The BRW Creative

Latest

USPS AND CAMPBELL SOUP CAN DRIVE

This Friday there will be one largest one day food drive around, sponsored by our good friends at USPS and Campbell soups.

Its very simple: place full grocery bags of canned goods and non perishables outside near the mailbox and your carrier will collect them and distribute to local food banks. Call your local post office and see if they are participating, if you have a walking carrier they notify the drivers of a pick up. Great to do at home or as an office.

Please follow the link for more information. http://www.helpstampouthunger.com/learnMore.aspx

The San Francisco office will be collecting canned foods through Friday, I would like to encourage all of our offices to do the same. (come on, postal team!)

POSTED BY: catherinehowley

Posted by howley | May 12, 2011 | Categories: Cool Stuff, News | Leave A Comment »

ENGINEERS…THE NEW ARCHITECTS?

For quite some time now, the Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE)/Texas Board of Professional Engineers (TBPE) and the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners (TBAE) have debated the extent of professional services that engineers can legally provide when it comes to comprehensive building design. Despite the fact that the Texas Legislature passed the “practice act” (1990) requiring architecture to be performed by architects AND the fact that the Texas Courts have ruled that engineering and architecture are separate professions and that engineers may not engage in the same activities as architects, TSPE continues to try to expand the definition of their practice through the State Legislature. Currently, there are 5 bill that are proposed before the 82nd Texas State Legislation. Each of these providing engineers the legal authority to expand their services to provide comprehensive building design.

Learn more about the proposed bills and the issues the architectural profession faces in the State Legislature from the following websites:

www.architectmagazine.com

texasarchitect.org

www.tbae.state.tx.us/TBAE/OAGOpinionRequest.shtml

POSTED BY: aevertson

Posted by aevertson | March 30, 2011 | Categories: News | Leave A Comment »

TEENS IN ARCHITECTURE

Teenagers.

A three syllable word so simple in its phonetics but so complex in its meaning! But not to worry, let me assure you they are not as scary as they sound. In fact, we’ve come to realize that “Teenagers” are just younger versions of us, with much better fashion sense!

Let me explain further…. These past three weeks, a few members of the BRW team have had the opportunity to put away our hard hats and replace them with hip teenager caps. As part of the process of doing a Masterplan for Dallas Housing Authority in Lakewest (a focus area of West Dallas), we are collaborating with nearly 25 high school students and 2 high school teachers to get their feedback on what they desire in their community. And it has been fantastic experience, to say the least!

The process is divided into 4 phases:

- The first phase was the orientation, which explained what the student’s role were to be and when events were to take place.

- The second phase was a Student Exploration Trip, which included a very Teen friendly Exploration Manual describing 5 different areas of Dallas and the architectural/urban elements each area encompasses. BRW Architects took the students on a bus trip to each of these areas (The Village Park, Addison Circle, Mockingbird Station, Henderson Ave, and Bishop Arts) and explained why there were successful and how they may be applicable to Lakewest. And let me tell you, there were a lot of Oooooo’s and Ahhhh’s, which was an added benefit!

- The most recent phase was the Student Planning Session, which included a large scale site plan gameboard and fun iconic building game pieces. The students were to brainstorm about what they want in Lakewest, and work together in groups to come up with a Masterplan design.

- The last phase, which will take place next week will be a final presentation of the Students Design to DHA and their families.

Although we knew going into the process that the students were going to be a blast to work with, we had no idea how dedicated they would be, how many creative ideas they would come up with, and just how passionate they are about architecture, urban environments, and their community. We are so excited about this opportunity, and can’t wait until the presentations!

So, as scary as it may sound, we were all there once. Remember, all those years long ago? These past two weekends have been like a time machine back into our high school days of classroom settings, awkward moments, and of course…..homework.

But our education was never this cool!!!!!

POSTED BY: abflores

Posted by abflores | March 29, 2011 | Categories: Around Town, Cool Stuff, From the Trailer | Leave A Comment »

BOOT COUTURE

What’s fun and exciting? Visiting the job site to see how buildings are constructed. What’s not fun and exciting? Hearing the words “proper thick soled shoes must be worn when on site.” What does this mean?!? I don’t even own such a thing!

I know for most of you fellows out there, this is not an issue. You probably have an old pair of boots just lying around waiting to be worn. I mean, what’s a guy to do without a trusty and dusty pair of work boots, right? For me this is not the case, and having discussed this issue with many of my female colleagues, I have discovered that I am not the only one. Here at BRW, I have survived a year and a half without having the proper “attire” when going on site visits — “What?! You mean to tell me that my purple Chuck Taylors aren’t going to get the job done? Or what about my Sperry Topsiders that have yet to be worn on an actual boat?!?” — I fear my luck is running out.

