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Filtering by Category: Construction

Behre: A rehabilitation that took a lot of reimagining (and fighting) - The Post and Courier Article

Mez Joseph

The renovation of Charleston's Old City Jail into offices and event space included meticulous retooling of the stone surround on its main entrance.

By Robert Behre
Nov 16, 2024

One of Charleston's last unrestored landmarks — the Old City Jail at 21 Magazine St. — has emerged after a 7-year-long saga to reimagine, rehabilitate and repurpose one of the city's most fraught places into one of its most engaging.

A building that began life around 1802 housing criminals, debtors and enslaved people is now a creative mix of uses, ranging from a tour company on its first floor that gives visitors a glimpse of its past to new offices and an event space on the third floor and on the outside grounds that will define its future.

Importantly, the city, its preservation community and nearby residents worked with the developer, Landmark Enterprises, to give it the flexibility needed to create new commercial and office space in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

Such flexibility is key to reusing, and therefore revitalizing, unique properties, whether it's something the size of this jail or the tiny brick filling station at 80 Ashley Ave. 

The inside of the Old City Jail retains many unique, historical details, such as this small cage in a cell block door.

Architect Jay White of Liollio Architecture added the only visible new touch, a handsome vertical addition in the rear that provides an elevator and external stairs, both of which were needed to satisfy modern handicap access needs and safety codes. Not only is the addition tucked away, but it barely touches the historic jail. It's complementary but not competing.

The stair and elevator addition to the Old City Jail also includes small "Juliette balconies" from which visitors can look over its spacious grounds.

Very few other renovations of historic buildings receive the kind of governmental scrutiny the jail did. In addition to the city's Board of Architectural Review, the plan of work also needed the blessing of the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service because its work was financed in part by state and federal historic tax credits.

As Jonathan Oakman with Landmark notes, securing all those approvals was a monumental task, as these different agencies had strong opinions that weren't always in agreement. That added time and money to a project that already needed a lot of both.

Old jails may be the most difficult buildings to adapt and reuse, though the city's second jail — the so-called "Seabreeze Hotel," built in the 20th century as an immigration station but later converted into a jail as the city finally closed its Magazine Street jail in 1939 — was successfully fixed up several years ago.

The second floor room of the Old City Jail that has been renovated for office use.

But the Old City Jail posed a far more challenging task: It was built in three segments: a main series of cell blocks that opened in 1802, with a jailer's quarters added closer to Magazine Street in 1859, and a rear, octagonal cell block that was added on the back. After the 1886 earthquake, the 1802 section's floors were rebuilt with steel and concrete. During the past century, the steel rusted and expanded, causing the concrete floors to push against the exterior sides.

Chunks of those floors already had been removed by the time Landmark bought the building, but it was up to Charles Blanchard Construction Co. to remove the rest and rebuild them to stop the damage.

Outside, about 40% of the brick work needed repointing, and 70% of the plaster replaced. All the window bars had deteriorated due to rust; they were removed, repaired and replaced. The nice thing about using the building as offices is they did not have to be attached quite as securely as when burly inmates naturally tested them.

Much of the stucco on the Old City Jail needed to be replaced, but some older portions were fine. And the building still has a patina reflecting its age.

The renovation also kept some ornamental plasterwork and a timber-framed shelter on the grounds, both of which reflect the recent years in which the American College of the Building Arts operated here before moving uptown to the renovated trolley barn.

"It was a challenging project that never truly wanted to get pinned to the mat," Jason Ward of Landmark says. "It was a fight the whole way down."

The stone detail on the front door was meticulously retooled and is more dramatic than the entrance to many churches. Inside the spaces are comfortable and austere in a genuine way.

The stone entrance to the Old City Jail was meticulously retooled and expresses the building's grandeur.

Landmark received the Historic Charleston Foundation's Whitelaw Founders Award this spring for its rehabilitation and excellent stewardship of the old jail, and more laurels are almost certainly on the way.

When I met Ward years ago as he was embarking on the project, he called it "so scary" and "so cool" and "so interesting." Years later, he's given the city an imposing old jail with a dramatic new and far more cheerful life.

It's so cool and interesting, it's scary.

The three-story central stair inside the Old City Jail still is illuminated by a skylight.

