College of Charleston’s Albert Simons Center for the Arts Celebrates Grand Re-Opening

October 01, 2024Mez Joseph

Our team was thrilled to celebrate the grand re-opening of the College of Charleston’s Albert Simons Center for the Arts. We were honored to present the College with a plaque reflecting its certification of Two Green Globes by the Green Building Initiative, in recognition of their commitment to sustainability. The Renovation and Expansion of the Simons Center, home of studio art, music, theatre, dance and more, had four leading goals: Modernizing Arts Education, Sustainability & Resiliency in the Urban Coastal Environment, Connecting History and the Future, and Showcasing the Arts.

The revitalized School of the Arts building includes a new Black Box Theatre, new studios for sculpture, printmaking, drawing & painting, theatre design, costume shop, music classrooms, practice rooms, and a scene shop, in addition to active learning classrooms for Art History and Arts Management, faculty offices and spaces for student gathering. A new transparent Commons, that doubles as student gathering in the day and pre-function space in the evening, was added to welcome visitors in from the Green Way to experience the arts.

President Hsu and Dean Jayme Host spoke at the opening, saying “this beautiful building bolsters our position as the artistic heartbeat of Charleston, as these spaces benefit our students as well as the community." The reimagined Simons Center has ~100,000 SF of bright and colorful spaces that are inviting to students and visitors alike. The colors featured throughout the building are inspired by iconic architectural features found on campus along Green Way, College Way, and the Cistern Yard, such as the blue-green door of Towell Library and the rich coral color of Randolph Hall.

We would like to thank and congratulate College of Charleston and our entire AE team on the completion of this exciting and collaborative project! We can’t wait to attend all the exhibits and performances this fall! For more information on upcoming events, visit http://calendar.charleston.edu/simmons-center.

categories Architecture, Celebration, Education, Grand Opening, Higher Education, Learning Environments, Local, News
tags CofC, CollegeofCharleston, SimonsCenter, SimonsCenterfortheArts, AlbertSimons, art, performance, theater, artseducation, CharlestonArts, #sustainablebuilding, #sustainablility, resiliency, studioart, music, grandopening, grandreopening, HigherEducation, HGA, HGAArchitecture

National Preservation Month: Celebrating USC's South Caroliniana Library

May 30, 2024Mez 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

categories Architecture, Celebration, Education, Construction, Grand Opening, Higher Education, Historic Preservation, History, Learning Environments, Library, Regional
tags USC, universityofsouthcarolina, NationalPreservationMonth, PreservationMonth, preservation, SouthCarolina, history, library, restoration, SpecialCollections, ReadingRoom, artifacts, southcarolinahistory, congratulations

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

April 22, 2024Mez 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.

categories Architecture, Construction, Education, Ground Breaking, Community, Learning Environments, News, Regional
tags discoveryplace, mecklenburgcounty, NewConstruction, discoveryplacenature, naturemuseum, museum, hooddesignstudio, discoveryplacemuseum, charlotte, charlottenc, earthday2024

IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2024, WE REFLECT ON HISTORIC PENN CENTER

February 28, 2024Mez Joseph

Penn School was founded in 1862 as a school for formerly enslaved people. The school established a commitment to Black education, community welfare, and cultural heritage that has remained strong for over 150 years. Penn School functioned as an educational institution, health clinic, farm bureau, a catalyst for community action, and a repository for preserving St. Helena Island’s unique Gullah heritage and written history.

**Original Building of the Penn School, St. Helena Island, SC** (From the Penn School Collection)

At the turn of the century the school’s curriculum was revised to follow the Hampton-Tuskegee model of Black education - training students in masonry, carpentry, domestic arts, and midwifery. The school closed in 1948, but the community service and cultural preservation originated by its founders flourished through Penn Community Services, Inc., organized in 1951. Penn opened South Carolina’s first day care center for African Americans, provided a community health care clinic and a Teen Canteen.

