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.

2018 COMMUNITY BUILT ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

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Liollio's Andy Clark & Aaron Bowman were recently guest lecturers at the National Community Built Association (CBA) Conference held in Charleston at the Clemson Design Center in the historic Cigar Factory. Their presentation, Community: by design, presented case studies from their leadership roles within AIA South Carolina & AIA Charleston, as well as Liollio case studies of how community engagement efforts have strengthened our design solutions. The presentation focused on building community through: education, dialogue, design, equity, service and practice. Attendees left inspired and excited to apply new methods to improve designs to better serve the communities we work within. Liollio is always exploring new ways to engage the community to extract their story and vision, and translate that vision into a design language.

Open for Business: The Citadel Produces Military Leaders, Yes, But Even More Pursue Civilian Careers

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Construction of Bastin Hall, future home of The Citadel's business school, is set to start in June.

By Dave Munday dmunday@postandcourier.com
The Post & Courier Mar 25, 2018

The Citadel’s mission to produce ethical business leaders is paying off, as the department is in the midst of a major makeover.

The expansion includes:
• A new name. The department was renamed The Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business last year after a major donation from Baker, a 1972 business school graduate who founded the Baker Motor Co., automotive empire.
• A new home. The department is preparing to move from Bond Hall, where it shares space with administration and biology classes, to a new building called Bastin Hall, in the fall of 2019.
• A new dean. Michael Weeks, dean of the Dunham School of Business at Houston Baptist University, a former Air Force pilot and an accomplished violinist whose specialty is strategic innovation, will take over the helm at The Citadel on July 1.
• New specialties. This year, the Citadel began offering new programs focusing on finance, entrepreneurship and the supply chain.

About one-third of the graduates from the Charleston military college go into the military; the rest pursue civilian careers. The school has produced a long list of outstanding business leaders in its 175-year history, going back to James Coker, an 1856 graduate who founded Carolina Fiber Co., Sonoco Products and Coker College in Hartsville.

Baker is one of the more visible contemporary graduates in the Charleston area. He declined to reveal the amount of his donation last year, but it’s been called the largest in the history of the business school.

Bastin Hall is named after Rick Bastin, a 1965 business school graduate whose Florida car dealerships included the largest Mercedes-Benz dealership on the East Coast.

He donated $6 million to get the building started in September 2016. Work is expected to start this summer, near the Holliday Alumni Center across from Johnson Hagood Stadium.

All cadets — whether heading for military or business careers — are drilled in the school’s core values of honor, duty and respect. That’s a selling point in today business world, according to Iordanis Karagiannidis — often called "Dr. K" around campus — the business school’s associate dean.

"I think that is a strong selling point, when you look at the news, the lack of ethics in different businesses," Karagiannidis said.

The new dean agrees.

"The primary attraction of the position for me was The Citadel's commitment to its mission of developing leaders with core values of duty, honor and respect," Weeks said. "One only needs a quick scan of the current headlines to see that our community and nation require leaders of character at every level."

Out of 551 cadets who graduated in 2017, 191 — or 34 percent — were business majors, according to a report from the school.

A number of prominent business leaders also have earned their master's degrees at The Citadel, which allowed MBA candidates to complete the program entirely online two years ago.

Liollio Architecture, in association with ikon.5 architects, is currently working with The Citadel to complete the Bastin Hall project.

The Citadel's 175th Anniversary Luncheon

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The 2017-2018 academic year marks the 175 Year Anniversary of The Citadel and, in a special partnership, The Post and Courier will commemorate this incredible milestone throughout the year with a series of events. You may have already noticed a key point of this partnership: the “Today in History” highlighting significant moments in Citadel history published daily on page 2 of The Post and Courier. The Post and Courier published a commemorative special publication on Sunday, March 25, 2018. The special publication included a historical overview of the past 175 years.

