Firehouse Magazine Announces National Station Design Award Winners

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Firehouse Magazine announced the winners of its ninth annual Station Design Awards program, which recognizes outstanding architecture and design from fire departments and emergency facilities nationwide. Peter Matthews, Firehouse Editor-in-Chief said, “This is the ninth year of the awards, and we are excited to see the advances in fire station designs. It’s wonderful to see the coordination between fire departments and architectural firms to design stations with a focus on keeping firefighters trained and healthy to better serve their communities. As fire departments become true all-hazard response agencies, their training and equipment needs grow, and the new facilities offer improved opportunities for firefighters to hone their skills.”

Winners were selected by a panel of seven judges, including fire chiefs and architects experienced in recent design and construction. Liollio is honored to announce that The City of Charleston Fire Station #11 received the Firehouse Station Special Design Award and James Island Public Service District Fire Station #1 HQ received a Notable Award.

Fire stations are essential public buildings that serve as critical infrastructure for emergency response services, and designing them requires careful consideration of operational needs, efficiency, and aesthetics. Receiving this award highlights Liollio’s commitment to creating spaces that not only meet the functional requirements of a fire station but also contribute to the community's architectural landscape. It recognizes Liollio’s dedication to designing buildings that enhance the well-being of the firefighters and the surrounding community while promoting safety and efficiency.

Showcasing and recognizing both projects is a tremendous honor and the Liollio team would like to thank Firehouse, the jurors, and our clients and project team. Congratulations to our clients at the City of Charleston, Charleston Fire Department and James Island Public Service District!

About Firehouse
Firehouse is the leading fire and emergency services brand, reaching more than 1.5 million visitors and subscribers monthly and thousands of attendees annually via its live events and media portfolio. The Firehouse brand encompasses Firehouse Magazine, Firehouse.com, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse Station Design Conference, Station Design Awards, and many print and digital products targeting fire and emergency services personnel. Utilizing its multiple platforms and unparalleled reach, Firehouse sets itself apart from the competition by fostering a culture that encourages innovation and the use of the latest digital and database technologies to best serve its audience and companies serving the marketplace.

College of Charleston Arts Building Set for Multimillion-Dollar Overhaul

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.

2019 AIASC DESIGN AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

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The American Institute of Architects, South Carolina Chapter (AIASC) recently announced the 2019 recipients of the annual AIASC Design and Chapter Awards, which encourages and recognizes design excellence throughout South Carolina, and promotes public awareness of the role architects play in shaping the quality of life in their communities. Awards were presented on Thursday, September 26, 2019 in Columbia SC. This year’s design awards were given in New Construction, Residential Design, Adaptive Reuse, Historic Preservation and Interior Architecture to projects located in communities throughout the state. 

Other chapter awards presented this year included:
The Community Collaboration Award – bestowed upon programs, institutions, or individuals who advance the public understanding and appreciation of design in the built environment, or for a project exhibiting exceptional engagement of the community in the design process.
The Patron Award – bestowed upon elected officials, public administrators, or community leaders who contribute to the development of laws, regulations, or policies that affect architecture, or the public’s perception of architecture, as an important part of our environment, life-style, and heritage.
The Social Justice Award – given to an individual or group that has demonstrated the power of a participatory design process to eliminate inequities in the built environment and for distinguished work embodying social responsibility to actively address relevant issues.

Liollio would like to congratulate Richland Library on being awarded with both The Patron Award and The Social Justice Award! We would also like to join in celebrating with our clients, the Town of James Island SC, Richland Library, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, for being awarded an Honor Award in New Construction for James Island Town Hall, a Merit Award in New Construction for Richland Library St. Andrews, and a Citation Award in New Construction for An Outdoor Room: Department of Veterans Affairs.

Liollio is honored for the recognition of our work and collaboration with outstanding clients and project teams. Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners and design teams for their exceptional project submissions! View the SCA Magazine for this year’s winning projects: aiasc.org/scadigital/ view the SCA Magazine.

Liollio Awarded Multiple 2019 Design Awards by AIA South Atlantic Region

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Liollio Architecture is honored to announce that the 2019 American Institute of Architects South Atlantic Region (AIA SAR) has recognized Liollio projects with three Regional Design Awards. Hampton Health Clinic in Varnville, SC received a New Construction/Substantial Renovation Honor Award. Brighton Park Swim Club in Summerville, SC and James Island Town Hall in James Island, SC both received New Construction/Substantial Renovation Merit Awards. Because these projects were the result of team work and collaboration with clients, Liollio would like to extend sincere gratitude to Hampton County, SC, WestRock and The Town of James Island, SC, along with their project team partners.

Jury Comments:
James Island Town Hall “This quotation of a simple regional form creates a warm community expression.”
Brighton Park Swim Club “This project was admirable for its modesty and directness.”
Hampton Health Clinic “This modest quiet clinic is designed with great sensitivity to patients and to creating a new warm and comfortable community asset.”

The AIA South Atlantic Region is comprised of three state chapters: GA, NC and SC and is home to more than 5,500 members. Events surrounding the 2019 AIA SAR Annual Design Conference, themed the ASPIRE Experience, took place in Asheville, NC over the course of three days, April 14 to April 16. A new type of collaborative conference, ASPIRE brought together the design and construction community to share stories and influence designers to create a better future. Breaking the mold of the traditional event and taking full advantage of the location, AIA SAR utilized the architecture, community and surroundings of Asheville to create this immersive environment of inspiration and design celebration.

Michael Edwards & Elizabeth Bernat Lead Roundtable at 2018 NANASP/NCOA Conference

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Liollio's Michael Edwards, Associate and Health & Wellness Leader, along with Elizabeth Bernat, Director of Senior Services at Roper Saint Francis Healthcare, led a series of roundtable discussions at the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP) -  National Council on Aging (NCOA) 2018 Conference in Charleston this month. The roundtables focused on the design and community engagement process for the Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center, a Public/Private partnership between the City of Charleston and Roper Saint Francis Healthcare, to open this Fall.

The NANSP/NCOA Conference is an annual conference hosted by the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANSP) and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC). The conference brings together leaders from senior center and aging organizations as well as officials from the SC Department of Aging and Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the AARP Foundation.

Michael Edwards is the Liollio Project Manager of the Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center located in West Ashley. Elizabeth Bernat is the Executive Director of the Lowcountry Senior Center and future Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center. For more information about the Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center, visit Liollio on ISSUU or view the Designing for Senior Community & Wellness Brochure.