January 24, 2014

Theodore Ferringer Awarded Bike Cleveland’s 2013 Guardian of Transportation Award!

Bialosky + Partners' own Theodore Ferringer , Assoc. AIA has been bestowed with the 2013 Guardian Transportation Award in recognition of the time and talent contributed to Bike Cleveland in 2013.

Theodore Ferringer of Bialosky + Partners awarded Guardian of Transportation 2013 by Bike Cleveland for The Midway

Theodore receiving his medal on-stage from Bike Cleveland Executive Director Jacob Van Sickle.

No one told Theodore ahead of time; he just showed up to the Bike Cleveland Annual Meeting at The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern as planned, and was surprised with a very fragile translucent medallion engraved with the Guardians of Transportation - the giants that stand on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge . Theodore wears the medallion like a an Olympic Gold Medalist when he's at the office after-hours for his second-wind.

Bike Cleveland Guardian of Transportation Award 2013 Theodore Ferringer

The medal bestowed to Theodore last week!

Now, for the work behind the award- Theodore has led Bialosky + Partners in the design and planning of "The Midway", a planning proposal generated on a pro-bono basis, that imagines Greater Cleveland and its neighborhoods threaded together by a user-friendly bike network.

A conceptual rendering of "The Midway", which activates the abandoned 20th century streetcar network for 21st century bicyclists

The Midway will soon be launching an informational website with a deeper outline of the proposal - to re-use abandoned right-of-ways from Cleveland's former streetcar network to form an approximately 70 to 100 mile separated cycle track network throughout Cleveland. This project is currently as aspiration conceptual design planning project, which is in addition the city of Cleveland's commitment to add over 70 miles of bikeways to the city's cycling infrastructure network by 2017. Congratulations to Theodore, the rest of the supporting BPA team, and the other winners - fellow committee member and traffic engineer Melissa Thompson, and Ben Stewart. Congratulations! Bialosky + Partners is proud to be a supporting Bike Cleveland, as they work on building livable communities by promoting all forms of cycling and advocating for the rights and equality of the cycling community. To learn about Bike Cleveland's annual meeting, see their recap here: http://www.bikecleveland.org/2014/01/20/bike-cleveland-annual-meeting-recap/ To see a great recap of Bike Cleveland's recent accomplishments for 2013 click here: http://www.bikecleveland.org/2013/12/31/bike-cleveland-2013-accomplishments/ Interested in becoming a member? Click here: http://bikecleveland.memberlodge.org/

January 14, 2014

Theory and Practice

In addition to being a firm that has taken on many higher-education projects (e.g. LCCCKSU CAED, Muskingum, Ursuline), Bialosky + Partners Architects (BPA) has always been a supporter of academia.  For years, the office has - when possible - encouraged employees to teach part time at the Kent State University College of Architecture and Environmental Design.  BPA staff has taught courses ranging from architectural /interior design studios to materials and process in digital fabrication classes.  Nearly every semester, Kent State CAED professors invite designers of all trades and career-levels from our office to participate in architectural and interior design reviews throughout the year.  This continued engagement with the academic design process is as meaningful for our staff as it is for the students with whom we engage. The designers and architects in our office have had an impact on the program - for example: BPA Associate Matt MacRaild, AIA, who is currently helping Kent State University restructure a Design Process and Principles class.

Jack Bialosky Jr. at a fourth year interior design review.

This past fall I taught my third semester of Interior Design studio at Kent State University. I taught a fourth year interior design studio in conjunction with two other adjunct faculty members, where we guided the students in two projects that involved both architecture and interior design. Having degrees in both Architecture and Interior Design and professional experience in both fields, I often look for projects for the students that incorporate principles from both disciplines. The first project involved a major conversion of an abandoned textile mill to low-rise apartment building located in Mumbai, India. There were two main learning objectives that the students were expected to take away from the project. The first was how to research environment and culture in order to better understand design techniques around the world. The second was the expectation that the students were able to take their findings from that research and apply it to a design project.  The idea for this project stemmed from a research paper I collaborated on at the University of Notre Dame which reported on the condition of the mills in Mumbai, and the following research trip to India where our team spent a month studying the construction, proportion and cultural context of historic structures in India.   It was rewarding to see how the students interpreted physical and cultural context as they prepared their designs for the renovation of the Mumbai mills.

A view of the entry gate to one of the existing textile mill complexes in Mumbai, India.

The second project was a pop-up retail shop located on the lower level of the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge (aka Detroit-Superior Bridge) in Cleveland, OH.  This group project, inspired by the 2012 Cleveland Design Competition and the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative’s  Bridge Project, was a particularly difficult challenge for the students because of the extremely unique site condition and very minimal pedestrian/vehicular access.  The lower street car level has been abandoned for over 50 years with the exception of a few public events.  The 2012 Competition and Bridge Project were launched in hopes to help repopulate the beautiful structure.  The challenge of the pop-up shop prompted the students to study the history of the bridge, the surrounding context, and pop-up shops precedents in order to determine what use would be the best fit for Cleveland.  As the students began focusing in on the details for their retail spaces, each group also proposed a conceptual master plan for the full bridge with additional activities and shops.  With the location only 35 miles away from campus, we were able to take the students on a field trip to visit the site before the project began.

