DESIGN DETAILS: THE PINEAPPLE - A SYMBOL OF HOSPITALITY

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King Charles II of England Receiving A Gift Of A Pineapple

Known as the princess of fruits and the symbol of hospitality, the pineapple has become a prevalent motif in architecture, statuary and interior decoration, as well as a delight within the culinary world.

Pineapples are thought to have originated centuries ago in South America. On the Caribbean Island now known as Guadeloupe, it is believed that a fateful interaction with Columbus on his second voyage to the New World began the journey of this exotic fruit to European shores. Despite the challenges of growing fruit that thrived in tropical climates, by the mid 1600s pineapples were being produced in Hot Houses in Holland and England. The pineapple emerged as an honored and coveted gift presented by royalty to distinguished members of society. Named for its sweet taste and resemblance to the pinecone, the pineapple became a prized delicacy that spread throughout Europe and eventually, America. 

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Since Colonial times in America, the pineapple has endured as a symbol of welcome and hospitality. Its popularity brought forth a thriving trade that developed in the late 1600s and early 1700s, strengthening the pineapple as a status symbol. Serving pineapple at the dinner table was reserved for special occasions and honored guests. History states that American sea captains, upon returning from a voyage, would place the prized fruit on display outside their homes as a signal of their homecoming. This is perhaps the origin of the pineapple as an element of greeting, which evolved into more permanent adornment of exterior spaces that we see today. The pineapple became an iconic emblem of the 20th Century, embellishing pediments and architecture to offer a warm welcome with its distinctive form.

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Pineapples used as architectural motifs can be seen throughout downtown Charleston adorning homes, gates, gardens and more. Perhaps the most iconic example is the Pineapple Fountain at Charleston Waterfront Park.  Boasting a distinct pineapple-inspired design, this fountain has become one of the most photographed landmarks in the city. The Pineapple Fountain is definitely a must-see for visitors, and was recently deemed one of the 13 Most Incredible Fountains In The World.

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The Pineapple Fountain, Charleston SC

A special thanks to Kristin via houseappeal.wordpress.com for all the fun facts regarding the history of the pineapple.

Charleston Magazine's 40th Anniversary Issue

Liollio is proud to be a part of the official 40th Anniversary issue of Charleston Magazine (August). Happy Anniversary Charleston Magazine! Wishing you many more years of success.  Be sure to check out Liollio's spread on page 16-17.  View Digital Magazine> 

Inspired BY: "Cardboard Cathedral" Christchurch, New Zealand

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The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake (magnitude 6.3) inflicted crippling damage on the Christchurch Cathedral which was the symbol of the city. In response to this situation, a new temporary cathedral was designed. Paper tubes of the equal length and 20 ft containers form triangular shape. Since geometry is decided by plan and elevations of the original cathedral, there is a gradual change in each angle of paper tubes. This cathedral, which has a capacity of 700 people, can be used as an event space and a concert space. There was a media conference in Christchurch on 31st of July, 2011. View website>

473 King Street c.1880 Exterior Restoration

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473 King Street is a preservation project Liollio & Palmetto Construction Group are currently working together on. It is an exterior restoration of one of upper King Street’s remaining Single House Shopfront Buildings, c.1880. 

Southwest Opens New Ticket Counter at CHS

Southwest Airlines opened its new ticket counter at Charleston International Airport — another step in the airport’s ongoing $189 million Terminal Redevelopment and Improvement Project.

The new check-in counter is adjacent to the consolidated security checkpoint, which opened in April. The old Southwest ticket counter will be renovated for Delta Air Lines. Delta’s move this fall will complete the ticketing hall renovations.

JetBlue and United Airlines were the first to move to renovated ticket counters in December, followed by American Airlines, US Airways, Porter Airlines and Silver Airways in March.

Through construction, the airport terminal will grow from approximately 330,000 square feet to 429,000 square feet.

Most of the terminal renovation is expected to be complete by the end of the year. Work on the Concourse A renovations,including a clerestory feature, will be completed in early 2016.