As part of this celebration, The Post and Courier also hosted the 175 Year Anniversary Luncheon on March 22 following the Greater Issues speech during Corps Day. Liollio Principals, Dinos Liollio, Cherie Liollio, Jay White, and Associate Principal, Andy Clark, joined in celebrating the military college of South Carolina and their extraordinary path to 175 years of excellence last Thursday at The Citadel’s Holliday Alumni Center.. The luncheon featured speakers including Lieutenant General John W. Rosa, USAF (Ret.), and Colonel Randy Bresnik, USMC (Ret,).

Rebel Girls Charleston Event at the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry

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There was a great turnout last Saturday, and all the Rebel Girls (and boys!) in the community learned about being an architect. They learned that architects use their creativity and ideas to make drawings, which they then use to construct buildings. Our Rebel Architects drew their ideas for the new Children’s Museum on cards and used their drawings to construct a tower. The kids not only learned about architecture, but helped to design their own Children’s Museum!

We are proud to be Rebel Girls because we are ambitious and creative problem solvers. Architecture is about designing the spaces that you live, work, and (most importantly) play in. At Liollio, we focus on designs that bring people together and strengthen a community.  Think about your house, your school, your library: we led the design teams that bring those projects to life. We help shape the world around us!

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls is a book that reinvents fairy tales and inspires girls and boys with the stories of 100 extraordinary women, from Elizabeth I to Serena Williams. We’re celebrating Women’s History Month with a celebration of our own “rebel girls.” 

Liollio is proud to have been apart of such an important, fun  and extraordinary event. Thank you to all who participated!

Rebel Girls Celebration at Children's Museum of the Lowcountry

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There was a great turnout last Saturday, and all the Rebel Girls (and boys!) in the community learned about being an architect. They learned that architects use their creativity and ideas to make drawings, which they then use to construct buildings. Our Rebel Architects drew their ideas for the new Children’s Museum on cards and used their drawings to construct a tower. The kids not only learned about architecture, but helped to design their own Children’s Museum!

We are proud to be Rebel Girls because we are ambitious and creative problem solvers. Architecture is about designing the spaces that you live, work, and (most importantly) play in. At Liollio, we focus on designs that bring people together and strengthen a community.  Think about your house, your school, your library: we led the design teams that bring those projects to life. We help shape the world around us!

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls is a book that reinvents fairy tales and inspires girls and boys with the stories of 100 extraordinary women, from Elizabeth I to Serena Williams. We’re celebrating Women’s History Month with a celebration of our own “rebel girls.” 

Liollio is proud to have been apart of such an important, fun  and extraordinary event. Thank you to all who participated!

Growing Home | Design Institute Design Challenges

VANCOUVER COMMUNITY LIBRARY HOSTED AN EXPLORATION OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SUSTAINABLE DESIGN & ADAPTING TO CHANGING NEEDS

By Meredith Schwartz

Librarians from around the country convened on October 20 in Washington State, at Fort Vancouver Regional Library’s (FVRL) Vancouver Community Library (VCL). The building, a 2015 LJ New Landmark Library (NLL), serves as gathering place and convener for the midsize city (population about 175,000 as of 2016) that is also the largest suburb of neighboring Portland, OR, just across the river. Designed to evolve with changing community needs, the building exemplifies the day’s themes from start to finish.

COMMUNITY CONCEPTS

The first panel, Community Engagement 360°, took a deep dive into how to engage all of a library’s many stakeholders in the process of planning a new or renovated library (something FVRL engaged in with VCL), bringing along even skeptics, and how to translate that input into the design. Panelists Jennifer Charzewski, principal at Liollio Architecture, and Dennis Humphries, principal at Humphries Poli Architects, were led by moderator Amy Lee, FVRL public services director.

The panelists suggested the first step is to start not with the existing building but with how the library wants to be seen in the community—as a leader, enabler, dreamer, or disrupter. Charzewski took the concept a step further, advising libraries to “develop a brand or identity as the result of the story of who they are and have it be inseparable from the community.”