I am determined to find a pair of boots that comply with safety on the job site, yet have a slightly fashionable (not entirely hideous) aspect to them. The last thing I want is to be walking around with boots equivalent in weight and looks to a pair of CMUs. I have recently started researching possible solutions to this dilemma, but I have only scraped the surface. I have found a few that I like and several that I don’t like. At this rate, I will be a licensed architect before I can find a suitable solution. Any suggestions?

POSTED BY: jennasteinbeck

Posted by Jenna | March 17, 2011 | Categories: From the Trailer, In the Cube | 6 Comments »

INTERIOR INSPIRATION

In our architectural practice, we design the building envelope, the surfaces that form and define space. We add systems to the space to make it function, and we select finishes that highlight definitions of space, functions, or forms. We celebrate the building itself. What happens next? The occupant moves in, they fill their new spaces with furnishings, artwork, travel mementos and books – the stuff of everyday life. And sometimes, that is when the space really comes alive.

What is so fascinating about images of a well-designed, but lived-in space? They can be aspirational – with their Panton chairs and Wolf ranges – or they can be small, yet significant additions to the space. These interiors could be in a historic brownstone, a modernist dream home, or have complete lack of architectural significance. What they show us is how the design and styling of an interior space gives life to the shell.

Think about what these images would look like without the books in the bookshelves, the family photographs, or the selected furniture. They would be beautiful, but blank. Take a look at the two images of the same kitchen.

The first highlights the architectural design – the industrial exposed ductwork, the high-end fixtures and appliances, the sleek countertops and shelving contrasted with the rough sawn floors and historic woodwork. In the second image, the owner moves in and injects their life into the space. They set out the toaster and bring flowers home from the market. Granted, this is a photograph styled for a magazine shoot. But, what studying images of interiors illustrates is that with the addition of a few seemingly inconsequential items, suddenly what was already aesthetically pleasing is now given a layer of emotion that makes a personal connection to us and our own spaces.

Link : A Brooklyn brownstone via Design*Sponge

Image 1: Kitchen designed by Levenson McDavid Architects via Habitually Chic

Image 2: Same kitchen as photographed in Domino magazine via Habitually Chic

POSTED BY: ABBY HILES

Posted by brwarchitecture | February 18, 2011 | Categories: Cool Stuff | 1 Comment »

SERIOUSLY….I’M AN ARCHITECT.

Those of us in Architecture, we take ourselves seriously. We do. We wear dark colors and eccentric eye wear. We use fancy pens and write our names in ways that rival most doctors and/or 3^rd graders. We are the ones that conquered “all that math in college.” We scrutinize details the average person never even looks at. We even align the screws on the light switches and wall receptacles at our homes. (It’s ok, admit it, you do).

Sometimes, we need to be less serious and laugh at ourselves, just a little. Below are a couple websites that poke some fun at those of us in the Architecture industry and thankfully, in some cases, you have to be in the industry to see the humor. “Architexts” is a comic that is issued a couple times a week and touches on topics that will make you wonder if someone in your office is the author/creator. It might not make you fall out of your chair laughing and some days it will just echo your frustrations, but it will remind you that maybe, just maybe, we shouldn’t take ourselves quite so seriously.

http://www.arkitectrue.com/tag/humor/

POSTED BY: charlesbrant

Posted by brwarchitecture | February 4, 2011 | Categories: Cool Stuff, In the Cube | Leave A Comment »

WELL, IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN.

NCARB Annual Renewal Fee time, of course.

Love it or hate it, IDP is one of those things that we have to do (although I bet most people feel one of these emotions more often than the other). Even on a good day, the entire process can be a headache: going through the old time cards, making the spreadsheets, organizing in the different categories, the new format they give you every 6 months!

Even though it is tedious, there is a sense of pride that comes after a good, long IDP session. Not only have you documented your work into the system before it expired, you are also working toward the overall goal. Several of us have wanted to be architects for a long time. (And one day guys, we’ll get there!) The endless questions from friends and family about what becoming an architect really entails can be frustrating. Why is it so hard? Why does it take so long? The only answer that matters is that anything that’s worth doing is going to be hard.

So here is my suggestion for making IDP more tolerable. Make a night out of it! Grab co-workers who are in the same boat and get together once a month. Turn it into a game – whoever is the last to submit experience on e-EVR by the end of the month is buying the first round, or has to sing The 12 Days of Christmas as The Count from Sesame Street. This one really works to get people motivated, I swear.