Visit CRBJ Site.

Inspired by: Gigon/Guyer Architekten Project - Museum Liner Appenzell

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The museum building, dedicated to the oeuvre of Appenzell artists Carl August Liner and his son Carl Walter Liner, belongs to the category of the monographic museum. However, the rooms are not designed to house particular paintings by either of these two artists, but rather, are dimensioned to accommodate changing presentations of the work of father and son as well as exhibitions of contemporary art. The rooms are therefore more general than specific in nature. They are quiet, simple spaces that seek neither to exaggerate nor to compete with the works of art. They show a minimum of detail, have bright walls, poured concrete floors, and are illuminated by daylight coming in through windows set in the gabled roof overhead. 

The dimensions of the rooms are relatively small to provide a concentrated and focused ambience for the individual paintings. The total exhibition area is divided into ten rooms, each measuring between 30 and 50 m2 in size. The varying size of the rooms is generated by an asymmetrically positioned wall running the length of the building as well as intersecting axes that define the spaces in decreasing size from south to north. The alignment of the doorways from room to room may be straight or shifted, allowing visitors to follow a direct or a meandering course through the museum. Two windows offer a view outdoors and facilitate orientation within the building. A small reading room and a room for slide and video presentations are placed at the north end of the building - that is, in the middle of the museum tour. The architectural opener for visitors is the spacious lobby with a counter for tickets and sales. As the first and largest room in the museum, it also functions as a place for receptions and lectures. 

The building is constructed using in-situ concrete and aerated concrete masonry. Due to the massive construction and the north-orientated roof-lights only minimal climate control is necessary in the galleries. The vestibule projecting from the building volumetry is made of exposed concrete, illustrating the materiality and compactness of the construction on the exterior. 

The illumination of the exhibition spaces, whose gables vary in height and breath, results in a 'zigzag form’ in the building volumetry. It reminds one, in a distant way, of the rows of gable roof buildings in the Appenzell villages, as well as of the more regular sawtooth roof forms of industrial and agricultural buildings. The roofs are clad in sandblasted sheets of stainless steel in order, on the one hand, to attain a diffusion of the reflected light, while on the other hand, a neutrality of the colour temperature. The facades are clad in the same material. The overlapping cladding and its shimmering grey colour show a distant resemblance to traditional Appenzell architecture with its shingled facades.

Visit the Gigon/Guyer Architekten Website.

Outside our Window

Summer afternoon shower  

Inspired By: Carlo Scarpa 1906-1978

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Carlo Scarpa was born in Venice on June 2, 1906, the son of an elementary school teacher. At the time of his death in 1978 at the age of 72, Carlo Scarpa was at the height of his fame and influence. His buildings and projects were being studied by architects and students throughout the world, and his decorative style had become a model for architects wishing to revive craft and luscious materials in the contemporary manner.

It is in the Castelvecchio Museum in Verona that Carlo Scarpa's delicate handling of ancient buildings comes to its highest achievement. Here floor patterns and materials interact to form a tactile play of pliant versus hard surfaces The new is held apart from the old by reveal joints and spatial slots that function as miniature conceptual "moats," and each work of art is lovingly held up to view by a stand or a bracket that is almost human in its anthropomorphic configuration.

Carlo Scarpa resisted the postmodern and neorationalist influences of the 1970s, preferring to elaborate a decorative system derived from the materials of modern architecture used in a craft tradition. Carlo Scarpa was in constant touch with his artisans, and his drawings were revised almost daily to reflect a preindustrial attention to old methods of construction.

For more info, click here.

Shem Creek Saturday

It was a busy day out on Shem Creek this weekend!  

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Sunday evening sunset!  

Liollio's Seth cantley Featured in 2015 Locals Issue of Canoe & Kayak Magazine

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Congratulations to Liollio's Seth Cantley, who was just featured in the 2015 "Locals Issue" of Canoe & Kayak Magazine!

