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Spring 2002 Volume XII, Issue I $4.00 Desi J---I\ abama THE PUBLIC FORUM FOR DESIGN IN ALABAMA DesignAlabama Inc. Board 01 Directors: Cathryn Campbell Gerachis, Chair GOOd'tl'jfl, Miffs and Cawood Inc, Montgomery Nancy Mims Hartsfield, Vice Chair Auburn University, Professor Emeritus Montgomery Elizabeth Ann Brown, Secretary Alabama Historical Commission Montgomery Charles Callans, Treasurer Birmingham Realty Birmingham Arnelle Adcock Central Alabama Electric Cooperative Prattville Joseph R. Donofro Donofro & Associates Architects fnc. Dothan Janet Driscoll Driscoll Design Montgomery 80 Grisham Southpace Properties Birmingham Tin Man lau Auburn University Auburn Robert Martin Southern Progress Corp. Birmingham Kenneth M. Penuel Southern Company Services Inc., Retired Birmingham Debbie Quin Fairhope City Council Fairhope Kay F. Roney Wallace Community College Doihan LarryWatls Birmingham Regional Planning Commission Birmingham Karen H. Seale, Executive Director Philip A. Morris, Director Emeritus Volume XII, Issue I Cover: Well designed parks enhance the outdoors experience. Letterfrmn the Director Parks - Once a term used for the private property This publication is made possible ihrougii funding by surrounding a country estate, this word today refers to the fhefo/loViingconfribu!ors' beautiful, mixed-use public landscape that has become so much a part of our American culture. When describing his ideals for the perfect public park, Frederick Law Olmsted commented, "We want a ground to which people may easily go after their day's work is done and where they may stroll for an hour, seeing, hearing and feeling nothing of the bustle and jar of the streets, where they shall, in effect, find the city put far away from them." A century-and-a-half later, parks are still our great escape from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. In this issue we will take a look at the inventive ways that Alabama's landscape architects are meeting the myriad needs of the community without compromising the natural beauty of the park setting. We will also explore the art of exhibit deSign, visit with the community of Valley and observe how a fun approach to interior design is making a big difference for children in Mobile. As always, it is my pleasure to share another issue of the journal with you. I hope you will pass it on for others to enjoy as well. Karen H. Seale Editor: Karen Seale Managing Editor: Tomie Dugas Art Director: Nancy Hartsfield Associate Art Director: Ross Heck Assistant Art Directors: Kelly Bryant, Tomie Dugas, Samantha Lawrie, Wei Wang Contributing Writers: Jessica Armstrong, Tomie Dugas. Philip Morris. Karen Seale Alabama state Council on the Arts Gresham Smith and Partners The Home Depot A special thanks to Philip MONis lor his ongoing assistance and advice wilh this publication. Submission Information DesignAlabama encourages submissions from its readers. Articles about work from all design disciplines are requested, as well as copy related to historic preservation. Please submit copy along with visuals (photos, slides. drawings. etc.) to DesignAlabama Inc .. P.O. Box 241263. Montgomery. AL 36124. Items for Project News and Details of Interest should include a paragraph summary detailing the nature of the project, the design firm, prinCipals and associates involved and any other details that may be of interest such as unusual or special design features. completion date, approximate cost, square footage. etc. Also include the name. address and phone and fax number of the client and an individuai whom we may contact for further information. Direct inquiries to Karen Seale at (334) 353-5081 or mail to: designalabama@att.net. Past journal issues are available for $6.00 including postage and handling. Contact Karen Seale at the above numbers ior availabiliPj information and to order. © 2002 DesignAlabama Inc. ISSN# 1090·0918 This issue of DesignAlabama was designed and produced on Macintosh Computers utilizing QuarkXPress 4.1. Proofs were printed on a HP 4000N and tinai ouipul on a Compugraphic 9400. Lifting spirits with a dose of under-the-sea fantasy. p7 DesignAlabama IS a publication of DesignAlabama Inc. Desi nAlabama CONTENTS Integrating active use with passive beauty. p15 FEATURES "PARK DESIGN TODAY" BALANCING NATURE WITH NEED. HEARDMONT PARK DEIBERT PARK BLOUNT CULTURAL PARK PARK PROJECTS SURVEY DEPARTMENTS ProjectANews Enhancing the museum experience through design p.20 Reader commenlsand submission 01 articles and ideas lor Wo rk of statewi de s i g n i f i can ce . future issues are encouraged. ...........••..................... Design_Makes A Difference USJl:s Pediatric Oncology Unit. 9 10 12 14 16 4 7 ••••••••••...................................... Designer@Profile Exhibit Designer Terry Beckham. 20 CommunityeProfi Ie Valley . 23 .....•...•............. Details+Of Interest Noteworthy observations. 25 Reconnecting a community with the river p.23 ProjectANews Project News is a regular feature of OesignAlabama and provides an opportunity to keep up-to-date on design projects that have an impact on our communities. Mobile Museum of Art I \ Time Warner Cable's new office building in Birmingham's Lakeshore Crossings Office/Technoiogy Park was designed by Williams-Blackstock Architects PC. The 50,000- square-foot building is the business communications and warehouse epicenter for Time Warner's cable operations and its high-speed Internet service. The Birmingham architectural firm created a dramatic steel-and-glass entrance lobby featuring a high-definition television edifice set against Time Warner Cable DesignA!abama 4 The Mobile Museum of Art is undergoing a $15 million expansion. The Architects Group/lnc. (TAG), of Mobile, has been engaged to "reposition" the existing 32,OOO-squarefoot museum to a 95,OOO-square-foot regional cultural attraction that will become the centerpiece for the city's 2002 tricentennial celebration. The program spaces for the new museum will include: interpretive/interactive galleries and studios for education and public involvement; open, flexible galleries for traveling exhibitions: galleries for a 5,OQO-plus permanent collection; local artists gallery concourse; grand lobby capable of seating 300 dinner guests; standard collection storage, processing and conservation; orientation theatre; auditorium and administrative area. The layout will express a hierarchy of tri-part functions of public gathering, formal gallery/exhibit and education/ interpretive. Logisticaliy, the functions are organized by floor: changing exhibits on the top; permanent galleries, local galleries, interactive/education at grade level connected by a double height rotunda; and administration and collections on the ground floor. The glass exterior of the main lobby will orient the grand hall public entrance to the lake. Multiple galleries feed off a central hub. Lead architect on the museum expansion, which is nearing completion, is Daniel J. Borcicky, AlA, and Derry M. Hargett, Jr., AlA, had extensive input on the initial design of the building. Alice H. Cutright, ASIO, is the interior designer. sandblasted concrete panels with brick accent banding. The concrete skin is interlaced with a delicate webbing of reveals reflecting Time Warner's network of cables. Canopies composed of translucent lexan panels set in a painted steel structure penetrate the concrete skin indicating the various points of entry along the building membrane. The principalin- charge was Joel Blackstock and project architect! interior designer was Richard Carnaggio. In designing the Rosa Parks Library & Museum, Sherlock, Smith & Adams of Montgomery solved a complicated spatial program with a simple, well-organized plan on a restrictive urban site. The building, which houses three different functions - museum, library and distance learning department - and covers approximately 55,000 square feet on three levels, is the new flagship structure for the revitalized downtown campus of Troy State University at Montgomery. A modern two-story entry lobby complements a conservative exterior sensitive to the aesthetic character of surrounding buildings with balcony seating areas overlooking the new clock tower and plaza. Landscape and streetscape were designed to produce a seamless connection with the plaza and define the extent of the TSUM campus. The first floor is dedicated to the Rosa L. Parks Museum. In addition to the 3,500-square-foot space housing a permanent exhibit designed by Eisterhold Associates, SS&A designed a 1 ~O-seat auditorium with audiovisual and production equipment, a temporary exhibition gallery, conference rooms and gift shop. The second floor houses the main library and all of the associated support spaces. The third floor is divided between the periodical function of the library and the distance learning department - a complicated area which houses offices, a public radio studio and television production facilities. Project designer was Paul Langland, AlA. Rosa Parks Library & Museum .... Evan Terry Associates of Birmingham has developed a long-range site and facilities master plan for the relocation of Gadsden's Central United Methodist Church to a 16-acre site on Ala. Hwy. 77 in Rainbow City. Phase I is scheduled to open this spring and will inClude the following amenities: central hall with stage for worship and other activities, eight classrooms, youth room, full-service kitchen, choir practice room and nurseries for infants, babies and toddlers. The church administration suite will include offices and a parlor/library. Initial construction totals approximately 23,000 square feet. CenlraiUniled Methodist Church ... Polyengineering Inc. of Dothan designed the new Family Life Center of the Abbeviile United Methodist Church. The original sanctuary, built in 1896, was the inspiration for the exterior fagade and detailing of the new addition. The center's exterior repeats the ornate brickwork, cornices, : wood trim, moldings, stained glass windows and matching dormers that give the original structure its architectural appeal. The facility, completed in 2001 for $1.2 million, includes a full-service kitchen and a multi-purpose room/auditorium for dining and large assemblies. Abbeviffe UMC Family Ufe Center A. : Seay, Seay & litchfield of Montgomery is responsible for the new addition to the Archives and History Building in the capitol city. The 60,000-square-foot addition houses an archival reference room, interpret'lve museum and state-ofthe- art archival storage and office space. The exterior of the addition reflects the Beaux Arts style of the existing 1930s structure. Architectural elements such as the Ionic columns and detailed cornice work are replicated to create a seamless addition. The principal-in-charge was Jim Seay Jr. and the project architect was Kathryn Williams. Archives & History Addition ... t[.' - , Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood Inc. was retained by Comala Credit Union to design a new $2.5 million, 13,650- square-foot addition to the existing facility located in the heart of downtown Montgomery. Construction began in January 2002 and includes parameters for the credit union to remain operational during the process. Along with existing building renovations including new offices, break area and training space, the new facility houses typical bank teller functions, seven interior teller windows and four exterior drive-up lanes. Additionally, the structure includes new offices, a board room, accounting areas and a large entry lobby with a two-story atrium. Comala Credit Union Crawford McWilliams Hatcher Architects Inc. of Birmingham has designed The Shoppes at EastChase, the first phase of a 330-acre, master planned retail, office and residential community in Montgomery. The lifestyle center design reflects local materials such as brick and stone and . takes a "Main Street" approach to building fronts. CMH : designed all the retail buildings and is currently designing exteriors and interiors for several of the restaurant tenants including Crepes Eggsetra, a 3OG-seat facility with an : outdoor dining area. The initial phase of 200,000 square feet : will be completed in November, and a 150,000 square-foot expansion of the center is planned for the future. Project : architect is Michael O'Kelly. Diamond Dispfays /ntemalionaf Breakroom Louis Wynne Associates Inc. of Magnolia Springs is working in association with architect Carleton G. McCurry of Gulf Shores to deSign the Gulf Shores Sportsplex on a 96-acre : site. The project, costing approximately : $3.9 million, will be constructed in two phases. The first : phase consists of a football stadium with track, field house, : restroom/concessions and press box, high school basebail The Shoppes al EaslChase raphic esign field, softball field and soccer fields with attendant buildings and parking. Phase II will add the five-plex softball complex II : with parking and support facilities. The project will be ..... : finished off with substantially landscaped areas throughout Wei Wang of WangDesign in Auburn has created a logo for Designhabitat. The project, a collaborative effort by Auburn University, the Alabama Association of Habitat Affiliates and DesignAlabama, will culminate in a prototype home for use by Habitat for Humanity affiliates across the state. Wang's deSign incorporates elements from each of the three organizations and reflects the mission of Designhabitat to build environmentally sustainable, energy efficient. climatically responsible, high quality houses. • Diamond Displays International designs and manufactures trade show, museum and retail exhibits. Its new facility features design elements and personal touches that echo the firm's creative business. DeSigned by owner Jeff Culton and design director Robert Donovan, the 70,000-square-foot facility was built on a 10-acre site in eastern Birmingham with architectural services provided by Williams-Blackstock The preengineered steel structure has polished concrete floors and exposed HVAC ducting, electrical conduits, plumbing, etc. Diamond filled the space with its own custom-built office partitions, reception desk, showroom displays, lighting and other custom touches. The design department features custom workstations framed with an aluminum modular exhibit system faced with birch panels and finished off with lacquered MDF tops. MDF is used in the custom lighting panels throughout the office, as well as the baseboards. Birch accents highlight the cabinets in the breakroom and other custom furniture pieces adorning the offices. : the site. : Gull Shores Sportspiex A : Blalock Design Associates Inc. of Birmingham is : designing a 10-field soccer complex for the city of : Auburn. The complex includes two large practice fields, : clubhouse/control building, 300-space parking lot, irrigation : pond and 16-acre passive area including nature trails with a : natural creek. The project will be broken down into three : phases. The first will include six fields, entrance road to the : park, roughly half of the parking lot, one practice field, : irrigation pond and the clubhouse/control building The : second phase will focus on the four remaining fields, one : practice field, the rest of the parking lot and a gazebo on the : irrigation pond. The third phase will include an addition to . the clubhouse/control building of an indoor soccer field. : Principal designer is Alan Blalock. City of Auburn Soccer Complex 5 Volume XII, No. I The Alabama School of Mathematics and Science in Mobile has an impressive new auditorium after an extensive makeover on a long vacant former Baptist church sanctuary. The challenge for interior designer Alice H. Cutright of The Architect's Group/lnc. (TAG) was to retain the building's historic character while integrating state of the art provisions for recitals and assembly. Existing religious imagery in relief was subdued by matching background coloration, while existing plaster moldings and decorative flourishes were restored. Original seating with cast iron standards was restored for use in the balcony, and new primary seating was matched using aluminum standards for downstairs. Fabric wall panels placed as per the acoustician and specific tilted planes integrated into ceilings and walls enhance the acoustical experience. Balcony guardrails of transparent glass and gentle lighting in chair arms provide aesthetic safeguards on stairs and aisles. Shades of fabric, carpet and paint were selected to coordinate with window glass colors adopted by the school. Flexible stage design, seating for 900, superior acoustics and skillfully integrated audio and visual systems accommodate a variety of programs and performance types for the students and community. Auburn Gily Hall Grand Hall & Lobby .& ASMS Auditorium The historic renovation of the old Auburn Post Office into the new Auburn City Hall returns the building to civic service while preserving an Auburn landrnark built in the 1930s and vacated during the '90s. Architects WilliamsBlackstock left the exterior of "starved classical" style essentially unchanged but adapted the interior to its new use. The building prograrn required 12,000 square feet of multi-use civic and general office space necessitating an addition which was designed to blend with the building's historic architecture. The interior design involved removal of a low ceiling in the center of the building to re-establish a large, 25-foot tall open space with clerestory windows. This grand hall became the central feature of the building. The existing building was further enhanced by cutting large, arched portals opening to the clerestory space and reinforcing the arched openings on the front of the building. Adding period lighting and traditional patterns and finishes revitalized the original building's concept of an open, inviting area for the public to meet with the city administrators and conduct their business. Joel Blackstock was the principal-incharge; Tim Lucy, project architect; and Nathan Varner, interior designer. CRS Engineering Inc. provided engineering services. DesignAiabama 6 In the design of Slocomb Elernentary School in Geneva County, Sherlock, Smith & Adams of Montgomery utilized an alternative heating and cooling system that has simple maintenance, low operating costs and is very cost effective. The Geothermal Heat Pump System saves from 25 to 50 percent of the energy used by conventional systems by circulating fluid from the ground loop that captures heat frorn the earth and releases concentrated heat to the building at a higher temperature. During the summer, the cycle is reversed, and the earth stays a constant cool temperature to cool the building. No electric resistance heat is needed for the heating cycle. The Geotherrnal Heat Pump System, which saves the school more than $13,000 annually in heating costs, delivers 80 tons of cooling and is extremely quiet. There are 95 vertical wells, roughly 300 feet deep, tucked neatly below the play area in the back of the school. Project engineer was Frank GarCia, PE. Slocomb Elementary Heat Pump esign Grove Park community is under construction across frorn Blount Cultural Park in Montgomery. Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood Inc. laid out the master plan for the 500- horne neighborhood, which inCludes residences, garden homes, assisted and independent living facilities, clubhouse, medical facilities and a 90-acre park with trails linking it to Blount Cultural Park. Frorn the gated entrance to the garden homes, the architectural design of each structure conveys the charming English character similar to those found on the grounds of the Shakespeare Festival's home. The Montgornery firm has provided architectural, interior design, landscape architectural, civil engineering and surveying services for the Grove Park project. Grove Park Inn The Preserve is a traditional neighborhood development proposed on approximately 300 acres within the city of Hoover. The goal is to create a healthy, livable community that offers character, convenience and variety and that performs the cultural and Civic functions so vital to a real sense oj place. In contrast to conventional subdivisions, the plan takes a master planning approach that embraces a range of retail, office and residential uses within the village center and establishes a hierarchical structure created by streets and open space. A strong emphasis has been placed on pedestrian-oriented environments in order to create a healthy, livable and hurnan-scale community. Nimrod Long and Associates of Birmingham designed the master plan and site entrances, as well as two parks that are centerpieces of the village. The piant palette features native species that have low maintenance requirernents and reinforce the character of the wooded, hilly site . .& The Preserve by Jessica Armstrong DesignlllMakes A Difference Making • University of South Alabama's Pediatric Oncology Unit Step liJ" unit at the University of SOl//1? o /I?e new Pediatric oncolOgy "'leba. , en's Hospital in Mobile ant! 'Il7a 8 Children's and Wol11 YOl/ can almost feel a gentle ocean breeze. Stylized waves, tropical fish-shaped banners, porthole sconces and a glass bubble wall create an under-the-sea fantasy. Christened USS Hope, the new treatment area offers playful surprises and nautical references sure to delight young patients. Children coping with cancer, sickle cell disease and blood disorders enjoy an environment dramatically unlike most hospitals, thanks to interior designer Alice H. Cutright of The Architects Group/Inc. (TAG) in Mobile. "Everything about the space was designed to create a pleasant distraction and stimulate the imaginations of children undergoing treatment," Cutright explains. "The most significant characteristic of the space is the 'feeling' you get when you walk in, of being in an underwater environment," she continues. "As you spend time there and look around, you see new shapes, patterns and colors that reinforce this feeling. Shapes are wavy, patterns look like water, and colors are cool and watery." A 2,500-square-foot courtyard was enclosed to create this building��within-a-building. The process presented many structural and code challenges, Cutright admits. "We wanted to bring outside light into the space and achieved this by making the roof high enough to place clerestory windows of blue patterned glass-block on two ends," she notes. "We wanted the feeling of being underwater and looking through glass and water to the sky." /1 sail-unler aquarium tcstlllhfiJi,:{ (I/,eri-"cojlr: (/i:'-{I'{IC/SjI(lfir:llh' lril/; fI m//J/{iI/.f. illjlU(!lIa{ (I., {bcy frtke {rt:/ll!lli)I1!~' in till i!ll(l,~in(f,'iu 1!!i(1{!I'·the·Sta rIlrfTQlillicnl. 