**The first basket teacher at the Penn Schoo,** lSt. Helena Island, SC (From the Penn School Collection)

**A class in mending & sewing at the Penn School**, **St. Helena Island, SC** (From the Penn School Collection)

Throughout the 1960s, Penn Center sponsored and hosted interracial conferences on civil rights organized by groups including the NAACP, CORE, SNCC, Southern Regional Council, South Carolina Council on Human Relations, World Peace Foundation, and the Peace Corps. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) held citizenship education classes at Penn, taught by iconic organizers Andrew Young, Dorothy Cotton, Bernice Robinson, and Septima P. Clark. Andrew Young introduced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to Penn Center. King, his SCLC lieutenants, and countless unnamed activists met with the SCLC at Penn five times between 1964 and 1967.

**At Penn Center in 1966, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Joan Baez, Ira Sandpearl, & Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.** (Photo Credit: Bob Fitch)

In November 1966, during a formal speech he gave at Penn Center, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. connected the long struggle for African American civil rights to the neglected fight for economic equality. In September 1974, the historic campus, Brick Church, and surrounding areas were listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In subsequent decades, Penn Center continued to serve as a site for church and organizational retreats, a training center for various organizations, and an educational site for Black history and culture. In January 2017, President Barack Obama designated the Beaufort National Landmark District, Camp Saxton Site, Penn Historic District and the Old Beaufort Firehouse as the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park under management of the National Park Service. In 2021, the Penn Center was added to the African American Civil Rights Network (AACRN), as well as the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network. For more information on The Penn Center visit www.penncenter.com.

Liollio Architecture is honored to have had the privilege to design the St. Helena Branch Library which houses a Gullah Geechee Special Collections area and is contiguous to the National Historic Landmark campus of Penn Center.

**St. Helena Branch Library at Penn Center, St. Helena Island, SC** (Photo Credit: Richard Leo Johnson)

For more information regarding National Park Service’s Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (established by Congress in 2006), please visit: www.nps.gov/places/gullah-geechee-cultural-heritage-corridor.htm.

categories Community, Celebration, Education, History, Honoring, Learning Environments, Library, Local, National, Regional
tags BHM, BlackHistoryMonth, PennCenter, PennSchool, StHelenaIsland, StHelenaIslandSC, StHelenaBranchLibrary, education, history, GullahGeechee, NationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces, SouthCarolina

CCPL Opens Renovated John L. Dart Library

January 29, 2024Mez Joseph

Charleston County Public Library held the ribbon-cutting and grand reopening of the renovated John L. Dart Library in downtown Charleston this morning. The ribbon-cutting ceremony began at 9AM at the 1067 King Street branch. “We’re excited to show patrons the incredible transformation that has taken place at Dart,” said CCPL Executive Director Angela Craig. “The updates at the branch offer the surrounding community a modern library equipped with resources, services, and technology that complement our updated collection.”

Updates included new interior finishes, replacement of shelving, refreshed collection items (books, audiobooks, etc.), new furniture, technology upgrades, a private study room featuring Rev. John L. Dart’s personal book collection, and a new community meeting space.

Liollio is honored to have collaborated with the Charleston County Public Library, MB Kahn, and RMF Engineering on this momentous and meaningful project. Dart Hall, which was later replaced by the John L. Dart Library, was one of the original library branches established in 1931. Dart existed as a library for many years before the Charleston County Library adopted it as a branch. Dart Hall was originally built as the Charleston Industrial Normal Institute by the Rev. John L. Dart, a distinguished educator and a leading minister of the city. The current Library was built by the County Council in 1968 and named in honor of the late Rev. John L. Dart. Dedication ceremonies were held on Dec. 12, 1968, with members of the Dart family present.

For more information about this newly renovated library branch, please visit ccpl.org/construction.

categories Architecture, Celebration, Community, Education, Grand Opening, History, Honoring, Learning Environments, Library, Local, News, Ribbon Cutting
tags CCPL, CharlestonCountyPublicLibrary, library, librarydesign, renovation, DartLibrary, JohnLDartLibrary, MBKahn, RMF, architecture, ribboncutting, dedication, grandreopening

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

December 23, 2023Mez 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.

categories Architecture, Awards, Celebration, Community, Education, Construction, History, Learning Environments, Local, Regional
tags firstbaptistchurch, firstbaptistchurchofcharleston, architecture, newconstruction, awards, awardwinning, design, AIAAward

