Tag Archives: modern

Current: A New Building for McGuire Woods

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Image courtesy of the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Image courtesy of the Richmond Times-Dispatch

McGuire Woods, a law firm headquartered in downtown Richmond with 19 offices worldwide, has recently announced a new Headquarters building is to be constructed. The building’s site is a full block south of cary between 8th and 9th streets. It will be somewhere from 15 to 20 stories tall.

This block is currently occupied by surface parking and is considered by many to be one of the most significant rifts in the financial districts urban fabric. The construction of the building will close the mid block automobile cut through from 8th street to the Manchester bridge.

In addition to office space, 520 parking spaces and 10,000 square feet of ground level retail space will be included in the building. Pending city approval, it is expected to break ground this spring and open in 2015.

D.OK.

Retail Design in Richmond Part I: Need Supply and Black Swan Books

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Need Supply Co. 2


Need Supply Co.

Architect: BAM Architects
Dates: 2007-2010
Address: 3100 West Cary Street 23221

Black Swan Books

Architect: BAM Architects
Dates: 2003
Address: 2601 West Main Street

Since 1996, Need Supply Co. has dealt in boutique women’s and menswear from its store in Richmond. Over the years, it has developed a large online presence. Recently, it was named as one of the 25 Best menswear stores in the nation by GQ magazine. This accolade is due largely to the items that Need Supply carries but, as the article made clear, the aesthetic of the store itself was a large factor in the decision.

Need Supply Co. is headquartered in Carytown, the city’s most fashionable shopping district. Its corner site consists of a low, brick building with a large, cantilevered overhang. The building was given a thorough renovation by Richmond-based BAM Architects before Need was able to move in.

The result is easily one of the most striking and contemporary commercial spaces in Richmond. Exterior brick was stripped leaving its rough texture exposed; wood and steel structural features were given the same treatment. Handsome clothes racks, lighting fixtures, and casework complements the architecture. The company’s spare graphic design and signage program completes a total aesthetic that is as much about what isn’t there as what is.

Black Swan Books, another BAM Architects project several blocks away in the Fan District, takes a more traditional approach. Serifed fonts adorn the facade and packed bookcases fill the room. Upon closer observation, many similarities between Black Swan and Need Supply can be seen.  Exposed ductwork and raw materials are a constant though in this context they complement worn leather binding and blonde wood moldings rather than spare clothing displays. Black Swan’s extensive collection of rare books is housed in contemporary casework.

D.OK.

Current: Steven Holl Architects: Forking Time

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The Virginia Center for Architecture is currently hosting ‘Forking Time,’ an exhibition by Steven Holl Architects focusing on the design for the new Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Contemporary Arts (ICA). Holl, last year’s American Institute for Architects Gold Medal winner, is considered by some to be the nation’s leading architect. Projects such as Kansas City’s Nelson Atkins Museum, the “Horizontal Skyscraper” in Shenzhen, China, and Simmons Hall at M.I.T. are among his most famous works.

Based in New York and Beijing, the firm tackles projects all around the world. Steven Holl and senior partner Chris McVoy have designed the new ICA  which is slated for completion in 2015. The exhibition, originally displayed at the Meulensteen Gallery in New York City, opened in Richmond on September 13th and will be on view until October 18th.

The heart of the exhibition is 30 some small study models culminating in a large model of the completed, or nearly completed, design of the ICA. Earlier iterations are formal exercises; various sculptural pieces with varying degrees of abstraction. It is the early models that are perhaps the show’s highlight. The intimate scale of the work and the generally high level of craft in the models make them visually appealing; Indian miniature painting comes to mind.

Each model is accompanied by one of Holl’s signature water colors. The progression of the models and paintings is easy to follow, later pieces being just shades off of the final design. A few exceptions include a pair of models a third of the way through this progression. One features a group of dark, stone-like fused elements, the other looks like a cube eroded from the inside. Holl is thought, by some, to be an architect who works in distinct modes. In these models we can see a design approach more reminiscent of his M.I.T. dorm or Chengdu’s “Sliced Porosity Block” as opposed to the final design which is more closely related to his Nelson Atkins addition or the Surf Museum in Biarritz, France.