7 Volume XII, No. I -f(:,ting also was used to help create the underwater ambience. Cool watery colors surround the patients. As they look up "warm sunny accent colors happen in the lighting and then the ceiling to create an uplifting, cheerful feeling," explains Cutright. The ceiling is a confectionary palette, covered in tiles the colors of Necco wafers. To create patient bays within the space, light truss systems wind in and out of wavy pilasters. Colorful fishshaped banners can be raised for open communication between patients or lowered in each bay to provide privacy. Architectural spaces of the room created two shelf areas above the other rooms where curved glass was placed to simulate aquariums. The $750,000 project was developed with input from patients. The name USS Hope was suggested by 18-year-old Emily "Queenie" Woodard. Walkie-talkies used by children to communicate during treatments was 10-year-old Michael Bowden's idea. Both patients have since passed away. "Most hospitals and treatment areas are sterile, cold environments," notes Cutright. "The intent of the pediatriC oncology unit is to make the multiple visits there less traumatic for the patients through colors and patterns that stimulate the imaginations of the children being treated for cancer, which is a very scary and painful disease. For example, the medical gases are placed in a decorative circle of aluminum laminate within the curvy pilasters to make the hospital equipment seem less scary." Cutright and her team have succeeded in designing a "less scary" space, as far as young Jacey Duke is concerned. The two-year-old leukemia patient visits the unit regularly for chemotherapy treatments. So thrilled is Jacey to enter the treatment area, she bangs on the door to get in, says her mother Jena Duke. "She loves all the different colors, the curviness of the walls and especially the fish," says Duke, who resides in Mobile. "It's exciting but it's also a quiet environment. It's a wonderful place for Jacey to get her mind off the treatments." II Jessica Armstrong is a freelance writer based in Auburn. Cbeerfid blue, green. pin/! ill/d Plllp!e jfsl; bmmers swimmi!lg beloic (/ border oIimres pl'lJl:ide primcy !/'hen fOI1'ered. OesignAlabama 8 PI/lien! fx~l'S lire difined b)' I~'fbt Il"ifss s.\~1eJllS Inndfllp ill (lild 0uI O/WII1:l' /Jilt!SI!:rl/ Ir/)!d) bide medical glls IIniis [('ilbin F{oOlp!aJl oj the Pedkllri;: OIlCO/OIlY Ullif. ,.. ~,"-. - " CieY&1ol'), glm:.s·block ,{'ini/oll's help com/I:;- fbI: Mig of bdliP, IIl!dr:nmiel" (IS palim!s too!: iljJ!i.mi! 10 {{ S!llllfl pI/sid o:i!i!lg-lile sk;: by Philip Morris It has been said that our most appealing parks and parkways date from before World War II - a kind of inherited beauty that more recent decades have seldom matched. Maturity of trees may be a factor, but it does seem apparent that the fine civic improvements made during the City Beautiful movement of the 1910s and '20s and through the Great Depression with the WPA-era's still-admired projects were superior in design and quality. Both the Olmsted naturalistic school and the Beaux Arts formality so powerfully projected at the great 1893 Chicago World's Fair were drawn upon, each appropriate in different applications. But, either way, these were strong deSign-driven approaches. In so many places, active recreation interests took over from the 1950s onward. In many city park and recreation departments design was secondary. For example, the Olmsted park system in Louisville, Ky., compromised by awkward intrusions of ball fields and courts over the years is only now seeing comprehensive restoration. Today in communities across Alabama there appears to be a groundswell of interest in parks. Some are new with suburban areas trying to catch up to growing needs or secure open space before development makes it impossible. Other projects involve reworking existing parks. Though there are too many parks where little thought or design results in a sad-looking hodgepodge of competing uses, landscape architects and other design professionals are bringing their talents to bear on many others. In this review we feature three parks that show design balancing a mix of uses within an enhanced natural framework We follow with a survey of projects underway ranging from renovated waterfront to natural preserve to a town-wide park and open space plan. The clients include cities, counties, foundations, schools, sports associations, environmental advocates and others, often in partnership with each other and pooling resources to make things happen. A new generation of excellence in park and open spaces is emerging. Philip MorriS is an architectural writer and contributing editor to Southern Accents and Coastal Living magazines. 9 Volume XII. No. I To strike a balance between active uses and scenic character, the KPS Group master plan for Heardmont Park makes Little Cahaba Creek the natural centerpiece. ©2001 Beth Maynor Young. Nothing seems more apple pie than a park, so the hostile neighborhood "We went from a crowd of angry neighborhood residents when we began in reaction to a proposed park in north Shelby County may have seemed 1997 to 300 people who showed up in support of the needed rezoning and only one strange. But when parks are full of ball fields blasted with light and swamped by person speaking against it," says Darrell Meyer, who heads KPS Group's planning and cars, they can be incursions. For Heardmont Park, both the design process and landscape staff. the design itself turned the tide in favor of a successful multI-use park that brings people together. For Amy Smith, project landscape architect, the challenge was to address the pent-up demand for ball fields and other needs in the fast-growing area, all within a For the planning and landscape architecture team from KPS Group who natural, passive-park framework on the 73-acre site. The size of the task is apparent prepared Heardmont's master plan and oversaw implementation, the primary when those active uses are listed: sLx baseball/softball fields, three soccer fields, sLx design issue was to balance active sports and other uses with natural features and, tennis courts, a high school football stadium and track, a children's playground, a senior especially, to eliminate light pollution into surrounding residential areas. The community center and a sheriff's substation. process - an extended design charette that brought the neighborhood and all other parties into the same room - both helped resolve the conflicts and The longtime use of the property as a farm by the Heardmont family helped produced a better park. direct the solution. Fields that had been cleared and leveled for cultivation 80 years ago were incorporated into new ball fields. In contrast, the wooded little Cahaba Creek that arcs through the middle of the site and a nearby wetlands were preserved and DesignAlabama 10 enhanced, along \\~th natural buffers be~veen the park and adjoining residential areas. Gates that stood at the entrance to Heardmont Farm were relocated and mounted an stone wall supports to mark the main approach to the park from the parking area. ©2001 Beth Maynor Young. Left: The wooded stream-side contributes to the park's passive beauty but young residents find active pleasure in it. ©2001 Beth Maynor Young. Bottom: Sports participants traverse the natura! heart of the park to get to playing fields. ©2001 Belh Maynor Young. There are many partners involved in the creation and operation at Heardmont Park, including (Ieff to right) Trey Ireland. Shelby County Board of Education; Amy Smith, project landscape architect; Deb Taylor, the park campaign chairperson; and Cart Brunson, Oak Mountain High School boosters; edge of the park incorporates 610 parking spaces along its length. There were some complaints from parents who expected to drop off their children at the fields, but the move keeps the park from being overwhehned with paving, enhancing its natural feeL And everyone who comes, for whatever purpose, walks through the park's Even the farm structures were remodeled for new use: the farmhouse became the sher- open lawn, through the woods and over pedestrian creek bridges. "It has helped the iffs station and park office and the barn the senior center and concessions stand. The park become a true center for a suburban area without such a place. In late afternoon impressive iron gates that fronted the fann entrance were relocated and installed IVith or evening, it's like a north Shelby County 'passagiatta,''' says Meyer, referring to Latin new stone wall suppO!1S. countries' evening stroll through tOIVTI. "Our task was to provide a unique park vision and avoid Heardmont Park's instant popularity provides further impetus for Shelby 'industrial strength' ball fields," says Amy Smith. "We did the mas- County's ambitious development of parks. "I can see us having eight to 10 parks in the ter plan, a grading plan and the lighting specifications." Given the foreseeable future, each \yith its own special setting and amenities," says Alex complex uses and the multiple parties involved, their involvement Dudchock, county manager. "And we have four joint-ventures with proved crucial. Like the list of uses, the partners are extensive: a municipalities underway right now. There is a simple reason: Our non-profit Summit Foundation initiating the project and leading the citizens want it, and our leaders want it" II fund-raising; the Shelby County Park & Recreation AutllOrity and the Shelby County Board of Education. Also involved are Oak Mountain youth baseball and softball, the American soccer lea"oue, Shelby County Senior Services, the Shelby County sheriff's office and the Oak Mountain High School boosters. The light pollution issue was handled by specifying light standards with both horizontal and vertical cutoffs, the horizontal to prevent light spilling into adjacent neighborhoods and the vertical to protect residents living above the park on nearby hillsides. One KPS master plan move succeeds in both limiting the impact of auto access and creating a shared public space. There is no opportunity to drive through the park or drive to the various ball fields. A curved drive that parallels Shelby Highway 119 on the outside The KPS Group master plan keeps auto access and parking at the outside edge of the site, with the wooded course ot Little Cahaba Creek and natural wetlands a buffer between uses. Soccer and baseball fields (Ieff) occupy fields originally cleared tor cultivation. 11 Volume XII, No. I DesignAlabama 12 Deibert Park features two lakes, each with a pavilion. Existing woods are used as a scenic and educational component. AI! photographs by Patrick Hood Photography. As a 1996 citywide master plan report noted, "Florence has made master plan was really needed. Lose & Associates, a Nashville-based land-substantial investments in public parks and is recognized for the scape architecture firm that had done previous work for the city, was retained. qUality of its park system." One of the plan reconunendations - to create Just in time, it turned out. Deibert Park - had already taken a giant step: A decade or so before, Dr. Kirk and Lillian Deibert had dedicated their 70-acre horse farm in the middle of "The process had gone on for so long, there was a push from Mayor Florence's growing northeast area to be a future passive public park. Eddie Frost and others to do something," says project landscape architect for Lose & Associates, Whit Alexander, a Florence native who was aware of the "It was a significant gilt of very valuable property," says Leon Bates, site's history. "But many issues, like how the house and grounds still occupied who heads the urban forestryihorticulture department of the City of Florence. by Mrs. Deibert would eventually be integrated into the park, had not been "The gilt was originally made to a foundation, and it idled along for a number of addressed." Most immediately, the trails were to be altered to better consider years while ideas about how it should be developed and used were considered." topography or the views that would result. The process came to a head a few years ago, and the first phase of Deibert (pro-nounced die-bert) Park was dedicated in the summer of 2000. Lose & Associates' plan proposed closing off several existing circulation drives and reconfigured the trails layout, taking into account what land- LDR International Inc., the Maryland-based planning and landscape scape architects call "viewsheds" - what users would see from various loca-architecture firm that prepared the comprehensive master plan, developed a tions as they walked the trails. The revised layout uses existing woods and new conceptual plan for the new park, one that did not fully satisfy the foundation planting plans to screen unwanted views of adjacent thoroughfares and com-board. Even so, trails were being laid out as Bates and others realized a detailed mercial development. The landscape architects also introduced undulating hills that the pathways .would move around, making the appearance more natural and the experience more interesting. The landscape architects changed the walking trails layout to provide more interesting views and reshaped the topography in places to make them seem as though they are following natural grades. "The concrete walkways are tinted a greenish-tan hue to tone them down," says Alexander. "We made them the maximum recommended IO-feet \vide so there is room for both pedestrians and bicycle riders, as well as allowing maintenance The new playground, seen in the distance from one of the trails, repeats the roof shape of the Deiberts· original barn in one of its play structures. Existing site features used by landscape architects Lose & Associates to extend the farm character include the entry sign repeating the barn's roof shape and the white rail fence in the background. trucks to traverse the park without damaging dIe grounds." Since dIe trail system to the City of Florence, funding and contributions came from the Deibert RolUng Acres was funded with ISTEA-2I alternative transportation funds, connections are made Farm Foundation, Florence Tree Commission, Florence City Board of Education and the for off-site links to surrounding residential, office and commercial areas. Alabama Forest Stewardship Program. Portions of the site had been primarily used for grazing and equestrian So a just-in-time master plan by professional landscape architects has helped a activities while odlers had been left more natural. The master plan reinforces these lovely gift of land turn into a new public park with a gracefully balanced mix of attractions. distinctions and turns them into educational experiences in tune with Deibert Park's "In retrospect," Bates observes, "I think everybody involved now thinks we should have mission, There is wedand habitat around two lakes, each with a pavilion for closer done the master plan before we did anything." • observation of aquatic plants and animals; open field habitat highilghting planl, and animals found in the transition area from field to forest; and forest habitat focused on that environment's indigenous life fOl1ns, Plants native to north Alabama and climate are used primarily, But the agricultural history of the fonner horse fann also is brought into the design, The existing bam and adjoining paddocks will be used for teaching children about fanning heritage; the shape of its gambrel roof is repeated in the park sign and the maroon red repeated in the new restrooms on site, The landscape architects also repeated the property's most recognized feature, the white four-rall fence, as part of the new entrance, After Mrs, Deibert's life occupancy, the house and grounds (about 10 percent of the site) are to be used for receptions and other events, Along with Lose & Associates, two Florence design firms were involved: Barr, Tune, Hill & Parker Architects designed new structures and White, Lynn, ColUns & Associates did the civil engineering. In addition The park master plan incorporates an existing barn and house and uses existing tree cover whenever available to screen uses from each other. 13 Volume The first phase of Blount Cultural Park around the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's theatre was shaped like English country house grounds under the direction of the celebrated Russell Page. Tom Blount and the late Perry Pitman were the architects on the theatre, sited to use existing trees as a backdrop. Photographs courtesy of Blount Cultural Park. "\V le thstaertesedttin°gut'otor lbt,~,U~): ~oeatmrBel02unO tl"ecarso_aragcohio:tecThteoPf taIh'ekAlWaasbaIjUnsat New elevations and contours were set, with the landscape architect directing W ~ l' ,~O " the earthmovers by radio from a huge pile of dirt "like an orchestra conduc- DesignAlabama 14 Shakespeare Festival's Carolyn Blount Theatre and collaborator with laIldscape tor," adds Blount Hundreds of trees were planted, but, due mainly to inhos-architects and architects on the continuing evolution of what has become Blount pitable clay soil, most of them subsequently died, Cultural Park in Montgomery, Blount is the son of Wynton Blount, who with his Wife, Carolyn, are founders of the 300-acre park, At the time Page had urged the Blounts to buy adjacent land fronting Vauglm Road, since the only way into the site was tllfOUgh all existing subdivision Aspirations were high, so it is not surprising that one of the world's behind a commercial strip highway, but the land was not available, The theatre most celebrated landscape architects of his time, Russell Page of England, was opened in 1985, and Page had died the year before, The ali museum, set over-brought in to consult "He came forfour or five visits, At that time the site wasn't looking aIlOther lake, opened in 1988, Then in the early 1990s the land became much more than a cow pasture on the edge of town, He mostly talked, but left us available, and development of a fuller park concept began, one sketch, His ideas were blilliant The existing house was Georgian, so we looked to Georgian Palladian in designing the theatre and that led him to an English New York-based landscape designer Edwina vonGal, who had a family country house park setting, 1 still remember him looking out at the prairie and connection to Montgomery and had done work on the Blounts' adjoining estate, saying '1 see a forest ", designed the new Shakespeare Garden in collaboration with Montgomery architects McAlpine-Tankersley using a sketch by Page for gUidance, A revised master As with the "natural" 18th-century English landscape that served as plan, to include the added Vaughn Road frontage as the new main entrance, precedent, the site was grandly reshaped, A hole was dug for the lake, and the began to develop under the same team with Tom Blount joining in the effort, fill deposited where the new Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts was later built Using a sketch from Russef/ Page, landscape architects Edwina vonGal & Co. and architects McAlpine~ Tankersfey together developed the Shakespeare Garden and Amphitheatre in 1998, located near the theatre. With the site expanded to incorporate the new Vaughn Road frontage, a master plan for an enlarged Blount Cultural Park was developed by VonGa/ in coffaboration with McA!pine~Tankersley and Tom Blount. Amenities include a new fake and the new arched bridge and shelter executed in masonry and stone. Bob Rumsey, project architect for Edwina vonGal & Co. and now partner in the firm of RIF Landscape Architecture in New York, describes the scope of this phase. "We developed a new master road system leading in from Vaughn Road. We also settled on a site for a proposed English village, laid out a new path system and a new lake and sited the bridges and other structures that McAlpine-Tankersley designed." An amphitheatre was discussed but dropped. The landscape architects also developed a list of trees that would have a better chance to grow into the forest Russell Page imagined. Native mossycup oaks planted in multiple rows create an impressive new edge along Vaughn Road. A recent planting of 300 large trees, among them willow oaks, pin oaks, water oaks, laurel and white oaks, a gift of Scott and Vicky Williams, will soon have great impact. In another major step toward realization of the expanded park, Briatl Barr, a horticulturalist with an arboretum and botanical gardens background, was brought on as manag-ing director. But the exceptional quality being realized in the greater Blount Cultural Park can be seen most notably now in tlle structures designed by McAlpine-Tankersley. These include the pavillon in the Shakespeare Garden, the nearby restrooms, the playful Weetop - all with authentic thatched roofs. Most recently completed is the combination bridge and shelter that spans the new lake, built of stone and timber and roofed with limestone shingles. This is a structure worthy of the very best park building from the WPA-era and earlier. "These structures are very humble and approachable, not meant to impress like so much that is built today," says Bobby McAlpine. "The bridge is a romantic folly. Like everything we've built for tile Blounts, it is both poetic and rea!. It is full masonry con��struction, like the chapel on their estate. They would make lovely ruins." For park director Barr, if the Blounts had done nothing more than preserve this property as open space \Vithin the suburban eastward push of Montgomery, it would have been an incredible gift to the community. But the combination of important theatre, fine art museum and exceptional landscape take it far beyond the norm. "I do hope we can build the English village with its great stone and timber barn," he says. "And I hope Wynton Blount lives forever." .. The most recently executed portion of the master plan is the new entrance and lake (right) on land added fronting Vaughn Road in the 1990s. Future pfans include an English viflage and incorporation of the Blounts' private estate into the whofe. 