Journal

Cypress Meadows Community Center

COMMUNITY > AMENITY

JBGL and Trevor Brickman from Centre Living Homes hired Nimmo to design their Cypress Meadows Community Center with the goal of creating a place that would be more than a collection of amenities.  For the team, it was important to create a complex of enduring quality; intended to be the hub of the surrounding enclave.  With a long-term vision, it was essential to integrate sustainable design methods and technology.

Trevor's crew has nearly completed the steel skeleton of the community center.  A wing-like roof, wrapping a large outdoor pool, shelters interior and exterior spaces to be used for social events, lounging, and fitness.  Alongside the swimming area, individual cabanas allow local residents to set up camp for the day.  A bocce ball court in the front lawn further provides a place for casual sport and gathering.

While the structure seems to hover along most of its west facing frontage, the conditioned spaces are oriented with their main facades towards the north and south; a passive solar design fundamental.    

 

Blue Horse Fishing Cabin Concept Study

Nimmo retreats to Glen Rose, Texas to explore fishing cabin concepts for Melissa Auberty of Blue Horse Studio.

Project: Old Range Family Home

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The solution for the Oldrange Family Home aspires to enhance the lives of three generations; children, their parents and grandparents.  The focus of the home is the open family spaces which are intended to continuously connect each generation to nature and one another.  The communal spaces are balanced with a variety of smaller spaces that are meant to provide personal respite and environments for individual reflection.  The family hopes to strengthen each other through living and learning together as well as doing the same with the larger surrounding community.

Incorporating passive and active sustainable design strategies was a high priority.  Examples include incorporating solar panels and geothermal HVAC system; addressing solar orientation through the placement of openings, overhangs, and landscaping; utilizing a highly reflective roof membrane; omitting heat-storing, attic space; and installation of high efficient LED recessed lighting.

Constuctivegc.com

Rick Fontenot of Constructive General Contractors has relaunched his site in a fresh, innovatve format consistent with his building style.  www.constructivegc.com  In his "It's in the details" section, he highlights the value a meticulous, design-sensitive contractor can add to a detail intensive project.  Using construction sketches and diagrams from his projects, he illustrates the benefit of proactive conflict resolution.

In 2011, Fontenot managed an unlikely coup.  Up against several established local contractors, he landed a very significant project of ours; the Old Range.  He has proven to be an invaluable asset.  He will inevitably be a top candidate for constructing our future.

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NIMMO Wins AIA Dallas 2012 Honor Award

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2012 AIA Dallas Design Awards

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2012 BUILT DESIGN AWARDS RECIPIENTS:

HONOR AWARD
Auberty Ranch
NIMMO American Studio For Progressive Architecture

HONOR AWARD
Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy
SHW Group

MERIT AWARD
Hallam Residence
Morrison Dilworth + Walls

MERIT AWARD
Addition to a Military Hospital
RTKL Associates Inc.

CITATION AWARD
Laura Rathe Gallery
Albert Marichal, Architect

CITATION AWARD
Watermark Community Church
OMNIPLAN

2012 BUILT JURY:



Brian MacKay-Lyons, Hon. FAIA

, was born and raised in Arcadia, Nova Scotia. Since 1985 Brian's practice-based research has built an international reputation for design excellence, confirmed by 67 awards, including five Governor General's Medals, six Canadian Architect Awards, Architectural Record House Awards, and an AIA Honor Award. His work has been published in 164 books, journals, and monographs including The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture, American Houses for the New Century, The History of Canadian Architecture, Encyclopedia of 20th Century World Architecture, Brian MacKay-Lyons: Selected Works 1986-1997, Wallpaper, The Architectural Review, Architectural Record, and Architecture. Plain Modern: The Architecture of Brian MacKay-Lyons, written by historian Malcolm Quantrill, was published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2005. This work has been the subject of 74 exhibitions, including "10 Shades of Green" by the Architectural League of New York. 

In addition to his 24 years as a Dalhousie professor, Brian has held visiting professorships at universities in the USA, Canada and Germany. Each July Brian offers the 'Ghost' international internship on his farm. This design-build workshop involving professors, students, and architects functions as a research laboratory. Brian contributes to the architectural community through participation on professional design juries, including the National Capital Commission in Ottawa since 1996.

While Brian's house designs have made him a leading proponent of critical regionalist architecture worldwide, his practice, 

MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects

, is in transition. A new office in Halifax's north end, where the firm has been engaged for two decades, now facilitates larger, public, and international commissions, including a new Canadian High Commission in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

Michel Rojkind was born in 1969, in Mexico City, Mexico. From 1987 to 1999, he was the drummer in aleks syntek's band 'la gente normal'. He studied architecture and urban planning at the Universidad iberoamericana, Mexico City. After working on his own for several years, he teamed up with Isaac Broid and Miquel Adria to establish adria+broid+rojkind (1998-2002) and finally he established the firm rojkind arquitectos(2002). More recently Michel has been short-listed to participate in several large scale international projects, in Canada, Kuwait, China, Dubai, Singapore and Spain. in addition to being a regular contributor in several international architectural and design publications Michel Rojkind has served as editor of the technology section of 'FWD', the architecture journal arquine international. 
He has been held several visiting professorships at universities across the world. rojkind arquitectos were nominated for the Ordos Prize, China 2009, twice for the Marcus Prize, U.S.A. (2007, 2009), and twice for the Iacov Chernikhov Prize, Russia (2006, 2008).

Anne Schopf, FAIA, provides inspired leadership in her role as Design Partner atMahlum and is a dedicated champion of design excellence with environmental stewardship. An award-winning architect, teacher, speaker, critic and mentor, she pushes for work that expands design dialogue, cross-pollinates ideas, enriches communities and integrates approaches to green design. Her projects and professional activism highlight the inextricable links that bind our lives and our buildings to the environment — enhancing the discourse on design and place. She recently served as the 2011 Chair of the AIA national Committee on Design (COD) Advisory Group and a peer reviewer for the General Services Administration (GSA) Design Excellence Program. She is a frequent juror for awards programs, including AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Green Awards, AIA Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) healthcare design awards and the 2009 AIA National Honor Awards for Architecture. With over five years serving on the AIA Seattle Board, including one as AIA Seattle President, Anne has advocated on behalf of the profession for design solutions that represent significant cultural and environmental value.

Project: Prospect Residence

The Prospect Residence was designed for a gentleman looking to develop a moderately sized home in central Dallas.  The site was located on an interior lot that was 50’ wide by 180’ deep.  There were no existing structures but preserving a large pecan tree near the front of the lot was of the utmost importance.  The homeowner wanted a place that would provide inspiration and that could be adapted for accessibility if necessary as he aged.

The single-story solution assembles large, simple masses and cantilevered planes to create expansive, open spaces within a typical single-family lot.  It was a priority to balance the drama of monumental spaces and forms with the serenity of nature.  Blurring the boundary between interior and exterior, at some perspectives the residence is completely see-through.  From other points of view, forms and objects slowly reveal themselves.  The house itself hides behind a large pecan tree as well as an architectural screen and landscaping.

Incorporating sustainable design strategies was a high priority.  Examples include addressing solar orientation through the careful placement of openings, overhangs, and landscaping; utilizing a highly reflective roof membrane; omitting heat-storing, attic space; detaching the garage to prevent the transmission of potentially harmful fumes and unwanted heat; and incorporating porous walkways to reduce the impact of storm runoff.