While community conversations and focus groups are important, both noted the use of alternative methods to ensure that all voices get heard. Charzewski drew on her experience working on the St. Helena Branch Library, Beaufort County, SC, another 2015 NLL, to recommend passing out cameras for community members to take pictures of things that are important to them and holding an open mic night to collect stories (with a ringer or two in the audience to get things going). One man brought a picture of his grand­father sewing a net, a dying craft, which ultimately informed the woven nautilus feature of the final design; another told a story of community sing-a-longs, with stomping on the wood floor. When the library opened, a resident who had attended the meeting hit her cane on the floor, which was elevated so it resonated, and said, “Wow, you guys listened.”

(l.-r.): The setting was FVRL’s Vancouver Community Library; public art of verbs defining what patrons can do at the library literally lined the walls inside; where challenges were chosen. Photos by Kevin Henegan

Humphries prescribed taking locals “on an adventure to look at library and nonlibrary spaces so they don’t stick with what is familiar. Focus on what is unique to them, but think outside the box.” He also advocated documenting on Post-its “so everyone has the same voice instead of having some speakers dominate,” then reading them back so they feel heard.

Charzewski urged librarians to include their design team in the feedback-gathering process and to go where the community is, since often the power users who attend forums don’t “represent the broad spectrum of [patrons]” let alone, as Lee pointed out, community members who don’t yet use the library, a demographic Lee said FVRL tried hard to reach during the design process.

Setting up a booth at a farmer’s market and using dot voting and Sharpie markup of images from other spaces, said Charzewski, garnered a broader range of input, as did reaching out to neighborhood associations and review boards to gather info and create a sense of ownership. Other tools included giant question dice and directed storytelling—have a toolkit with a variety of options for engaging community members, she advised. She also proposed keeping the documentation to show later to politicians.

Despite the diversity of opinions gathered through such a process, Charzewski reassured attendees that common themes do rise to the top, such as “cabin in the woods” for one library she worked on and “revitalizing a blighted neighborhood,” for another. “Stories…become the guiding lights for the project.” Local materials, too, can serve as touchstones.

Humphries offered an example: the phrase “the planes and the plains” to describe what was special about a particular community arose through the public input process for a library on which he worked. A constituent made a call and was able to get the cockpit of a 737 donated to the library, and though it is in the kids section, it has become the library’s most popular feature for adults as well.

He also reminded attendees to seek local input not only about what to change but what to keep the same, particularly in cases of renovating a beloved iconic facility. For instance, he said, when renovating a building designed by ­Michael Graves, he sought to “find out what people cherished” about the existing structure—and found it was not what he expected. Humphries also urged librarians to include homeless patrons in these conversations and to remember that small ideas are as important as big ones.

1. FVRL executive director Amelia Shelley (l.) welcomed librarians. 2. Amy Lee (r.) moderated a panel on translating deep community engagement into design with Humphries Poli’s Dennis Humphries (l.) and Liollio’s Jennifer Charzewski. Photos by Kevin Henegan

An audience member asked how to resolve the disconnect between features that residents like in theory but don’t use in practice, such as whiteboards. Both architects recommended rapid prototyping. In one example Humphries cited, a library built its service desk out of plywood and kept changing it as it was used until a design that was sure to work was reached.

SUSTAINABLE SUBSTANCE

Another major theme of the day was sustainability, as befitted VCL’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold–certified setting. Patti Southard, program manager for the “GreenTools” building program in King County, WA, delivered a keynote on transforming our environment through regenerative design. Southard emphasized connecting environmental considerations to equity and social justice, citing King County’s strategic plan, impact review tool, training, and scorecard and its partnership with Miller Hull to develop equity training for architects. She laughingly commiserated with attendees about this new item on an already ambitious agenda: “in addition to everything else you have to do, you now have to combat fascism.” But, she said, it’s important and, in collaboration, achievable. “We’re in it together, y’all.”

She also spoke on the Living Building Challenge, saying “it’s an advocacy tool and it really is a challenge” to push past minimal damage or even zero damage goals to aim for buildings that make things better. Southard said the water and energy components of the challenge are reachable; “the biggest challenge is finding materials that are toxin free.” But, she said, we must “balance easy wins with pushing the envelope” because the role of libraries as examples for others to follow is important for the good of all.