Read the article on The Post and Courier’s website here.

National Preservation Month: Celebrating USC's South Caroliniana Library

Mez Joseph

May is National Preservation Month, celebrating the nation's heritage through historic places. As we reflect on this, Liollio would like to congratulate the University of South Carolina on completing the restoration of the South Caroliniana Library, c.1840 — one of the premier research archives and special collections repositories in South Carolina and the Southeast region.

It's striking how personal much of USC’s library collections are: Mary Boykin Chesnut’s Civil War-era diaries, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s walking cane, Pat Conroy’s side-by-side shotgun, Ron McNair’s personal effects as an African American astronaut who died aboard the Challenger. Bringing these artifacts into public view is our greatest joy with this project, and that joy is amplified by the beauty of the restored Bulfinch Reading Room.

For more information about South Caroliniana Library’s history, visit USC’s University Libraries website.
Photography // Keith Isaacs // @keithisaacsphoto // isaacsphoto.com

Earth Day Spotlight: Liollio Architecture + Hood Design Studio’s New Discovery Place Museum Begins Construction

Mez Joseph

Construction has begun on the new Discovery Place nature museum situated in Charlotte, NC’s Freedom Park. The reimagined nature haven, designed by Liollio Architecture and Hood Design Studio and constructed by Rodgers Builders, will be a world-class environmental education center serving the Carolinas. Founded in 1947 as the Children’s Nature Museum, Discovery Place Nature has been a staple in Charlotte’s education and cultural community for over 75 years. The museum conjures curiosity and activates the imagination through educational experiences that help us connect to the natural world. The new museum will be developed at the current location, providing a complete reinvention of the first nature museum in the Southeast.

The project is a public-private partnership between Mecklenburg County, who owns the property and facility, and Discovery Place, a non-profit leader for science education in the U.S. Liollio is leading the design, collaborating with Hood Design Studio—led by Charlotte native Walter Hood. Hood Design Studio is well-known for its award-winning landscape design, public art, and installation art, and have recently completed the International African American Museum in Charleston. Liollio has built a reputation of design through community engagement and collaboration, and their work is rooted in the particulars of place, people, and landscape.

“Mecklenburg County and Discovery Place are thrilled to have such a talented and environmentally focused team on board to bring a new future for Discovery Place Nature to life,” said Catherine Wilson Horne, President and CEO of Discovery Place Inc. “We can’t wait to see the vision formed by Liollio and Hood, two organizations with deep Carolina roots, come to life for one of Charlotte’s most beloved and important institutions. The new design will allow us to connect with the community in an elevated way, including signature environment educational experiences and programming for all ages.”

“We are honored to be collaborating with Discovery Place and Mecklenburg County on the new nature museum, which will combine Discovery Place’s capacity for innovation and education in science, nature and design with the incredible setting of Freedom Park,” said Jennifer Charzewski, Principal at Liollio Architecture. “For the Liollio and Hood Design Studio team, this has been an exciting opportunity to create an engaging and creative place for residents and visitors for generations to come.”

Hood Design Studio Principal Paul Peters notes that “the public gardens embody the cultural use of landscape for pollination, stormwater management, performance, and leisure. Elevating the visitor experience is a canopy walk, threading through the forest’s upper layers, featuring two distinctive treehouses that provide transformative interactions with the natural world. The museum will not be so much as place as it is a portal.”

The museum design is intentionally quiet, receding into the site and acting as a canvas for the incredible natural surroundings and exhibits.  The entrance faces Little Sugar Creek Greenway, with a free public garden filled with wildlife and native plants that invites the community to connect with and explore the wonders of our natural world. A double height lobby leads to multiple gallery spaces, designed for all ages, with live animals and interactives focusing on the Piedmont, along with multiple classrooms and multi-purpose spaces. Bird-safe glass protects the forest residents while allowing multiple visual connection points for the immersive experiences inside and out. Nature trails lead visitors through the forest offering fresh perspectives on the forest environment through demonstration pavilions, forest moments, creek interactions, and a canopy walk.

For more information about Discovery Place, visit discoveryplace.org.

Liollio Architecture + SeamonWhiteside Selected to Design Rifle Range Road Park in Mt. Pleasant

Mez Joseph

The Town of Mount Pleasant’s New Rifle Range Road Park Site Plan - Transforming over 100 acres into a public park and recreation center for community enjoyment.