Aside from these objects, the exhibition includes a bit of wall text and a screen displaying some computer renderings. Some wall mounted plans or sections could have been useful, but it is difficult to criticize the handsome minimalism of the exhibit.

If you have not yet seen the exhibit, it is well worth the visit. After all, it is not often that world renowned architects show work in our city, much less work on a major local project.

D.OK.

ArchitectureRichmond writer Edwin Slipek’s recent review of the show in Style Magazine:
The Architect’s Mind: How did Steven Holl create Richmond’s new Institute of Contemporary Art?

Virginia Center for Architecture:
http://www.virginiaarchitecture.org/vca_index.html

Steven Holl Architects:
http://www.stevenholl.com/index.php

Interview: Chris Fultz

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Chris Fultz is head of Fultz Architects, a Richmond-based design firm. Previously, he served as a design principle at SMBW Architects where he lead such projects as Luck Stone’s headquarters, the Belvedere Gardens Mausoleum, and the United Network for Organ Sharing headquarters. He was interviewed by ArchitectureRichmond’s Don O’Keefe earlier this year.

Talk about your time at SMBW. What were some of the most rewarding projects you worked on there?

SMBW is the reason I’m still in Richmond. I met one of the founding partners, Will Scribner, while I was in graduate school. At that time he had a vision to establish a truly modernist-oriented practice in Richmond, which was incredibly intriguing to me. While I was there some of the most rewarding projects that I worked on included the Belvedere Gardens Mausoleum in Salem, Virginia, the UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) headquarters [Richmond], and Luck Stone headquarters [Goochland County].

Belvedere Gardens was the first time I was able to work with a truly visionary client. He pushed and encouraged the design team to do more. One of the most remarkable things about that story is that he kept asking us to slow down. He felt the design process was proceeding too rapidly, which you never hear in the business of architecture.

The other rewarding aspect was that it was the first project where I was able to pursue something I am very passionate about which is building in the Virginia landscape. I came from Texas which is very flat. [There are] not a lot of geographic features to work with so one of the things I have always been inspired by in Virginia is the geography of the state. The Belvedere Gardens Mausoleum, for all intents and purposes, really is a landscape project. What I learned through that process was how to create a profound sense of place that allowed you to connect with the site in a really meaningful way. It yielded something that was very genuine and original yet it responded to the immediate site and the surrounding viewshed of the Appalachian Mountains. I think that elevated the human experience of the place.

What was a project that you worked on at SMBW that really affected Richmond?

The UNOS headquarters building was rewarding on many levels. It was one of the first truly modern buildings in the Biotech Park. However, the story there is the Donor Memorial. Our vision was to design a national memorial for organ and tissue donors. It was truly design by committee, the most profound sense of collaboration I’ve ever had. It was the antithesis of what you typically think of as design by committee which is political and counter productive. We ended up designing a humble and unique place in downtown Richmond which I think has lived up to some of the ideals and ambition that we set forth.

How do you think SMBW has prepared you for founding Fultz Architects?

I’m very grateful for the opportunities that I had there. It was a great environment, a very supportive environment to be in as a young designer. Within a matter of a few years I was thrust into a leadership position. The 15 years that I spent there allowed me to grow and mature not only as a designer but as a business owner. That lead me to a point in my career where I had the courage to step out and start my own thing.

What can we expect from Fultz Architects? What excites you most about this next step?

I’ve got some fantastic projects coming down the pipe. UNOS just purchased a building in Jackson Ward. They want to completely recast the interior and promote the kind of vocabulary that’s going on at their headquarters building. They were exploring the idea of a community learning center on the first floor. I think we will be able to realize some of those ideas.

