffin, in 1911 to start a partnership that would last 28 years. 3. Eleanor Raymond (1887-1989): Solar House Innovator One client called Eleanor Raymond “an architect who combines a respect for tradition with a disrespect for its limitations.” She was born in Cambridge, MA, and would later earn many commissions for homes in New England through her social circles. Eleanor first began work with Henry Atherton Frost, an advocate for clear, simple design. Eleanor brought this sentiment to her own practice in 1928, where she became a mover and shaker of residential design. Eleanor designed one of the very first houses in the International Style (which was recently listed for sale in 2013), and continued to revolutionize residential design as an early adopter of "Adaptive-Re-Use". Her passion for historic preservation was gracefully balanced with the profound interest in new and innovative materials; she designed a Plywood House in 1940, and the Dover Sun House in 1948, the first occupied solar-powered house in the U.S.

Eleanor Raymond, Dover Sun House (with Maria Telkes), 1948, via Dwell.com

4. Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999): Le Corbusier's Furniture Design Muscle After looking at her application, Le Corbusier told the 24 year old Parisienne furniture designer Charlotte Perriand in 1927, "We don't embroider cushions here". He changed his tune a few months later, once her work was on display at the Salon d'Automne, and then offered her a job. One year later, Charlotte ushered in the 'machine age' aesthetic to interiors, and designed the three most iconic chairs attributed to Le Corbusier. We still love (and replicate) them today: the B301 (Basculant Sling Chair), the B306 (The Chaise Lounge), and the LC2 Grand Comfort.

Charlotte in the famous Chaise Lounge Chair, via Henry-Moore.org

In the 1930s, Charlotte became involved in many leftist organizations, such as the Association des Écrivains et Artistes Révolutionnaires (AEAR) for revolutionary artists and writers, and later helped to found The Union des Artistes Modernes. All this instilled in her the value of producing affordable accessible design for the people. But the legacy-builders are not all in the past. The truth is, the momentum is still there for female rising-stars. They are starting their own firms, like Carrie Strickland. They are teaching and experimenting at schools of design, like Florencia Pita and Jacklin Hah Bloom. This year's AIA National Convention in Chicago includes Architect and MacArthur “genius grant” winner Jeanne Gang, FAIA, founder of Studio Gang Architects as a featured keynote. AIA recently posthumously awarded the 2014 Gold Medal to Julia Morgan, FAIA, the first time their highest award has been bestowed upon a women. Women are even approaching the golden "50-50 mix" of female-to-male project teams, like Marianne Kwok. But the key word is "approaching". That 50-50 mix generally true in our architecture schools (think back to your college days), but yet only 18% of registered architects are female. This is exactly what initiatives such as AIA San Francisco's The Missing 32% Project, is investigating, the (slowly depleting, but still present) gender gap in the profession. But the open dialog around women in architecture is more vibrant now than ever before. From my own experience, it is exciting to see females in our own firm becoming registered, leading design teams, and being promoted! Some day, it will not be labeled as "conventionally male profession", but just plainly "the profession".

Published by Hallie DelVillan in Thought Leadership, Workplace Culture

March 14, 2014

Meet Jacob Stollfuss

Jacob Stollfuss is welcomed to Bialosky + Partners' Cleveland office Jacob Stollfuss, a native of the sunswept Montana landscapes, grew up surrounded by a family who had a deep love for collecting and restoring classic automobiles. He fondly remembers his Montana home, which tallied more square footage in garage space than living space. With his father, who moonlighted as a drag-strip announcer, Jacob led an adventurous childhood at the races, witnessing and learning the trade of mechanics of the cars that surrounded him. Through cars, and discovering the fine sciences behind them, Jacob’s interest in understanding how things work blossomed. A career in architecture naturally followed.

Jacob owns two classic cars, here is his 1950 Studabaker

Jacob also has this white 1960 Triumph, seen here on a perfect summer day.

He studied at Tulane University (MArch ‘99) in New Orleans, where both the college and city itself prioritize preservation and understanding the history of place. This resonated with Jacob, and has carried through his practice. And we should mention that in his young career, he is the unsung hero (at least we think so) behind the new Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA). Recruited by Rafael Vinoly Architects in 2003, Jacob packed his bags for New York to begin work on CMA as a Project Architect. For Jacob, the project became an encyclopedia of building systems and details. Having worked on a range of unique and challenging systems- from innovative high-performance gutters to delicate beams of glass, Jacob learned the value of studying and revising a detail until perfection. After two years in New York, Jacob continued his work on CMA at Vinoly’s long-awaited Cleveland office to see the project to realization in 2009.

The atrium expansion at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which Jacob worked on from 2003-2009. Source: Wikipedia. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License

It is not surprising that Jacob counts woodworking as one of his passions. His Shaker Heights home is filled with furniture he has built himself- tv stands, bookshelves, end tables, you name it. His current project is designing and building 6 walnut dining chairs, in what he calls a modern take on the historic Chippendale style (six, allowing him, his wife, and his two boys to have a pair of guests). Jacob is working with the Thinkbox at CWRU to fabricate elegant double arched back rails for the chairs. As his favorite saying goes, “The devil is in the details”, whether it is an internationally renowned building, or a single household chair. With this sentiment, it is no wonder that Jacob is an active member of the Cleveland Chapter of the Building Enclosure Council (BEC), an interdisciplinary resource to promote responsibly (but also beautifully) designed building skins and envelopes. We asked Jacob a few extra questions in case we missed anything: Your Alternate Reality Career: At one point I considered going to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena to become an automotive designer. I still tend to look at every line and crease on a new car with a critical eye. The One Attribute Of Montana You Wish You Could Bring to Cleveland: I would start with more sunshine. True or False: Well-detailed buildings are more expensive. I hate to say this, because I am an advocate of well detailed buildings, but it is true. A lot of buildings get built with corners cut and they still perform adequately, and an over detailed building can perform outstanding, but with diminished returns. A well detailed building will cost a little more, but have paybacks in multiple ways – energy, comfort, durability and aesthetics. Favorite Object at the Cleveland Museum of Art:

Rodin's "The Thinker", damaged by a bombing in 1970 at CMA.

I could easily name 4 or 5 objects in the collection, but if I were to boil it down, Rodin’s Thinker on the south terrace would win out. Being one of only a handful cast under the supervision of Rodin himself makes it intriguing enough, but to me it’s the bombing of the statue, the political commentary it implies, the conservation issues in its wake, the irony of its origins as Dante atop the Gates of Hell… and in the end, The Thinker still just pensively presides over it all. Your Ideal Dinner With One Architect or Designer: Raymond Loewy. We would eat steak frites at the Cloud Club atop the Chrysler Building while drinking Rob Roy’s and talking about THE FUTURE.

Published by Hallie DelVillan in Announcements, Workplace Culture

Tags: AIA Cleveland, BEC Cleveland, Building Envelope, Building Science, Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, Efficient Design Strategies, Museums, University Circle

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