We have one final promotion to announce at Bialosky + Partners: David W. Craun has been promoted to Associate Principal. Congratulations, David! With a Masters in Urban Design from Kent State University fresh in hand, David joined our office in 2003 as one of our most well-rounded designers. It’s a common myth that architects cannot successfully balance theory and practice, but David has shattered that falsehood quite early in his career. He keeps a solid foot in each of these two worlds – theory through teaching at Kent State University’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, and practice through his work at Bialosky + Partners. Projects that stand out in his young career are Crocker Park, Lorain County Community College’s Ben and Jane Norton Culinary Arts Center, INTESA at University Circle, and Kent State University’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) Competition with Architecture Research Office. When not at the office or teaching architectural design, David volunteers design services for good causes, not just in his community, but also in faraway lands.

INTESA at University Circle

Some say David must live in an alternate time-space continuum, because for many, leadership in a prominent Cleveland design firm, teaching, mentoring, volunteering, and crafting flawless life-size diorama-like children’s birthday party environments would be a full schedule. But David and his artist wife, Jen Craun, Associate Director at Zygote Press, find the time to be exceptionally engaged in the Cleveland arts and local food scenes. Farmer’s Markets are not just a hip sunny outing for David, but actually part of a much greater statement: The Crauns spend nearly 100% of their grocery budget locally, as highlighted in a recent Edible Cleveland article.

David and his wife Jen are quite skilled by now at building these extraordinary birthday party environments for their children, like this Superhero themed image.

David’s recommended book for the office suits him well; Makers: The New Industrial Revolution by Chris Anderson unwraps the new world of do-it-yourself product design and desktop manufacturing. But, let’s talk old-school manufacturing for a minute: David’s ideal Cleveland field trip for us? The Warehouse District. “It’s a gem of Cleveland History as the former center of commerce during the Civil War with amazing alleys, open spaces, and, of course, buildings that are worth exploring to both discover the past and dream of the future.”

More congratulations are in order: Bialosky + Partners Architects recently promoted Tracy Sciano Vajskop to Senior Associate, and Cliff Collins to Senior Associate and Director of Technology.  Today, we applaud you both! Tracy joined the Bialosky team in 2001, as an alumnus of the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. We knew from the get-go that Tracy wasn’t just a 9am-5pm Interior Designer, but immersed herself in the industry, and at a very early age. She has been an active member of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) since her college days, and is NCIDQ Certified (National Council for Interior Design Qualification). Even though Interior Design is not regulated in Ohio, Tracy strongly believes all designers should strive to be NCIDQ Certified. Tracy’s other key to success: absorbing books on leadership and business.  This kind of knowledge / training is often the missing piece of the puzzle in Architecture and Design education- so step up and find titles about how the business works, and how to inspire others. It didn’t surprise me when Tracy mentioned she’s a life-long volunteer for many organizations, including the American Cancer Society – she clearly prides herself in giving back, lifelong learning, customer service and integrity. By now, you must be thinking Tracy’s schedule is packed, but she spends every chance she gets with family and friends, “because there is nothing better than being surrounded by people you love”.

Tracy was a key team member in the success of Pura Vida Restaurant in Cleveland's Public Square for Chef Brandt Evans.

If you live in Northeast Ohio, you have probably been inside a space Tracy has helped design. She was the Senior Interior Designer for Pura Vida Restaurant & Cuyahoga Community College’s Hospitality Management Center which both coexist within the historic May Company Building in Public Square. These dynamic spaces recently won the 2012 Best Mixed Use Interior Design of the Year for the Northeast Ohio Chapter of NAIOP (National Association of Industrial and Office Properties). Tracy has also been on the project teams for Muskingum University’s Chess Center, Seton Hall University’s Richie Regan Recreation and Athletic Center, the Cleveland Bar Association, and Lorain County Community College’s (LCCC) Ben and Jane Norton Culinary Arts Center. LCCC was actually our last office field trip, but if Tracy could choose our next one, we’d hit the West Side Market. (Although she labels herself as a picky-eater, and would likely pass on a lot of the food, she still finds it fascinating.) Being a huge sports fan, Tracy would also include a behind the scenes tour of Progressive Field (she still calls it “The Jake”) or the Cleveland Browns Stadium to our field trip. If the day was clear, we’d also visit the top of the Terminal Tower, and end the day at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist on E.9^th Street. We welcomed Cliff to Bialosky + Partners in 1997, where he entered the office with talents in both architecture and technology. He studied at the University of Akron, and is a Registered Architect in New York, Maryland, and Arizona. But Cliff knows that architecture should not just have the Registered Architect stamp on it, and that it should be built with a responsibility to our planet and its resources. He proudly supports green building strategies, and is a LEED AP BD + C professional within the U.S. Green Building Council.  He also joins more than 3,000 affiliated architects, engineers, contractors and others nationwide with a passion for the science and good practice behind building enclosures in the Building Enclosure Council (BEC Cleveland Chapter). Cliff is also a well-known techie in our office (many of us have his number memorized for when we have technical difficulties) and is an active member of the Northeast Ohio Revit User Group (NEOREG).

Progressive Insurance Campus II, a key project for Cliff, would be one sites he'd have our office visit on a tour around Cleveland.

Repeat clients are Cliff’s pride and joy – and it shows in projects such as Crocker Park Phases I & II. From 75 acre projects like Crocker Park, to the GCRTA Brookpark station reconstruction, Cliff has fueled the success of projects of all shapes and sizes. Other projects include WMBF HDTV Television Studio, Queen of Green NY, and Progressive Insurance SOM Campus. In fact, in the firm’s history, we’ve built so much in our own backyard here in Cleveland, Cliff would love it if the office went on a “Bialosky Tour of Cleveland”, hitting all our work here at home. Yes, Cliff has a lot of experience, but studying and research is also instrumental. He recommends adding Why Buildings Stand Up by Mario Salvadori to your shelf- the simple informative sketches and direct explanations bring to light the structural logic behind bridges, skyscrapers and more. Congratulations Tracy and Cliff!