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Thank you to Liollio's Angie Brose, Associate, or hosting our recent Liollio Supper Club! It was a remarkable, cultural and delicious potluck. We are blessed to work with an amazing group of talented and dedicated individuals.
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.
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;
a wrestling facility complete with engineering drawings, construction budgets and support materials by St. Johns HS students;
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.
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!
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!"
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).
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.”
“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.
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
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
Images of Dinos & Cherie Liollio celebrating Dinos' FAIA honor with friends following the 2017 AIA National Investiture Ceremony in Orlando.
Liollio is pleased to announce the elevation of Jennifer Charzewski, AIA, LEED AP, to Principal. As part of Liollio Architecture’s third generation of ownership, Jennifer promotes both the well-being of our design studio and the communities that we serve. Jennifer believes that architecture is about people, and designing places to gather, learn, work, and play is an opportunity to celebrate the pride and the story of a community. “ Liollio Architecture is a family, in every sense of the word, and the talent, enthusiasm, and commitment of our team makes our work a joy.”
A graduate of Texas A&M University and the University of Minnesota, Jennifer is a past President of AIA Charleston, a member of the AIA South Carolina Disaster Assistance Committee, a volunteer with ACE Mentors of Charleston and is currently working with an AIA South Carolina group to establish a committee for Equity in Architecture in South Carolina.
Jennifer has been part of the Liollio team for nine years and her design leadership spans from the award-winning St. Helena Library at Penn Center, Rock Hill’s Main Street Children’s Museum and Charleston International Airport to current projects including Richland Libraries, Charleston Fire Station #11 in West Ashley, James Island Town Hall, SCPRT State Welcome Centers, Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry and College of Charleston Simons Center for the Arts.
C. Dinos Liollio, FAIA, LEED AP, Principal
Liollio Architecture is proud to announce that Principal Dinos Liollio has been elected to the 2017 College of Fellows for the American Institute of Architects. AIA Fellows are recognized with the AIA’s highest membership honor for their exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society. The judging is rigorous, with approximately three percent of the AIA’s 88,000+ members having this distinction. There are multiple categories upon which a candidate might be considered. With nearly 100 awards, Dinos is recognized for his contribution to the design environment. We would like to congratulate Dinos and all of this year's recipients. Visit the AIA National website here.
Sea Island Habitat for Humanity is the third-oldest Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the world, and has served its community as an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International since 1978. They have provided housing solutions for over 300 local families. Their mission is to build simple, safe, decent homes for families that need a hand up, not a hand out. The Liollio team had the honor of supporting our local Habitat for Humanity last Friday, May 20, along with some help from our friends at Matt O'Neill Real Estate. We rolled up our sleeves and had a lot of fun working on two homes in the community located on James Island. Mother Nature was kind enough to give us perfect working conditions. Thank you to all who made this day so special! For information about how you can help Habitat for Humanity, visit their website here.
We had a wonderful evening at Dinos and Cherie's house on Friday night for the office holiday party! We enjoyed delicious food, wine and a fun white elephant gift exchange. The most "stolen" gift was soap stone, closely followed by a gift card to Starbucks, 6 pack of beer, picnic basket, and gift card to Panera. Happy Holidays!
We had our annual tree trimming event late this afternoon at the office! The reindeer antlers were passed around….a good time was had by all! Happy Holidays!
Michael, Jennifer, and Elissa attended a great AIA Charleston Board Retreat on Friday at James Island County Park. We are all excited for the new year and great events to come!
Beth Bartlett hosted the second LIOLLIO Supper Club at her home yesterday evening. It was a fun-filled event in which she prepared a feast including pork, chicken, vegetables, salad, appetizers and multiple dessert options. This was part of our new firm-wide dinner series in which we continue dialogue and conversation outside the office. Thank you Beth for a fabulous evening!
Michael Edwards & Andy Clark attended the Clemson Architectural Foundation (CAF) Board of Trustees fall board meeting in Clemson SC last week. In addition to the board meetings CAF participated in a panel discussion for Kate Schwennsen’s professional practice class and received an update on Clemson’s Solar Decathlon team’s amazing progress!
Liollio had a great time bowling last night with Matt O'Neill's team!
It was a great Friday afternoon for a Food Truck Rodeo hosted by Stantec!
We celebrated Geoff Mohney’s birthday on his recent trip to Charleston! Geoff
has recently relocated to the Asheville office.