15 Volume XII. No. I MOSS ROCK PRESERVE ALBERTVILLE RECREATION CENTER HOMEWOOD CENTRAL PARK GADSDEN WATERFRONT PARK HELENA OPEN SPACE PLAN MOBILE GREEN SPACE MASTER PLAN For its location \vitrun the large and growing Birmingham suburb of Hoover, the Moss Rock Presen'e has remarkable natural credentials: four globally endangered plant species, a rare plant community on a sandstone outcrop and a nJgged group of large boulders emerging from a cliff face. A recently completed plan by Nimrod Long & Associates puts the emphasis on "preserve." "The City of Hoover purchased the 260 acres about 10 ye-ars ago," says project arclUtect RYan Collins. "We have presented to Hoover officials and interested residents a series of options. The Friends of Moss Rock Preserve wanted as little impact as possible. Others felt there should be wider trails that would make it more accessible, but everyone agrees that preservation is the main goaL" The decision made favors the light impact. Trails will be 4 feet wide, not a proposed 6 feet wide. Also dropped was a proposal to dear an open meadow. Still, the experience of the site's natural wonders will be enhanced. The master plan cails for removal of impromptu trails leading directly to tile sandstone outcrop in favor of new ones more gracefully fitted to the topography. The \valk will be less direct but more intereSting. Parking also has been dispersed. The;e will be ouly one smail parking area on the property, but parking will be available as part of a new fire station being built adjacent to the preserve. In addition, there will be a place to park incorporated into The Preserve, a pedestrian-oriented neighborhood being built by USS Realty. Nimrod Long & Associates planned the development and also a new two-lane parkway that curves through both the new neighborhood and the Moss Rock Preserve. MOSS ROCK PRESERVE MASTER PLAN OesignAlabama 16 1111en landscape architect Dale Fritz was asked by the City of AIberMlle to look at the Alber~ille Recreation Cellter, it was dear it had not been guided by a plan. "You could tell that whenever they had some mOlley, they went out and built sometiling," he says. Indeed, this project is the first Olle ill wlUch the north AIabanla city has employed a landscape architect. ExpanSion of the 34-acre park by 70 acres w~s iustigated partly as an economic development move, Witll a new complex of five tournament-level softball fields seen as a way to anract teams that would fill hotel rooms and rl'Staurants. Dale Fritz & Associates of Birmingham developed a master plan that also \\'il1 make the existing park much more attractive and accessible. "There are a lot of conflicts between pedestrians and velUdes, a lot of paving right next to ball fields and very little landscaping," Fritz explains. The plan calls for one main entry and drive to be converted into a landscaped pedestrian environment. Existing walking trails, one of the most popular features, are to be expanded from 0.7 miles to more than three miles in lengtil. Presently, just about everyone has to drive to the park Pedestrian access will be enhanced with a new walking path from a neighborhood just north of the park, and the city also plans to build new off-site sidewalks leading to others. A major factor in Albertville bringing in a landscape architect was to address concerns from adjacent neighborhoods. "We have worked with CDG Engineers, a local firm, on many civil engineeling projects, but we wanted a more pleasurable quahty for tile walkways, picnic areas and passive recreation components," says Philip Formby, director of parks and recreation. "We also wanted to address nearby neighborhoods' concerns that the expansion would not be an intrusion. We are leaviug natural buffers, and the improved landscaping will make the whole park a more attractive place to live near." ALBERTVILLE RECREATION CENTER MASTER PLAN A 12-1cre park in Ihe heart of Homewood, a close-in Birmingham suburb, has been "loved To complement a successnd Broad Streel slreetscape and revitalization project, the City of to death," and landscape architects are part of the team working to revive it. Renaturatizing Gadsden has turned attention to its under-utilized Coosa River \vaterfront. A master plan a concrete channel into something more like a natural stream is at the core of the project. by KPS Group of Birmingham includes both open space components and adjacent uses to animate the waterfront. Working under Burchfield Penuel Architects, the lead finn on this Ci~' of Homewood project, Ross-Kelly prepared the master plan and site development components. "TIlcre is all "The city requested that a ma.<)ter plan turn the waterfront into a focal point for antiquated concrete channel that bisects the park, and our plan calls for it to be removed," dmvntovm and the community," says landscape architect Amy Smith of Kl'S Group. "City says landscape architect jane Reed Ross, who lives nearby and uses the park l,vith her family. HaH and a conference center are on the bluff above, so this really can enhance the image "In its place we have designed a water channel that undulates from side to side and has and public perception of the whole area." For the existing stretch, which seems more changes in level like a natural stream:' parking lot than park, Ihe plan calis for the 1,200,foot-Iong boardwalk 10 be repaired and enhanced l,vith new seating, lighting and benches. Pming will be removed, allowing the The ne\\' water course \\ill have an open V-shape \\ith sides stabilized with perforated concrete pavers that allow grass to grow in the openings. About half\vay through the park there will be a bio-retention pond filled with bog and aquatic plants that will help slow down and filter storm runoff. The new changes in level also will slow the water and aerate it. River birch, bald cypress and other trees amenable to stream-side locations will be planted to add stability and provide a more natural appearance, Ross-Kelly also swung the water channel to the side to make room for a larger lawn as the centerpiece for the revived park, so the change enhances the whole master plan, An existing playground, too close to a busy street, has been put further inside the park, replaced by a new hard-surfaced area for skaters, youngsters learning to ride bicycles and other activities, Native stone walis inspired by WPA-era designs will be used to define new entryways, The same stonework vvill be featured on a new stage that can either play to the adjoining la"m or, on the opposite side, a ne\\' amphitheatre - for the first time pro\'iding a permanent location for events such as "We Love Homewood Day" or "Friday Flicks" outdoor movies in sullllner, HOMEWOOD CENTRAL PARK MASTER PLAN space to become more open and green. Another parklng area near the Walnut Street terminus \\-111 be replaced \\lth sloping la\\11 that can sen'e as seating for a new bandstand below. A new parking deck wi1l serve both the conference center and the waterfront park To the south, the plan calls for reshaping an existing pond and other City-owned property benveen the park\vay and the river to make a more attractive gat€\vay. The land \\111 be recontoured to open up to the river and a new sculptural water feature created. An existing embankment will be faced to resemble a bridge, providing pedestrian access from the south for the first time. For existing \varehouses and other private property facing the parK'way and liver, the liPS plan calis for a new pedestrian streetscape and conversion to active uses like restaurants that \\ill be complementary to an existing theatre nearby. More park-like and pastoral to the north, more animated and urban to tilt south is what the master plan emisions for Gadsden's waterfront. GADSDEN WATERtRONT PARK MASTER PLAN 17 Volume XII. No. I · IIEllNI OlEN SliCE II..IN Once a little rural crossroads community in Shelby County, Helena has been experiencing Centenary celebnl.tions often generate ambitious projects with lasting impact. The TriCentennial Committee new grO\;lh as part of metropolitan Binningham - but with a difference. A new master open of Mobile commissioned a Green Space Master Plan to be part of the city's 300th anniversary, a move that space plan sets the stage for an interrelated series of trails and parks, a green frame\vork might shape a metropolitan-wide future worthy of its historic, live oak-lined Government Street. for coming development. Developer Ronnie Morton, who help set a different tone with revitalization of Old Town Helena ill1d creation of a walking-scale cottage neighborhood nearby, has partnered with USS Realty, a major property owner in the area, to finance ule plan b\' KPS Group. The scheme calls for new pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods and ;illage centers to be linked to each other, to several new parks, an elementary school and Helena's Old Town. "TIle developers want to work with the city sharing the cost of land and improvements," say, landscape architect Amy Smith of KPS Group. "The city is seeking funding to build a 3.7-mile portion of the greenway that "ill tie things together." The City of Helena also has commissioned the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham to prepare a comprehensive plan that incorporates ule open space plan. Additionally, the Aubunl University Center for Architecture & Urban Studies in Birmingham will be doing a small town design studio as part of the planning initiative. This shared \lsion of Helena imagines more than a random series of subdi'.-1sions, and the open space plan is a critical part of what could be a genuine civic fnture. HELENA OPEN SPACE MASTER PLAN DesignAlabama 18 Selected to develop ule plan were flVO Mobile landscape architecntre finns, Brandon Adams Landscape Architect and Plauche' Johnson Landscape Architects, that formed a joint venture named Associated Landscape Architects (AlA). They began work in December 1999. Thongh traditional parks are an important component, the overall plan looks at open space in a comprehensive, environmental~based fashion that should make it a model for other communities statewide. Here is a condensed version of ALA's repOlt accompanied by the master plan and a selected section drawing to illustrate particular concepts: AIXs initial task was ule identification of current outdoor space and recreation facilities and the projection of future open space demands. The final master plan would outline a general "greening" concept with which the city would supply parks and green spaces to keep pace with expanding development and grmvth. Sl'RATEGIES Based on the inventories of existing parks, research of repoltS and mas, ter plans and interviews of planning offiCials, AL\' recommended the City concentrate on five strategies in the future: 1. Expansion of parks to growth areas & existing neighborhoods There would be a need for large parks in the intense areas of grO\vth in the west and southwest sections of Mobile. In addition, there would be a need for acquisition of small 112- to 2-acre parcels for neighborhood parks in all sections of the city. A need was also seen for the acquisition for "visual" green spaces throughout the City. These areas would be heavily planted "ith trees to soften paving, utllities and buildings. Among these spaces would be interstate highway interchanges, reclaimed medians and undevelopable land acquired through conservation easements. MOBILE GREEN SPACE MASTER PLAN 2. Acquisition of park land in the county There should be acquisition of property in the county to keep pace "ith future grO\vth and annexation of the city into outlying areas, especially in the l,;,,'est and north areas of Mobile County. 3. Connection of parks and green spaces Bike paths and lanes using existing and proposed street rights-of-way, drainage rights-of-way. etc. could link most major parks in the GSMP and prmide miles of recreation amenities. Tree plantings along major thoroughfares and with new planted medians could ,isually unite parks, green spaces and right,-of-way "ith foliage, flowers, fruit and fall color. 4. Preservation 01 environmentally important areas There should be acquisition of property to protect the watersheds of Mobile's creeks and rivers, recharge ground water and filter storm water before it enters the local stream system and, eventually, Mobile Bay. Riparian (vegetated) buffer areas along waterway' should be acquired and existing ones reserved and restored to help filter stonn water, prmide additional green spaces and encourage stream conservation. Existing "brovmfield" areas should be acquired and converted into green recharge sites and green spaces. These sites could be acquired outright, leased from private landmmers or converted into conservation easements. 5. Development of waterfront and water access areas TIlere would be a strong need for public access to water and waterfront areas, including Mobile Bay and various rivers, streams and lakes. Very few of such access pOint, exist in the city at present, and the demand for them is climbing. ;":'Ijfi!~'$ Liiu" !t "lllfhIl~1i In order to maximize available funds, ALA proposed that as many new green spaces as possible be located on existing public lands, including city and school board properties. Recreational uses would thereby be shared by those two entities. City land would consist of designated park parcels and undeveloped non-park parcels. School board land would consist of undeveloped "s;"1eenth'· sections and other smaller parcels not currently used for schools or school facilities (some airport authority land also would be used). Private land would be acquired by purchase, donation, swap for public land or tax benefit (conservation easements). In addition, some land could be leased for park and recreation uses from corporate owners (Alabama Power and Mobile Water & Sewer System, etc.). The combined area of the proposed parks (1,695 acres) and existing parks (1,2% acres) will give Mobile a totai of 2,951 acres of parks and green spaces. That would equate to 14.8 acres per 1,000 people, double the minimum 7 acres per 1,000 people recommended by the National Recreation Association. The majority of the proposed parks and green spaces, 64 percent, would be on public land while only 36 percent would be on private land (to be acquired or leased). The cost for development of the new parks and green spaces in the GSMP is estimated at approximately 539 million, excluding acquisition. The first phase of the implementation of the GSMP is presently being prepared for bidding. It will consist of a one-mile section of the bike path along Montlimar Creek drainage right-of-way. Estimated at 5250,000, this phase witi also have benches, interpretive signage and an e;..iensive planting of native riparian (stream-side) trees. WJ&',L,il Although the Green Space Master Plan outlines a "greening" concept for parks and green spaces in Mobile, hopefully, it also "ill serve as a catalyst for a "green" mindset within the City. AlA proposed the city adopt the following goals to achieve that mindset: 1. The city should reqUire that each new park contain the majority of its storm water on site. This practice, accomplished with the use of permeable paving, infiltration beds, ponds, etc., would greatly reduce construction and long-term maintenance costs for drainage. Different technologies should be explored to better handle the storm water that enters the city's drainage system, including "daylighting" of covered streams, natural channel design in lieu of concrete- or gabion-lined ditches, etc. 2. Only native and non-invasive plants should be used in public properties. Plants proven invasive and detrimental to natural habitats would be removed (and prohibited in all new parks) (mimosa, popcorn tree, Chinese privet, Japanese honeysuckle, blood grass, etc.). The use of plants suspected of becoming invasive should also be discouraged (Russian olive, nandina, yellmv flag iris, etc.). 3. Emironmental resources should be promoted and tied to the city's other tourist assets. With assets snch as the Mobile River Delta, Mobile Bay, 300 years of history and the proposed bike path system, Mobile could offer a multi-dimensional tourist experience. 4. The city should establish a norm of its "green" ethic. Practices which promote recycling, condemn litter, encourage environmental efficiency, reduce solid \vaste, etc. would be practiced by the city and encouraged in the public realm. 5. The city should develop and implement strategies for tree planting in large open paved areas. These plantings would not only enhance the areas ,isually but also reduce reflected glare and the intensity of heat islands. 1111 MONTLIMAR CREEK PARK TYPICAL SECTION 19 Volume XII. No. I DesignAlabama 20 above and right: The "Matisse" exhibit's iron-like fretwork, which was actually constructed from PVC pipe and plywood, was inspired by a turn-of-the century Rodin exhibit. far right: Beckham employed bright primary colors and cartoon graphics to draw visitors through the museum's 1989 "Looney Toons" exhibit. Designer~Profi Ie TERRY BECKHAM by Karen H. Seale A cross between an architect and a set designer, the museum exhibit designer plans, designs and oversees construction and installation of exhibits and displays, creating a foil for the artwork and enhancing the overall experience for the museum patron, Terry Beckham's strong design choices add vitality to the exhibits at the Birmingham Museum of Art. A graduate of the University of Alabama's fine arts program, Beckham began his career as an exhibit designer with the Huntsville Museum of Art. In 1984 he returned to his Birmingham roots to work for the state's premiere art museum, where he currently is head of the exhibit design department. From his childhood Beckham knew he wanted to work for a museum and considers this job a perfect outlet for his artistic talents. "I've found my niche," he concedes. When creating a new exhibit, Beckham first has to determine how the artwork will fit into the assigned gallery space - or even if it will fit into the museum at all. "It boils down sometimes to the size of the doors," Beckham explains. This was certainly the case with the museum's 1999 "Searching for Ancient Egypt" exhibition. Early in the design process, it became apparent that the elevator would not lift the largest piece, which weighed more than 9,500 pounds. "We considered taking the front doors off the museum and using a pulley system to bring it in or physically cutting a hole in the roof and craning it in - all kinds of scenarios. What we finally opted to do was to upgrade our elevator." The designer then crafted an "Egyptian-style" pulley system to haul the large pieces into the gallery for assembly. Drawing from various resources such as architectural history texts and the knowledge of the exhibit curators, Beckham gathers as much information about 21 Volume XII. No. I OesignAiabama 22 left: Like the entrance to a grand Victorian home, these antique doors were the inspiration for Beckham's design of the Dwight and Lucille Beeson Gallery, which showcases the museum's extensive Wedgwood collection. the artwork as he can, including the time period of the pieces and their region of origin. The iron-like fretwork that Beckham designed for the 2000 "Matisse" exhibit was inspired by images he had found of a turn-of-thecentury Rodin exhibition. On occasion Beckham also will travel to the artworks' place of origin, as he did when designing the museum's permanent exhibition space for its Far East collection. From his research Beckham generates a comprehensive concept for the design. "Sometimes it's done in one fell swoop," he explains, "or sometimes I have to go through a process where I tweak the design based upon information I get from the curators to arrive at the final product." Working from the ground up, Beckham finesses wall placement, color choices, architectural details and artwork position to create an overall experience for the museum visitor. Often, he selects bold colors to enhance the exhibit. "It is a great tool - dark colors allow for more dramatic lighting," Beckham says. A fine example of this can be found in the museum's "European Masterpieces" exhibit, a traveling show from the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, that currently is on display. Beckham employed changes of color from dark to light to highlight the six centuries that the artwork encompasses, endowing the exhibit with a sense of flow as it directs patrons through the gallery. After 22 years as an exhibit designer, Beckham continues to innovate, even finding new challenges with the museum's permanent collections. "Over the years, some of these collections have been moved three of four times, and I have redesigned the same permanent collections at least that many times. It's a great opportunity to do it better every time." With each new design, Beckham strives to improve. "I want my last exhibit to be the best I have ever designed.",i,' left: Beckham often uses appropriate architectural details to convey an overall sense of time, as can be seen in his entrance to the "Searching for Ancient Egypt" exhibition. below left: Utilizing techniques tram ancient Egypt, Beckham crafted a pulley system to install large pieces trom the 1999 "Searching tor Ancient Egypt" collection. below right: Challenged by the air vents in the Far East Gallery's ceiling, Beckham strategically placed oriental open fretwork in his design. Community.Profile a e • • a Community with l1sion Nestled along the Chattahoochee River at the border between Georgia and Alabama; the City o/Valley is a small community with big dreams. Valued for its location along the waterway, the land was initially developed in 1866 by ~vo groups of merchants and cotton planters for textile production. The result was the fomlation of four mill villages over the next 50 years: Riverview, Langdale, Shawmut and Fairfax. The last to be constructed, Fairfax ~ii\l and its surrounding village were built in 1915 according to a comprehensive plan designed by landscape architect William B. ~Iarquis. It featured iruomJaI residential streets circling the mill and an open village green. As was typical of company towns, life in these villages revolved around tile mills. Along with the manufacturing facilities, tlbe textile companies proVided housing, stores, churches, schools and recreational faCilities for their workers, resulting in four extremely tight-knit communities with residents working, living and worshipping together The four villages continued to evolve independently until 1977, when changes in the textile industry and economic structure of tlbe area encouraged their union as a single community. The City of Valley was offiCially incorporated on May 20, 1980, with a land area of approXimately 10 square miles and 9,200 residents. In the last ~vo decades since its incorporation, Vailey has made great strides to preserve its unique past while establishing avenues for future progress. Recognizing the need to create a long-teml plan for development of its new community, Valley officials requested the assistance of DesignAlabama. Impressed with Valley's initiative and potential to capitalize on the results of a charette, an eight-member team was assembled under the Alabama Community Design Program (ACDP) in March of 1999. After conducting an intensive four-day study of the city, three strategic initiatives were developed: completing