Avila Food Truck Lunch
Mez Joseph
Yesterday the studio took a trip down Folly Road to the Avila food truck for lunch! Check out the delicious Venezuelan cuisine!!
News
ArchDaily Readers Respond: The Cádiz Castle Renovation is, in Fact, Good
Mez Joseph
Some light architectural theory and critique for you. Three hot topics from the past few weeks that relate to almost every project we engage. Scroll down to see commentary on each:
1. Is Intervention within historic structures appropriate?
2. Is architecture as art damaging to society?
3. Do architects really ‘get’ sustainable design?
Read article>
SPOTLIGHT ON: Angie Brose, AIA, LEED AP
Mez Joseph
With a Masters Degree in Architecture from Ball State University and a Bachelor Degree in Architecture from Technische Universitat Berlin, Angie Brose, AIA, LEED AP brings an extensive background in design, construction and engineering to Liollio from the U.S. and abroad. Her education and practical training focused on architecture and design, including a 2 1/2 year apprenticeship as a registered carpenter/cabinet maker. Her 15 years of experience includes higher education, libraries, public/community buildings, healthcare facilities and more. We sat down with this month's Spotlight On recipient to ask her a few questions.
How long have you lived in Charleston?
17 years … wow time flies when you enjoy life
Where did you grow up?
West Berlin, Germany
What area of town do you live in?
Mount Pleasant as close to the ocean as I can afford
What is your favorite thing in your house?
The sky lights everywhere.
What are the top three things you like to do in your free time?
Work on projects around my house or the community, go to the beach, and go for a run or dancing
Do you have any pets? If so, tell us a bit about them.
Yes I have a dog (Nala) and a cat (Zazu) I got them from the SPCA when they were little hoping they would be friends. Well that did not really work out. LOL Nala wiggles her tail at everyone but me. But if for example I cry during a movie she comes over with this worried look on her face, puts her paw on my arm and starts licking my face until I start to laugh because it is so sticking cute. Zazu is the most social cat you will ever meet.
Do you have have any brothers/sisters?
I have one younger sister Nina
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Moving to this country with 2 bags and $1,000, working hard and fulfilling living the American Dream.
What building have you visited that most impressed you?
Even though I am not a big Frank Lloyd Wright fan (oh cardinal architectural sin :-) I absolutely love the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. I love the almost sculptural simplicity of it inside and out.
What architect or architecture firm most influenced you as a student?
I never had the fandom type of admiration for any particular architect or architectural firm. I like bits and pieces of different people’s work but do not run around reciting their names and buildings they designed. Sometimes that does not make me every popular with other architects because architects love to talk about architects but it is who I am. I get inspired by so many different things and a lot of times it is not other architects but other people, my clients or experiences.
What is your favorite country you have traveled to and why?
Italy… the food, landscape, architecture and people. My mom used to have a little house in Tuscany and it was just one of the most beautiful places. She had olive trees and made her own olive oil. I wished we still had the house so I could go back.
What is your favorite thing about working at Liollio?
The people and the work we do.
What inspires you most?
Random acts of kindness
What is the hardest part about your job?
The sometimes long hours.
What style of architecture most impresses you or is your favorite?
Well thought thru and detailed architecture that is sensitive to its surrounding environment… I prefer contemporary architecture. I do not believe in copying the past and believe that well design contemporary architecture can exist in symbiosis with historic architecture and often compliments or even enhances historic architecture because of its contrasting simplicity.
What is a book you plan on reading?
Paula Hawkins- The Girl on the Train
What is your favorite book?
Paulo Coelho’s - The Alchemist
What is your favorite downtown restaurant?
Oh wow there are so many. Best Steak: Hall’s Chophouse, Best Oyster’s: The Ordinary. I want to go to Minero’s and Edmund’s Oast and so on…. I love the wave of new well designed restaurants all over town.
What’s your favorite restaurant in Charleston?
Poe’s on Sullivan’s Island
What do you like on your pizza?
I try not to eat pizza but tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil with real mozzarella would be my choice.
What is your favorite food?
Sushi or fish tacos
What is your least favorite food?
Anything greasy or real creamy like bisques
Do you prefer dogs or cats?
Both
Do you play any instruments?
No I learned to play Guitar but do not own one
If you could play an instrument, what would it be?
Guitar or Piano
What song is at the top of your most played list (be honest)?
Make it Rain by Ed Sheeran
Who is your favorite musical artist?
Adele
Who is your favorite artist?
Franz Marc-Der Blaue Reiter
What’s your favorite movie?