CCPL Celebrates National American Indian Heritage Month With Architecture

December 01, 2023Mez Joseph

Charleston County Public Library recently hosted a Native American Architecture Program at the Main Library to celebrate National American Indian Heritage Month in November. The Liollio team volunteers for CCPL’s annual program to teach children about vernacular architecture and native structures and dwellings. Following a presentation of vernacular architecture, children were given an hour to build a dwelling of their choosing with the help and direction of architects and designers. The Liollio team had a wonderful time with the children and CCPL staff. It is always a pleasure spending time and sharing knowledge with our community. To potentially spark a child’s interest in history, architecture, and design is a special and rewarding experience. Thank you to Charleston County Public Library for hosting our team!

categories Architecture, Celebration, Community, Education, History, Holiday, Learning Environments, Library, Local, National, Staff
tags CCPL, charlestoncountypubliclibrary, library, nativeamerican, indian, heritage, nativeamericanheritagemonth, architecture, architectureprogram, children, vernacular

USC's South Caroliniana Library Ribbon Cutting & Grand Reopening

October 17, 2023Mez 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

categories Architecture, Celebration, Community, Construction, Education, Grand Opening, Higher Education, Historic Preservation, History, Learning Environments, Library, Local, News, Regional
tags UofSC, universityofsouthcarolina, carolinianalibrary, southcarolinianalibrary, architecture, preservation, librarydesign, museum, exhibitdesign, history, southcarolinahistory, ribboncutting, reopening, USCDevelopment

North Charleston's New Dorchester County Library Celebrates Ribbon Cutting

August 22, 2023Mez 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!

categories Architecture, Celebration, Community, Construction, Grand Opening, Elevation, History, Learning Environments, Library, Local, News, Regional, Ribbon Cutting
tags DorchesterCountyLibrary, DorchesterCounty, NorthCharleston, NorthCharlestonSC, CityofNorthCharleston, DorchesterCountyGovernment, Edifice, Library, ribboncutting, celebration, community

USCB Hilton Head Campus Awarded AIA Charleston Design Award

February 11, 2023Mez Joseph

Liollio is excited to announce that the University of South Carolina-Beaufort’s Hilton Head Hospitality Management Campus received an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Charleston Merit Award for New Construction at the 2023 AIA Charleston Design Awards. Congratulations to our clients and friends at USCB Hilton Head!

This 40,000 SF facility is a new resource for USCB’s Hospitality Department in Beaufort and for Hilton Head Island, Beaufort County and Jasper County's thriving hospitality industry. The design is harmonious with natural surroundings, incorporates campus culture and island character, and reflects the island’s ecological design principles and sustainable practices by achieving Two Green Globes sustainability certification. The entry portico mimics the architectural style of the Old Beaufort College Building, referencing the history of the University while also reflecting its evolution. In addition to State and USCB program requirements, municipal aesthetic requirements are unique to the Island. The team led a successful collaborative effort to develop the design of this much needed school and event space for the Region. Liollio, in association with Bialosky, carefully developed the iconic design for this two-story facility. The site design focuses on preserving the island’s natural aesthetic through sensitive redevelopment. The design limits disruption to the environment, enhances the existing natural elements, and incorporates natural materials and finishes.

categories Architecture, Awards, Celebration, Community, Education, Higher Education, Learning Environments, News
tags aia, award, aiacharleston, designaward, meritaward, USCB, hiltonhead, hospitalitymanagement, hiltonheadcampus

Liollio Architecture Elevates Team Members to Associate

January 27, 2023Mez Joseph

Liollio Architecture is pleased to announce the elevation of Lance Eubanks, Liz Corr, and Sarah Glass to Associate. The Liollio team celebrates their accomplishments and looks forward to their continued leadership. Congratulations to our new Associates!

Lance Eubanks, AIA, LEED AP, a Mississippi native, earned a Bachelor of Architecture at Mississippi State University. Lance has worked on multiple project types, including Biomedical Research Centers, Federal and Municipal projects, Higher Education Learning Environments, and Healthcare Facilities – always drawing his inspiration from the people who occupy these buildings. He fosters an encouraging and collaborative environment on each of his project teams. Lance is a member of AIA South Carolina and an alumnus of the AIA Christopher Kelley Leadership Development program. Prior to joining Liollio, Lance worked as a Project Manager and Project Designer in Washington DC.

