Kent State University Archives

September 30, 2015

Shortlists Announced! Bialosky Team in Two Big Interviews Today (Good Luck!)

Today is a busy day for the Bialosky team as we have two interviews today both close to home and away.

The first is the renovation/ rehabilitation of Taylor Hall at Kent State University, which today houses the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED), the College of the Arts, the School of Communication Studies, and the May 4th Visitor Center. With the CAED moving to their new building in 2016, Taylor Hall will namely house the School of Visual Communications Design (VCD).

Taylor Hall, the 1960's building set on "Blanket Hill", on the National Register of Historic Places, will be rehabilitated for Kent State's VCD program. The project is seeking LEED Silver Certification.

Shortlisted teams are:

Bialosky + Partners Architects
bshm architects
Payto Architects
Van Auken Akins Architects

The second interview for Bialosky today is in New York, for the renovation of the historic Carnegie Library in downtown Binghamton. Constructed in 1903 and listed on the registry of Historical Buildings, Carnegie Library will be renovated to house SUNY BROOME Community College's Hospitality Center.

Over a century old, the Carnegie Library will find a new life as SUNY BROOME's downtown Binghamton campus, housing their Hospitality Program.

We are excited to team with Holt Architects for this endeavor! The architectural firm out of Ithica are also highly experienced in Higher Education projects, and ranked as one of Central New York's Best Places to Work (Sounds like we'd make a good team!)

Good luck to all of you today!

Published by Hallie DelVillan in Announcements

Tags: Architecture, Bialosky Cleveland, BPA Success, Cleveland, Congrats, Culinary, Higher Education, Historic Buildings, Kent State University, KSU CAED

September 17, 2014

A Future Practice: Bialosky + Partners Lead Sessions at the 2014 AIA Ohio Convention!

AIA Ohio Convention 2014 Bialosky + Partners Architects

This week, Bialosky + Partners Architects will lead sessions at the 2014 AIA Ohio Convention, in Kent, OH that tackle the theme of "A Future Practice". Senior and Managing Principal Jack A. Bialosky, Jr., AIA, LEED AP and Principal David W. Craun, AIA, LEED AP are jointly leading two sessions. Thursday’s Session, Action Planning For Firm Development will be facilitated by Jeffery Carmen, Management Consultant to the AEC industry. On Friday, Jack and David, along with Partner Aaron Hill AIA of Richard Fleischman + Partners Architects, and Principal Mike Schuster, FAIA, LEED AP of MSA Architects will be hosting a discussion titled It Takes A Village to Raise A Partner. Finally, Designer and Business Development Director Theodore Ferringer, Assoc. AIA, LEED Assoc., is leading a session on Thursday with designer Michael Christoff, Assoc. AIA, of Vocon and Project Manager Angela Jayjack Assoc. AIA, LEED AP of the General Services Administration, titled Empowering Emerging Professionals & Non-Traditional Practitioners: Lessons Learned From AIA Cleveland.

We hope to see you there!

See details regarding the convention and the individual sessions below:

About the 2014 AIA Ohio Convention:

AIA Ohio, in collaboration with host chapters AIA Eastern Ohio and AIA Akron will be hosting the 2014 AIA Ohio convention at Kent State University on September 18 - 20, 2014. Working together with members of the profession from throughout Ohio, this years convention will be the first time that AIA Ohio has worked to bring its annual convention to the site of one of the states architectural programs.

This years theme, "A Future Practice" focuses on careers, business and practice opportunities for those who are just entering the architectural profession as well as long time practitioners looking for ways to change their existing practices. Centered out of the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center, the convention will focus on the connection of practice to the academy as the profession is redesigned.

Thursday, Sept. 18: 1:00 - 2:15pm at Dix Ballroom, KSU

Action Planning For Firm Development
2014-09-19_AIA_Session_AP

Too much time spent working in the business and not enough spent on the business can leave a firm stagnant and unable to compete. Generational changes and new technologies are not only changing how we produce architecture, but the business of architecture itself. This session reflects on how leadership can successfully plan for the changing landscape of practice, creating opportunities for innovation and growth, while still getting the job done. This session is primarily focused on mid to large size firms. Jeffery Carmen, Management Consultant to the AEC industry will lead this session, explaining the trends, hurdles, opportunities to both the business and practice of architecture. With over 35 years of experience, Carmen has helped many define and achieve success on their terms. With a belief that "industry standard metrics" perpetuate mediocrity, Jeffrey will explain how to plan for action without falling into usual solutions. Joining Jeffery will be Bialosky + Partners Architects Managing Principal, Jack Bialosky, Jr., and the firm's youngest Principal, David W. Craun. They will share BPA's recent Action Planning strategy which has transformed such things as work environment, branding and messaging, and young leadership that has pushed the firm to never before seen successes.