The original Star Wars Movie
If your life was a song, what would the title be?
Dancing Queen… haha just kidding
Who would you most want to play you in a movie?
Sandra Bullock
What would the book or movie about your life be called?
The Pursuit of Happiness
What’s the last movie you watched?
The Martian
Guilty pleasure?
Wine & Cheese
What is the proudest moment of your life, thus far?
Becoming an American Citizen
AIA Charleston: S M L XL
Mez Joseph
For the March 16th membership meeting AIA Charleston will be hosting the 3rd edition of S,M,L,XL, presentations will be 'Pecha Kucha' style presentations: 20 slides with 20 seconds per slide. Total presentation time: 6 minutes, 40 seconds. Check out what your colleagues are working on! RSVP now!
Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center
Mez Joseph
Artistic License: The Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, by Minneapolis-based firm HGA, was recently featured in the Architectural Review. Jennifer Charzewski and Andy Clark recently visited the site visited in Minneapolis is in arch record (see below). Liollio is currently teaming with HGA for the College of Charleston Simons Center for the Arts. Read the Architectural Review article here.
Jennifer & Andy Visit Minneapolis
Mez Joseph
Jennifer Charzewski, AIA, LEED AP and Andy Clark, AIA, LEED AP visited our friends at HGA in Minneapolis to kickoff the schematic re-design for the College of Charleston Simons Center for the Arts recently. They also took some site visits to case studies including HGA work and others. Some of the projects included: Walker Library by Vince James (VJAA), Guthrie Theater by Jean Nouvel, Walker Art Center (Original by Edward Larrabee Barnes and addition by Herzog & de Meuron), Humboldt Lofts by Julie Snow, Cedar-Riverside towers by Ralph Rapson, HGA offices in Ford Center by HGA, Lakewood Mausoleum by HGA, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center at Macalester College by HGA, American Swedish Institute by HGA, Crystal Court by Philip Johnson, US Bank Stadium by HKS, Skyway and the Warehouse district.
WAJIBA Meeting: "The Business of Barbeque"
Mez Joseph
Mez Joseph, Jane Thompson & Dinos Liollio attended the West Ashley/James Island Business Association meeting yesterday at Bessinger's Barbeque in West Ashley. The meeting was fun and interesting, learning about the "Business of Barbeque" with representatives from the South Carolina Barbeque Association, Bessinger’s Barbeque, Swig and Swine BBQ, Home Team BBQ and more. The South Carolina Barbeque Association would like for all to know that "South Carolina is the home of barbeque!"
As leaders in the promotion and enhancement of the West Ashley/James Island business community, WAJIBA provides members with information, advocacy, education, and networking based on a foundation of integrity, social responsibility, and excellence. Visit the WAJIBA website for more info.
AIA Charleston + CAC.C Lecture Series Presents Dinos Liollio, AIA "60 Years: Perspective on Culture and Process
Mez Joseph
Join AIA Charleston + Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston for their Lecture Series on Wednesday March 2, 2016 from 6-7:30 PM (EST) when Dinos Liollio, AIA, presents "60 Years: A Perspective on Culture & Process". Admission is free and open to the public!
When: 6PM Wednesday March 2
Where: Visitors Center Auditorium, 375 Meeting Street, Charleston SC
RSVP Today!
Oyster Happy Hour!
Mez Joseph
Thank you to Alison & Calvin for hosting a wonderful Oyster Roast & Happy Hour for the Liollio team at their home last Thursday!
The Fifth Pillar: A Case for Hip-Hop Architecture
Mez Joseph
How do we bridge the gap between designers and users? How can we use culture to inform process? Can we understand culture better through studying other art forms? No answers here, just interesting to think about. Read this interesting article by Sekou Cooke that was originally published in The Harvard Journal of African American Planning Policy here.
Blythewood Library Renovation Progress Update
Mez Joseph
Angie Brose and Jennifer Charzewski attended the Community Reveal of the design for the Blythewood Library Renovation and Addition recently. It was great to re-connect with the community members from previous Community Conversations, and share the plans, renderings, finishes, and materials for the upcoming project! You can track the project's progress here and read the coladaily.com article "Blythewood Library Renovation Gets Equestrian Inspiration" here.
SPOTLIGHT ON: Jay White, AIA, LEED AP
Mez Joseph
Jay White, AIA, LEED AP, a native of Alabama, graduated from Auburn University in 2000 and has been part of the Liollio Architecture family for 16 years. We recently sat down for a Q&A with our newest Principal:
How long have you lived in Charleston?
Since July 2000
Where did you grow up?