Liz Corr, AIA, GGP, is a native of Philadelphia, PA. She completed her undergraduate education at Shippensburg University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics before completing her Master of Architecture at Clemson University. Liz’s professional experience includes projects in the Community, K12, Higher Education, and Federal markets. Her passion lies in education, library, and other community-centered design, where she believes architecture can have the most influential and positive impact. Liz is a member of AIA South Carolina, a board member with the Charleston Chapter of the ACE Mentor Program of America, and an Aqua Angel and regular volunteer with the Charleston Parks Conservancy.

Sarah Glass, AIA, a native of Charleston, received her Bachelor of Design in Architecture at the University of Florida and her Master of Architecture at Clemson University. She believes that the built environment has an incredible amount of influence on people’s lives. Sarah’s professional experience includes K12, Higher Education, Community, and Federal projects. She is the current AIA Charleston President, a past-chair of AIA SC’s Equity in Architecture Committee, and is involved with the Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston. Sarah is a studio leader, consistently bringing passion, confident direction, and expertise to the studio and on every phase of a project that she’s involved in.

categories Architecture, Celebration, Community, Education, Elevation, Health & Wellness, Healthcare, Higher Education, Learning Environments, Library, Local, News, Staff
tags elevation, associates, lanceeubanks, lizcorr, sarahglass, aia, architects, leed

Richland Library Ballentine Awarded AIA Charleston Merit Award

December 03, 2022Mez Joseph

Liollio is excited to announce that Richland Library Ballentine received an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Charleston Merit Award for New Construction at the 2022 AIA Charleston Design + Service Awards last month. Congratulations to our clients and friends at Richland Library!

Richland Library Ballentine is a suburban public library that creates a wooded escape to support an active local community of artists and craftspeople. The library provides a connection to the outdoors that includes an artist’s corner for quiet, meditative work surrounded by nature. The central public space is seen as a living room, a linear space which is oriented away from civilization and culminates in a framed view of an undeveloped woodscape. The living room is punctuated by three public art works, including a wisteria tree which drapes playfully over a children’s reading area, crocheted by library patrons.

categories Architecture, Awards, Celebration, Community, Education, Learning Environments, Library, Local, News, Regional
tags RichlandLibrary, richlandballentine, Ballentine, Irmo, AIA, AIAAwards, aiacharleston, meritaward, awards, awardwinner, library, librarydesign, community, thankyou

Charleston County Public Library Support Center Receives 2022 AIA South Atlantic Region Merit Award

November 30, 2022Mez Joseph

Liollio is excited to share that the Charleston County Public Library Support Center received an American Institute of Architects (AIA) South Atlantic Region Merit Award for Adaptive Reuse at the 2022 ASPIRE Conference in Asheville NC. Congratulations to our clients and friends at Charleston County Public Library!

As part of the Charleston County Public Library’s referendum for 21st-century libraries, the Support Center relocated the CCPL Administration, training and conference facilities, and central Automated Materials Handling to a consolidated facility. A renovation and interior upfit to an existing industrial commerce facility, this project included administrative offices, training classrooms, conference rooms, employee support areas, central IT, library cataloging and acquisitions, central supply storage, Automated Materials Handling, and distribution to all branches. The renovation also provided innovative solutions to dry floodproofing, daylighting, and upgrades to the existing building.

**2022 Aspire Design Awards Winners** Winners were revealed at ASPIRE in Asheville NC in September. To view the awards gallery, click on the award image above.

categories Architecture, Awards, Celebration, Community, Education, Learning Environments, Library, Local, Regional
tags CCPL, charlestoncountypubliclibrary, library, supportcenter, AIA, AIASAR, southatlanticregion, Award, meritaward, community

Library Journal Features Award-Winning Charlotte Mecklenburg South County Regional Library

November 29, 2022Mez Joseph

Liollio Architecture’s partnership with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and Mecklenburg County NC is featured in the latest Library Journal article “Future-Proofing Libraries Through Flexible Design” by Jessica Levine. Be sure to check out the coverage of South County Regional Library!

We are also excited to share that South County Library received an American Institute of Architects (AIA) South Atlantic Region Merit Award for Interior Architecture at the 2022 ASPIRE Conference in Asheville NC. Congratulations to our visionary clients!