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LIOLLIO WELCOMES MARY TRAN, KENDALL ROBERTS & ERIN LANE

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Mary Tran has joined the Liollio Design Studio. Mary received a BFA in Interior Design from the University of Georgia and a Master in Architecture from Clemson University. Kendall Roberts has joined the Liollio Design Studio as well. Kendall completed both his Undergraduate and Graduate studies in Architecture at Clemson University, during which he completed a semester in Barcelona at the Barcelona Architecture Center through Clemson’s Fluid Campus Program. Erin Lane has joined our firm as Administrative Assistant. Erin has been an Administrative Assistant in the industry for 14 years and brings that history of knowledge in the design and building industry with her to this position at Liollio. Liollio Architecture has maintained offices in Charleston SC since 1956. With a design focus on public architecture, our firm offers architecture, interior design, programming, historic preservation and master planning services throughout the southeast.

SPOTLIGHT ON: LIOLLIO'S SETH CANTLEY TRAVELS TO MORENCY, HAITI

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Liollio’s Seth Cantley and his wife Rebecca returned to the village of Morency in Haiti for their 2nd mission trip with Seacoast Churc and 410 Bridge. The 410 Bridg is a community development organization empowering people to use their gifts to faithfully serve and administer God’s grace. They have been cultivating a relationship with the Morency community through their fellowship and developing what they hope to be a lifelong connection. The focus for this trip was multifaceted. The Seacoast team taught English to teenagers and spent time playing games with children. They also worked with village leadership to help resolve community challenges and create long-term initiatives to serve the region for this and future generations.  
 
Morency, Les Cayes, Haiti is a beautiful coastal community where fishing is a lifestyle and a staple of the economy. They also grow and cultivate a plant called vetiver. The community is about a 5-hour drive from Port-au-Prince and is on the Atlantic Ocean with a view of Île-à-Vache. The 410 Bridge is in the process of offering support to the residents of Morency focusing on education, clean water and economic growth. The group’s main purpose is to improve and enrich the community and the entire region. Helping to lift people up to a new level of capability is beyond anything that can be dropped off in a box. It’s a future changer.
 
If you would like to help in creating a lasting life change, please visit www.410bridge.org.

INSPIRED BY: HERTL ARCHITEKTEN

The first of our weekly "INSPIRED BY:" features gives new meaning to the term "curtain wall". Aichinger House by Hertl.Architekten was a restaurant with two bars but the challenge for the architects was to renovate one of the bars into two flats. The architects created a dynamic exterior design using light gray curtains to contrast with the concrete building. Allowing for privacy, the curtains can be pinned back just like interior curtains to allow light to come in through the windows. From afar, the exterior looks like rippling concrete flowing in the wind.

The Schematic of Structures

The Schematic of Structures: 90 Buildings, From Prehistory to Present: This stunning blueprint-inspired graphic takes you on a visual tour of 90 celebrated structures around the world, highlighting architectural achievements from the Greek Parthenon and Buckingham Palace to Taipei 101 and the Freedom Tower, “a lineup of landmark landmarks and eminent edifices erected and perfected throughout history." This 18"x24" print is available for purchase at PopChartLab.com. 

Travel + Leisure Names Charleston #1 City in U.S. & Canada, #2 in World Again!

Charleston has again been named Best City in the U.S. & Canada, and  #2 in the World by Travel + Leisure! South Carolina’s oldest city has consistently charmed T+L readers with its quintessential antebellum aesthetic and old-fashioned Southern hospitality. It’s the only U.S. city represented in the overall list, and repeatedly appears on our America’s Favorite Cities lists. Despite its famed friendliness, Charleston has become the most recent site of a great national tragedy and intense civic debate. We send our sympathies to the people of Charleston, and pay tribute to the qualities that have captivated the hearts of travelers from around the world. “Charleston has it all,” one reader said. It’s been applauded for its beautiful, jasmine-fringed neighborhoods and historic battlegrounds. A stone’s throw from downtown is Sullivan’s Island and Folly Beach, where locals and visitors go on balmy summer days to cool off amongst the grassy, soft sand dunes. Explore the galleries on Broad Street, or the city’s award-winning restaurants. Don’t leave without trying lowcountry fare like shrimp with hominy—late night king and Charleston native Stephen Colbert’s personal favorite. See Travel + Leisure's full listing here.

