Lighting quality affects human behavior, comfort, health, efficiency, safety and security. These beautiful and functional architectural lighting is the ultimate expressions of versatility, customizable to your style and your space. These designer lamps come in wall- and ceiling-mounted designs, or as floor of table models. The Zero, Zero 360 and Punto designer lamps are made in Italy using 100 percent glass – inside and outside. The Zero lamp can be a ceiling-mounted fixture with one, two or three suspended lights that are fixed or movable, or lined up in a row along a track. (more…)
Pay attention to personality. Most people hire an architect only once in their lives. Searching for one is akin to finding a financial planner, architects say. Look for an architect who has designed projects that are similar in style and scope to yours. “There’s no substitute for experience,” says Todd Strickland, a partner with Historical Concepts, an Atlanta architectural firm. Because designing a home is such a personal project, it’s important that you feel able to communicate with your architect.
Liza Nugent, 41 years old, and her husband needed an architect to combine their apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side with a neighboring unit; they got referrals from friends. The first person they called made a snippy remark about how “unsophisticated” co-op boards in buildings on side streets such as theirs make renovations difficult. “I thought, with that kind of attitude, we definitely wouldn’t get along,” Mrs. Nugent says. After calling two more architects and interviewing three others, the Nugents picked a longtime acquaintance who had creative design solutions for their project. (more…)
They aimed for silver, will likely get gold – and in the process, ended up with a prestigious Innovation in Architecture Award from the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada.
That’s a quick summary of the accomplishments Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd. of Edmonton chalked up through its work on the $28-million Greenstone government of Canada building in Yellowknife, N.W.T.
Designed in its geographic context and reflecting the city’s mining heritage, the building is touted as the first structure north of the 60th parallel to achieve gold status via the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program established by the Canada Green Building Council.
With that certification process not quite complete, partner Richard Isaac stops short of saying the gold standard is in the bag. But he will say the firm surpassed its initial aim of silver certification – and has more than enough “points” for gold status.
Isaac also admits that a booming economy means the firm, well-known for its focus on energy-efficient designs and healthy workplaces, is “so busy that we actually don’t take on projects anymore with clients that don’t have an interest in sustainability.”
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Located in the heart of the Chicago Loop, the historic Palmer House Hilton, the longest operating hotel in North America, is soon to undergo a renovation to produce a more contemporary hotel experience. Renowned design firm ForrestPerkins has been commissioned for the renovation by Thor Equities L.L.C., the property’s new owners. While staying true to the historic legacy of the Palmer House, the contemporary renovations will allow for the redesign of hotel guest rooms, bathrooms and corridors as part of the hotel’s $150 million renovation, slated for completion the Fall of 2008.
(more…)
Located in the heart of the Chicago Loop, the historic Palmer House Hilton, the longest operating hotel in North America, is soon to undergo a renovation to produce a more contemporary hotel experience. Renowned design firm ForrestPerkins has been commissioned for the renovation by Thor Equities L.L.C., the property’s new owners. While staying true to the historic legacy of the Palmer House, the contemporary renovations will allow for the redesign of hotel guest rooms, bathrooms and corridors as part of the hotel’s $150 million renovation, slated for completion the Fall of 2008. (more…)