“As a civic building, a library should support a community’s needs and also represent that community’s identity, aspirations, or unique sense of place.”

— Jennifer Charzewski, Liollio Principal & Community Market Leader

categories Architecture, Awards, Celebration, Community, Conference, Education, Learning Environments, Library, Local, News, Regional
tags libraryjournal, charlottemecklenburg, southcountylibrary, southcountyregionallibrary, AIA, Award, AIASAR, southatlanticregion, AIASouthAtlanticRegion, library, learningenvironments, renovation, community, AspireDesignAwards, ASPIRE, AspireConference

Dorchester County Library North Charleston Branch Groundbreaking Ceremony

July 14, 2022Mez 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.

categories Architecture, Celebration, Community, Construction, Education, Ground Breaking, History, Learning Environments, Library, Local, News, Regional
tags dorchestercounty, DorchesterCountyLibrary, DSD2, DorchesterSchoolDistrict2, newlibrary, library, groundbreaking, ceremony, Edifice, DavidandFloyd, RMF, EMStructural

Design Plans Unveiled for New Discovery Place Nature

April 26, 2022Mez Joseph

April 22, 2022 DISCOVERY PLACE NATURE

Discovery Place celebrated Earth Day by unveiling design plans for the reimagining of Discovery Place Nature situated in Charlotte’s Freedom Park. The new nature haven will be a world-class environmental education center serving the Carolinas and will feature a free public garden filled with wildlife and native plants, inviting the community to connect with and explore the wonders of our natural world.

The project is a public-private partnership between Mecklenburg County, who owns the property and facility, and Discovery Place, a nonprofit leader for science education in the U.S., which has operated the Museum since its doors opened to the Charlotte community in 1947.

“Discovery Place Nature has been an incredible community resource for decades,” said Mecklenburg County Manager Dena R. Diorio. “This is a huge step toward ensuring it remains a valuable learning resource for decades to come.”

A public-private partnership, the new Museum will be developed at the 71-year-old facility’s current location on Sterling Road adjacent to Freedom Park, providing a complete reinvention of the current Discovery Place Nature—the first nature museum in the Southeast. The Board of County Commissioners of Mecklenburg County previously approved the recommendation of County staff and Discovery Place to select the award-winning team of Liollio Architecture and Hood Design Studio to lead the planning and design of the new Discovery Place Nature.

“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 & 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.”

Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Liollio Architecture has been providing thoughtful, respectful, creative design since 1956. Their work spans both the private and public sectors, providing sustainable architecture, interior design and historic preservation. Liollio has built a reputation on design through community engagement and collaboration, and their work is rooted in the particulars of place, people and landscape.

Liollio has won more than 100 design awards over the years for its work, including the 2016 American Institute of Architects South Carolina Firm Award; the Library Journal Landmark Library National Award for St. Helena Library at Penn Center; and the AIA South Atlantic Region Honor Award for Hampton Health Clinic.

“We are honored to be collaborating with Discovery Place and Mecklenburg County on the new Discovery Place Nature, 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. “The Liollio and Hood Design Studio team sees this as an exciting opportunity to create an engaging and creative place for residents and visitors for generations to come.”

California-based Hood Design Studio, led by Charlotte native Walter Hood, will partner with Liollio on the Discovery Place Nature project. The studio’s award-winning landscape design, public art, installation art and urbanism unveil the emergent beauty, strangeness, subjectivity and idiosyncrasies of place. They root their design work in collaboration, seeing projects thrive under the joint efforts of design teams and through engagement with constituents and local communities.

Hood Design is well-known for their work, which includes projects such as The Broad Museum Plaza in Los Angeles, the new de Young Museum gardens in San Francisco, the Cooper-Hewitt Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden in New York City and the soon-to-open International African American Museum in Charleston, SC. The firm has been the recipient of several awards, including a California Preservation Award for Bayview Opera House from the California Preservation Foundation, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Landscape Design and Wall Street Journal’s Best Architecture Award for the University at Buffalo Solar Strand.

In 2021 founder Walter Hood was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York, which is “considered the highest form of recognition of artistic merit in the United States.”

Construction for the new Discovery Place Nature Museum is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2023.