Following Southard’s inspirational presentation, Amelia Shelley, FVRL executive director, led a panel on Smart Sustainability featuring Jeff Davis, principal, Arch Nexus, and Chris Noll, principal, Noll & Tam Architects. The primary focus was on people—specifically staff and patrons who will use the building.

1. Tech Logic’s Anthony Frey answered questions about automatic materials handling and offered a case study. 2. Panels and presentations took center stage in the Columbia Room. Photos by Kevin Henegan

Davis suggested Inhabit, a tool that trains those in the building on how their behaviors impact energy usage. There are also tools that help with energy conservation, such as lights that let staff know when to override the HVAC and open the windows. Noll emphasized the importance of training a broad range of staff, not just a few key facilities point people, saying the latter are usually “pretty forward thinking and willing to buy in; the problem comes at the back end.”

Davis also said solar panels are a good return on investment as costs are coming down and suggested focusing on the areas around the windows and where the roof meets the wall—libraries can even implement “envelope commissioning” to see how those spaces are performing.

Davis and Noll both emphasized the importance of daylighting. “Not just sticking a skylight in anywhere and calling it daylighting but thinking it through to maximize light and minimize heat” through complex modeling computer programs, said Noll. Water conservation is a tougher sell because it doesn’t save libraries much off the bottom line, he added, but at least in drought-prone places such as California, consciousness has been raised. Davis concurred. “If you think about the costs of conveying it to your building and away, those are huge costs. It gives the community a return on investment,” he said, even if it doesn’t show up in the library budget specifically. However, some green features don’t deliver a good ROI, even though they help a building qualify for LEED status. Davis recommended skipping electric car charging stations. “Nobody uses them,” he said. Noll said the same of employee showers (which count as sustainable because, in theory, they encourage employees to walk, run, or bike to work rather than drive).

1. Keynote speaker Patti Southard from Washington State’s King County GreenTools shared thoughts on regenerative design. 2. Lunch was served at Fort Vancouver’s nearby historic Red Cross Building. 3. Attendees carved out a separate space for teens during Puyallup PL’s challenge session. Photos by Kevin Henegan

ADAPTING & EVOLVING

The final panel of the day addressed how libraries can create buildings that can change with the times, how to implement change to even recently constructed buildings—and how to sell stakeholders on the necessity of such changes without fostering the perception that the original plan was a mistake. Meredith Schwartz, executive editor, LJ, moderated a panel featuring Ruth Baleiko, partner, Miller Hull Partnership; David Schnee, principal, Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning; and David Wark, principal, Hennebery Eddy Architects.

“A building is not something you finish but something you start,” said Wark. Within a building, each system has its own life span, leading to short- and long-term alterations. In addition, he said, buildings must respond to external factors, such as the continued expansion of tech and, particularly in the Northwest, sheer population growth.

Baleiko added, “It’s not if your building will be renovated but when.” She cited Bruce Ziegman, former FVRL director, who built VCL, as saying, “This has to be a 100-year building—the most flexible chassis to change after we’ve gone.”

Specifically, Baleiko suggested fewer columns, better sight lines, and raised floors as gifts to librarians’ successors to allow easy relocation of shelving, power, and lighting. “Embrace the idea that people after you need to be nimble” and respond to users.” And what are those users likely to ask for? According to Schnee, the basics: “more power, more data, more seats.”

1. Discussing adaptable design were Hennebery Eddy Architects’ David Wark, Group 4 Architecture’s David Schnee, and Miller Hull’s Ruth Baleiko. 2. Chris Noll from Noll & Tam (l.) and Jeff Davis from Arch Nexus talked smart sustainability. 3. Charzewski shared her expertise during the speed sessions. Photos by Kevin Henegan

Community needs are constantly evolving, and by the time a new building comes to fruition, “new behaviors are starting to manifest,” Baleiko said. “That’s how the tweens [area] came about [at VCL]. We had to retool and carve out a space. The idea that any update means we failed is wrong. Change is more rapid now, and it’s a good thing.”