The Liollio Team is committed to working with the Town of Mount Pleasant to provide a world-class community park experience on Rifle Range Road for decades to come, and we are thrilled to continue our collaboration with SW+. Many of our team members call Mount Pleasant home, and we feel a strong sense of stewardship and responsibility for giving back to our community,
— Andy Clark, Principal, Liollio Architecture

Liollio Architecture + SeamonWhiteside (SW+), along with their team of local engineers, has been selected to provide planning, architectural, and engineering services for the newest park in Mount Pleasant, SC. Once complete, the hundred-acre Rifle Range Road Park will be an expansive community park in the Town. The completed park will provide a balance of passive and active spaces, preserving this natural resource for future generations while also offering recreational amenities for the community.

The design team is led by Liollio in partnership with SW+. The team will collaborate closely with Town leadership on master planning and site programming through construction to completion. Liollio will oversee overall project management and architectural design for a new recreation and community center. SW+ will assist in master planning, landscape architecture, and civil engineering services.

"The Liollio Team is committed to working with the Town of Mount Pleasant to provide a world-class community park experience on Rifle Range Road for decades to come, and we are thrilled to continue our collaboration with SW+. Many of our team members call Mount Pleasant home, and we feel a strong sense of stewardship and responsibility for giving back to our community," says Andy Clark, principal at Liollio Architecture.

"Making a lasting impact on the community in which we live is a huge source of pride for us here at SeamonWhiteside," says Gary Collins, vice president at SeamonWhiteside. "Not only are we excited for our employees to join neighbors and friends in experiencing the park once complete, but we're also excited to continue working alongside Liollio on another successful project here in the Charleston area."

Connected to Mount Pleasant Way, just north of Six Mile Road, the Rifle Range Road Park will add much-needed recreational amenities to the Town of Mount Pleasant and the surrounding neighborhoods. This new park will feature soccer fields, tennis courts, pickleball courts, beach volleyball courts, and outdoor basketball courts. In addition to these sporting components, a performance stage, grand lawn, picnic pavilions, playground, dog park, and walking trails are in the plans, with a central community building tying it all together. The community building will provide a 2-court basketball gymnasium, a walking track, and studios for community music, art, dance, and camp activities.

Rifle Range Road Park will be adjacent to beautiful wetlands and natural areas, allowing residents to enjoy the Lowcountry environment and amenities in a quiet, rural setting. Uniquely located and within walking distance of many residential communities, this park will provide a central hub to bring the local community together.

The partnership between Liollio and SeamonWhiteside will provide efficiency and cohesiveness. The two firms have worked together on previous projects, including Ashley River Park, a beloved and highly successful park for Dorchester County and the Tri-County region. The team is also currently working to complete Mt. Pleasant Fire Station #7. Liollio is recognized regionally for award-winning, sustainable architecture, using local history and culture as a guide, striving to create places that will become a source of local pride. SW+ is known for its ability to create stunning landscape designs and comprehensive site development. Rifle Range Road Park will undoubtedly benefit from the team’s combined skills and expertise.

First Baptist Church of Charleston Education Building Honored with 2 AIA Awards

Mez Joseph

Congratulations to First Baptist Church of Charleston SC for being honored with two AIA Awards - an AIA South Atlantic Region 2023 Merit Award & an AIA South Carolina 2023Merit Award - for the new Education Building! This new structure on the campus of First Baptist Church and School in Charleston replaced a non-historic existing building located approximately mid-block between Meeting and Church streets. The building includes offices, classrooms, and a Fellowship Hall with a commercial kitchen, all of which are shared by the Church and School. The building is simply built of economical materials: brick veneer over metal studs and a structural steel frame with storefront and curtainwall glazing. The massing of the building is broken down into two wings to reduce the overall scale of the building in relation to the existing historic context. The design includes a reduced footprint compared to the existing building and utilizes a 12’-8” floor to floor height to better integrate the building into its context. The new education building works with the c.1822 Robert Mills-designed sanctuary to frame an active courtyard. Together, the new building, the courtyard, and the sanctuary represent the three pillars of Baptist faith: Education, Fellowship, and Worship. It also creates connections between three communities: the religious community of the church, the educational community of the school, and the historic community of Charleston’s South of Broad neighborhood.