About Discovery Place Nature

Founded in 1947 as the Children’s Nature Museum, Discovery Place Nature has been a staple in Charlotte’s education and cultural community for 75 years. The Museum conjures curiosity and activates the imagination through educational experiences that help us connect to the natural world. Guests can discover native animal species, encourage imaginative play in Fort Wild, take a family trek through the 100-year-old trees on the Paw Paw Nature Trail and explore the stars in the planetarium. For more information, visit discoveryplace.org or call 704.372.6261 x300.

About Liollio Architecture

Liollio believes creativity originates through the eyes and stories of communities based on subtle and restrained design, rooted in context, culture and collaboration. For over 63 years, Liollio has provided architecture, interior design, programming, historic preservation and master planning services. Liollio has been honored by the American Institute of Architects South Carolina Chapter as a Firm Award Recipient. Visit liollio.com for more info.

About Hood Design Studio

Hood Design Studio is tripartite practice, working across art + fabrication, design + landscape, and research + urbanism. The resulting urban spaces and their objects act as public sculpture, creating new apertures through which to see the surrounding emergent beauty, strangeness, and idiosyncrasies. The Studio’s award-winning work has been featured in publications including Dwell, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fast Company, Architectural Digest, Places Journal, and Landscape Architecture Magazine.

categories Architecture, Community, Education, Learning Environments, Local, News, Regional
tags architecture, design, nature, education, designreveal, reveal, unveiling, discoveryplace, discoveryplacenature, charlotte, mecklenburgcounty, hooddesigngroup, walterhood

Liollio Honored with 2021 AIA South Atlantic Region Aspire Design Awards

October 12, 2021Mez Joseph

The AIA South Atlantic Region has a long-standing tradition of recognizing a broad range of architecture activity that exemplifies the values of the region and improves the quality of the built environment in the communities we serve. The SAR Design Awards program - a regional design awards covering Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina - seeks to highlight the diverse range of project types that exist within the region.

The 2021 AIA SAR Awards were recently presented, awarding 24 projects after receiving 240 submissions. Four of the 24 were Honor Awards, of which Liollio was honored with two - one for South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism’s Fort Mill Welcome Center, and the other for Richland Library St. Andrews in Columbia SC. Liollio would like to thank the AIA SAR Awards committee and jurors. Liollio would also like to congratulate all award recipients, as well as their clients, Richland Library and SCPRT!

About ASPIRE: Created by the state AIA chapters of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, the unconventional architecture conference influences artists, architects, designers, and engineers to design the future. Aspire debuted in 2019, transforming the beautiful and vibrant city of Asheville, North Carolina, into a nexus of architecture, design, and engineering. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Aspire plans to return to Asheville NC in person in 2022. Learn more by visiting aspirexp.com

About AIA SAR: The American Institute of Architects South Atlantic Region is comprised of all of the Chapters in three states: Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina and is home to more than 5,500 members. The AIA is the voice of the architectural profession and a resource for its members in service to society. We are dedicated to driving positive change in our communities through the power of design.

Click image above to view. the full awards ceremony or visit https://youtu.be/Tt2G2Zf0q3o

categories Awards, Celebration, Architecture, Community, Conference, Education, Learning Environments, Library, Local, News, Regional
tags AIA, AIASC, aiasouthcarolina, AIANC, AIANorthCarolina, AIAGA, AIAGeorgia, AIASAR, AIASouthAtlanticRegion, SAR, AIAColumbia, AIACharleston, AIANational, AmericanIstituteofArchitects, SCPRT, RichlandLibrary, RichlandLibraryStAndrews, ColumbiaSC, FortMillSC, ASPIRE, AspireDesignAwards, awards, designawards

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

September 08, 2021Mez Joseph

*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.”

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*

categories Architecture, Community, Construction, Education, Higher Education, Learning Environments, Local, News
tags collegeofcharleston, charlestoncitypaper, schoolofthearts, Simons, SimonsCenterfortheArts, SimonsCenter, performingarts, #cofc, highereducation, highered

College of Charleston Arts Building Set for Multimillion-Dollar Overhaul

September 07, 2021Mez Joseph

A rendering shows a design of what the renovated Albert Simons Center could look like from St. Philip Street. College of Charleston/Provided

By Maura Hogan mhogan@postandcourier.com
The Post and Courier
Sep 3, 2021

The College of Charleston is set to begin a multimillion-dollar renovation of the Albert Simons Center for the Arts.