Project Feature: “The Bank in the Oaks” Designed by Liollio Founder, D.C. “Jimmy” Liollio

Completed in 1968, Citizens & Southern National Bank, also known as “The Bank in the Oaks”, has long been considered one of Mr. Liollio’s best and most thoughtful designs. In many ways, this building was visionary with regard to what he was able to accomplish.

Without removing any vegetation, the building was nestled under an existing canopy of oak trees, providing transparency, shade and sun control for its large window walls. The view was truly spectacular as it faced the avenue of oaks across the street at Historic McLeod Plantation.

This building was also significant, establishing the birth of a style that began to evolve in many of Mr. Liollio’s later designs. Structural features such as folded plate roofs and pre-cast inverted arches that were central to the design of the Bank in the Oaks also appear in many of his later works in the Charleston area.

Outside Our Window

Life Outside the Office

We know its hard to believe that we have lives outside the office! Here are some photos to give you some insight....

When the weather is nice, you can find me on a boat watching the local regattas with my husband, Calvin, and our first mate, Otis.

Alison Dawson

The YMCA father / daughter Indian Princess program is a great opportunity to spend time with my kids and support the greater Charleston YMCA programs at the same time.  Events include camping trips, walk for water, pajama bowling, etc.  This picture is from a semi-formal harbor dinner cruise at patriots point. 

Andy Clark

I love running and participating in races and recently I discovered the world of mudruns and the teamwork they require, the fun of dressing up as superheros and getting all muddy.

Angie Brose

Volleyball is my way of clearing my head.

Dan Corte

Portraits by Harry Dewees (www.harrydewees.com)

David Dewees

What happened to all that hair? Contemplating architecture in 1975….

Dinos Liollio

This is no other place in the world I would rather be.  

Dustin Seager

“You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.” -Dr. Seuss

Elissa Bostain

Me at a Charleston Gallery Crawl.  I love art and making new friends.

Erin Lane

The thing I love about baking is that it can be as much art as it is science.

Geoff Mohney

I was in a band. Somewhat.

Jay White

There is great joy (and great humor) in spending time with our three boys (L-R): Robert, Jack, and Evan!

Jennifer Charzewski

I grew up skateboarding, and while I don’t do it as often as I would like now, it has always been a creative outlet for me. This photo was taken in Barcelona, which is often referred to as the skateboarding capital of the world.

Kendall Roberts

“Don’t be afraid to step outside of the box once in a while. Life is a journey, be curious and explore!”

Mary Tran

My two favorite girls…my niece Callie & my pup Sofia.

Mez Joseph

There is nothing more important than spending time with my Family.  Even though life with three little ones can sometimes seem like a hurricane, their energy, excitement and overwhelming love anchor me.  My Wife and I are so blessed.

Michael Edwards

My minions :)

Pat Ogle

It's all about being Holistic; being interconnected to the whole through family, work, outdoors, life, space, health and the Here-and-Now.

Seth Cantley

AIA Lunch: Academic Roundtable Discussion

We had a great AIA meeting today at the Maritime Center.  We attended an academic roundtable discussion to learn about current educational models at the undergraduate and graduate level, as well as forthcoming initiatives such as NCARB’s pilot program for “Licensure Upon Graduation.”  It was a lively and interactive discussion about the relationship between the academy and practice. Ray Huff, FAIA moderated the panel which included Ken Lambla, AIA of UNC Charlotte, Robin Fran Abrams, FAIA of NC State University, Kate Schwennsen, FAIA of Clemson University, and Christian Sottile, AIA of Savannah College of Art & Design.