Work with your supervisors and let them know what areas you need time in. Make a recurring lunch meeting with them so it never falls behind. Whatever it is you gotta do, do it. It can be frustrating in the meantime, but it’s worth it.

Now, I’m off to Construction Phase – Observation.

POST BY: catherinehowley

Posted by howley | January 24, 2011 | Categories: In the Cube | Leave A Comment »

WINDOWS 7 SLEEP

Windows 7 users… How often do you turn off your computer? For those that are patient enough to wait for the computer to boot up and become usable, how long do you have to wait?

Windows 7 has become a lot faster than XP or Vista at “waking up” from “sleep”, that is, you don’t have to turn off your computer to save power. Instead of shutting down, you can put it to “sleep”, which is a low-power consumption mode that enables you to save your computer’s state to memory while essentially turned off. “Wake up” the computer by clicking your mouse button or hitting a key on the keyboard. Using this feature enables your computer to return to its usable state in a fraction of the time. This is a simple way to reduce one’s carbon footprint (for those energy conscious individuals).

Watts x Hours Used x Cost per kilowatt-hour

————————————————————- = Total Cost

1000

If you leave your computer on overnight doing nothing, you are still consuming power. The power consumption varies widely from computer to computer. For example, let’s say you have a computer with a 400W power supply. Doing nothing but staying on, the computer will still use energy. It may use 150W simply idling. If you leave your computer on (idling) for 15 hours every night, and pay an average of $0.10 per kWh, your total cost per day is:

150 x 15 x $0.10

————————– = $0.225, or $82.13 per year (+ $14 for hours spent idling on the weekend)

1000

Imagine how much money could be saved if everyone did this!

POST BY rschmidt

Posted by brwarchitecture | January 10, 2011 | Categories: Green Update, In the Cube | Leave A Comment »

MY WOW CAKE

There are certain moments in your life when your face lights up so bright, you could lead a blind man through a crowded street. Yes, those are the moments you think “That was AWESOME!” I call them WOW cake.

A WOW cake came to me this past weekend at a site visit to John. T. White Elementary School in Fort Worth. (Ok, ok… there were actually multiple ones.) Now…what happened might you ask that was so inspiring, so full of awe that I would actually give it such an honored label? Well, for those of you unaware, I’m an aspiring architect. You know, we design stuff, solve problems, make dreams come true, yadda yadda yadda, but most of all….GET STUFF BUILT.

Now my exposure to the “GET STUFF BUILT” category has been quite limited. So when an opportunity arises that includes “GET STUFF BUILT” and potential “WOW cake” status, I mean COME ON! That’s a no brainer! And to add even more icing to the WOW cake, there were going to be several “GET STUFF BUILT” experts there so I could ask tons of questions. And oh my, did I. I asked about the brick, the black stuff on the CMU (which by the way is damproofing!), the flashing details, the end dam for the flashing (which by the way I didn’t know existed till Drew pointed it out!), the fire dampers, the door frames, and the list goes on! And, I even climbed 2 ladders! Ok, ok…one was like a steep stair, but the other was like 100’ tall and had spikes! Well, it looked like it anyway. I mean I had a knowledge intake overload! And then…..it was over… just like that.

But you see… that’s when it hit me. Not only did I have “a moment”….I had tons of them. I not only got the extra icing on the cake, but sprinkles, fresh strawberries, and a cake cover to maintain moistness. I had gotten a WOW cake.

WOW.

Thanks Charles, Drew, Doug, Ronnie, and Masako. That was AWESOME!

POST BY: abflores

Posted by abflores | December 29, 2010 | Categories: From the Trailer | Leave A Comment »

TEXAS A&M – COMMERCE MUSIC BUILDING APPROACHES FIRST PERFORMANCE

With construction of the new Texas A&M – Commerce Music Building coming to a close and the Lions’ Homecoming about a week away, the Music Department is gearing up for their first live performance in their new Concert Hall. The University has already scheduled over 30 recitals for the fall and spring semesters and they are excited to show off their new building to the rest of the campus. A joint venture between BRW Architects and HGA Architects, the 67,000 square foot Music Building features two performance spaces including the 600 seat Concert Hall and the 80 seat Recital Hall, and includes specialized rehearsal halls, individual practice rooms and associated classrooms.

POSTED BY: aevertson

Posted by aevertson | November 16, 2010 | Categories: From the Trailer | Leave A Comment »

The BRW Creative Architects in Context