Archinect - Features

'Everyone Talks About Silver Linings, It's Hard to Talk About Opportunities': A Conversation with Elizabeth Leber, Managing Partner at Beyer Blinder Belle

2022-02-01T12:01:00-05:00

"In times of crisis and seismic moments come great opportunities for how you reshape who you are and how your employees view you. You begin to reshape your values, and for me, becoming a Managing Partner was an important time." These are the words of Elizbeth Leber, Managing Partner at Beyer Blinder Belle (BBB). When we connected via Zoom on a Tuesday morning in January, our conversation developed into a wonderful chat about unconventional paths to architecture, her love for art history and adaptive reuse, and the importance of taking off your headphones.

Now that we're in the year 2022, practitioners continue to make efforts towards re-envisioning what a firm leader looks like. While women have resiliently changed and challenged the field of architecture for decades, Beyer Blinder Belle's Elizabeth Leber is no exception. “Any business leader needs to have empathy and the ability to identify with our clients and our staff,” expressed Elizabeth, “It’s important to remember that each...

RISD Interior Architecture Graduate Students Utilize Adaptive Reuse Principles and a 3D Immersive Experience to Reimagine a More Accessible Pell Bridge

2021-09-30T08:08:00-04:00

The case for increased accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists is an ongoing topic. While public access and mobility within urban landscapes also involve factors relating to public policy and urban planning, eight students from RISD's Interior Architecture (RISD Int|AR) were presented with a challenge to address ways an iconic bridge in Rhode Island could be improved.

For their project "Crossing the Pell," a group of graduate students has developed a design proposal that brings attention to pedestrian and cyclist pathways to Pell Bridge, an iconic suspension bridge connecting Newport and Jamestown, RI.

"Crossing the Pell" is merely one of the many projects produced by students from RISD's Int|AR program that aims to elevate the use and application of adaptive reuse techniques and community engagement. To learn more about this work, Archinect explores the project and the immersive in-person exhibition that took place in August.

Diversifying the Disciplines: Hacin + Associates on Integrating Multiple Expertises Under One Roof

2021-06-04T10:48:00-04:00

Established in 1993 by architect David Hacin as a traditional architecture firm, Boston-based Hacin + Associates has since grown into an interdisciplinary design practice with more than 30 team members.

We reached out to Hacin for this week's Studio Snapshot to learn more about the incentives for integrating interior design and branding departments, his take on an office size 'sweet spot,' and the importance of fostering Boston's local identity.

The Butterfly Effect: Retrofitting Low-Income Housing

2021-05-27T13:18:00-04:00

America's low-income housing stock is aging. The human health, social, economic, and environmental consequences of substandard housing is felt not just by their inhabitants, but by the general public. However, a growing number of architects, researchers, and policymakers are identifying a solution: retrofitting. In this article, we take a closer look at the current status of America's low-income and public housing stock, as well as the benefits, methods, and potential futures for a large-scale retrofit campaign that transforms both lives and living conditions.

Unpacking Adaptive Reuse, Professional Practice, and Interior Architecture with RISD's Adaptive Reuse Program

2020-08-11T15:56:00-04:00

Unique to RISD's Interior Architecture Department (INTAR) is its one-year post-professional Master of Arts in Adaptive Reuse program. In this feature we take a closer look at the mission and goals for the students of Archinect’s newest School Partner. According to Interior Architecture Department Head Liliane Wong, "The program emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting the context of the existing structure and making design interventions that contribute to the layers of history embedded in our built environment."

To learn more Archinect spoke with Wong, Graduate Program Director Stefano Corbo, and several current students and alumni from the MA Adaptive Reuse program to learn about their experiences and program takeaways. Together we explore the program's mission and how students are prepared to develop expertise in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and architectural interiors.

Op-Ed: Time, Space, and Adaptive Reuse in the Age of Social Distancing

2020-05-20T09:00:00-04:00

In the current pandemic era, social distancing has become synonymous to maintaining “six foot distance” to contain the community spread of COVID-19. This essentially puts architectural space at a premium for both designers and the public. To mitigate these effects, could thinking of “time” as an essential design strategy benefit architecture in the era of social distancing?

Recycled Buildings: How to Design for Disassembly

2018-06-06T09:30:00-04:00

Architecture firms and their clients are becoming increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of their buildings, from life-cycle performance to the economic and environmental costs of dumping quality used components. According to the CDRA, over 500 million tons of recoverable construction and demolition materials are produced in the US each year, including concrete, gypsum wallboard, timber and metals, the vast majority of which end up in a landfill. This month’s feature asks the question—what if we designed for disassembly from the beginning? I speak with Anders Lendager from the Lendager Group, a Danish firm working towards a circular economy by giving upcycled and recycled building materials a new life in their buildings. I also check in with building scientist Bradley Guy, who has been advocating for design for disassembly (DfD) for over twenty years, with the aim to offer outline suggestions for architects to ensure their buildings are ready for the end from the beginni...