Schnee cited the Santa Clara Central Park Library, CA, as an example of a relatively recently remodeled library in need of an update. Its reading room, finished almost 20 years ago, featured a reference desk and periodicals collection. So, said Schnee, “we brought in drawing tables to replace the reference desk and got rid of the periodicals collections and put in a virtual reality gallery instead.”

Schnee urged attendees to “take lessons from the hospitality and retail worlds. The public expects things to change. We have to tell them there’s a price tag for that."

To adapt to the evolving needs of their own users, attendees applied the lessons of the day in breakout design sessions (see p. 38ff.) and brought their own challenges to the architects through speed sessions. For those who want to know more, join us at the next Design Institute, in Salt Lake City, April 26–27.

Building Your Library: A Closer Look at Richland Library St. Andrews

Building Your Library: A Closer Look at Richland Library Blythewood

Children's STEAM: Young Architects

“We always love the opportunity to introduce kids to the world of architecture and design. ”

— Jennifer Charzewski, Principal

Liollio’s Jennifer Charzewski, Liz Corr and Mary Tran participated in the Full STEAM Ahead Program: Young Architects at the Charleston Main Library on November 14, 2017.

November is Native American Indian Heritage Month and Liollio’s program aimed to teach the young architects about architecture through vernacular housing types and the ways people built shelters with the materials from their environment. Different vernacular housing types were shown, and they discussed how groups of people respond to different climates. such as, keeping wind out and warm air inside in cold climates, using the sun for passive heating, and being naturally ventilated with breezes in hot humid climates.

The young architects then sketched a vernacular housing type for a location of their choosing and constructed a model of it. Materials such as sticks, clay and fabric were used to make Igloos, Tipis, earth huts, and many other innovative and imaginative structures.

The Citadel Bastin Hall Groundbreaking

The Citadel recently broke ground on a brand new academic building. Bastin Hall will be the future home of the Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business. The building is named after Rick and Mary Lee Bastin, who gave a generous donation to kick-start the fundraising for the building.  The groundbreaking, which took place outside of Hagood Avenue, is part of The Citadel's Foundation's Leaders in Philanthropy Weekend. This celebrates the contributions from people who have supported the college's mission of achieving excellence in education.

Liollio, in association with Ikon.5 has designed a 43,000 SF building that will feature a rooftop terrace, eight flat and tiered classrooms, four interview rooms and a 2,100 SF common area. This three story facility will modernize the business education program to prepare cadets to become leaders in the business community. The design is sited to create a new quad of The Citadel campus and becomes a new public face to the City of Charleston. Honoring the tradition of The Citadel and respecting the architectural character, the design incorporates modern characteristics showing the institutions transition into the 21st Century with an optimism for the future.

Liollio's Kendall Roberts Achieves Architectural Licensure

Liollio is pleased to congratulate Kendall Roberts, AIA, for earning his architectural licensure and becoming a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), a professional organization for architects in the United States. A registered architect must complete an internship and pass a rigorous series of examinations offered by official architectural registration boards in the United States and Canada. The Liollio team celebrates Kendall and his achievement.

Born in Reading PA, Kendall grew up in Greenville SC. He moved to Charleston and joined the Liollio team in 2015 after finishing both his undergraduate and graduate studies in Architecture at Clemson University. Kendall also completed a semester in Barcelona at the Barcelona Architecture Center through Clemson’s Fluid Campus Program. He was on Clemson’s Solar Decathlon Team in 2015, and served as President of Freedom by Design (Clemson AIAS Chapter) during his undergraduate program. Freedom by Design, the AIAS community service program in partnership with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), uses the talents of architecture students to radically impact the lives of people in their community through modest design and construction solutions.

Kendall’s project work at Liollio has ranged in size and scope, strengthening his design, attention to detail, communication and collaborative skills. His recent work includes Charleston Fire Department’s Station 11, the Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center, and the Kiawah Island handrail replacement at The Preserve.