USC's South Caroliniana Library Ribbon Cutting & Grand Reopening

Mez Joseph

The ribbon cutting for the University of South Carolina's South Caroliniana Library took place in Columbia recently and was a huge success! The library is our nation's oldest freestanding academic library and underwent meticulous renovation. Liollio is honored to have been part of the team who helped preserve this important and historic building for generations to come! Learn more about South Caroliniana Library, which houses the stories and the treasures of our state – from its leaders to its ordinary citizens. go.sc.edu/CarolinianaReopening

North Charleston's New Dorchester County Library Celebrates Ribbon Cutting

Mez Joseph

We are honored to have been part of the team for the new Dorchester County Library & Media Center in North Charleston. We were excited to attend the Ribbon Cutting ceremony last week, and the event was a huge success. Congratulations to Dorchester County Library, Dorchester County Government, Dorchester County School District, our amazing team and partners at Edifice, the City of North Charleston, and the greater community!

Dorchester County Library North Charleston Branch Groundbreaking Ceremony

Mez Joseph

Liollio Architecture is thrilled to be part of the Edifice team on the new Dorchester County Library North Charleston Branch. Davis & Floyd, RMF, and EM Structural are all part of the team. The new 15,000 SF joint-use library as a collaboration between Dorchester County, Dorchester County Library, and Dorchester School District 2, located adjacent to Fort Dorchester High School. It is flagged as a part of Collaboration Corridor on Patriot Boulevard. The groundbreaking ceremony took place June 27.

SPOTLIGHT ON: RAJAN MISTRY

Mez Joseph

Spotlight On is a Liollio tradition of interviewing team members to highlight and celebrate them - and to get to know them better as individuals. After a hiatus of Spotlight On Q&A sessions, we are finally returning to form and highlighting Rajan Mistry as our July Spotlight On feature. Raj became a welcome addition to the Liollio studio in 2021 as Contract Administrator. He is a graduate of the New School of Architecture & Design in San Diego. He has a history of construction contract administration and project management from the perspective of the owner, contractor, and architect.

Where did you grow up? Ndola, Zambia – it’s a small copper-mining town close to the Congolese border, and had a great childhood there.

Are you married? Do you have children? Neither

What do you like to do for fun? I love being outside, so it would either be cycling, dog-walking, golfing or hashing.

Do you have pets? If so, tell us a bit about them. I have a Shepherd-Husky mix, named Shaki, and she is an awesome dog. She looks like a German-Shepherd but has gorgeous ice-blue eyes. She has just enough German-Shepherd in her to be obedient, and just enough Husky in her to be independent and love a good run around. Interesting fact about her; she doesn’t bark at all!

Favorite place(s) to go locally? Golf Courses & Breweries

Favorite restaurant? I don’t know if it’s my favorite restaurant, but I love going to Jamaican restaurants and go there most frequently.

Favorite food? Ethiopian and Japanese

Least favorite food? Any food that is a greasy mess and impossible to eat without destroying my beard.

Do you play any instruments? I play the guitar, sitar, and a bit of bass/piano as well.

What song is at the top of your most played list? It’s either going to be Chronixx (reggae & dancehall) or some vocal Drum ‘n Bass mixes.

Favorite musical artist or genre? House Music

Favorite television show? I don’t really watch TV – life itself is sufficiently surreal…

 Last book you read? It was probably a Harvard Business Review.

Favorite book? Bhagavad Gita

Favorite author? Jon Klassen writes awesome children’s books, and I highly recommend you investigate them and buy them all for your kids.

Favorite podcast or blog? The Peter Schiff Show – it is primarily an economics podcast, but he also discusses news stories and geopolitics.

Favorite movie or genre? I love a good laugh, so comedy is always high on my list, but it may have to be The Matrix.

Last movie you watched? It was a kids’ movie with my little niece and nephew. There were some magic dragons and I think it was called Raya.

Favorite place you have traveled to and why? Mexico – I have been to 8 Mexican states and have had a great time every visit. You get high-quality goods/services, excellent prices, and the people are all wonderful.

