Journal

NIMMO Receives 2014 AIA Honors

NIMMO receives Honor Award for Oldrange and Special Jury Commendation for 2_Plex at the 2014 Dallas Chapter of The American Institute of Architects Built Design Awards.

From www.aiadallas.org:

Announcing the 2014 AIA Dallas Built Design Awards

13 October 2014

AIA Dallas is pleased to announce the five designs selected to receive 2014 Built Design Awards, the highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in built projects by Dallas architects. The jury also honored one entry with a Special Jury Commendation recognizing the project’s initiative and unique concept.

“These award-winning projects demonstrate responsive and innovative design concepts, as well as the versatility of Dallas architects,” said John Strasius, 2014 AIA Design Awards chair and senior associate at Perkins+Will. “We are pleased to honor and celebrate this year’s recipients and their contribution to the elevation of design in our community.”  

This year’s recipients were selected by a jury composed of world-renowned architects, including Coleman Coker of buildingstudio; Anne Fougeron, FAIA, of Fougeron Architecture; and Wendy Evans Joseph, FAIA, of Cooper Joseph Studio. The jury deliberated over more than 60 entries and selected the final recipients based on each design’s response to its context and community, program resolution, innovation, thoughtfulness, and technique.

photo credits: WJN

On The Boards: Hudson Residences

On The Brink

www.patronmagazine.com

YOUNG ARCHITECTS SHAPE DALLAS
ON THEIR OWN TERMS.

BY LEE CULLUM
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHAYNA FONTANA

Joshua Nimmo thought he would be with Lionel Morrison forever. He had discovered morrisonseifert-murphy on the Dallas website of AIA, and rushed to Dallas to join
the bonanza. After Oklahoma State University and a bit of bouncing about, Nimmo couldn’t help but be captivated by the chance to work on big-league projects such as Lucy Billingsley’s International Office Park and One Arts Plaza. Then it all fell apart, and Nimmo departed. “I didn’t want to hang around and fight for the remaining scraps,” he says, while admitting that to leave a semi-safe harbor “was not the smartest thing to do.” But he did it, and he needed a space to work. The perfect place was out there—an old White Star laundry he had “always loved,” on Greenville, near Mockingbird. He and interior designer Brant McFarlain leased the building and made the front part into an open office to sublet.

Nimmo spends a lot less time running all that now though, because architecture has picked up for him again since Alan Kagan came along. Kagan, a developer with a modern sensibility, had been sitting out the crash, waiting for the final unfolding, when suddenly he saw a way back into the building business: smaller-scale projects, madly modern, with expenses slashed by 30 percent or more.

Kagan joined forces with Nimmo, and the first houses they did together—sleek and versatile, about a mile northeast of downtown—were sold before the final work was finished.

Now Nimmo is designing the Old Range residence in Preston Hollow for the Kagan family. The two of them also are testing new ideas of density in their early territory near the
central city, with four small houses on stilts on a single lot. Why the rush now to clean, spare lines, born more of Sparta than of Athens? Because, says Nimmo, “The economy
shook things up. It changed people’s outlook. Their values changed. They wanted something. . .more authentic, that will last longer. They wanted the real reason behind things. They
were looking for more depth. The values of fluff were gone.” “We got more honest with ourselves,” he adds. “It made us reevaluate. It did for me.”


 

Cottonwood Valley Construction Progress

Concrete wall has been cast and in the curing process.  Steel framing is underway.

Photos Courtesy Rick Fontenot of Constructive GC

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.