Midwest Design Firms to Green Mideast

A touch of design ingenuity from the Midwest will reach the Mideast.

Three Midwestern design firms will participate in a student housing complex, Education City, in Qatar, an Arab Emirate in Southwest Asia: Kansas City, Mo.-based Burns & McDonnell, the project manager; Lawrence, Kan.-based Treanor Architects, the designer; and St. Louis-based sustainable design and consulting firm Vertegy.

The project is a 2,500-acre campus on the outskirts of Doha. The development is home to research and education centers and branch campuses of several American universities.

The two campuses part of the project will accommodate separate housing for 1,200 students and involve 12 buildings. They will aim LEED Platinum certification and would yield the world’s largest collection of platinum buildings in one location.

The facilities will consist of a combined 850,000 sq ft of space. Each complex will include a cafeteria, gathering area, prayer room and walls that point to Mecca.

The new housing will reportedly maximize energy efficiency and use wind turbines, photovoltaic cells and biomass well for filtering gray water. Students living in the complex will also benefit from wireless computer systems and smart-room technology, which allow residents to control temperature, lighting and music by entering the room.

The project is expected to be complete in September 2009.

Indiana Sustainability Effort Launched

The INdiana Sustainability Alliance, a network in the Hoosier state focused on sustainability issues, has announced its formation.

INSA’s mission is to promote the growth of the sustainable development, green building, renewable energy, water management, and clean technology industries in Indiana.

Founding partners include the Indiana Chapter of the United States Green Building Council, the Indiana Department of Energy and Defense Development, the Ball State College of Architecture Planning Indianapolis Center, the Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy and Ice Miller LLP.

“We determined from discussions with our partners and advisors that there are several organizations, businesses, policy makers, and professionals working toward the same goal of a sustainable Indiana,” said Paul Jones, member of INSA’s steering committee.

INSA will bring together members of the sustainable development, green building, energy, water management, and clean technology industries by initially offering educational and networking events.

“We are excited about the possibilities and welcome input and the participation of other organizations and companies that are interested in these issues,” said Alex Forman, member of INSA’s steering committee.

For additional information, visit www.indianasustainability.org.

‘Model’ Park Planned For Central Illinois

The Springfield (Ill.) Park District has announced plans for the 80-acre Edwin Watts Southwind Park, including the goal of making it a model for park districts nationwide.

Plans call for making the park, to be located south of Springfield and accessible from Interstate 55, one of the most accessible and sustainable parks ever built.

The park, which is expected to be completed in late spring 2009, will provide year-round entertainment and recreation, education, water features, open green space and natural habitats. Features will include fishing piers, a gazebo on the lake, a 2.5-mi. urban trailway, YMCA recreation center, Springfield Children’s Museum, outdoor amphitheatre, three playgrounds and play area for bocce ball, shuffle board and horseshoes.

Erin’s Pavilion will be the first of several buildings to be constructed, and a goal is to get LEED Platinum certification for Erin’s Pavilion. Once completed, the facility will serve as a welcome and community center as well as a special needs recreation and education center.

Design-team members include Springfield-based The Walton Group, a veteran-owned architecture firm, and Vertegy, a St. Louis-based sustainability-consulting firm.

Architectural Preservation Topic of Chicago Exhibition

A free exhibition on architectural preservation is open through May 9 at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S. Michigan Ave., Do We Dare Squander Chicago’s Great Architectural Heritage?

The exhibition includes architectural artifacts from the Tribune, Fisher, Santa Fe and Monadnock buildings, a rare film featuring photographer and preservationist Richard Nickel, of the demolition of Adler & Sullivan’s Chicago Stock Exchange, photographs by Nickel and Ron Gordon, and objects and images relating to Chicago preservation efforts.

Nickel’s 1960 fight to save Adler & Sullivan’s Garrick Theater sparked the modern preservation movement. The exhibition focuses on three motivations behind the desire to preserve the built environment: celebrate design, foster identity and revitalize city life.

Do We Dare Squander Chicago’s Great Architectural Heritage? examines the role of historic preservation in the construction of Chicago and its identity. It features the stories of individuals and grassroots groups who have undertaken preservation campaigns and evaluates the results of their actions.

“Understanding what moves Chicagoans to treasure and preserve their environment reveals what they value, and what they want their city to be,” said Gregory Dreicer, vice president of exhibitions and programs.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation was formed in 1966 to save H. H. Richardson’s Glessner House on Prairie Avenue.

Lawrence, Austin Tao Announce Merger

The St. Louis design firms have announced a merger, Lawrence Group and Austin Tao & Associates.

The Lawrence Group is a building design, planning and project delivery firm with 200 employees in five states. ATA is a landscape architecture, urban design and planning firm with a staff of about 19. It has designed more than a thousand projects throughout metropolitan St. Louis, Illinois and China.

ATA will retain its name and operate as a subsidiary of the Lawrence Group. Austin Tao himself will join the Lawrence Group as a principal and continue as president and principal designer on ATA’s projects. In addition to leading the landscape architectural practice, Tao will be responsible for the Lawrence Group’s growing international work.

The merger combines two practices that have teamed on national and international projects for years. The headquarters will remain in downtown St. Louis.

“We will be picking up Austin’s Beijing office as part of this acquisition,” says Steve Smith, CEO of Lawrence.