Favorite style of architecture? I do not have a preference. I believe that good design is independent of stylistic choice. Just like how one can have great and terrible movies or songs of a genre, so too can architecture of a style be great and terrible.

What building have you visited that most impressed or inspired you? The Salk Institute – the look and feel of the building, especially with its layout amongst the ocean and vegetation is great. The way the building systems were managed and long-term modifications planned for was extremely insightful.

What would the book or movie about your life be called? Let’s See What Happens

Who would play you in a movie about your life? Like Tyler Perry, I would love to play absolutely everyone, including myself, in the movie.

If you could be any animal, what would you be and why? I was once told by one of my primary school teachers that I was like a hummingbird. Very curious, very active and constantly moving around and engaging with things.

Are you messy or organized? Organized. There are two types of people; Leavers and Putters, and you find that out when you ask them where something is. Some people will say, “where I put it,” and some people will say, “where I left it.”

What’s your pet peeve? Mispronunciation of the word nuclear as nuculer, and the disastrous misuse of the apostrophe.

Guilty pleasure? I’m a sucker for sweet things, and every once in a while, I like to drive fast.

Tell us a random fact. Biologically, there is no such thing as a fish.

Favorite quote? “Rule #1: Work your Butt Off. Rule #2: Break the Rules.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger

If you could interview one person (dead or alive) who would it be? Peter Schiff

If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see? I would love to see timelapses of ancient construction feats. Too many people tell me they were built by aliens, and discredit sheer manpower.

If your house was burning down, what is the one nonliving thing you would save? My laptop

What three traits characterize you? Intelligent, Playful and Wacky

What’s your astrological sign? Leo – and I would say I am very much the stereotypical Leo.

What is your personal philosophy? Generally, that things fall into place in life. Despite the rollercoaster of life, ride the waves out with a positive attitude – they are temporary – and you will keep the whole thing moving forward.

What’s one thing you couldn’t live without? Outside space

What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your life thus far? I have had many difficult projects, with difficult project teams and difficult bosses. But interestingly, I love a challenge and the constraints that come along with it. It certainly increases the value in your heart when the job is over and done.

What inspires you most? Being at home, coming up with ideas on things to build and how to build them. I am always walking around my house and yard, scheming.

What accomplishment are you most proud of? There are many accomplishments that I am proud of, but none would be categorized as the one I’m most proud of. I have been told that I have beautiful handwriting, so maybe that!

What is your favorite thing about working at Liollio? Liollio has an awesome team of people; hard-working, social and with great communication. I have high hopes that we have many more years of excellent work output for this city, state and region.

What does true leadership mean to you? There are many attributes that constitute good leadership, and all of them are vitally important, but I won’t be listing them all out in this answer. Two of the most important are trust and approachability.

If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be? A crane operator or possibly some sort of earth-moving equipment. Basically a giant toy that a 3 year-old boy would play with.

What would you most like to tell yourself at age 13? I wouldn’t have anything specific to tell myself, but I would love to teach myself projection-planning.

How do you define success? Adequately planning for everything to go well, not being irritated by things not going well, and dragging things to the finish line nonetheless.

Tell us something that might surprise us about you. I write calligraphic poetry art-pieces and they are currently being featured at the Mary Martin Art Gallery on King & Broad.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received? If you show up ten minutes early, you’re already twenty minutes late.

Dorchester County Ashley River Park Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening

Mez Joseph

Dorchester County’s Ashley River Park officially opens to the public this Saturday, March 19th! The park features many amenities and recreation activities for visitors of all ages - walking trails, a fishing pier, a dog park, interactive play fountain, an event pavilion, picnic shelters, a playground, open lawns, a restroom building, an outfitters building and a gatehouse. We are honored to have been part of the design team for this exciting project and hope that it’s a great community asset for years to come! 

Ashley River Park is located near the beautiful scenic side of the Ashley River off of Bacon's Bridge Road. The park is open from dawn to dusk daily. For a complete list of Park Rules click here.

Big Changes Coming to CofC’s Simons Center for the Arts

Mez Joseph

The Simons Center opened at 54 St. Philip St. in 1979 | Images via CofC

The Simons Center opened at 54 St. Philip St. in 1979 | Images via CofC

Charleston City Paper
Samantha Connors
September 7, 2021

The 42-year-old Albert Simons Center for the Arts, located at 54 St. Philip St., is getting ready for a facelift. Opened in 1979, the center was originally built to accommodate a maximum of 800 students, but with increased admissions, the Simons Center serves more than five times that number these days according to College of Charleston’s School of the Arts Dean Edward Hart.