It realizes a plan that was set in motion by the college years ago.

“This has been a long time coming and we’re delighted,” School of the Arts Dean Edward Hart said in a statement.

From the project’s onset, the college estimated its cost at $50 million. The arts center, which is on St. Philip Street on the college campus, will be closed for the next two years while the 42-year-old building’s renovation is completed. The renovation will upgrade classrooms and performance spaces as well as the building’s technology and infrastructure. Construction is slated to begin in late September.

The College of Charleston’s Albert Simons Center for the Arts will undergo extensive renovations. File/Brad Nettles/Staff

Designed by Liollio Architecture and HGA Design Firm, the reimagined Simons Center is conceived to be inviting to students, featuring colors inspired by iconic architectural features found on campus, such as the blue-green door of Towell Library and the coral color of Randolph Hall.

“It will look brighter and I think it will be more noticeable from the street,” he said.

The work will involve 87,365 square feet, according to Brad Weiland, senior project manager for the College of Charleston’s facilities management, with the renovated Simons Center encompassing more than 99,000 square feet.

Hart points out that while the Simons Center has served the department well since opening in 1979, it was in need of an upgrade after more than 40 years. It opened with the aim of serving up to 800 students.

A rendering shows a possible design of what the renovated lobby of the Simons Center could look like, featuring large windows and tall ceilings. College of Charleston/Provided

Today, the College of Charleston said the building, which is the main hub of the School of the Arts, accommodates five times that number.

Among the key improvements will be new seminar classrooms, updated and enlarged classroom spaces and a new two-story black box theater. The School of the Arts will also benefit from a state-of-the-art costume shop, scene shop and theater design studio; new sculpture, printmaking and drawing studios; a digital lab and gallery/multipurpose room; new music practice rooms and revamped dressing room spaces.

The renovation also includes mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and updated technological systems.

Five locations around campus will house School of the Arts programs and departments during the renovation. These include Harbor Walk West, 136 St. Philip St. (the former site of Redux Contemporary Art Studio); the Lightsey Center, Calhoun Annex (172 Calhoun St./Chapel Theatre); and 329 King St. (corner of King and George streets).

A rendering shows a design of the main corridor inside the Albert Simons Center. College of Charleston/Provided

With the Recital Hall and the Emmett Robinson Theatre, located within the Simons Center, closed for the duration of the renovation, many School of the Arts performances will be held in the college’s Sottile Theatre as well as the Chapel Theatre.

Construction will run through 2022, and major completion of the building will take place in the spring of 2023, with an estimated opening for the fall 2023 semester, Weiland said.

With large windows, a modern façade and carefully chosen brick, Hart said the entrance is meant to subtly grab visitors’ attention as they make their way from the rear of Randolph Hall to St. Philip Street.

College of Charleston students visit the Albert Simons Center for the Arts in 2019. The building, located on St. Philips Street, soon will be getting a makeover. File/Brad Nettles/Staff

The building will also give added visual prominence to School of the Arts, and its role in the city of Charleston’s arts scene. It dovetails with new branding, centered on the tagline “The Artistic Heartbeat of Charleston.”

“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,” Hart said.

The College of Charleston has deep connections with Spoleto Festival USA, Piccolo Spoleto, the Charleston Symphony, the Charleston Gaillard Center, the Preservation Society of Charleston, as well as many area theater and dance companies and art galleries.

“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,” Hart said.

With such an integral role in Charleston’s arts scene, the significant investment also bodes well for continued arts vitality in the years ahead.

“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,” Hart said.

categories Architecture, Community, Education, Higher Education, Learning Environments, Local, News
tags #PostandCourier, CollegeofCharleston, #cofc, SimonsCenter, SimonsCenterfortheArts, Simons, AlbertSimons, highereducation, highereducationdesign, highered, performingarts, education, College, CollegeDesign, Design, Renovation, CharlestonSC, CharlestonArts, arts

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

August 20, 2021Mez 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.

categories Architecture, Celebration, Community, Construction, Education, Grand Opening, Higher Education, History, Learning Environments, Local, News, Ribbon Cutting
tags thecitadel, bastinhall, newschoolofbusiness, highereducation, businessschoool

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