and enhancing the CVR Rail-Trail, designing improvements to key road connections and recapturing and capitalizing on the Chattahoochee River: From these recommendations a comprehensive plan, coined the "Valley Vision," was created. Valfey's Riverfront Master Plan has been tfrvided into fire sections, as iflustrated above, above: Built in 1915, the Fairfax Mill arid its surrounding Vl7/age were constructed according to a comprehenshte plan deSigned by landscape architect William B. Marquis. ngM: Now under construction, Phase I of the riverfront development includes renavation and expanSion of the Langdale Boat Landing and adjacent park area. by Karen H. Seale 23 Volume XII. No. I Valley's future plans include enhancement of the / ,~ "gateway" entrance w vafley off Interstate 85. /~> .. // Valley's Rail-Trail Leads the Way Even bef01~ the DesignAlabama charette, valley had begun the conversion of its defunct Chattahoochee Valley Railroad line into the CVR Trail under the Rails-to-Trails program. Rails-to-Trails is a national conservation program that converts abandoned railway corridors into multi-purpose public paths. Now complete, this 7.5 mile trail is a significant addition to the community as both a source of recreation for the residents and an attraction for tourism. Starting at the Shawmut Mill, tile trail winds through the four mill villages, as well as through unpopulated forest areas and along the river Plans for further development include connecting the CvR Trail to riverfront recreational areas. RecaptUring the River Once the main source for hydroelectric power to the textile plants, the Chattahoochee River played an important part in Valley's history. However, as other forms of power became readily available, the mills were moved to more convenient and modem facilities, and the connection between the villages and the river was lost. 1b recapture and capitalize on the potential that the river presented to Valley, landscape architect David Pearson of Birmingham was engaged to develop a riverfront master plan. A member of the DesignAlabama charette team, Pearson was already familiar with the opportunities the Chattahochee offered as a recreational, historical and environmental anlenity for the community. "The ultimate goal of the Rivelfront Master Plan is to establish a continuous protected buffer and greenway along the entire section of the Chattahoochee River within and adjacent to Valley," Pearson says. "This buffer and greenway would include a multi-use path for walking, jogging, bird-watching, fishing and just enjoying the scenelY of the river:" Pearson's plan includes five distinct areas. Riverview Park and Ailfield Park anchor the plan with large multi-functional parks and open spaces. In the center of the plan runs a rivelwalk, the most f01mal element of the plan, which is expected to include walking paths along the rivel; an event and picnic lawn, fishing terraces and a connection to the CVR TraiL This area is flanked on either side by conservation and wildlife easements where there are steep slopes and wetlands. Work now has begun on the development of the livelwalk, which includes renovation and expansion of the Langdale Boat Landing and adjacent park area. OPening the Gate to New Opportunities Spurred by recommendations made during the DesignAlabama charette, Valley now is taking steps to capitalize on its exceptional location as the "gateway" to Alabama along Interstate 85. Recently city officials contracted with KPS Group, a Birmingham design firm, to develop a strategic urban design concept for the city. KPS's recommendations include the creation of sign ordinances and building standards that would fit the vision of the community - espeCially along main thoroughfares like Highway 29, the development of a wajfinding system for main attractions like the riverfront and CvR Trail and enhancement of the entrance to the city off Interstate 85. Valley's commitment to improvement and gro\\1h has earned it recognition from across the state, and in 2000, the American Planning Association's Alabama Chapter awarded Valley their coveted Planning Program Award. "A city or community must plan in order to prospel;" explains Jim Jones, chairman of tile Valley Vision Advisory Committee. "We must plan for the future and provide the type of environment that will encourage individuals to stay and migrate toward our city. We must work hard to grow in such a way that we are proud of where we have been and where we are going. We must draw upon our strengths and work to eliminate our weaknesses. With vision and hard work we can achieve greatness." • DesignA!abama 24 The Valley Vision Advisory Committee. Back row: Bonnie Bonner, Allen Hendrix, Mayor Arnold Leak, Chairman Jim Jones and Martha Cato. Front tow: Charlene Atkinson, valerie Gray, Elizabeth Lyons and [Jebbie Wood. Valley hopes to recapture the Chattahoochee River as a recreational, historical and environmental amenity for the community. Once a link between the four 'Iillages, the Chattahoochee Valley Railway now serves the community as a recreational trail. Starting at the Shawmut Mill, the trail winds through the four mill villages, as well as through unpopulated forest areas and a1MY the river. MOBILE ADDYS The Mobile Advertising Federation Club awarded 77 ADDYs in February. The three judges for the competition had impressive credentials in advertising. marketing and design with top NY agencies and international clientele. Sullivan-SI. Clair made a big showing earning 17 golds, 12 silvers and a Best of Show for Broadcast/Electronic Media and another in Print for Business to Business Campaign/Flat. Lewis Communications' Mobile unit pulled in 13 golds and eight silvers Denson/Reed Marketing won five golds, eight silvers and the Judge's Award for Electronic MedialTelevision. Top to bottom: Gold ADDY/lndustry Self-Promo Interactive The BLR Agency Goid ADDY/Consumer Magazine 4-color Big Communications Inc Best of Show LWi Communications SIUaeflt Achievement Award/Print Leigh Ann Hillabrand Goid ADDY/Graphic Desigrrer of the Year Angela Stifi/Copperwing Design Sludenl Actf!evement AwardfEec\ronlc Justin Cox Best of Show/Print Suiiivan-SL Clair Gol.d ADDY/Advertising lOI ihe Arts Broadcast Electronic The BlR Agency Details+of Interest A w A R D s ~j~Pf{ftJfjI3Ti!j;,;, 'l feattJr~'~r a wide variety of events and resources, • Alabama Advertising Federation's ADDY Competitions in early 2002 the seven Advertising Federation clubs in Alabama held their ADDY competitions with some results highlighted below, The three-tiered national contest conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation is the industry's largest and most representative competition for creative excellence Gold winners are entered into the Seventh District Competition which includes 29 advertising clubs from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi. This year the district competition for the Huntsville, Shoals, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Montgomery, Dothan and Mobile clubs will be hosted by the Birmingham Advertising Federation, and district winners will be announced in April in Atlanta, BIRMINGHAM ADDYS Birmingham's Advertising Federation Club awarded 56 Gold ADDYs and 57 Citations of Excellence, Lewis Communications was the big winner in the competition, walking away with 16 golds, 17 citations, plus a Best of Show for Consumer Magazine/Four Color and Best of Show for Mixed Media Campaigns/Regional/National. Big Communications Inc. garnered seven golds, seven Citations, plus a Best of Show for Television Consumer ServiceslTraveL The BLR Agency won five golds, four citations, plus a Best of Show for Radio Single, and Intermark Agency grabbed six golds and six citations, MONTGOMERY ADDYS The Montgomery Advertising Federation Club doled out 50 awards, Honors went to LWT Communications for four golds, 20 silvers and Best of Show, Copperwing Design won four golds, four silvers and Graphic Designer of the Year - Angela Stiff, Cunningham Group pulled in two golds, three silvers and a Best of No Show. LWT/KBK New Media garnered two golds and a silver. DesignAlabama won a gold in the Public Service Design/Magazine category, and there were two Student Achievement Awards won by Troy State University students Leigh Ann Hillabrand (print) and Justin Cox (electronic), 25 Volume XII, No. I Museum Design Award Aubum University's Jule Collins Smith Museum dominated the Alabama Museum Association's annual design awards competition, winning top awards in five categories, plus garnering the Overa!! Excellence Award for Design, The annual competition included entries that were evaluated for design and originality from most of the state's major art museums, Judges cited JCSM's submissions for crispness and clarity, level of professionalism and consistency between pieces that related each to the whole even when presented in a variety of formats, Shannon Hankes was the designer of the collateral materials for the museum which will open in spring 2003, Sherlock, Smith & Adams' design of Maxwell Air Force Base's ambulatory health care center in Montgomery earned a U.s, Air Force Honor Award for design, The 200,000-square-foot Mission/Mediterranean-style facility is consistent with existing base architecture yet represents a new direction in military care design, The building's interior is organized around an entrance atriurn from which patients are directed to waiting areas adjacent to the various clinical offices, The clinic is open, light and full of glass, Patient activity is organized toward the front with administrative and service areas to the rear Tommy L. Thompson, AlA, of the Montgomery-based firm was project designer Main Street Mobile Awards Among the awards presented in FebruarJ by Main Street Mobile were four related to downtown innovation, Wendell Quimby was recognized for his effort in restoring a building on Dauphin Street once recommended for demolition and now a trendy new restaurant Bert Lyles was honored for his renovation of Tower on Ryan Park, an out-of-date structure transformed into a new apartment building, VoiceStream Communications was lauded for its sensitive renovation of a historic building in downtown for its own use, The fourth award was given to Buddy Breland and Breland Properties for their conversion of the Convent of Mercy Building, The formerly vacant Mobile landmark was converted Into 30 luxury condominiums called St Francis Place, DesignAlabama 26 A Leadership Achievement Award was given to the Museum of Mobile board and staff members and the city council of Mobile for their efforts in directing the renovation and conversion of the Southern Mar,~et/O!d City Hall into the new home of the museum, Another achievement award went to the FBI and Brian Metcalfe of Metcalfe & Associates for construction of the new FBI Building. Top: SL Francis Piaee Boliom: FBI Building Treylon Raines has designed a solar house that will represent Tuskegee University in the Solar Energy Decathlon in Washington, DC, this fall, The third-year architecture student from Montgomery Is constructing the solar energy-operated home with Diwanna Haskins and LaQuinta Davis, the second and third place winners, as well as other architecture and engineering students. TU is one of only 11 universities selected to participate in the competition sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Lab, Requirements were simple: a pleasing and attractive look with no more than 500 square feet of living space, and a roof that included 600 to 800 solar PV panels, Raines' entry is a two-story design with a bedroom in the loft A spiral stairway leads to the loft from the first floor, where there is a living area, bathroom and kitchen, His design also includes a storage room housing air conditioning equipment, hot water tank and batteries to run electrical equipment at night Brick flooring will help absorb heat during the day, Raines says, as will special window designs. The project has the support of a $150,000 grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Construction of the university's entry could start in early April, The students plan to dismantle the house on campus, reassemble it and test its features before dismantling it again for transporting to Washington, D, C" for the final competition, Dr. Arunsi Chuku, an electrical engineering professor and one of the faculty coordinators of the project, estimates that materials and construction costs for the one-bedroom design could reach $70,000, But he says savings become evident when one calculates the energy costs over the life of the house, Fayette Depot Now Museum Fayette County Depot has been transformed Into a Transportation Museum by Turner Batson Inc. The Birmingham firm provided architectural and interior design services for the renovation of the one-story former train depot The project team included Rick Batson, AlA, principal-in-charge; Jamie Collins, AlA, project architect and Kristin Corley, IIDA, interior designer Members of the Auburn UniverSity Historic Preservation Guild have been helping to save a 100-year-old African-American landmark in Opelika. Under the direction of Professor Norbert Lechner, the building science and architecture students have been refurbishing the porch floor, roof and balcony areas and clearing out the interior. The Darden House was the home of Opelika's first African-American physician and his wife, After their deaths, the house deteriorated prompting the JIN Darden Alumni Association to purchase the property and through the JIN Darden Foundation preserve the structure, With the help of a grant from the Alabama Historical Commission and private donations, work began more than two years ago on the $200,000 restoration project During the doctor's lifetime the home housed his medical practice and served as a community and social center. When restored, the association hopes to use the house for an African-American cultural center. The Rural Studio was awarded $400,000 yearly funding by Auburn University to ensure the continuation of the program founded by the late Samuel "Sambo" Mockbee and O.K. Ruth in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, Since its establishment in 1993, the program that combines teaching of architecture with a commitment to public service has operated primarily by private funding, The annual alottment will stabilize administrative costs allowing more focus on fund-raising for building projects, says director Ruth, The program that operates in rural Hale County, Ala" has been detailed in a new book recently published by Princeton Architecture Press, "The Rural Studio Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency," is written by Andrea Oppenheimer Dean with photos by Timothy Hursley, Dean is former executive editor of Architecture Magazine, and Hursley is an architectural photographer who has been photographing the Rural Studio for nine years, Work by Rural Studio students and Mockbee is part of the prestigious Whitney Museum of American Ms 2002 Biennial Exhibition that opened in March in New York City. It is the first time in the show's history that work by architects has been included, Three projects by the students are displayed through drawings, models and photographs, A companion one-hour documentary by New York filmmaker Charles Schultz focuses on the issue of affordable housing and how the Rural Studio is changing lives, The exhibit runs through May 26th and is the museum's signature survey of contemporary American art, AU Students Design Habitat Prototype A team of 16 architecture and building design students from Auburn University has developed a prototype house design for Habitat for Humanity to be built for a local family this spring. The Designhabitat project. under the direction of Professor David Hindson. is also sponsored by DesignAlabama and the National Landscape Architecture Week Museum is Uptown in I)owntown ASLA National Landscape Architecture Week is held The Museum of Mobile has reopened in the renovated Southern during the week surrounding the April 26th birth- Market/Old City Hall in downtown. Hayes, Seay, Mattern & day of Frederick Law Olmsted. wr,o is widely Mattern of Mobile was the archHectural firm for the $7 million-hailed as the founder of landscape architecture in North America Activities will include govern- Alabama Association of Habitat Affiliates. The students visited ment proclamations, student design competitions and a variety plus project which blends the old with new. The familiar exterior was refurbished and the interior updated with modern construction aiound familiar spaces such as the atrium with its soaring skylight Exhibition space exceeds 17,000 feet while behind-thescenes activities utilize sophisticated loading docks, heavy-duty elevators and tall metal shelves which glide along tracks and spacious conservation workshops. Exhibits were designed by Malone Inc. of Atlanta and include several interactive displays. Habitat affiliates across the state; interviewed Habitat homeown- of community outreach activities, such as collaborative park ers, builders and executives; toured Habitat's corporate office design and education exhibits. and researched issues related to design. The house is designed to be more livable, consume iess energy for heating and cooling, One of the events sponsored by the Alabama Chapter of ASLA cost less to maintain and use fewer resources to construct. The will be a series of exhibits in S'lrmingham, Huntsville. ultimate goal is to build 50 of the AU-designed houses in the Montgomery and Mobile. The exhibits will feature work by land-state within five years. Downtown Discovery Tour The Birmingham Historical Society has ieleased a third edition of its popular "Downtown Discovery Tour with History Hunts" in honor of the tours' 25th anniversary. The updated guide is available from the society for $24.95 plus tax. The book contains background information on Birmingham's downtown, plus maps, a timeline, glossary and visuals to encourage looking at and thinking about buildings and urban change. The five tours focus on the central business district, Linn Park and the governmental center, the historic retail and theatre district, the historic black bUSiness district and a retracing of the children'S marches of 1963. These tours, information and teacher lesson plans, plus a Vulcan unit also can be downloaded from the Birmingham Historical SOc'lety's Web site at www.bhistoricaLorg. scape architects throughout Alabama. Projects ranging from intimate private gardens to large-scale master planning will be on display. For details and locations of the exhibits, please contact the following: Birmingham - Chad Watkins, 205-458-1404 Huntsville - Drew Crow, 256-536-0756 Montgomery - Kevin Carpenter, 334-271-3200 Mobile - Fred Rux, 251-342-6970 A M,Do,," The Community Planning and Design pro.4III1' JI?fJ. ~;,"i gram was established to SUPPOit projects that ~11111!/ :\;:;" use design disciplines to impact the quality of life in Alabama communities. Applications are solicited from all the design disciplines and for community cultural planning where there is an established partnership with city or county government. The following Aiabama State Council on the Arts design grants were awarded for 2001-2002: -City of Mobile/Main Street Organization - Funds to help develop a public art policy and plan. -Design Corps - Funds to help pay for design staff, consultants and their expenses while working on the design of the TUCCA (The United Christian Community Association) Community Center in Tayioi, Ala. -TSU College of Communications and Fine Arts - Funding to the graphic design staff for the implementation of a computer animation workshop for Pike County Public High School students. -City of Valley - Funds to assist with fees associ,ated with the design of Phase I of the Valley Riverfront Project. -Mobile Opera Inc. - Funds for the design of a pocket park for the Mary Josephine Larkins Music Center. GMO Building Has New Lease on Life The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Building ienovation in Mobile is complete and open for business as a new city bus terminal with a mix of commercial businesses. The histcric railroad terminal was closed in 1985 and had fallen into disrepair. The structure was built in 1907 by architect Philip Thorton Mayre in the Spanish Coionial style. Similai style stations in Birmingham and Atlanta by Mayre have been demo',ished The $20 mill'lon renovation by Williams & ASSOCiates of Mobile was accomplished through a federal grant of $11 miilion matched by $2.2 million from the city and $5.6 million from a private investor who will lease the building and sublease spaces for small business tenants .• DeSign Makes a Difference Exhibit Submission As a part of our public education program, OesignAfabama is sponsoring the development of a Muring exhibit entitled 'DeSign Makes a Difference," The exhibit 'Iliff encompass design projects from across the state that have made an impact, big or smail, on Alabama's communities. We are Jooking for completed projects from alf ot the design disciplines. Multi-discipline projects are encouraged. To submit a project for conSideration, please include the fof/owing information along with visuals to DesignAfabama. Po. Box 241263, Montgomery. AL 36124. The deadline for submission is June 1, 2002 NameD! Project------------------------------ Location of Project _____________________________ _ Design Firm(s) Involved ___________________________ _ Contact Person/Phone ___________________________ _ Attach a biief narrative on the project explaining the unique design aspects of the projecl and how il is making a difference to Ihe communify or slale. Please direcl ali questions 10 Karen Seale aI334-353-508t. 27 Volume XII, No. I Desi nAlabama Volume XII, Issue I PUBLIC DESIGN AWARENESS AND EDUCATION DesignAlabama Inc. works to increase awareness and value of the design disciplines (Wature uses human that influence our environment. We believe that the quality of life and imagination to lift her economic growth of this state are enhanced through attention to and work of creation to investment in good design. even higher levels. )) PARK DESIGN TODAY GRESHAM SMITH AN D PARTNERS - Luigi Pirandel/o ((The highest value of a park (Wature never did must be expected to lie in betray the heart elements and qualities of that loved her. " scenery to which the mind of - William Wordsworth those benefiting by them) is liable) at the time the benefit is received) to give little conscious cognition. )) - Frederick Law Olmsted This publication was made possible through funding by fhe contributors listed above. For additional information about DeslgnAlabama. please call (334) 353-5081.