“The Simons Center has been great, but after 40 years, it needs a little work,” he said in a press release. “Better facilities make for a better environment. Everybody wants to be in a place where it looks and feels nice, and where there’s appropriate space.”

The multimillion dollar renovation project will expand the building from 87,365 square feet to 99,000 square feet with additional classrooms and performance space.

Other new features will include larger classrooms, new seminar rooms, a two-story black-box theater, costume shop, scene shop and theater design studio, sculpture, printmaking and drawing studios, music practice rooms and more.

“This has been a long time coming and we’re delighted,” said Hart. “We are so appreciative of the College’s administration for supporting us. You know, when times are tough, very often the arts take it on the chin. And our administration has shown the foresight to really stand by us with this project, which indicates that the arts really are a priority for the College.”

postandcourier_1.jpg

Construction will begin this fall and art classes will be moved to other areas of the campus and city including the former Redux building at 136 St. Philip St., the Lightsey Center and the Calhoun Annex. Renovations are expected to be complete by spring 2023.

Liollio Architecture and HGA Design Firm are tackling the redesign of the building and plan to incorporate bright colors that allude to familiar campus features like the Towell Library’s green door and Randolph Hall’s coral colored walls.

The renovation will not only make more run for incoming students but also help the school secure its place in Charleston’s flourishing art community.

“There really isn’t an artistic institution in this town that we aren’t somehow involved with, whether it’s a direct relationship or partnership or whether it’s our graduates that are over there or our faculty members,” said Hart, referencing the college’s involvement with many major art events and venues like Spoleto Festival USA and the Charleston Gaillard Center.

“We can just go on and on, and I think it’s time for us to claim that. Charleston is an arts city and we’re at the heart of it.”

The interior will feature some familiar elements, updated

The interior will feature some familiar elements, updated

Rick & Mary Lee Bastin Honored in Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for The Citadel's Bastin Hall

Mez Joseph

Bastin Hall, The Citadel's new school of business, was dedicated May 14. The design and construction was overseen by Liollio Architecture in association with ikon.5 architects. THS Constructors served as the general contractor for the project. Liollio is proud to have been part of this phenomenal and exciting project.

The new Bastin Hall building is a modern upgrade from the previous business school home. Originally constructed in 1922, Bond Hall has housed business school classrooms since the 1970s. “There’s a lot of state-of-the-art space here that we just didn’t have in our old building,” Dr. Michael Weeks, Dean said.

“I was a Mercedes dealer, and the CEO of Mercedes used to preach to us: ‘We need to amaze and delight our customers.’ Well, this building amazes and delights me, and it’s beyond my greatest dreams that it would come out this well,” said Rick Bastin, '65, joined by his wife Mary Lee, during a ceremony recognizing the couple’s efforts that made The Citadel's newest academic building a reality. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.

19 SLIDES FOR 2019: LIOLLIO YEAR IN REVIEW

Mez Joseph

As 2019 comes to a close, we take a look back at all of the wonderful people, places and events that made this year special. Thank you to all who’ve made 2019 a year to remember! Here is a look back at some of the events that helped shape our year. Comment, share and enjoy!

James Island PSD Groundbreaking Ceremony

Mez Joseph

James Island PSD Fire Station 1 Headquarters Groundbreaking Ceremony was held Monday morning. The new fire station has officially begun construction and will relocate current Fire Station 1, built in 1961. The new Fire Station 1 Headquarters site will provide better fire coverage on the Island and an updated workspace for crews. Liollio would like to thank everyone who came out to celebrate, including the dedicated and hardworking project team - James Island Public Service District, SouthCon Building Group, 4se Engineering, ADC Engineering, RMF Engineering, and G. Robert George & Associates. Thanks to all for such a wonderful event! Visit our website and the James Island Public Service District's site for more info and updates: www.jipsd.org

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY’S WOOD UTILIZATION + DESIGN INSTITUTE Presents SC’s Innovative Wood Buildings

Mez Joseph

Clemson University Wood Utilization + Design Institute​ South Carolina’s Innovative Wood Buildings - Wood is the most sustainable and environmentally sound building material. To show how innovative, versatile and beautiful wood is, Clemson University​ is featuring wood buildings that have been built in our state over the past ten years. Check out the map.