Doug Kelbaugh, FAIA Presents Inaugural Lecture at MRUD Program Charleston

Clemson's School of Architecture is pleased to announce the inaugural lecture for the Master of Resilient Urban Design program in Charleston SC. Doug Kelbaugh, FAIA is the Emil Lorch Collegiate Professor of Architecture and Urban Planning and Dean Emeritus Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning. For additional information on this lecture and the MRUD program, please contact:  B.D. Wortham-Galvin, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director, 843-723-1747, bdworth@clemson.edu. Visit the Clemson School of Architecture news & events page here.

Built, Fast! 6 Local Architects Talk Shop

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Associate Principal Andy Clark recently attended AIA Charleston's Pecha Kucha presentation Built, Fast! 6 Local Architects Talk Shop on July 18 held at Charles Towne Fermentory. Andy presented Liollio's design of the University of South Carolina Beaufort - Hilton Head Hospitality Management Facility. The project is currently under construction and Liollio is working in association with Bialosky Cleveland. Six local architects discussed and displayed images of their work at the new brewery in Avondale. The event was presented by AIA Charleston and CRAN Charleston, but was open to all. Each presenter exhibited 20 slides for 20 seconds each. It was a concise presentation of what our local architects have been hard at work on. Visit the AIA Charleston website at www.aiacharleston.com for upcoming events.

Images From the Richland Library Ballentine Opening

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New Ballentine Library Debuts

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Richland Library Ballentine Opens

Tim Flach
tflach@thestate.com

The new Richland County library in the Ballentine area will be more than a place for children to read. The facility at 1200 Dutch Fork Road, which opens Tuesday, includes a tree house and puppet stage for play and other activities as well as perusing books, watching videos and scanning the internet.

At 13,000 square feet, the $5 million library is four times larger than the former storefront it replaces. The facility on the north side of Lake Murray is the second new library built through a $59 million bond issue approved by Richland County voters in 2013.

The expanded Blythewood branch reopens June 22. 

Watch The State Newspaper video coverage and read full article here.

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ACE Mentors of Charleston End of Year Banquet & Project Showcase

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May 18, 2017/in Burke HS, Featured, Liollio Architecture, LS3P, Partnership, Personalized Learning, R. B. Stall HS, St. Johns HS, STEM, Work-based Learning, Workforce Development /by Chad Vail

Charleston, SC – May 17, 2017 – A group of local architects, contractors, and engineering professionals are doing their part to ensure the next generation is ready for the critical infrastructure and development related jobs in Charleston, and throughout the nation.

ACE Mentors of Charleston connects professionals with local classrooms for project-based learning and relationship building. Students work in teams on various aspects of large scale, multifaceted construction projects. The students choose the projects and all the elements to bring the design to a workable set of plans, and even a scale model in some cases.

Each year, to celebrate the students’ success and the investment of time by the many volunteers, a special banquet is held to allow each team to share a presentation on their chosen project.

The 2017 ACE Banquet was held at the Wolf Street Playhouse again, and Home Team BBQ was served, complete with cole slaw, mac & cheese, and iced tea.

This year, 3 CCSD schools participated in the ACE Mentoring program: Burke HS, St. Johns HS, and R. B. Stall HS.

Dinos Liollio, a 40 year veteran of the industry, provided the key note speech, and his chosen topic was timely for the students waiting to deliver their own presentations. Mr. Liollo spoke on the impact of non-verbal communication. He used many pictures and a movie clip to illustrate his points, and ended the presentation with a video of the dramatic pre-game ritual performed by the All Blacks Rugby Team from New Zealand. He encouraged the students to be aware of what was being communicated by the position of their arms and legs, their facial expressions, and their eye contact during conversations.

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After the keynote presentation concluded, each school was invited to the stage to present their class project.