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Title | Design Alabama: The Public Forum for Design in Alabama, Volume 12, Issue 1, 2002 |
Description | This is the Volume XII, Issue I, 2002 issue of Design Alabama: The Public Forum for Design in Alabama, a newsletter dedicated to all types of design in Alabama. This issue features articles on the theme "Park Design Today". The newsletter also describes different types of design projects in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, engineering, interior design, industrial design, graphic design, and fashion design plus historic buildings and sites. |
Article List | 1. Making Waves: University of South Alabama's Pediatric Oncology Unit; 2. Heardmont Park; 3. Deibert Park; 4. Blount Cultural Park; 5. Park Projects Survey: Moss Rock Preserve, Albertville Recreation Center, Homewood Central Park, Gadsen Waterfront Park, Helena Open Space Plan, Mobile Green Space Master Plan; 6. The Art of Exhibit Design: Terry Beckham; 7. Valley: A Community with Vision |
Creators | Design Alabama, Inc.; Alabama State Council on the Arts; Auburn University |
Date | 2002-03 |
Decade | 2000s |
Editor | Seale, Karen |
Art Director | Hartsfield, Nancy |
Writers | Armstrong, Jessica; Dugas, Tomie D.; Morris, Philip; Seale, Karen |
LC Subject Headings |
Architecture -- Alabama Landscape architecture -- Alabama City planning -- Alabama Graphic arts -- Alabama |
TGM Subject Headings |
Landscaping plans Parks Gardens Architecture Cities & towns City planning Schools Graphic design |
EOA Categories |
Geography & Environment -- Natural Environment -- Parks, Reserves and Natural Areas Geography & Environment -- Human Environment -- Cities and Towns Education Peoples -- Urban Life Arts & Literature -- Decorative Arts Education |
Type | text; image |
Format | |
File Name | 2002 Spring DA.pdf |
Source | Design Alabama, Inc. |
Digital Publisher | Auburn University Libraries |
Language | eng |
Rights | This image is the property of the Auburn University Libraries and is intended for non-commercial use. Users of the image are asked to acknowledge the Auburn University Libraries. |
Submitted By | Carter, Jacqueline |
Transcript | Spring 2002 Volume XII, Issue I $4.00 Desi J---I\ abama THE PUBLIC FORUM FOR DESIGN IN ALABAMA DesignAlabama Inc. Board 01 Directors: Cathryn Campbell Gerachis, Chair GOOd'tl'jfl, Miffs and Cawood Inc, Montgomery Nancy Mims Hartsfield, Vice Chair Auburn University, Professor Emeritus Montgomery Elizabeth Ann Brown, Secretary Alabama Historical Commission Montgomery Charles Callans, Treasurer Birmingham Realty Birmingham Arnelle Adcock Central Alabama Electric Cooperative Prattville Joseph R. Donofro Donofro & Associates Architects fnc. Dothan Janet Driscoll Driscoll Design Montgomery 80 Grisham Southpace Properties Birmingham Tin Man lau Auburn University Auburn Robert Martin Southern Progress Corp. Birmingham Kenneth M. Penuel Southern Company Services Inc., Retired Birmingham Debbie Quin Fairhope City Council Fairhope Kay F. Roney Wallace Community College Doihan LarryWatls Birmingham Regional Planning Commission Birmingham Karen H. Seale, Executive Director Philip A. Morris, Director Emeritus Volume XII, Issue I Cover: Well designed parks enhance the outdoors experience. Letterfrmn the Director Parks - Once a term used for the private property This publication is made possible ihrougii funding by surrounding a country estate, this word today refers to the fhefo/loViingconfribu!ors' beautiful, mixed-use public landscape that has become so much a part of our American culture. When describing his ideals for the perfect public park, Frederick Law Olmsted commented, "We want a ground to which people may easily go after their day's work is done and where they may stroll for an hour, seeing, hearing and feeling nothing of the bustle and jar of the streets, where they shall, in effect, find the city put far away from them." A century-and-a-half later, parks are still our great escape from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. In this issue we will take a look at the inventive ways that Alabama's landscape architects are meeting the myriad needs of the community without compromising the natural beauty of the park setting. We will also explore the art of exhibit deSign, visit with the community of Valley and observe how a fun approach to interior design is making a big difference for children in Mobile. As always, it is my pleasure to share another issue of the journal with you. I hope you will pass it on for others to enjoy as well. Karen H. Seale Editor: Karen Seale Managing Editor: Tomie Dugas Art Director: Nancy Hartsfield Associate Art Director: Ross Heck Assistant Art Directors: Kelly Bryant, Tomie Dugas, Samantha Lawrie, Wei Wang Contributing Writers: Jessica Armstrong, Tomie Dugas. Philip Morris. Karen Seale Alabama state Council on the Arts Gresham Smith and Partners The Home Depot A special thanks to Philip MONis lor his ongoing assistance and advice wilh this publication. Submission Information DesignAlabama encourages submissions from its readers. Articles about work from all design disciplines are requested, as well as copy related to historic preservation. Please submit copy along with visuals (photos, slides. drawings. etc.) to DesignAlabama Inc .. P.O. Box 241263. Montgomery. AL 36124. Items for Project News and Details of Interest should include a paragraph summary detailing the nature of the project, the design firm, prinCipals and associates involved and any other details that may be of interest such as unusual or special design features. completion date, approximate cost, square footage. etc. Also include the name. address and phone and fax number of the client and an individuai whom we may contact for further information. Direct inquiries to Karen Seale at (334) 353-5081 or mail to: designalabama@att.net. Past journal issues are available for $6.00 including postage and handling. Contact Karen Seale at the above numbers ior availabiliPj information and to order. © 2002 DesignAlabama Inc. ISSN# 1090·0918 This issue of DesignAlabama was designed and produced on Macintosh Computers utilizing QuarkXPress 4.1. Proofs were printed on a HP 4000N and tinai ouipul on a Compugraphic 9400. Lifting spirits with a dose of under-the-sea fantasy. p7 DesignAlabama IS a publication of DesignAlabama Inc. Desi nAlabama CONTENTS Integrating active use with passive beauty. p15 FEATURES "PARK DESIGN TODAY" BALANCING NATURE WITH NEED. HEARDMONT PARK DEIBERT PARK BLOUNT CULTURAL PARK PARK PROJECTS SURVEY DEPARTMENTS ProjectANews Enhancing the museum experience through design p.20 Reader commenlsand submission 01 articles and ideas lor Wo rk of statewi de s i g n i f i can ce . future issues are encouraged. ...........••..................... Design_Makes A Difference USJl:s Pediatric Oncology Unit. 9 10 12 14 16 4 7 ••••••••••...................................... Designer@Profile Exhibit Designer Terry Beckham. 20 CommunityeProfi Ie Valley . 23 .....•...•............. Details+Of Interest Noteworthy observations. 25 Reconnecting a community with the river p.23 ProjectANews Project News is a regular feature of OesignAlabama and provides an opportunity to keep up-to-date on design projects that have an impact on our communities. Mobile Museum of Art I \ Time Warner Cable's new office building in Birmingham's Lakeshore Crossings Office/Technoiogy Park was designed by Williams-Blackstock Architects PC. The 50,000- square-foot building is the business communications and warehouse epicenter for Time Warner's cable operations and its high-speed Internet service. The Birmingham architectural firm created a dramatic steel-and-glass entrance lobby featuring a high-definition television edifice set against Time Warner Cable DesignA!abama 4 The Mobile Museum of Art is undergoing a $15 million expansion. The Architects Group/lnc. (TAG), of Mobile, has been engaged to "reposition" the existing 32,OOO-squarefoot museum to a 95,OOO-square-foot regional cultural attraction that will become the centerpiece for the city's 2002 tricentennial celebration. The program spaces for the new museum will include: interpretive/interactive galleries and studios for education and public involvement; open, flexible galleries for traveling exhibitions: galleries for a 5,OQO-plus permanent collection; local artists gallery concourse; grand lobby capable of seating 300 dinner guests; standard collection storage, processing and conservation; orientation theatre; auditorium and administrative area. The layout will express a hierarchy of tri-part functions of public gathering, formal gallery/exhibit and education/ interpretive. Logisticaliy, the functions are organized by floor: changing exhibits on the top; permanent galleries, local galleries, interactive/education at grade level connected by a double height rotunda; and administration and collections on the ground floor. The glass exterior of the main lobby will orient the grand hall public entrance to the lake. Multiple galleries feed off a central hub. Lead architect on the museum expansion, which is nearing completion, is Daniel J. Borcicky, AlA, and Derry M. Hargett, Jr., AlA, had extensive input on the initial design of the building. Alice H. Cutright, ASIO, is the interior designer. sandblasted concrete panels with brick accent banding. The concrete skin is interlaced with a delicate webbing of reveals reflecting Time Warner's network of cables. Canopies composed of translucent lexan panels set in a painted steel structure penetrate the concrete skin indicating the various points of entry along the building membrane. The principalin- charge was Joel Blackstock and project architect! interior designer was Richard Carnaggio. In designing the Rosa Parks Library & Museum, Sherlock, Smith & Adams of Montgomery solved a complicated spatial program with a simple, well-organized plan on a restrictive urban site. The building, which houses three different functions - museum, library and distance learning department - and covers approximately 55,000 square feet on three levels, is the new flagship structure for the revitalized downtown campus of Troy State University at Montgomery. A modern two-story entry lobby complements a conservative exterior sensitive to the aesthetic character of surrounding buildings with balcony seating areas overlooking the new clock tower and plaza. Landscape and streetscape were designed to produce a seamless connection with the plaza and define the extent of the TSUM campus. The first floor is dedicated to the Rosa L. Parks Museum. In addition to the 3,500-square-foot space housing a permanent exhibit designed by Eisterhold Associates, SS&A designed a 1 ~O-seat auditorium with audiovisual and production equipment, a temporary exhibition gallery, conference rooms and gift shop. The second floor houses the main library and all of the associated support spaces. The third floor is divided between the periodical function of the library and the distance learning department - a complicated area which houses offices, a public radio studio and television production facilities. Project designer was Paul Langland, AlA. Rosa Parks Library & Museum .... Evan Terry Associates of Birmingham has developed a long-range site and facilities master plan for the relocation of Gadsden's Central United Methodist Church to a 16-acre site on Ala. Hwy. 77 in Rainbow City. Phase I is scheduled to open this spring and will inClude the following amenities: central hall with stage for worship and other activities, eight classrooms, youth room, full-service kitchen, choir practice room and nurseries for infants, babies and toddlers. The church administration suite will include offices and a parlor/library. Initial construction totals approximately 23,000 square feet. CenlraiUniled Methodist Church ... Polyengineering Inc. of Dothan designed the new Family Life Center of the Abbeviile United Methodist Church. The original sanctuary, built in 1896, was the inspiration for the exterior fagade and detailing of the new addition. The center's exterior repeats the ornate brickwork, cornices, : wood trim, moldings, stained glass windows and matching dormers that give the original structure its architectural appeal. The facility, completed in 2001 for $1.2 million, includes a full-service kitchen and a multi-purpose room/auditorium for dining and large assemblies. Abbeviffe UMC Family Ufe Center A. : Seay, Seay & litchfield of Montgomery is responsible for the new addition to the Archives and History Building in the capitol city. The 60,000-square-foot addition houses an archival reference room, interpret'lve museum and state-ofthe- art archival storage and office space. The exterior of the addition reflects the Beaux Arts style of the existing 1930s structure. Architectural elements such as the Ionic columns and detailed cornice work are replicated to create a seamless addition. The principal-in-charge was Jim Seay Jr. and the project architect was Kathryn Williams. Archives & History Addition ... t[.' - , Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood Inc. was retained by Comala Credit Union to design a new $2.5 million, 13,650- square-foot addition to the existing facility located in the heart of downtown Montgomery. Construction began in January 2002 and includes parameters for the credit union to remain operational during the process. Along with existing building renovations including new offices, break area and training space, the new facility houses typical bank teller functions, seven interior teller windows and four exterior drive-up lanes. Additionally, the structure includes new offices, a board room, accounting areas and a large entry lobby with a two-story atrium. Comala Credit Union Crawford McWilliams Hatcher Architects Inc. of Birmingham has designed The Shoppes at EastChase, the first phase of a 330-acre, master planned retail, office and residential community in Montgomery. The lifestyle center design reflects local materials such as brick and stone and . takes a "Main Street" approach to building fronts. CMH : designed all the retail buildings and is currently designing exteriors and interiors for several of the restaurant tenants including Crepes Eggsetra, a 3OG-seat facility with an : outdoor dining area. The initial phase of 200,000 square feet : will be completed in November, and a 150,000 square-foot expansion of the center is planned for the future. Project : architect is Michael O'Kelly. Diamond Dispfays /ntemalionaf Breakroom Louis Wynne Associates Inc. of Magnolia Springs is working in association with architect Carleton G. McCurry of Gulf Shores to deSign the Gulf Shores Sportsplex on a 96-acre : site. The project, costing approximately : $3.9 million, will be constructed in two phases. The first : phase consists of a football stadium with track, field house, : restroom/concessions and press box, high school basebail The Shoppes al EaslChase raphic esign field, softball field and soccer fields with attendant buildings and parking. Phase II will add the five-plex softball complex II : with parking and support facilities. The project will be ..... : finished off with substantially landscaped areas throughout Wei Wang of WangDesign in Auburn has created a logo for Designhabitat. The project, a collaborative effort by Auburn University, the Alabama Association of Habitat Affiliates and DesignAlabama, will culminate in a prototype home for use by Habitat for Humanity affiliates across the state. Wang's deSign incorporates elements from each of the three organizations and reflects the mission of Designhabitat to build environmentally sustainable, energy efficient. climatically responsible, high quality houses. • Diamond Displays International designs and manufactures trade show, museum and retail exhibits. Its new facility features design elements and personal touches that echo the firm's creative business. DeSigned by owner Jeff Culton and design director Robert Donovan, the 70,000-square-foot facility was built on a 10-acre site in eastern Birmingham with architectural services provided by Williams-Blackstock The preengineered steel structure has polished concrete floors and exposed HVAC ducting, electrical conduits, plumbing, etc. Diamond filled the space with its own custom-built office partitions, reception desk, showroom displays, lighting and other custom touches. The design department features custom workstations framed with an aluminum modular exhibit system faced with birch panels and finished off with lacquered MDF tops. MDF is used in the custom lighting panels throughout the office, as well as the baseboards. Birch accents highlight the cabinets in the breakroom and other custom furniture pieces adorning the offices. : the site. : Gull Shores Sportspiex A : Blalock Design Associates Inc. of Birmingham is : designing a 10-field soccer complex for the city of : Auburn. The complex includes two large practice fields, : clubhouse/control building, 300-space parking lot, irrigation : pond and 16-acre passive area including nature trails with a : natural creek. The project will be broken down into three : phases. The first will include six fields, entrance road to the : park, roughly half of the parking lot, one practice field, : irrigation pond and the clubhouse/control building The : second phase will focus on the four remaining fields, one : practice field, the rest of the parking lot and a gazebo on the : irrigation pond. The third phase will include an addition to . the clubhouse/control building of an indoor soccer field. : Principal designer is Alan Blalock. City of Auburn Soccer Complex 5 Volume XII, No. I The Alabama School of Mathematics and Science in Mobile has an impressive new auditorium after an extensive makeover on a long vacant former Baptist church sanctuary. The challenge for interior designer Alice H. Cutright of The Architect's Group/lnc. (TAG) was to retain the building's historic character while integrating state of the art provisions for recitals and assembly. Existing religious imagery in relief was subdued by matching background coloration, while existing plaster moldings and decorative flourishes were restored. Original seating with cast iron standards was restored for use in the balcony, and new primary seating was matched using aluminum standards for downstairs. Fabric wall panels placed as per the acoustician and specific tilted planes integrated into ceilings and walls enhance the acoustical experience. Balcony guardrails of transparent glass and gentle lighting in chair arms provide aesthetic safeguards on stairs and aisles. Shades of fabric, carpet and paint were selected to coordinate with window glass colors adopted by the school. Flexible stage design, seating for 900, superior acoustics and skillfully integrated audio and visual systems accommodate a variety of programs and performance types for the students and community. Auburn Gily Hall Grand Hall & Lobby .& ASMS Auditorium The historic renovation of the old Auburn Post Office into the new Auburn City Hall returns the building to civic service while preserving an Auburn landrnark built in the 1930s and vacated during the '90s. Architects WilliamsBlackstock left the exterior of "starved classical" style essentially unchanged but adapted the interior to its new use. The building prograrn required 12,000 square feet of multi-use civic and general office space necessitating an addition which was designed to blend with the building's historic architecture. The interior design involved removal of a low ceiling in the center of the building to re-establish a large, 25-foot tall open space with clerestory windows. This grand hall became the central feature of the building. The existing building was further enhanced by cutting large, arched portals opening to the clerestory space and reinforcing the arched openings on the front of the building. Adding period lighting and traditional patterns and finishes revitalized the original building's concept of an open, inviting area for the public to meet with the city administrators and conduct their business. Joel Blackstock was the principal-incharge; Tim Lucy, project architect; and Nathan Varner, interior designer. CRS Engineering Inc. provided engineering services. DesignAiabama 6 In the design of Slocomb Elernentary School in Geneva County, Sherlock, Smith & Adams of Montgomery utilized an alternative heating and cooling system that has simple maintenance, low operating costs and is very cost effective. The Geothermal Heat Pump System saves from 25 to 50 percent of the energy used by conventional systems by circulating fluid from the ground loop that captures heat frorn the earth and releases concentrated heat to the building at a higher temperature. During the summer, the cycle is reversed, and the earth stays a constant cool temperature to cool the building. No electric resistance heat is needed for the heating cycle. The Geotherrnal Heat Pump System, which saves the school more than $13,000 annually in heating costs, delivers 80 tons of cooling and is extremely quiet. There are 95 vertical wells, roughly 300 feet deep, tucked neatly below the play area in the back of the school. Project engineer was Frank GarCia, PE. Slocomb Elementary Heat Pump esign Grove Park community is under construction across frorn Blount Cultural Park in Montgomery. Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood Inc. laid out the master plan for the 500- horne neighborhood, which inCludes residences, garden homes, assisted and independent living facilities, clubhouse, medical facilities and a 90-acre park with trails linking it to Blount Cultural Park. Frorn the gated entrance to the garden homes, the architectural design of each structure conveys the charming English character similar to those found on the grounds of the Shakespeare Festival's home. The Montgornery firm has provided architectural, interior design, landscape architectural, civil engineering and surveying services for the Grove Park project. Grove Park Inn The Preserve is a traditional neighborhood development proposed on approximately 300 acres within the city of Hoover. The goal is to create a healthy, livable community that offers character, convenience and variety and that performs the cultural and Civic functions so vital to a real sense oj place. In contrast to conventional subdivisions, the plan takes a master planning approach that embraces a range of retail, office and residential uses within the village center and establishes a hierarchical structure created by streets and open space. A strong emphasis has been placed on pedestrian-oriented environments in order to create a healthy, livable and hurnan-scale community. Nimrod Long and Associates of Birmingham designed the master plan and site entrances, as well as two parks that are centerpieces of the village. The piant palette features native species that have low maintenance requirernents and reinforce the character of the wooded, hilly site . .& The Preserve by Jessica Armstrong DesignlllMakes A Difference Making • University of South Alabama's Pediatric Oncology Unit Step liJ" unit at the University of SOl//1? o /I?e new Pediatric oncolOgy "'leba. , en's Hospital in Mobile ant! 