Thursday, Sept. 18: 2:30 - 3:45pm at McGilvery Ballroom, KSU

Empowering Emerging Professionals & Non-Traditional Practitioners: Lessons Learned From AIA Cleveland

2014-09-16_AIA_Empowering Emerging Professionals & Non-Traditional Practitioners COVER IMAGE

Organizations throughout the county are evaluating how they engage the generations they serve. With an average member age of 50 and 40% of members retiring in the next 10 years, AIA is at a particularly sensitive and exciting time as it evaluates its relationship with Emerging Professionals (EP) and those on non-traditional career paths. In response to this context, AIA is proactively responding to evolving membership needs through the Repositioning Initiative. This session will showcase engagement and programming lessons learned by the AIA Cleveland Associates Committee; a committee organized by a series of Associate Directors who recognized the importance of engaging EP's and non-traditional career path professionals in the organization. This panel will engage the audience in discussing: How can EP's and associates become valuable resources for AIA as outreach into the community, positioning components as leaders within the community? How can increased EP and associate participation help address the diversity gap found in most chapters? What value does AIA participation by EP's and associates have for firms? We shall discuss these questions and more in this moderated panel discussion, sharing the replicable model that AIA Cleveland has recently developed to engage and empower EP and associate members.

Friday, Sept. 19: 9:00am - 10:15am at McGilvery Ballroom, KSU

It Takes A Village To Raise A Partner

2014-AIA_Session_It_Takes_A_Village_FINAL 1

A roundtable discussion will allow participants to examine the road to Partnership as one that requires equal ownership of the process by both older and newer leaders of the firm. This model of shared ownership asks experienced Partners to strategize in growing and harvesting the next generation of leadership together with future firm leaders. A culture of empowerment and self-driven responsibility proves to be the soil for emerging practitioners (EPs) to not only bloom, but to take roots in the firm. From the EP side, the session explores how to emerge as a partner in a fashion that fits him/her personally. Managing Partner of Bialosky + Partners Architects, Jack A. Bialosky, Jr, AIA, LEED AP, will host this roundtable with David W. Craun, AIA, LEED AP, who made history when he earned the first intern-to-partner promotion in the firm. Mike Schuster, FAIA, LEED AP, Founding Principal of MSA Architects and AIA Ohio Immediate Past President and Aaron Hill, AIA, Partner at Richard Fleischman + Partners Architects and AIA Cleveland President-Elect will join other architects at various career milestones from around the state to join the discussion.

Published by Hallie DelVillan in Announcements, Thought Leadership

Tags: Academia, AIA, AIA Cleveland, AIA Ohio, Bialosky Cleveland, BPA Success, Community Outreach, Kent State University, KSU CAED, Practice, Thought Leaders

February 13, 2014

BPA University – Digital Fabrication + Scripting in Architecture

Last Friday I put together a small informal internal lunch and learn for the BPA staff in which we looked at and discussed digital fabrication equipment and construction techniques. Based off of the course that I taught at Kent State University last semester, the discussion of various techniques and uses in architectural applications became very exciting. We also began to discuss and share how the process of scripting and parametric design could impact our design. I shared various precedent from firms such as SHoP Architects, design work by Alex Hogrefe, and even included some of my own work on a new bookshelf that is in process. Feel free to walk through the Prezi Presentation below!

[prezi id="<http://prezi.com/jhgvwfbugqxo/macraild-dig-fab-and-parametric-modelling-lunch-and-learn/#>" width=500 height=400 lock_to_path=0]

Published by Matt MacRaild in Thought Leadership, Workplace Culture

Tags: Academic Architecture, Algorithmic architecture, Bialosky Cleveland, Building Technology, Digital Fabrication, Efficient Design Strategies, Kent State University, Parametric Design, Rhino

January 14, 2014

Theory and Practice

In addition to being a firm that has taken on many higher-education projects (e.g. LCCC, KSU 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.

Published by Jill Christoff in Community, Thought Leadership

Tags: Academia, BPA Success, Cleveland, Design Studios, Kent State University, KSU CAED, Residential

July 30, 2013

Bialosky + Partners Receives Honorable Mention in the 2013 COLDSCAPES Competition!

"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.

Published by Jack Bialosky in Announcements, Community, Competitions / Awards, Thought Leadership

Tags: Architecture, Bialosky Cleveland, BPA Success, Cleveland, Exhibit, Kent State University, Urban Planning & Design

Older Posts ›