Currently, we are working on Luck Stone’s new scale office [a small building that serves as a customer interface with a quarry]. We’ve been designing a prototype that can be reproduced and executed on a number of sites. We are looking at ways to adapt skin and color palettes so that it’s more site specific, dependent on the nature of the quarry. One of the things we did with this project was to take the green aggregate out of the quarry, mix it with concrete, cast the slab and polish it. It’s beautiful. That project has also lead us to other opportunities like industrial design. We are designing this metal kiosk for the customer interface. That project we are doing with Charles Yeager [a Richmond-based fabricator] who’s a good friend of mine. One of the things I’m most proud of is the relationships I have been able to cultivate with local designers. Their imprint can be seen on most of my work.

There is an empathetic aspect to the way that I work and I think there is a lot of value in that. I’m committed to modernism. I’m committed to practicing that in a traditional city. I think that the city and the community are finally getting comfortable with modern architecture in a traditional context. There is a growing demographic of people out there looking for more than a plain solution. I have confidence that I can find those people and establish those new relationships.

Fultz Architects site:
http://www.fultzarchitects.com/

D.OK.

Current: Medical College of Virginia’s New Children’s Pavilion

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Ground has been broken on the new building for the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. The project, situated on a block bounded by Broad, Marshall, 10th and 11th Streets, is slated for completion in 2015 and comes with a price tag of $168 million. The intent of the development centers around addressing the fragmented nature of pediatric care in the region as well as accommodating parking needs downtown.

Not much in the way of architectural information has been made available, aside from a few intriguing renderings courtesy of the architectural mega-firm HKS Architects, who is responsible for countless American hotels, stadiums, offices and hospitals. Contemporary computer graphics have a tendency to sensationalize actuality in favor of a flashier image, giving this project a surreal quality, as of now. However, the undeniable modernism of the building will be a statement in Richmond’s architectural landscape in keeping with the most recent MCV addition a block east on Marshall. While the project will become clearer with time, the finished product will be nothing short of a major upgrade to the unimaginative neo-traditionalism envisioned for the building in 2005.

The two primary benefactors of the project are the children of Richmond and our downtown’s urban fabric and for both it is long overdue. The new pavilion will eradicate an embarrassing blemish of surface parking immediately adjacent to City Hall and expand MCV’s already dense downtown campus instead of sprawling out onto an ill-fitting parcel. While the building will consume an entire city block for hospital and parking uses (demolishing the existing Children’s Pavilion), it appears to have many elements of a street-friendly presence, including possible retailers and community spaces on the highly transparent ground floor.

The New Children’s Pavilion will without a doubt bolster the standing not only of the already prestigious MCV but of the city in general. As a citizen base, we frequently endure the ups and downs of VCU development in the area. Fortunately, it looks as if this will be a high point.

M.F.A.

Opinion: Federal Reserve Bank

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Having a landmark architect design in a city has always been an exciting event and the Federal Reserve Bank is no exception. Minoru Yamasaki implemented his often rigid principles without restraint; glass, aluminum and verticality harmonize in a building both sleek and monumental. Interestingly, he refrained from incorporating any arch or cornice elements into the tower as he had done in Seattle’s IBM tower or Madrid’s Torre Picasso. Perhaps he sensed the need for a fresh and modern approach in a city sometimes as plagued by its history as it is enriched by it. The design is decidedly nonreferential.

This is as true in its approach to the site as anywhere. Rather than anchor itself to a city block on a solid base as bank towers conventionally do, the building is set on a pedestal like assemblage of legs on a lawn. Its height may fool you, but in plan the work is barely urban. Surface lots front 9th street and inaccessible grass address the rest of the block. A large fountain and parking round sit before the main Byrd Street entrance. The approach to the building is more similar to a Los Angeles mansion than a skyscraper. The building is lifted off of the ground in a pseudo-Corbusian reference to the same disastrous mid-century planning that led to the Federal Reserve’s exile across the highway.