'Il7a 8 Children's and Wol11 YOl/ can almost feel a gentle ocean breeze. Stylized waves, tropical fish-shaped banners, porthole sconces and a glass bubble wall create an under-the-sea fantasy. Christened USS Hope, the new treatment area offers playful surprises and nautical references sure to delight young patients. Children coping with cancer, sickle cell disease and blood disorders enjoy an environment dramatically unlike most hospitals, thanks to interior designer Alice H. Cutright of The Architects Group/Inc. (TAG) in Mobile. "Everything about the space was designed to create a pleasant distraction and stimulate the imaginations of children undergoing treatment," Cutright explains. "The most significant characteristic of the space is the 'feeling' you get when you walk in, of being in an underwater environment," she continues. "As you spend time there and look around, you see new shapes, patterns and colors that reinforce this feeling. Shapes are wavy, patterns look like water, and colors are cool and watery." A 2,500-square-foot courtyard was enclosed to create this building��within-a-building. The process presented many structural and code challenges, Cutright admits. "We wanted to bring outside light into the space and achieved this by making the roof high enough to place clerestory windows of blue patterned glass-block on two ends," she notes. "We wanted the feeling of being underwater and looking through glass and water to the sky." /1 sail-unler aquarium tcstlllhfiJi,:{ (I/,eri-"cojlr: (/i:'-{I'{IC/SjI(lfir:llh' lril/; fI m//J/{iI/.f. illjlU(!lIa{ (I., {bcy frtke {rt:/ll!lli)I1!~' in till i!ll(l,~in(f,'iu 1!!i(1{!I'·the·Sta rIlrfTQlillicnl. 7 Volume XII, No. I -f(:,ting also was used to help create the underwater ambience. Cool watery colors surround the patients. As they look up "warm sunny accent colors happen in the lighting and then the ceiling to create an uplifting, cheerful feeling," explains Cutright. The ceiling is a confectionary palette, covered in tiles the colors of Necco wafers. To create patient bays within the space, light truss systems wind in and out of wavy pilasters. Colorful fishshaped banners can be raised for open communication between patients or lowered in each bay to provide privacy. Architectural spaces of the room created two shelf areas above the other rooms where curved glass was placed to simulate aquariums. The $750,000 project was developed with input from patients. The name USS Hope was suggested by 18-year-old Emily "Queenie" Woodard. Walkie-talkies used by children to communicate during treatments was 10-year-old Michael Bowden's idea. Both patients have since passed away. "Most hospitals and treatment areas are sterile, cold environments," notes Cutright. "The intent of the pediatriC oncology unit is to make the multiple visits there less traumatic for the patients through colors and patterns that stimulate the imaginations of the children being treated for cancer, which is a very scary and painful disease. For example, the medical gases are placed in a decorative circle of aluminum laminate within the curvy pilasters to make the hospital equipment seem less scary." Cutright and her team have succeeded in designing a "less scary" space, as far as young Jacey Duke is concerned. The two-year-old leukemia patient visits the unit regularly for chemotherapy treatments. So thrilled is Jacey to enter the treatment area, she bangs on the door to get in, says her mother Jena Duke. "She loves all the different colors, the curviness of the walls and especially the fish," says Duke, who resides in Mobile. "It's exciting but it's also a quiet environment. It's a wonderful place for Jacey to get her mind off the treatments." II Jessica Armstrong is a freelance writer based in Auburn. Cbeerfid blue, green. pin/! ill/d Plllp!e jfsl; bmmers swimmi!lg beloic (/ border oIimres pl'lJl:ide primcy !/'hen fOI1'ered. OesignAlabama 8 PI/lien! fx~l'S lire difined b)' I~'fbt Il"ifss s.\~1eJllS Inndfllp ill (lild 0uI O/WII1:l' /Jilt!SI!:rl/ Ir/)!d) bide medical glls IIniis [('ilbin F{oOlp!aJl oj the Pedkllri;: OIlCO/OIlY Ullif. ,.. ~,"-. - " CieY&1ol'), glm:.s·block ,{'ini/oll's help com/I:;- fbI: Mig of bdliP, IIl!dr:nmiel" (IS palim!s too!: iljJ!i.mi! 10 {{ S!llllfl pI/sid o:i!i!lg-lile sk;: by Philip Morris It has been said that our most appealing parks and parkways date from before World War II - a kind of inherited beauty that more recent decades have seldom matched. Maturity of trees may be a factor, but it does seem apparent that the fine civic improvements made during the City Beautiful movement of the 1910s and '20s and through the Great Depression with the WPA-era's still-admired projects were superior in design and quality. Both the Olmsted naturalistic school and the Beaux Arts formality so powerfully projected at the great 1893 Chicago World's Fair were drawn upon, each appropriate in different applications. But, either way, these were strong deSign-driven approaches. In so many places, active recreation interests took over from the 1950s onward. In many city park and recreation departments design was secondary. For example, the Olmsted park system in Louisville, Ky., compromised by awkward intrusions of ball fields and courts over the years is only now seeing comprehensive restoration. Today in communities across Alabama there appears to be a groundswell of interest in parks. Some are new with suburban areas trying to catch up to growing needs or secure open space before development makes it impossible. Other projects involve reworking existing parks. Though there are too many parks where little thought or design results in a sad-looking hodgepodge of competing uses, landscape architects and other design professionals are bringing their talents to bear on many others. In this review we feature three parks that show design balancing a mix of uses within an enhanced natural framework We follow with a survey of projects underway ranging from renovated waterfront to natural preserve to a town-wide park and open space plan. The clients include cities, counties, foundations, schools, sports associations, environmental advocates and others, often in partnership with each other and pooling resources to make things happen. A new generation of excellence in park and open spaces is emerging. Philip MorriS is an architectural writer and contributing editor to Southern Accents and Coastal Living magazines. 9 Volume XII. No. I To strike a balance between active uses and scenic character, the KPS Group master plan for Heardmont Park makes Little Cahaba Creek the natural centerpiece. ©2001 Beth Maynor Young. Nothing seems more apple pie than a park, so the hostile neighborhood "We went from a crowd of angry neighborhood residents when we began in reaction to a proposed park in north Shelby County may have seemed 1997 to 300 people who showed up in support of the needed rezoning and only one strange. But when parks are full of ball fields blasted with light and swamped by person speaking against it," says Darrell Meyer, who heads KPS Group's planning and cars, they can be incursions. For Heardmont Park, both the design process and landscape staff. the design itself turned the tide in favor of a successful multI-use park that brings people together. For Amy Smith, project landscape architect, the challenge was to address the pent-up demand for ball fields and other needs in the fast-growing area, all within a For the planning and landscape architecture team from KPS Group who natural, passive-park framework on the 73-acre site. The size of the task is apparent prepared Heardmont's master plan and oversaw implementation, the primary when those active uses are listed: sLx baseball/softball fields, three soccer fields, sLx design issue was to balance active sports and other uses with natural features and, tennis courts, a high school football stadium and track, a children's playground, a senior especially, to eliminate light pollution into surrounding residential areas. The community center and a sheriff's substation. process - an extended design charette that brought the neighborhood and all other parties into the same room - both helped resolve the conflicts and The longtime use of the property as a farm by the Heardmont family helped produced a better park. direct the solution. Fields that had been cleared and leveled for cultivation 80 years ago were incorporated into new ball fields. In contrast, the wooded little Cahaba Creek that arcs through the middle of the site and a nearby wetlands were preserved and DesignAlabama 10 enhanced, along \\~th natural buffers be~veen the park and adjoining residential areas. Gates that stood at the entrance to Heardmont Farm were relocated and mounted an stone wall supports to mark the main approach to the park from the parking area. ©2001 Beth Maynor Young. Left: The wooded stream-side contributes to the park's passive beauty but young residents find active pleasure in it. ©2001 Beth Maynor Young. Bottom: Sports participants traverse the natura! heart of the park to get to playing fields. ©2001 Belh Maynor Young. There are many partners involved in the creation and operation at Heardmont Park, including (Ieff to right) Trey Ireland. Shelby County Board of Education; Amy Smith, project landscape architect; Deb Taylor, the park campaign chairperson; and Cart Brunson, Oak Mountain High School boosters; edge of the park incorporates 610 parking spaces along its length. There were some complaints from parents who expected to drop off their children at the fields, but the move keeps the park from being overwhehned with paving, enhancing its natural feeL And everyone who comes, for whatever purpose, walks through the park's Even the farm structures were remodeled for new use: the farmhouse became the sher- open lawn, through the woods and over pedestrian creek bridges. "It has helped the iffs station and park office and the barn the senior center and concessions stand. The park become a true center for a suburban area without such a place. In late afternoon impressive iron gates that fronted the fann entrance were relocated and installed IVith or evening, it's like a north Shelby County 'passagiatta,''' says Meyer, referring to Latin new stone wall suppO!1S. countries' evening stroll through tOIVTI. "Our task was to provide a unique park vision and avoid Heardmont Park's instant popularity provides further impetus for Shelby 'industrial strength' ball fields," says Amy Smith. "We did the mas- County's ambitious development of parks. "I can see us having eight to 10 parks in the ter plan, a grading plan and the lighting specifications." Given the foreseeable future, each \yith its own special setting and amenities," says Alex complex uses and the multiple parties involved, their involvement Dudchock, county manager. "And we have four joint-ventures with proved crucial. Like the list of uses, the partners are extensive: a municipalities underway right now. There is a simple reason: Our non-profit Summit Foundation initiating the project and leading the citizens want it, and our leaders want it" II fund-raising; the Shelby County Park & Recreation AutllOrity and the Shelby County Board of Education. Also involved are Oak Mountain youth baseball and softball, the American soccer lea"oue, Shelby County Senior Services, the Shelby County sheriff's office and the Oak Mountain High School boosters. The light pollution issue was handled by specifying light standards with both horizontal and vertical cutoffs, the horizontal to prevent light spilling into adjacent neighborhoods and the vertical to protect residents living above the park on nearby hillsides. One KPS master plan move succeeds in both limiting the impact of auto access and creating a shared public space. There is no opportunity to drive through the park or drive to the various ball fields. A curved drive that parallels Shelby Highway 119 on the outside The KPS Group master plan keeps auto access and parking at the outside edge of the site, with the wooded course ot Little Cahaba Creek and natural wetlands a buffer between uses. Soccer and baseball fields (Ieff) occupy fields originally cleared tor cultivation. 11 Volume XII, No. I DesignAlabama 12 Deibert Park features two lakes, each with a pavilion. Existing woods are used as a scenic and educational component. AI! photographs by Patrick Hood Photography. As a 1996 citywide master plan report noted, "Florence has made master plan was really needed. Lose & Associates, a Nashville-based land-substantial investments in public parks and is recognized for the scape architecture firm that had done previous work for the city, was retained. qUality of its park system." One of the plan reconunendations - to create Just in time, it turned out. Deibert Park - had already taken a giant step: A decade or so before, Dr. Kirk and Lillian Deibert had dedicated their 70-acre horse farm in the middle of "The process had gone on for so long, there was a push from Mayor Florence's growing northeast area to be a future passive public park. Eddie Frost and others to do something," says project landscape architect for Lose & Associates, Whit Alexander, a Florence native who was aware of the "It was a significant gilt of very valuable property," says Leon Bates, site's history. "But many issues, like how the house and grounds still occupied who heads the urban forestryihorticulture department of the City of Florence. by Mrs. Deibert would eventually be integrated into the park, had not been "The gilt was originally made to a foundation, and it idled along for a number of addressed." Most immediately, the trails were to be altered to better consider years while ideas about how it should be developed and used were considered." topography or the views that would result. The process came to a head a few years ago, and the first phase of Deibert (pro-nounced die-bert) Park was dedicated in the summer of 2000. Lose & Associates' plan proposed closing off several existing circulation drives and reconfigured the trails layout, taking into account what land- LDR International Inc., the Maryland-based planning and landscape scape architects call "viewsheds" - what users would see from various loca-architecture firm that prepared the comprehensive master plan, developed a tions as they walked the trails. The revised layout uses existing woods and new conceptual plan for the new park, one that did not fully satisfy the foundation planting plans to screen unwanted views of adjacent thoroughfares and com-board. Even so, trails were being laid out as Bates and others realized a detailed mercial development. The landscape architects also introduced undulating hills that the pathways .would move around, making the appearance more natural and the experience more interesting. The landscape architects changed the walking trails layout to provide more interesting views and reshaped the topography in places to make them seem as though they are following natural grades. "The concrete walkways are tinted a greenish-tan hue to tone them down," says Alexander. "We made them the maximum recommended IO-feet \vide so there is room for both pedestrians and bicycle riders, as well as allowing maintenance The new playground, seen in the distance from one of the trails, repeats the roof shape of the Deiberts· original barn in one of its play structures. Existing site features used by landscape architects Lose & Associates to extend the farm character include the entry sign repeating the barn's roof shape and the white rail fence in the background. trucks to traverse the park without damaging dIe grounds." Since dIe trail system to the City of Florence, funding and contributions came from the Deibert RolUng Acres was funded with ISTEA-2I alternative transportation funds, connections are made Farm Foundation, Florence Tree Commission, Florence City Board of Education and the for off-site links to surrounding residential, office and commercial areas. Alabama Forest Stewardship Program. Portions of the site had been primarily used for grazing and equestrian So a just-in-time master plan by professional landscape architects has helped a activities while odlers had been left more natural. The master plan reinforces these lovely gift of land turn into a new public park with a gracefully balanced mix of attractions. distinctions and turns them into educational experiences in tune with Deibert Park's "In retrospect," Bates observes, "I think everybody involved now thinks we should have mission, There is wedand habitat around two lakes, each with a pavilion for closer done the master plan before we did anything." • observation of aquatic plants and animals; open field habitat highilghting planl, and animals found in the transition area from field to forest; and forest habitat focused on that environment's indigenous life fOl1ns, Plants native to north Alabama and climate are used primarily, But the agricultural history of the fonner horse fann also is brought into the design, The existing bam and adjoining paddocks will be used for teaching children about fanning heritage; the shape of its gambrel roof is repeated in the park sign and the maroon red repeated in the new restrooms on site, The landscape architects also repeated the property's most recognized feature, the white four-rall fence, as part of the new entrance, After Mrs, Deibert's life occupancy, the house and grounds (about 10 percent of the site) are to be used for receptions and other events, Along with Lose & Associates, two Florence design firms were involved: Barr, Tune, Hill & Parker Architects designed new structures and White, Lynn, ColUns & Associates did the civil engineering. In addition The park master plan incorporates an existing barn and house and uses existing tree cover whenever available to screen uses from each other. 13 Volume The first phase of Blount Cultural Park around the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's theatre was shaped like English country house grounds under the direction of the celebrated Russell Page. Tom Blount and the late Perry Pitman were the architects on the theatre, sited to use existing trees as a backdrop. Photographs courtesy of Blount Cultural Park. "\V le thstaertesedttin°gut'otor lbt,~,U~): ~oeatmrBel02unO tl"ecarso_aragcohio:tecThteoPf taIh'ekAlWaasbaIjUnsat New elevations and contours were set, with the landscape architect directing W ~ l' ,~O " the earthmovers by radio from a huge pile of dirt "like an orchestra conduc- DesignAlabama 14 Shakespeare Festival's Carolyn Blount Theatre and collaborator with laIldscape tor," adds Blount Hundreds of trees were planted, but, due mainly to inhos-architects and architects on the continuing evolution of what has become Blount pitable clay soil, most of them subsequently died, Cultural Park in Montgomery, Blount is the son of Wynton Blount, who with his Wife, Carolyn, are founders of the 300-acre park, At the time Page had urged the Blounts to buy adjacent land fronting Vauglm Road, since the only way into the site was tllfOUgh all existing subdivision Aspirations were high, so it is not surprising that one of the world's behind a commercial strip highway, but the land was not available, The theatre most celebrated landscape architects of his time, Russell Page of England, was opened in 1985, and Page had died the year before, The ali museum, set over-brought in to consult "He came forfour or five visits, At that time the site wasn't looking aIlOther lake, opened in 1988, Then in the early 1990s the land became much more than a cow pasture on the edge of town, He mostly talked, but left us available, and development of a fuller park concept began, one sketch, His ideas were blilliant The existing house was Georgian, so we looked to Georgian Palladian in designing the theatre and that led him to an English New York-based landscape designer Edwina vonGal, who had a family country house park setting, 1 still remember him looking out at the prairie and connection to Montgomery and had done work on the Blounts' adjoining estate, saying '1 see a forest ", designed the new Shakespeare Garden in collaboration with Montgomery architects McAlpine-Tankersley using a sketch by Page for gUidance, A revised master As with the "natural" 18th-century English landscape that served as plan, to include the added Vaughn Road frontage as the new main entrance, precedent, the site was grandly reshaped, A hole was dug for the lake, and the began to develop under the same team with Tom Blount joining in the effort, fill deposited where the new Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts was later built Using a sketch from Russef/ Page, landscape architects Edwina vonGal & Co. and architects McAlpine~ Tankersfey together developed the Shakespeare Garden and Amphitheatre in 1998, located near the theatre. With the site expanded to incorporate the new Vaughn Road frontage, a master plan for an enlarged Blount Cultural Park was developed by VonGa/ in coffaboration with McA!pine~Tankersley and Tom Blount. Amenities include a new fake and the new arched bridge and shelter executed in masonry and stone. Bob Rumsey, project architect for Edwina vonGal & Co. and now partner in the firm of RIF Landscape Architecture in New York, describes the scope of this phase. "We developed a new master road system leading in from Vaughn Road. We also settled on a site for a proposed English village, laid out a new path system and a new lake and sited the bridges and other structures that McAlpine-Tankersley designed." An amphitheatre was discussed but dropped. The landscape architects also developed a list of trees that would have a better chance to grow into the forest Russell Page imagined. Native mossycup oaks planted in multiple rows create an impressive new edge along Vaughn Road. A recent planting of 300 large trees, among them willow oaks, pin oaks, water oaks, laurel and white oaks, a gift of Scott and Vicky Williams, will soon have great impact. In another major step toward realization of the expanded park, Briatl Barr, a horticulturalist with an arboretum and botanical gardens background, was brought on as manag-ing director. But the exceptional quality being realized in the greater Blount Cultural Park can be seen most notably now in tlle structures designed by McAlpine-Tankersley. These include the pavillon in the Shakespeare Garden, the nearby restrooms, the playful Weetop - all with authentic thatched roofs. Most recently completed is the combination bridge and shelter that spans the new lake, built of stone and timber and roofed with limestone shingles. This is a structure worthy of the very best park building from the WPA-era and earlier. "These structures are very humble and approachable, not meant to impress like so much that is built today," says Bobby McAlpine. "The bridge is a romantic folly. Like everything we've built for tile Blounts, it is both poetic and rea!. It is full masonry con��struction, like the chapel on their estate. They would make lovely ruins." For park director Barr, if the Blounts had done nothing more than preserve this property as open space \Vithin the suburban eastward push of Montgomery, it would have been an incredible gift to the community. But the combination of important theatre, fine art museum and exceptional landscape take it far beyond the norm. "I do hope we can build the English village with its great stone and timber barn," he says. "And I hope Wynton Blount lives forever." .. The most recently executed portion of the master plan is the new entrance and lake (right) on land added fronting Vaughn Road in the 1990s. Future pfans include an English viflage and incorporation of the Blounts' private estate into the whofe. 