DISASTER RESPONSE: INNOVATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING COURTS AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL

Mez Joseph

Benjamin Ward, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP, of Grace Hebert Curtis Architects & Liollio’s Aaron Bowman, AIA, SEED, LEED AP, coauthored an article about Resilience and AIA South Carolina’s Disaster Assistance Program that was published in YAF Connection, the AIA Young Architect Forum’s bimonthly publication. READ ARTICLE HERE or by following the link above.

Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting

Mez Joseph

Don't miss the Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on March 5. Mayor John J. Tecklenburg, City Council of Charleston and Roper St. Francis Healthcare invite you to attend the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 12:30 p.m. at 2001 Henry Tecklenburg Drive, Charleston SC. Tours of the facility and open house activities will follow the ribbon cutting. For more info visit here.

Roper St. Francis Opens First Medical Office Building in Berkeley County

Mez Joseph

By Rob Way | November 30, 2018 at 7:06 AM EST - Updated November 30 at 7:24 AM

BERKELEY COUNTY, SC (WCSC) - For the first time, Roper St. Francis is expanding its medical reach to Berkeley County.

On Friday, the healthcare provider is opening its new medical office building in Summerville. Until now, they only had an urgent care center in the area.

The grand opening event is from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday. The offices are at 300 Callen Boulevard in Summerville behind all the major construction right near where 176 meets 17-A. Those who stop by can tour the building, grab some free food, and even pop in to a free health fair.

This state-of-the-art, three-story building will house a variety of specialists, including breast surgeons, orthopedic surgeons and OB/GYN physicians. Medical services here will range from dermatology to cardiology.

Jennifer Crawford will be the Chief Nursing Officer at the future Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital. She says this new medical office building was designed with the patients in mind.

"We've looked at all the attributes down to the color scheme matching the natural environment, because there’s proof that’s therapeutic in the healing process,” Crawford said. “We’ve added three elevators. One at every proximity to the building, so there's no long walking distances."

The medical offices are set to start seeing patients on Monday, Dec. 10. The healthcare provider is also building a hospital next door which is set to open in October 2019.

Copyright 2018 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Resilience by DESIGN: From the Blue Ridge to the Coast - Conference 9/21

Mez Joseph

Don't miss Resilience by DESIGN: From the Blue Ridge to the Coast - Friday, September 21, 2018. Register today: Click HERE! Interested in becoming a Resilience Partner? Contact Tracey Waltz.

AIA South Carolina is pleased to announce Resilience by DESIGN: from the Blue Ridge to the Coast, its second biennial conference on Resiliency, to be held in downtown Greenville at the Clemson One space. This year's theme will emphasize the importance of Resilient planning across South Carolina and beyond coastal communities. Conference sessions will focus on Resilient Design issues affecting all regions in the state, including climate change adaptation, wild fires, tornadoes and other wind hazards.

Keynote speaker Laura Lesniewski, a Principal at BNIM, will discuss her firm's approach to "creating beautiful, integrated, living environments that inspire change and enhance the human condition." The 2011 AIA Firm Award winner, BNIM is a Kansas City based interdisciplinary practice that is shaping the national and global agenda for progressive planning, responsible architecture and design excellence.

We hope you'll join us for a one day "mini-conference" where members of the design and construction industry from across the state and region will gather, learn, and discuss the vital role they play in both the design and recovery of more Resilient Buildings and Communities.

AIA Charleston Building Tour of Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center

Mez Joseph

Liollio's Michael Edwards, Associate and Health & Wellness Leader, led an AIA Charleston building tour of the Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center recently. As a follow-up to his tour of the Center in the Fall of 2017, attendees were given an insider’s look at project progress, lessons learned and finish installation as the project nears completion this Fall. The Senior Center is a City of Charleston project in partnership with Roper St. Francis Healthcare constructed on the campus of the Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital in West Ashley. The new 16,000 SF center is nestled in the woods, providing active adults a community retreat from their daily lives to an oasis engaged in nature.