Clearly, the building is beyond the typical bevy of complaints launched by the urban-conscious community in Richmond. One can’t simply request the elimination of surface parking and the addition of ground floor retail. Mixed use development south of the expressway along the river will be very important for activating this space and for bettering the health of a sickly downtown. However, even this will not be enough to correct the mistakes of the Federal Reserve. As beautiful as the building is, only an intelligent and thorough redesign of the entire site and its relationship to the street would result in establishing urbanity south of Kanawha plaza.

D.OK.

Our inventory article on the Federal Reserve Bank: Opinion: Federal Reserve Bank

Bank of America Center

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Architect: Welton Becket Associates
Dates: 1971-1974
Address: 1111 E. Main St.

Still playing a role in Richmond’s skyline, the Bank of America Center was the tallest building in the city upon its completion in 1974. In addition to its height, the project is a symbol of its time in other ways. The building is an example of what Richmond considered to be progress in the mid to late 20th century. In order to create the tower, a half block of historic iron front buildings were demolished in spite of a long, bitter fight put up by preservationists.

Fortunately, the First Merchant’s Bank (the original tenants) had the sense to commission a competent architectural firm to fill the gap. Los Angeles based Welton Becket Associates managed to design a structure that was at once forward thinking and sensitive to the site’s past and surroundings. First and foremost, it maintained a significant frontage on Main Street. In fact, the low Main Street wing of the tower’s base may be the complex’s most successful element. The precast concrete bands and gentle massing blur the line between neighboring historic iron fronts and the blatantly modern high rise complex. The concrete elegance of the base continues up the tower maintaining an acute attention to detail; the building looks good from up close or far away.

The tower itself sits back from the corner to create a public space. Most large developments in downtown Richmond in the later half of the 20th century were forced to include a certain amount of public space by the city government. This planning misconception is responsible for some areas of Richmond’s downtown appearing more like an inflated suburban office park than a city. While there are far too many plazas and courtyards in our downtown and far too little street interaction, the Bank of America Center is an example of one of the better site plans. The courtyard is rarely inhabited but at least it is set off from the street. The space fronting Main Street is somewhat populated and pleasant, mostly because of surrounding dining establishments and food carts.

The building’s chief failure, in terms of urban interaction at least, is its presence on Cary and 12th Streets. The poetry of a blank wall is part of the modern movement but the broad swaths of concrete on these streets, interrupted only by security cameras and parking entrances, feel more unconsidered than intentionally unadorned. The corner at 12th and Cary Streets is particularly egregious. An intersection that now contains retail on three corners is left unresolved by the austere insensitivity of the tower’s base. What’s more, the intersection serves as a critical link between the vibrant Shockoe Slip and its struggling neighbor, the financial district. One wonders if it would be possible to redevelop this corner in a manner more befitting its site.

D.OK.

First Unitarian Universalist Church

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Architect: Ulrich Franzen
Dates: 1972
Address: 1000 Blanton Avenue

The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond traces its roots back to 1830 when the Unitarian Universalist society was founded. It was the first congregation to use the term Unitarian Universalist despite several name changes in its long history. In 1906 the Unitarians built their first dedicated meeting house at the corner of Harrison and Floyd in the Fan District. Virginia Commonwealth University owns the building which still stands despite demolition threats.

In 1972 the congregation moved to its new building at the corner of Blanton Ave. and Garret St., adjacent to Byrd Park’s Carillon. The famously progressive institution selected famous and progressive architect, Ulrich Franzen. Franzen, a German born graduate of the Harvard School of Design, designed the building with strong influence from the much admired American architect Louis Kahn.

The Church is composed of large concrete block piers which protrude around the exterior. Inside of these are ‘service spaces’ such as restrooms, storage, and maintenance rooms. The negative spaces in between are the ‘served spaces’ such as large, open meeting rooms, art galleries, and a children’s center. Spanning between the heavy exterior masses are simple planes of glass and wood. Openings are either floor to ceiling view windows or angled clerestory strips designed to let in light only.

The strong, solid massing, formal repetition, and simple materiality of the building gives it a sense of place and permanence on its prominent site. The Unitarian Universalist Church is a invaluable addition to Richmond’s architectural portfolio.

D.OK.