15 Volume XII. No. I MOSS ROCK PRESERVE ALBERTVILLE RECREATION CENTER HOMEWOOD CENTRAL PARK GADSDEN WATERFRONT PARK HELENA OPEN SPACE PLAN MOBILE GREEN SPACE MASTER PLAN For its location \vitrun the large and growing Birmingham suburb of Hoover, the Moss Rock Presen'e has remarkable natural credentials: four globally endangered plant species, a rare plant community on a sandstone outcrop and a nJgged group of large boulders emerging from a cliff face. A recently completed plan by Nimrod Long & Associates puts the emphasis on "preserve." "The City of Hoover purchased the 260 acres about 10 ye-ars ago," says project arclUtect RYan Collins. "We have presented to Hoover officials and interested residents a series of options. The Friends of Moss Rock Preserve wanted as little impact as possible. Others felt there should be wider trails that would make it more accessible, but everyone agrees that preservation is the main goaL" The decision made favors the light impact. Trails will be 4 feet wide, not a proposed 6 feet wide. Also dropped was a proposal to dear an open meadow. Still, the experience of the site's natural wonders will be enhanced. The master plan cails for removal of impromptu trails leading directly to tile sandstone outcrop in favor of new ones more gracefully fitted to the topography. The \valk will be less direct but more intereSting. Parking also has been dispersed. The;e will be ouly one smail parking area on the property, but parking will be available as part of a new fire station being built adjacent to the preserve. In addition, there will be a place to park incorporated into The Preserve, a pedestrian-oriented neighborhood being built by USS Realty. Nimrod Long & Associates planned the development and also a new two-lane parkway that curves through both the new neighborhood and the Moss Rock Preserve. MOSS ROCK PRESERVE MASTER PLAN OesignAlabama 16 1111en landscape architect Dale Fritz was asked by the City of AIberMlle to look at the Alber~ille Recreation Cellter, it was dear it had not been guided by a plan. "You could tell that whenever they had some mOlley, they went out and built sometiling," he says. Indeed, this project is the first Olle ill wlUch the north AIabanla city has employed a landscape architect. ExpanSion of the 34-acre park by 70 acres w~s iustigated partly as an economic development move, Witll a new complex of five tournament-level softball fields seen as a way to anract teams that would fill hotel rooms and rl'Staurants. Dale Fritz & Associates of Birmingham developed a master plan that also \\'il1 make the existing park much more attractive and accessible. "There are a lot of conflicts between pedestrians and velUdes, a lot of paving right next to ball fields and very little landscaping," Fritz explains. The plan calls for one main entry and drive to be converted into a landscaped pedestrian environment. Existing walking trails, one of the most popular features, are to be expanded from 0.7 miles to more than three miles in lengtil. Presently, just about everyone has to drive to the park Pedestrian access will be enhanced with a new walking path from a neighborhood just north of the park, and the city also plans to build new off-site sidewalks leading to others. A major factor in Albertville bringing in a landscape architect was to address concerns from adjacent neighborhoods. "We have worked with CDG Engineers, a local firm, on many civil engineeling projects, but we wanted a more pleasurable quahty for tile walkways, picnic areas and passive recreation components," says Philip Formby, director of parks and recreation. "We also wanted to address nearby neighborhoods' concerns that the expansion would not be an intrusion. We are leaviug natural buffers, and the improved landscaping will make the whole park a more attractive place to live near." ALBERTVILLE RECREATION CENTER MASTER PLAN A 12-1cre park in Ihe heart of Homewood, a close-in Birmingham suburb, has been "loved To complement a successnd Broad Streel slreetscape and revitalization project, the City of to death," and landscape architects are part of the team working to revive it. Renaturatizing Gadsden has turned attention to its under-utilized Coosa River \vaterfront. A master plan a concrete channel into something more like a natural stream is at the core of the project. by KPS Group of Birmingham includes both open space components and adjacent uses to animate the waterfront. Working under Burchfield Penuel Architects, the lead finn on this Ci~' of Homewood project, Ross-Kelly prepared the master plan and site development components. "TIlcre is all "The city requested that a ma.<)ter plan turn the waterfront into a focal point for antiquated concrete channel that bisects the park, and our plan calls for it to be removed," dmvntovm and the community," says landscape architect Amy Smith of Kl'S Group. "City says landscape architect jane Reed Ross, who lives nearby and uses the park l,vith her family. HaH and a conference center are on the bluff above, so this really can enhance the image "In its place we have designed a water channel that undulates from side to side and has and public perception of the whole area." For the existing stretch, which seems more changes in level like a natural stream:' parking lot than park, Ihe plan calis for the 1,200,foot-Iong boardwalk 10 be repaired and enhanced l,vith new seating, lighting and benches. Pming will be removed, allowing the The ne\\' water course \\ill have an open V-shape \\ith sides stabilized with perforated concrete pavers that allow grass to grow in the openings. About half\vay through the park there will be a bio-retention pond filled with bog and aquatic plants that will help slow down and filter storm runoff. The new changes in level also will slow the water and aerate it. River birch, bald cypress and other trees amenable to stream-side locations will be planted to add stability and provide a more natural appearance, Ross-Kelly also swung the water channel to the side to make room for a larger lawn as the centerpiece for the revived park, so the change enhances the whole master plan, An existing playground, too close to a busy street, has been put further inside the park, replaced by a new hard-surfaced area for skaters, youngsters learning to ride bicycles and other activities, Native stone walis inspired by WPA-era designs will be used to define new entryways, The same stonework vvill be featured on a new stage that can either play to the adjoining la"m or, on the opposite side, a ne\\' amphitheatre - for the first time pro\'iding a permanent location for events such as "We Love Homewood Day" or "Friday Flicks" outdoor movies in sullllner, HOMEWOOD CENTRAL PARK MASTER PLAN space to become more open and green. Another parklng area near the Walnut Street terminus \\-111 be replaced \\lth sloping la\\11 that can sen'e as seating for a new bandstand below. A new parking deck wi1l serve both the conference center and the waterfront park To the south, the plan calls for reshaping an existing pond and other City-owned property benveen the park\vay and the river to make a more attractive gat€\vay. The land \\111 be recontoured to open up to the river and a new sculptural water feature created. An existing embankment will be faced to resemble a bridge, providing pedestrian access from the south for the first time. For existing \varehouses and other private property facing the parK'way and liver, the liPS plan calis for a new pedestrian streetscape and conversion to active uses like restaurants that \\ill be complementary to an existing theatre nearby. More park-like and pastoral to the north, more animated and urban to tilt south is what the master plan emisions for Gadsden's waterfront. GADSDEN WATERtRONT PARK MASTER PLAN 17 Volume XII. No. I · IIEllNI OlEN SliCE II..IN Once a little rural crossroads community in Shelby County, Helena has been experiencing Centenary celebnl.tions often generate ambitious projects with lasting impact. The TriCentennial Committee new grO\;lh as part of metropolitan Binningham - but with a difference. A new master open of Mobile commissioned a Green Space Master Plan to be part of the city's 300th anniversary, a move that space plan sets the stage for an interrelated series of trails and parks, a green frame\vork might shape a metropolitan-wide future worthy of its historic, live oak-lined Government Street. for coming development. Developer Ronnie Morton, who help set a different tone with revitalization of Old Town Helena ill1d creation of a walking-scale cottage neighborhood nearby, has partnered with USS Realty, a major property owner in the area, to finance ule plan b\' KPS Group. The scheme calls for new pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods and ;illage centers to be linked to each other, to several new parks, an elementary school and Helena's Old Town. "TIle developers want to work with the city sharing the cost of land and improvements," say, landscape architect Amy Smith of KPS Group. "The city is seeking funding to build a 3.7-mile portion of the greenway that "ill tie things together." The City of Helena also has commissioned the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham to prepare a comprehensive plan that incorporates ule open space plan. Additionally, the Aubunl University Center for Architecture & Urban Studies in Birmingham will be doing a small town design studio as part of the planning initiative. This shared \lsion of Helena imagines more than a random series of subdi'.-1sions, and the open space plan is a critical part of what could be a genuine civic fnture. HELENA OPEN SPACE MASTER PLAN DesignAlabama 18 Selected to develop ule plan were flVO Mobile landscape architecntre finns, Brandon Adams Landscape Architect and Plauche' Johnson Landscape Architects, that formed a joint venture named Associated Landscape Architects (AlA). They began work in December 1999. Thongh traditional parks are an important component, the overall plan looks at open space in a comprehensive, environmental~based fashion that should make it a model for other communities statewide. Here is a condensed version of ALA's repOlt accompanied by the master plan and a selected section drawing to illustrate particular concepts: AIXs initial task was ule identification of current outdoor space and recreation facilities and the projection of future open space demands. The final master plan would outline a general "greening" concept with which the city would supply parks and green spaces to keep pace with expanding development and grmvth. Sl'RATEGIES Based on the inventories of existing parks, research of repoltS and mas, ter plans and interviews of planning offiCials, AL\' recommended the City concentrate on five strategies in the future: 1. Expansion of parks to growth areas & existing neighborhoods There would be a need for large parks in the intense areas of grO\vth in the west and southwest sections of Mobile. In addition, there would be a need for acquisition of small 112- to 2-acre parcels for neighborhood parks in all sections of the city. A need was also seen for the acquisition for "visual" green spaces throughout the City. These areas would be heavily planted "ith trees to soften paving, utllities and buildings. Among these spaces would be interstate highway interchanges, reclaimed medians and undevelopable land acquired through conservation easements. MOBILE GREEN SPACE MASTER PLAN 2. Acquisition of park land in the county There should be acquisition of property in the county to keep pace "ith future grO\vth and annexation of the city into outlying areas, especially in the l,;,,'est and north areas of Mobile County. 3. Connection of parks and green spaces Bike paths and lanes using existing and proposed street rights-of-way, drainage rights-of-way. etc. could link most major parks in the GSMP and prmide miles of recreation amenities. Tree plantings along major thoroughfares and with new planted medians could ,isually unite parks, green spaces and right,-of-way "ith foliage, flowers, fruit and fall color. 4. Preservation 01 environmentally important areas There should be acquisition of property to protect the watersheds of Mobile's creeks and rivers, recharge ground water and filter storm water before it enters the local stream system and, eventually, Mobile Bay. Riparian (vegetated) buffer areas along waterway' should be acquired and existing ones reserved and restored to help filter stonn water, prmide additional green spaces and encourage stream conservation. Existing "brovmfield" areas should be acquired and converted into green recharge sites and green spaces. These sites could be acquired outright, leased from private landmmers or converted into conservation easements. 5. Development of waterfront and water access areas TIlere would be a strong need for public access to water and waterfront areas, including Mobile Bay and various rivers, streams and lakes. Very few of such access pOint, exist in the city at present, and the demand for them is climbing. ;":'Ijfi!~'$ Liiu" !t "lllfhIl~1i In order to maximize available funds, ALA proposed that as many new green spaces as possible be located on existing public lands, including city and school board properties. Recreational uses would thereby be shared by those two entities. City land would consist of designated park parcels and undeveloped non-park parcels. School board land would consist of undeveloped "s;"1eenth'· sections and other smaller parcels not currently used for schools or school facilities (some airport authority land also would be used). Private land would be acquired by purchase, donation, swap for public land or tax benefit (conservation easements). In addition, some land could be leased for park and recreation uses from corporate owners (Alabama Power and Mobile Water & Sewer System, etc.). The combined area of the proposed parks (1,695 acres) and existing parks (1,2% acres) will give Mobile a totai of 2,951 acres of parks and green spaces. That would equate to 14.8 acres per 1,000 people, double the minimum 7 acres per 1,000 people recommended by the National Recreation Association. The majority of the proposed parks and green spaces, 64 percent, would be on public land while only 36 percent would be on private land (to be acquired or leased). The cost for development of the new parks and green spaces in the GSMP is estimated at approximately 539 million, excluding acquisition. The first phase of the implementation of the GSMP is presently being prepared for bidding. It will consist of a one-mile section of the bike path along Montlimar Creek drainage right-of-way. Estimated at 5250,000, this phase witi also have benches, interpretive signage and an e;..iensive planting of native riparian (stream-side) trees. WJ&',L,il Although the Green Space Master Plan outlines a "greening" concept for parks and green spaces in Mobile, hopefully, it also "ill serve as a catalyst for a "green" mindset within the City. AlA proposed the city adopt the following goals to achieve that mindset: 1. The city should reqUire that each new park contain the majority of its storm water on site. This practice, accomplished with the use of permeable paving, infiltration beds, ponds, etc., would greatly reduce construction and long-term maintenance costs for drainage. Different technologies should be explored to better handle the storm water that enters the city's drainage system, including "daylighting" of covered streams, natural channel design in lieu of concrete- or gabion-lined ditches, etc. 2. Only native and non-invasive plants should be used in public properties. Plants proven invasive and detrimental to natural habitats would be removed (and prohibited in all new parks) (mimosa, popcorn tree, Chinese privet, Japanese honeysuckle, blood grass, etc.). The use of plants suspected of becoming invasive should also be discouraged (Russian olive, nandina, yellmv flag iris, etc.). 3. Emironmental resources should be promoted and tied to the city's other tourist assets. With assets snch as the Mobile River Delta, Mobile Bay, 300 years of history and the proposed bike path system, Mobile could offer a multi-dimensional tourist experience. 4. The city should establish a norm of its "green" ethic. Practices which promote recycling, condemn litter, encourage environmental efficiency, reduce solid \vaste, etc. would be practiced by the city and encouraged in the public realm. 5. The city should develop and implement strategies for tree planting in large open paved areas. These plantings would not only enhance the areas ,isually but also reduce reflected glare and the intensity of heat islands. 1111 MONTLIMAR CREEK PARK TYPICAL SECTION 19 Volume XII. No. I DesignAlabama 20 above and right: The "Matisse" exhibit's iron-like fretwork, which was actually constructed from PVC pipe and plywood, was inspired by a turn-of-the century Rodin exhibit. far right: Beckham employed bright primary colors and cartoon graphics to draw visitors through the museum's 1989 "Looney Toons" exhibit. Designer~Profi Ie TERRY BECKHAM by Karen H. Seale A cross between an architect and a set designer, the museum exhibit designer plans, designs and oversees construction and installation of exhibits and displays, creating a foil for the artwork and enhancing the overall experience for the museum patron, Terry Beckham's strong design choices add vitality to the exhibits at the Birmingham Museum of Art. A graduate of the University of Alabama's fine arts program, Beckham began his career as an exhibit designer with the Huntsville Museum of Art. In 1984 he returned to his Birmingham roots to work for the state's premiere art museum, where he currently is head of the exhibit design department. From his childhood Beckham knew he wanted to work for a museum and considers this job a perfect outlet for his artistic talents. "I've found my niche," he concedes. When creating a new exhibit, Beckham first has to determine how the artwork will fit into the assigned gallery space - or even if it will fit into the museum at all. "It boils down sometimes to the size of the doors," Beckham explains. This was certainly the case with the museum's 1999 "Searching for Ancient Egypt" exhibition. Early in the design process, it became apparent that the elevator would not lift the largest piece, which weighed more than 9,500 pounds. "We considered taking the front doors off the museum and using a pulley system to bring it in or physically cutting a hole in the roof and craning it in - all kinds of scenarios. What we finally opted to do was to upgrade our elevator." The designer then crafted an "Egyptian-style" pulley system to haul the large pieces into the gallery for assembly. Drawing from various resources such as architectural history texts and the knowledge of the exhibit curators, Beckham gathers as much information about 21 Volume XII. No. I OesignAiabama 22 left: Like the entrance to a grand Victorian home, these antique doors were the inspiration for Beckham's design of the Dwight and Lucille Beeson Gallery, which showcases the museum's extensive Wedgwood collection. the artwork as he can, including the time period of the pieces and their region of origin. The iron-like fretwork that Beckham designed for the 2000 "Matisse" exhibit was inspired by images he had found of a turn-of-thecentury Rodin exhibition. On occasion Beckham also will travel to the artworks' place of origin, as he did when designing the museum's permanent exhibition space for its Far East collection. From his research Beckham generates a comprehensive concept for the design. "Sometimes it's done in one fell swoop," he explains, "or sometimes I have to go through a process where I tweak the design based upon information I get from the curators to arrive at the final product." Working from the ground up, Beckham finesses wall placement, color choices, architectural details and artwork position to create an overall experience for the museum visitor. Often, he selects bold colors to enhance the exhibit. "It is a great tool - dark colors allow for more dramatic lighting," Beckham says. A fine example of this can be found in the museum's "European Masterpieces" exhibit, a traveling show from the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, that currently is on display. Beckham employed changes of color from dark to light to highlight the six centuries that the artwork encompasses, endowing the exhibit with a sense of flow as it directs patrons through the gallery. After 22 years as an exhibit designer, Beckham continues to innovate, even finding new challenges with the museum's permanent collections. "Over the years, some of these collections have been moved three of four times, and I have redesigned the same permanent collections at least that many times. It's a great opportunity to do it better every time." With each new design, Beckham strives to improve. "I want my last exhibit to be the best I have ever designed.",i,' left: Beckham often uses appropriate architectural details to convey an overall sense of time, as can be seen in his entrance to the "Searching for Ancient Egypt" exhibition. below left: Utilizing techniques tram ancient Egypt, Beckham crafted a pulley system to install large pieces trom the 1999 "Searching tor Ancient Egypt" collection. below right: Challenged by the air vents in the Far East Gallery's ceiling, Beckham strategically placed oriental open fretwork in his design. Community.Profile a e • • a Community with l1sion Nestled along the Chattahoochee River at the border between Georgia and Alabama; the City o/Valley is a small community with big dreams. Valued for its location along the waterway, the land was initially developed in 1866 by ~vo groups of merchants and cotton planters for textile production. The result was the fomlation of four mill villages over the next 50 years: Riverview, Langdale, Shawmut and Fairfax. The last to be constructed, Fairfax ~ii\l and its surrounding village were built in 1915 according to a comprehensive plan designed by landscape architect William B. ~Iarquis. It featured iruomJaI residential streets circling the mill and an open village green. As was typical of company towns, life in these villages revolved around tile mills. Along with the manufacturing facilities, tlbe textile companies proVided housing, stores, churches, schools and recreational faCilities for their workers, resulting in four extremely tight-knit communities with residents working, living and worshipping together The four villages continued to evolve independently until 1977, when changes in the textile industry and economic structure of tlbe area encouraged their union as a single community. The City of Valley was offiCially incorporated on May 20, 1980, with a land area of approXimately 10 square miles and 9,200 residents. In the last ~vo decades since its incorporation, Vailey has made great strides to preserve its unique past while