Students on a site visit of the lower level of the Veteran's Memorial bridge.

 

Working in groups allowed students to learn the values of teamwork and collaboration.

 

Students pin-up their work together during a mid-project review.

Not only has it been fun teaching students about design globally and locally, but it has been a valuable experience for me as well.  It’s amazing to see students collaborate on ideas and still be able to receive 34 different solutions for the same design problem.  Teaching a design studio enriches the design process and provides inspiration for projects both academically and in practice.

December 11, 2013

Associate Principal David Craun Named to Class of 2014: ENR Midwest’s Top 20 Under 40

We wish to offer Bialosky + Partners Architects Associate Principal David Craun a hearty congratulations for being named to ENR Midwest's Top 20 Under 40, an annual program where Engineering News Record recognizes 20 young design and construction professionals per region, under the age of 40, who have made significant contributions to their firms, professions and communities. Congratulations, David - and to the entire Class of 2014! Read the announcement from ENR by clicking here

November 22, 2013

BPA Designers Take Home AIA Cleveland Awards!

Our firm congratulates two of our youngest designers, Jill Christoff and Theodore Ferringer, for taking home AIA Associate Awards at the 2013 Cleveland Design Awards last week. The annual awards honor the next generation of designers and professional leaders in both practice and in the community.

The 2013 AIA Design Awards held at the newly opened Cleveland Convention Center.
Photo by Ally McCarley Photography

Jill Christoff is awarded the Emerging Practitioner Award at this year's AIA Cleveland Design Awards!

Jill Christoff is awarded the Emerging Practitioner Award at this year's AIA Cleveland Design Awards!
Photo by Ally McCarley Photography

Jill Christoff received the 2013 Emerging Practitioner Award, for shattering the myth of a single specialty. Jill is the rare story of successfully melding interior design (B.A. Interior Design Kent State University, c/o 2004) and architecture (Master of Architecture, University of Notre Dame, c/o 2009) into her professional identity. She has been recognized in both fields, earning the title of AIA Associate, and being NCIDQ Certified. As an enthusiastic Adjunct Professor, and an engaging Practitioner, Jill successfully devotes considerate time to both her students at KSU and the firm’s interns. In fact, Jill has always been a leader of the firm’s internal mentorship program, and has recently pioneered changes to improve the program’s impact and longevity. Additionally, Jill’s exceptional hand-drawing (often thought to be a skill lost in her generation) was on display at the AIA “Art of Architects” exhibit at the at Intown Club (October – November 2013) alongside the work of Richard Fleischman.

Theodore Ferringer was awarded the Activism Award for exciting Clevelanders about their city.
Photo by Ally McCarley Photography

Theodore Ferringer (Master of Architecture, Master of Urban Design CUDC c/o 2008) has received the 2013 Activism Award for his pledge to enrich Cleveland which has empowered the young designer to advocate, educate and excite its residents, architects and stakeholders about their city. His enthusiastic activism, creativity in the industry and continuous volunteerism/involvement in the region has earned Theodore several prestigious leadership positions. Theodore, having served on the AIA Cleveland board since 2011, is currently shadowing as the Associate Director Elect for 2013 for the AIA Ohio Valley Region (OVR), to serve a term in 2014-15 as Regional Associate Director to represent all AIA Associate (unlicensed) members in the region on the AIA National Associates Committee (NAC). Theodore is a champion at Bialosky + Partners in their regional pro bono work, including collaboration with Bike Cleveland for a safe and vibrant cycling culture in a rigorous planning proposal calling for a separated cycletrack network, The Midway, that re-uses right of ways of former street car lines to be installed throughout Cleveland.

November 4, 2013

COLDSCAPES Exhibit Opening & Book Release

The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative has formally announced the opening for the upcoming COLDSCAPES Exhibit Opening & Book Release. Bialosky + Partners Architects are honored that our project, GLOW, will be featured in both the exhibition and in the accompanying book release. We invite you to join us on November 15th, to celebrate the exhibition opening and the ongoing development of CUDC's Center for Outdoor Living Design (COLD)! Additionally, check out this great article from Cleveland Magazine about COLDSCAPES: Cold Comforts - Cleveland Magazine

"One such Cleveland plan envisioned Lake Erie as a wintertime frozen playground with glowing, elevated observation pods over the lake that residents could ice skate or snowshoe to and take in the view."

Info from the CUDC's blog:

Join the CUDC on November 15th, from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm,  for the public opening of the Snowball Pavilion and release party for our new book, Urban Infill Volume 6: COLDSCAPES. The Snowball Pavilion is a weather-responsive wood structure installed on PlayhouseSquare’s Star Plaza for one month, which will display boards of winning submissions and honorable mentions from the 2013 COLDSCAPES Competition. The COLDSCAPES Exhibit and new book are part of the CUDC’s recently launched Center for Outdoor Living Design (COLD), which aims to inspire, develop, and promote innovative approaches to enhance livability in cold climate cities. The public reception with drinks and light appetizers will be held in Star Plaza at 1302 Euclid Avenue. RSVPs are appreciated via Facebook event page or email at info @ coldscapes.org. The COLD programming is made possible with the generous support of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and The Cleveland Foundation. More info on COLD available at www.coldscapes.org.