Alabama
Are you married?
Yes
Do you have children?
Yes, a son
What is the hardest part about being a dad?
Arguing with your younger self.
What is the greatest part about being a dad?
Knowing how to win arguments with your younger self.
What is your favorite thing in your house?
The fireplace
What’s your ethnic background?
Scotch-Irish (with an emphasis on the Scotch).
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Appointment to the City of Charleston Board of Architectural Review
What architect most influenced you as a student?
Carlo Scarpa, by a long shot.
What inspires you most?
Reading, then taking a walk. It always works.
What is a book you plan on reading?
Iggy Peck, Architect, tonight before my son goes to bed.
What’s your favorite restaurant in Charleston?
Moe’s Crosstown
If your life was a song, what would the title be?
Moe’s Crosstown
What’s the last movie you watched?
Narcos, on Netflix
Guilty pleasure?
Dog-awful action movies
Liollio Announces Jay White, AIA, New Principal
Mez Joseph
Jay is a graduate of Auburn University and has committed the past 16 years at Liollio to developing a balance between the conservation of historic buildings and the introduction of contemporary building methods and materials. In addition to being a Principal at Liollio, Jay serves on the City of Charleston Board of Architectural Review - Large, which has oversight on all major projects in the historic district.
Gifford Rosenwald School
Mez Joseph
Rosenwald Schools have a unique place in the history of education and civil rights. Between 1917 & 1932, Julius Rosenwald, philanthropist and president of Sears, Roebuck & Co., led a foundation which built over 5,000 small schoolhouses to serve African American children. In the years before desegregation, these schools provided what the states denied. Four were built in Hampton County, South Carolina between 1920 & 1930; all four were later assumed lost to demolition-by-neglect.
Not long ago, county residents in Gifford discovered that their Rosenwald School still stood, within a few feet of the road but hidden by weeds. Today, the Arnold Fields Community Endowment is leading an effort to restore the building for use as a technology & learning center for the youth of Hampton County. We’re proud to assist their efforts pro-bono as they apply for a Community Development Block Grant through the Lowcountry Council of Governments.
Danielle Drinkuth and Rayshad Dorsey, our interns from the Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston, are excitedly working with Jay White on the project. Look for concept designs from our studio soon.
Mardi Gras 2016 King Cake!
Mez Joseph
In celebration of Mardi Gras 2016, Andy Clark brought a King Cake into the studio on Friday for all to enjoy. Seth Cantley was the lucky one who got the baby!
Changes ahead for county library system; residents want more, better facilities
Mez Joseph
Dorchester County residents aren't shy when it comes to changes they'd like to see within the public library system. They voiced a list of concerns during a casual public forum focused on the library's future. They event took place yesterday (Wednesday) at River Oaks Middle School. Read more...
INSPIRED BY: Nanyang Technological University by Heatherwick Studio
Mez Joseph
Nanyang Technological University is a project designed by Heatherwick Studio and executed by CPG Consultants as a new educational concept in Singapore. The building is intended to be a history of the universities of the future, avoiding cold long corridors and introducing a distribution in which various disciplines can meet and interact with each other.
The university is comprised of 12 towers that incorporate 56 classes and create a public square on the interior. The informal composition of buildings, with its green terraces will clearly help to increase students' creativity. Students can create collaboratively with prospective partners and teachers.
The challenge for the Heatherwick Studio was to make the structure more attractive, rather than cold. Natural ventilation, thanks to its open layout, provides the building with fresh air. A university in which to meet, share knowledge and collaborate with other disciplines, turning his students into leaders of tomorrow.
Photography by Hufton and Crow
AIA Charleston January Meeting
Mez Joseph
Yesterday Andy Clark, Michael Edwards, Mary Tran, Kendall Roberts, and Elissa Bostain attended the first 2016 AIA meeting at the Maritime Center. Scott Beebe, the speaker, founded and leads Business On Purpose: a business coaching, training, and strategy group that works to help small business owners and organizational leaders to uncover what they cannot see. We have some great upcoming AIA Charleston events! Check out the calendar to see how you can get involved: http://www.aiacharleston.com/calendar/
Artists Selected for Ballentine Public Art
Mez Joseph
South Carolina artists Ayako Abe-Miller, Brabara Streeter and Enid Williams have been selected to create a piece of public art for the new Richland County Ballentine Library. Two of these artists will be engaging the community in the creation of their artwork. Visit the Richland Library website here.
TEAM WORK
Mez Joseph
We had everyone in the studio jumping in to help prepare and package submittals yesterday. Thank you all for your help! Go team!