Mr. Roy Kemp, PLTW Engineering Instructor and CTE Department Chair from Burke High School provided the following account of his experience at the ACE Mentors’ Banquet:

"Last night at the presentation banquet for ACE, a student mentoring program with Architects, Contractors and Engineers, outstanding young people from Burke High School, St. Johns High School and R. B. Stall High School made presentations of commercial projects that they had designed and worked on over the past school term under the mentorship of professionals from the three aforementioned tiers of the construction industry."

The class projects presented included: A pavilion for the International African American Museum complete with sketches, CAD drawings and a scale model by Burke HS students;

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a wrestling facility complete with engineering drawings, construction budgets and support materials by St. Johns HS students;

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and a regional recycling center with the “world’s biggest recycled water bottle” fountain along with all the other documentations by R. B. Stall HS students.

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The projects were ambitious, well planned with acute attention to details, and served their functions within our extended community amazingly well. The presentations were complete with every step of the planning and development process for these projects, and the students were articulate, at ease and presented to the room of some 100 attendees as well as most professionals. I was proud of the efforts, and realized that the ACE Mentoring Program, along with select educators from the CTE department of Charleston County Schools working with them was helping to develop our community’s future through solving real world development problems. They even gave three $1,000.00 scholarships to deserving students!"

Congratulations to Julio Solis, Ignacio Lopez, and Adrian Santiago on their scholarship awards! All three are graduating seniors from R. B. Stall High School.

Thanks to the school faculty and parents for attending to celebrate these students’ achievements. Thanks to Dinos Liollio for delivering an excellent keynote. Thanks to Rob Turner, Chairman of the ACE Mentors of Greater Charleston Board and all the volunteers and supporters of this terrific program for their investment of time and talent, and for a wonderful celebration for all involved to end the year!

2017 DEVON FOREST 5TH GRADE CAREER DAY

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Mary Tran, Associate AIA, visited Devon Forest Elementary School in Goose Creek last Friday to speak with 5th grade students about a career in architecture on Career Day. Mary had a great time with the students and was as excited to be there as the students and faculty were to have her. She spoke to six classes of 25-27 students lasting 30 minutes each. She spoke in one classroom the entire morning and classes rotate sessions to learn about her career. She talked to students about the general field, what kind of educational and background experience is needed for a career in architecture, what a day on the job is like, her interests and more. Toothpicks and clay were pervaded, and students were encourage to design whatever they wanted using the materials. The only rule was their structure had to stand up. The students enjoyed created their models, which they got to also take home. 

Mary enjoyed interacting with the kids and answering their questions about architecture. “I wanted to be an architect when I was in 6th grade but I talked myself out of it because I didn’t know exactly what architecture was or how to become one. Mary likes educating students about architecture and feels it's important to be an advocate for her field. Mary says, "The kids are so bright and creative. I really enjoyed being there!"

From Clemson to Cambridge: Two architecture undergrads head to Harvard

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During his time at Clemson, Rayshad Dorsey interned for Radium Architecture, Paragon Construction and Liollio Architecture.

CLEMSON — Founder. Leader. Graduate. These are just a few of the words that describe two students who are receiving their diplomas Friday from Clemson University’s School of Architecture.

Rayshad Dorsey and Brayton Gregory made the most of their time at Clemson by getting involved and excelling in the classroom. This fall, the two will pursue their master’s degrees from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and both will be attending on full-ride scholarships. Harvard’s graduate program was recently ranked best in the country by DesignIntelligence.

A native of Georgetown, Dorsey grew up in a rural community where he and his mother lived in a mobile home. At age 4, she gave him a Lego set, and since then his interest in architecture continued to grow. With her continuous encouragement, Dorsey immersed himself in the world of design, and as a high school senior he had the opportunity to visit Clemson.

“I was exposed to the everyday life of an architecture student and fell in love with the program. I felt at home at Clemson,” Dorsey said.

During his time as an undergrad, Dorsey took advantage of the services that were offered to him, such as advising, academic success tutoring and the Writing Center.

“I never felt like I was lacking resources at Clemson. If I needed help with anything I could find it.”