establishing avenues for future progress. Recognizing the need to create a long-teml plan for development of its new community, Valley officials requested the assistance of DesignAlabama. Impressed with Valley's initiative and potential to capitalize on the results of a charette, an eight-member team was assembled under the Alabama Community Design Program (ACDP) in March of 1999. After conducting an intensive four-day study of the city, three strategic initiatives were developed: completing and enhancing the CVR Rail-Trail, designing improvements to key road connections and recapturing and capitalizing on the Chattahoochee River: From these recommendations a comprehensive plan, coined the "Valley Vision," was created. Valfey's Riverfront Master Plan has been tfrvided into fire sections, as iflustrated above, above: Built in 1915, the Fairfax Mill arid its surrounding Vl7/age were constructed according to a comprehenshte plan deSigned by landscape architect William B. Marquis. ngM: Now under construction, Phase I of the riverfront development includes renavation and expanSion of the Langdale Boat Landing and adjacent park area. by Karen H. Seale 23 Volume XII. No. I Valley's future plans include enhancement of the / ,~ "gateway" entrance w vafley off Interstate 85. /~> .. // Valley's Rail-Trail Leads the Way Even bef01~ the DesignAlabama charette, valley had begun the conversion of its defunct Chattahoochee Valley Railroad line into the CVR Trail under the Rails-to-Trails program. Rails-to-Trails is a national conservation program that converts abandoned railway corridors into multi-purpose public paths. Now complete, this 7.5 mile trail is a significant addition to the community as both a source of recreation for the residents and an attraction for tourism. Starting at the Shawmut Mill, tile trail winds through the four mill villages, as well as through unpopulated forest areas and along the river Plans for further development include connecting the CvR Trail to riverfront recreational areas. RecaptUring the River Once the main source for hydroelectric power to the textile plants, the Chattahoochee River played an important part in Valley's history. However, as other forms of power became readily available, the mills were moved to more convenient and modem facilities, and the connection between the villages and the river was lost. 1b recapture and capitalize on the potential that the river presented to Valley, landscape architect David Pearson of Birmingham was engaged to develop a riverfront master plan. A member of the DesignAlabama charette team, Pearson was already familiar with the opportunities the Chattahochee offered as a recreational, historical and environmental anlenity for the community. "The ultimate goal of the Rivelfront Master Plan is to establish a continuous protected buffer and greenway along the entire section of the Chattahoochee River within and adjacent to Valley," Pearson says. "This buffer and greenway would include a multi-use path for walking, jogging, bird-watching, fishing and just enjoying the scenelY of the river:" Pearson's plan includes five distinct areas. Riverview Park and Ailfield Park anchor the plan with large multi-functional parks and open spaces. In the center of the plan runs a rivelwalk, the most f01mal element of the plan, which is expected to include walking paths along the rivel; an event and picnic lawn, fishing terraces and a connection to the CVR TraiL This area is flanked on either side by conservation and wildlife easements where there are steep slopes and wetlands. Work now has begun on the development of the livelwalk, which includes renovation and expansion of the Langdale Boat Landing and adjacent park area. OPening the Gate to New Opportunities Spurred by recommendations made during the DesignAlabama charette, Valley now is taking steps to capitalize on its exceptional location as the "gateway" to Alabama along Interstate 85. Recently city officials contracted with KPS Group, a Birmingham design firm, to develop a strategic urban design concept for the city. KPS's recommendations include the creation of sign ordinances and building standards that would fit the vision of the community - espeCially along main thoroughfares like Highway 29, the development of a wajfinding system for main attractions like the riverfront and CvR Trail and enhancement of the entrance to the city off Interstate 85. Valley's commitment to improvement and gro\\1h has earned it recognition from across the state, and in 2000, the American Planning Association's Alabama Chapter awarded Valley their coveted Planning Program Award. "A city or community must plan in order to prospel;" explains Jim Jones, chairman of tile Valley Vision Advisory Committee. "We must plan for the future and provide the type of environment that will encourage individuals to stay and migrate toward our city. We must work hard to grow in such a way that we are proud of where we have been and where we are going. We must draw upon our strengths and work to eliminate our weaknesses. With vision and hard work we can achieve greatness." • DesignA!abama 24 The Valley Vision Advisory Committee. Back row: Bonnie Bonner, Allen Hendrix, Mayor Arnold Leak, Chairman Jim Jones and Martha Cato. Front tow: Charlene Atkinson, valerie Gray, Elizabeth Lyons and [Jebbie Wood. Valley hopes to recapture the Chattahoochee River as a recreational, historical and environmental amenity for the community. Once a link between the four 'Iillages, the Chattahoochee Valley Railway now serves the community as a recreational trail. Starting at the Shawmut Mill, the trail winds through the four mill villages, as well as through unpopulated forest areas and a1MY the river. MOBILE ADDYS The Mobile Advertising Federation Club awarded 77 ADDYs in February. The three judges for the competition had impressive credentials in advertising. marketing and design with top NY agencies and international clientele. Sullivan-SI. Clair made a big showing earning 17 golds, 12 silvers and a Best of Show for Broadcast/Electronic Media and another in Print for Business to Business Campaign/Flat. Lewis Communications' Mobile unit pulled in 13 golds and eight silvers Denson/Reed Marketing won five golds, eight silvers and the Judge's Award for Electronic MedialTelevision. Top to bottom: Gold ADDY/lndustry Self-Promo Interactive The BLR Agency Goid ADDY/Consumer Magazine 4-color Big Communications Inc Best of Show LWi Communications SIUaeflt Achievement Award/Print Leigh Ann Hillabrand Goid ADDY/Graphic Desigrrer of the Year Angela Stifi/Copperwing Design Sludenl Actf!evement AwardfEec\ronlc Justin Cox Best of Show/Print Suiiivan-SL Clair Gol.d ADDY/Advertising lOI ihe Arts Broadcast Electronic The BlR Agency Details+of Interest A w A R D s ~j~Pf{ftJfjI3Ti!j;,;, 'l feattJr~'~r a wide variety of events and resources, • Alabama Advertising Federation's ADDY Competitions in early 2002 the seven Advertising Federation clubs in Alabama held their ADDY competitions with some results highlighted below, The three-tiered national contest conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation is the industry's largest and most representative competition for creative excellence Gold winners are entered into the Seventh District Competition which includes 29 advertising clubs from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi. This year the district competition for the Huntsville, Shoals, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Montgomery, Dothan and Mobile clubs will be hosted by the Birmingham Advertising Federation, and district winners will be announced in April in Atlanta, BIRMINGHAM ADDYS Birmingham's Advertising Federation Club awarded 56 Gold ADDYs and 57 Citations of Excellence, Lewis Communications was the big winner in the competition, walking away with 16 golds, 17 citations, plus a Best of Show for Consumer Magazine/Four Color and Best of Show for Mixed Media Campaigns/Regional/National. Big Communications Inc. garnered seven golds, seven Citations, plus a Best of Show for Television Consumer ServiceslTraveL The BLR Agency won five golds, four citations, plus a Best of Show for Radio Single, and Intermark Agency grabbed six golds and six citations, MONTGOMERY ADDYS The Montgomery Advertising Federation Club doled out 50 awards, Honors went to LWT Communications for four golds, 20 silvers and Best of Show, Copperwing Design won four golds, four silvers and Graphic Designer of the Year - Angela Stiff, Cunningham Group pulled in two golds, three silvers and a Best of No Show. LWT/KBK New Media garnered two golds and a silver. DesignAlabama won a gold in the Public Service Design/Magazine category, and there were two Student Achievement Awards won by Troy State University students Leigh Ann Hillabrand (print) and Justin Cox (electronic), 25 Volume XII, No. I Museum Design Award Aubum University's Jule Collins Smith Museum dominated the Alabama Museum Association's annual design awards competition, winning top awards in five categories, plus garnering the Overa!! Excellence Award for Design, The annual competition included entries that were evaluated for design and originality from most of the state's major art museums, Judges cited JCSM's submissions for crispness and clarity, level of professionalism and consistency between pieces that related each to the whole even when presented in a variety of formats, Shannon Hankes was the designer of the collateral materials for the museum which will open in spring 2003, Sherlock, Smith & Adams' design of Maxwell Air Force Base's ambulatory health care center in Montgomery earned a U.s, Air Force Honor Award for design, The 200,000-square-foot Mission/Mediterranean-style facility is consistent with existing base architecture yet represents a new direction in military care design, The building's interior is organized around an entrance atriurn from which patients are directed to waiting areas adjacent to the various clinical offices, The clinic is open, light and full of glass, Patient activity is organized toward the front with administrative and service areas to the rear Tommy L. Thompson, AlA, of the Montgomery-based firm was project designer Main Street Mobile Awards Among the awards presented in FebruarJ by Main Street Mobile were four related to downtown innovation, Wendell Quimby was recognized for his effort in restoring a building on Dauphin Street once recommended for demolition and now a trendy new restaurant Bert Lyles was honored for his renovation of Tower on Ryan Park, an out-of-date structure transformed into a new apartment building, VoiceStream Communications was lauded for its sensitive renovation of a historic building in downtown for its own use, The fourth award was given to Buddy Breland and Breland Properties for their conversion of the Convent of Mercy Building, The formerly vacant Mobile landmark was converted Into 30 luxury condominiums called St Francis Place, DesignAlabama 26 A Leadership Achievement Award was given to the Museum of Mobile board and staff members and the city council of Mobile for their efforts in directing the renovation and conversion of the Southern Mar,~et/O!d City Hall into the new home of the museum, Another achievement award went to the FBI and Brian Metcalfe of Metcalfe & Associates for construction of the new FBI Building. Top: SL Francis Piaee Boliom: FBI Building Treylon Raines has designed a solar house that will represent Tuskegee University in the Solar Energy Decathlon in Washington, DC, this fall, The third-year architecture student from Montgomery Is constructing the solar energy-operated home with Diwanna Haskins and LaQuinta Davis, the second and third place winners, as well as other architecture and engineering students. TU is one of only 11 universities selected to participate in the competition sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Lab, Requirements were simple: a pleasing and attractive look with no more than 500 square feet of living space, and a roof that included 600 to 800 solar PV panels, Raines' entry is a two-story design with a bedroom in the loft A spiral stairway leads to the loft from the first floor, where there is a living area, bathroom and kitchen, His design also includes a storage room housing air conditioning equipment, hot water tank and batteries to run electrical equipment at night Brick flooring will help absorb heat during the day, Raines says, as will special window designs. The project has the support of a $150,000 grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Construction of the university's entry could start in early April, The students plan to dismantle the house on campus, reassemble it and test its features before dismantling it again for transporting to Washington, D, C" for the final competition, Dr. Arunsi Chuku, an electrical engineering professor and one of the faculty coordinators of the project, estimates that materials and construction costs for the one-bedroom design could reach $70,000, But he says savings become evident when one calculates the energy costs over the life of the house, Fayette Depot Now Museum Fayette County Depot has been transformed Into a Transportation Museum by Turner Batson Inc. The Birmingham firm provided architectural and interior design services for the renovation of the one-story former train depot The project team included Rick Batson, AlA, principal-in-charge; Jamie Collins, AlA, project architect and Kristin Corley, IIDA, interior designer Members of the Auburn UniverSity Historic Preservation Guild have been helping to save a 100-year-old African-American landmark in Opelika. Under the direction of Professor Norbert Lechner, the building science and architecture students have been refurbishing the porch floor, roof and balcony areas and clearing out the interior. The Darden House was the home of Opelika's first African-American physician and his wife, After their deaths, the house deteriorated prompting the JIN Darden Alumni Association to purchase the property and through the JIN Darden Foundation preserve the structure, With the help of a grant from the Alabama Historical Commission and private donations, work began more than two years ago on the $200,000 restoration project During the doctor's lifetime the home housed his medical practice and served as a community and social center. When restored, the association hopes to use the house for an African-American cultural center. The Rural Studio was awarded $400,000 yearly funding by Auburn University to ensure the continuation of the program founded by the late Samuel "Sambo" Mockbee and O.K. Ruth in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, Since its establishment in 1993, the program that combines teaching of architecture with a commitment to public service has operated primarily by private funding, The annual alottment will stabilize administrative costs allowing more focus on fund-raising for building projects, says director Ruth, The program that operates in rural Hale County, Ala" has been detailed in a new book recently published by Princeton Architecture Press, "The Rural Studio Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency," is written by Andrea Oppenheimer Dean with photos by Timothy Hursley, Dean is former executive editor of Architecture Magazine, and Hursley is an architectural photographer who has been photographing the Rural Studio for nine years, Work by Rural Studio students and Mockbee is part of the prestigious Whitney Museum of American Ms 2002 Biennial Exhibition that opened in March in New York City. It is the first time in the show's history that work by architects has been included, Three projects by the students are displayed through drawings, models and photographs, A companion one-hour documentary by New York filmmaker Charles Schultz focuses on the issue of affordable housing and how the Rural Studio is changing lives, The exhibit runs through May 26th and is the museum's signature survey of contemporary American art, AU Students Design Habitat Prototype A team of 16 architecture and building design students from Auburn University has developed a prototype house design for Habitat for Humanity to be built for a local family this spring. The Designhabitat project. under the direction of Professor David Hindson. is also sponsored by DesignAlabama and the National Landscape Architecture Week Museum is Uptown in I)owntown ASLA National Landscape Architecture Week is held The Museum of Mobile has reopened in the renovated Southern during the week surrounding the April 26th birth- Market/Old City Hall in downtown. Hayes, Seay, Mattern & day of Frederick Law Olmsted. wr,o is widely Mattern of Mobile was the archHectural firm for the $7 million-hailed as the founder of landscape architecture in North America Activities will include govern- Alabama Association of Habitat Affiliates. The students visited ment proclamations, student design competitions and a variety plus project which blends the old with new. The familiar exterior was refurbished and the interior updated with modern construction aiound familiar spaces such as the atrium with its soaring skylight Exhibition space exceeds 17,000 feet while behind-thescenes activities utilize sophisticated loading docks, heavy-duty elevators and tall metal shelves which glide along tracks and spacious conservation workshops. Exhibits were designed by Malone Inc. of Atlanta and include several interactive displays. Habitat affiliates across the state; interviewed Habitat homeown- of community outreach activities, such as collaborative park ers, builders and executives; toured Habitat's corporate office design and education exhibits. and researched issues related to design. The house is designed to be more livable, consume iess energy for heating and cooling, One of the events sponsored by the Alabama Chapter of ASLA cost less to maintain and use fewer resources to construct. The will be a series of exhibits in S'lrmingham, Huntsville. ultimate goal is to build 50 of the AU-designed houses in the Montgomery and Mobile. The exhibits will feature work by land-state within five years. Downtown Discovery Tour The Birmingham Historical Society has ieleased a third edition of its popular "Downtown Discovery Tour with History Hunts" in honor of the tours' 25th anniversary. The updated guide is available from the society for $24.95 plus tax. The book contains background information on Birmingham's downtown, plus maps, a timeline, glossary and visuals to encourage looking at and thinking about buildings and urban change. The five tours focus on the central business district, Linn Park and the governmental center, the historic retail and theatre district, the historic black bUSiness district and a retracing of the children'S marches of 1963. These tours, information and teacher lesson plans, plus a Vulcan unit also can be downloaded from the Birmingham Historical SOc'lety's Web site at www.bhistoricaLorg. scape architects throughout Alabama. Projects ranging from intimate private gardens to large-scale master planning will be on display. For details and locations of the exhibits, please contact the following: Birmingham - Chad Watkins, 205-458-1404 Huntsville - Drew Crow, 256-536-0756 Montgomery - Kevin Carpenter, 334-271-3200 Mobile - Fred Rux, 251-342-6970 A M,Do,," The Community Planning and Design pro.4III1' JI?fJ. ~;,"i gram was established to SUPPOit projects that ~11111!/ :\;:;" use design disciplines to impact the quality of life in Alabama communities. Applications are solicited from all the design disciplines and for community cultural planning where there is an established partnership with city or county government. The following Aiabama State Council on the Arts design grants were awarded for 2001-2002: -City of Mobile/Main Street Organization - Funds to help develop a public art policy and plan. -Design Corps - Funds to help pay for design staff, consultants and their expenses while working on the design of the TUCCA (The United Christian Community Association) Community Center in Tayioi, Ala. -TSU College of Communications and Fine Arts - Funding to the graphic design staff for the implementation of a computer animation workshop for Pike County Public High School students. -City of Valley - Funds to assist with fees associ,ated with the design of Phase I of the Valley Riverfront Project. -Mobile Opera Inc. - Funds for the design of a pocket park for the Mary Josephine Larkins Music Center. GMO Building Has New Lease on Life The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Building ienovation in Mobile is complete and open for business as a new city bus terminal with a mix of commercial businesses. The histcric railroad terminal was closed in 1985 and had fallen into disrepair. The structure was built in 1907 by architect Philip Thorton Mayre in the Spanish Coionial style. Similai style stations in Birmingham and Atlanta by Mayre have been demo',ished The $20 mill'lon renovation by Williams & ASSOCiates of Mobile was accomplished through a federal grant of $11 miilion matched by $2.2 million from the city and $5.6 million from a private investor who will lease the building and sublease spaces for small business tenants .• DeSign Makes a Difference Exhibit Submission As a part of our public education program, OesignAfabama is sponsoring the development of a Muring exhibit entitled 'DeSign Makes a Difference," The exhibit 'Iliff encompass design projects from across the state that have made an impact, big or smail, on Alabama's communities. We are Jooking for completed projects from alf ot the design disciplines. Multi-discipline projects are encouraged. To submit a project for conSideration, please include the fof/owing information along with visuals to DesignAfabama. Po. Box 241263, Montgomery. AL 36124. The deadline for submission is June 1, 2002 NameD! Project------------------------------ Location of Project _____________________________ _ Design Firm(s) Involved ___________________________ _ Contact Person/Phone ___________________________ _ Attach a biief narrative on the project explaining the unique design aspects of the projecl and how il is making a difference to Ihe communify or slale. Please direcl ali questions 10 Karen Seale aI334-353-508t. 27 Volume XII, No. I Desi nAlabama Volume XII, Issue I PUBLIC DESIGN AWARENESS AND EDUCATION DesignAlabama Inc. works to increase awareness and value of the design disciplines (Wature uses human that influence our environment. We believe that the quality of life and imagination to lift her economic growth of this state are enhanced through attention to and work of creation to investment in good design. even higher levels. )) PARK DESIGN TODAY GRESHAM SMITH AN D PARTNERS - Luigi Pirandel/o ((The highest value of a park (Wature never did must be expected to lie in betray the heart elements and qualities of that loved her. " scenery to which the mind of - William Wordsworth those benefiting by them) is liable) at the time the benefit is received) to give little conscious cognition. )) - Frederick Law Olmsted This publication was made possible through funding by fhe contributors listed above. For additional information about DeslgnAlabama. please call (334) 353-5081. |
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