And while the opportunities for academic success were readily available to him, Dorsey realized there was something missing from campus: an architecture organization for minorities. As a sophomore, he decided it was time to change that, and in the spring of 2014, he co-founded Clemson’s chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS).

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Designed in collaboration with Clemson University NOMAS for the Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition, Fall 2016.

“NOMAS continued to open doors for me. I attended two national conferences and had the opportunity to be a project manager for the national Barbara G. Laurie design competition,” Dorsey said.

The two-time recipient of the American Institute of Architects Grand Strand Scholarship served on the Student Affairs Student Advisory Board and the School of Architecture’s Student/Faculty Advisory Board. He received the Ray Huff Award for Excellence, Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston’s highest recognition for achievement, and, most recently, the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities bestowed him the Blue Key Award, which is given annually to a student who has distinguished themselves in terms of academic scholarship and campus leadership.

Now, Dorsey prepares for his venture to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to continue his education.

“I have an opportunity that a few months ago I couldn’t even dream of having. Harvard is in one of the most intellectual places in the world and I can’t wait to take part in that atmosphere. While I am extremely nervous, I know that Clemson has prepared me well for what lies ahead and I am looking forward to the challenge.”

What will he remember most about Clemson?

“At Clemson, the professors really care. I felt like I could talk to all of my professors about anything. They were all so welcoming and really passionate about teaching. Lastly, of course, I’m going to remember being national champs in football my senior year!”

While Dorsey and Gregory are both accomplished Tigers who will be attending the same graduate school, their paths getting there were different.

A Greer native, Gregory grew up a Clemson fan.

“I knew that this is where I wanted to be even though it was not until later on in life that I found out Clemson was the only school in the state that offered architecture,” said Gregory. “The world of architecture has always been intriguing to me, from the multiple forms of design to the freedom of expression.”

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“The Necessary Library” designed by Brayton Gregory during his studies in Genoa, Italy.

In 2013, Gregory had the opportunity to attend his first conference as an undergraduate in Chicago. It was there he was introduced to the American Institute of Architecture Students. Being able to create connections with architecture students from around the world, he began building a strong network and the organization became one he truly believed in. The following fall, Gregory decided to run for a position in the institute. He won, and as membership chair he was able to further advance his skills and connections with others on campus and beyond.

“The position sparked my love for leadership and pushed me to want to reach higher in the organization, which led me to run for president-elect in 2015.”

In 2016, Gregory assumed his position as president. Over the past year, his chapter was recognized as one of the largest and fastest-growing chapters in the South.

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Gregory’s research has been presented at the National Conference for Beginning Design Students.

Throughout his undergraduate career, Gregory also served as an undergraduate research assistant and became an active volunteer through his involvement with Pi Kappa Phi.

“In 2014, I went through the process of becoming a re-founding father for Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. During this process, we established a well-rounded organization that is now nationally recognized.”

Gregory’s ambition and dedication to his craft and campus did not go unrecognized. He is the recipient of the Phi Kappa Phi Certificate of Merit, which is given annually to an outstanding student with a 3.5 or higher grade-point average who has made noteworthy contributions to Clemson. He also won the Alpha Rho Chi Medal in Architecture for his professional merit, ability to lead and performing willing service to the school.

“During my time at Clemson, I had a lot of guidance from my peers and professors. The Clemson family is a real thing and one of the most inspiring things about this university. Being from Upstate South Carolina, the move up north will be a complete change in scenery, but I’m very excited about the opportunities that I’ll have at Harvard and believe it will open doors that I never expected.”

- Tara Romanella, Media Relations, Clemson University

Florida Polytechnic Science, Innovation & Technology Campus Visit

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During their stay in Orlando for the 2017 AIA National Conference, Principals Jay White and Jennifer Charzewski, accompanied by Allie Beck, visited the Florida Polytechnic Science, Innovation and Technology Campus by Calatrava. Visit the Florida Polytechnic Science, Innovation & Technology website at floridapoly.edu. #FLPoly