Design Alabama: The Public Forum for Design in Alabama, Volume 9, Issue 1, 1998

              Fall/Winter 1998
Volume IX, Issue I
$4.00
Desi abama
THE PUBLIC FORUM FOR DESIGN IN ALABAMA
DesignAlabama Inc.
Board of Directors:
Rip Weaver, Chair
M! Laurel
Birmingham
Nancy Mims Hartsfield, Vice Chair
Graphic Design
Auburn University
80 Grisham, Secretary
Southpace Properties Inc,
Birmingham
Henry Hughes, Treasurer
Shades Valfey Forestry
Birmingham
Elizabeth Ann Brown
Alabama Historical Commjssfon
Montg'omery
Charles Callans
Eastwood Mali
Birmingham
Cathryn S. Campbell
Goodwin, Mifls and Cawood Inc.
Montgomery
les D. Clark
Artist
Thomasville
Robin C. Delaney
WKRG Television
Mobile
Marty Ellis
Business Council of Alabama
Monigomery
Tin Man Lau
industrial Design
Auburn University
Kenneth M. Penuel
Southern Company Services
Birmingham
lloyd Philpo't
Phi/po't Ergospace Design
Decaiur
Danny Ray
Exchange Bank of Aiabama
Gadsden
Kay F. Roney
Wallace Community Coftege
Dothan
Patricia E. Sherman
Patrjcia E Sherman, Architect
Gadsden
David A. Umling
East Alabama Regional Planning & Deve!opment Commission
Anniston
Franklin Setzer, Executille Director
Laura Quenelle, Direclor
Philip A. MorriS, Director Emeritus
Sout/lern Progress Corp.
Birmingham
Volume IX, Issue I
Cover: Drawing lrom the Mt Laurel charretie
shows the town center
Fram the Director
This issue offers an exciting look at The New Urbanism.
From Blount Springs to Mt Laurel, a return to traditional
neighborhood design and pedestrianfriendly environments is
changing the way people view their neighborhoods throughout
Alabama and the countlY.
We also provide an overview of the design forces behind
Alabama's hottest new attraction, VisionLand. Thoughtfully
detailed, the park's plan draws heaVily on Birmingham's
industrial heritage and the Southern architectural tradition,
The work of Designjorm Inc. is highlighted in Design Makes a
Difference, and ACDP Update details the initial efforts of
Alabama Your Town, an exciting new program helping local
leaders improve their ability to tackle tough quality-of-life issues in
their communities. In other Alabama Community Design
Program (ACDP) new~~ we are pleased to announce that the
National Endowment for the Arts will help jimd a design
workshop in the tGUm cfSlocomb in the ~pring of 1999. We look
forward to working with the residents (jfSlocomb and to bringing
this valuable seroice to another deserving Alabama community.
As always we encourage you, our readers, to help us
spread the word about DesignAlabama. If you are not
already a member, please take a moment to return the
attached application luith your tax-deductible dues, If you are
a member, please pass the application on to a friend or
colleague who might be interested in supporting our qJorts to
improve the quality of life in our state,
Laura Ouenelle
Editor: Laura Ouenelle
Managing Editor: T omie D. Dugas
Art Director: Nancy Hartsfield
Associate Art Director: Ross Heck
Assistant Art Directors: Owiredu Bailour, Tomie D. Dugas,
Samantha Lawrie
Electronic Illustrations: John Morgan
Contributing Writers: Louis Joyner, Mac Logue.
Philip Morris, Laura Ouenelle, Franklin Setzer
This pubfication is made possible through funding by
the following contributors:
Alabama State Council on the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
Kennedy Studios Inc.
Alabama Council of the American
Institute of Architects
Designform Inc.
Sherlock, Smith & Adams Inc.
A special thanks jo Philip Mo"is, editor-In-chief of
Southern Progress Corp., for his on-going assistance and
advice with this pubHcation.
Thanks aiso to FitzMartin Design Partners Inc. for
assistance with the Vis/onLand artie/e.
Submission Information
DesignAlabama encourages submissions irom
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., 204 North 20th St, Ste. 201,
Birmingham, AL 35203.
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 01 the
client and an individual whom we may contact for
further information. Direct inquiries to Laura Ouenelle
at (800) 849·9543 or (205) 254-8545 or
by fax at (205) 323-8385.
Past journal issues are available lor $6.00
including pcstage and handling. Contact Laura
Ouenelle at the above numbers for availability
information and to order.
ISSN# 1090·0918
This issue of DesignAlabama was designed and
produced on Macintosh Computers utilizing QuarkXPress
3.32. Proofs were printed on a LaserWriter Select 360 and
final output on a Compugraphic 9400.
Lagoons interlace the
Tannin development.
p.13
CONTENTS
Dealership interior engages
potential car buyers.
p7
FEATURES
"THE NEW URBANISM"
A NEW TWIST ON OLD IDEAS.
BLOUNT SPRINGS
TANNIN
GORHAM'S BLUFF
................................
GRANGEMOOR
MT LAUREL
ARTICLES
VISIONLAND
STEPPING FORWARD INTO THE PAST
DEPARTMENTS
Project.A.News
Work of statewide significance.
Design.Makes A Difference
Celebration Park captures the
4th of July spirit.
p21
DesignAlabama is a publication ot DesignAlabama Inc. Designform Inc.
Reader comments and submission of ariicles and ideas for
future issues are encouraged. ACDPtUpdate
Alabama Your Town.
Details+Of Interest
Noteworthy observations.
9
10
13
14
14
16
21
4
7
18
25 . ................... .
Rural communities embrace the future
in the Your Town program.
p18
ProjectANews
Project News
is a regular
feature of
lJesignAlabama and
provides
an opportunity
to keep
up-to-date on
design projects
that have an impact on
our communities.
Children's Memorial Center for the Big Oak Girls Ranch.
Additions to the Tennessee Valley Art Center in Tuscumbia feature two new galleries and a second entrance.
Garrison Barrett Group
Inc., Birmingham architects and
interior designers, provided pro bono
design services for the new Children's
Memorial Center for Big Oak Girls
Ranch. Funds for constructing the
center, a 26,000-square-foot support
facility for existing homes on the 360-acre campus in
Springville, are currently being raised with ground­breaking
scheduled for late 1999.
The building was designed around a farm motif,
using brick and metal roofing on the exterior with exposed
wood trusses on the interior. The new center will include a
gymnasium with performing stage, computer and multi­purpose
classrooms, counselors' offices, administrative
offices, a living/dining room combination, commercial
kitchen, locker rooms and outdoor swimming pool. A
"Hall of Fame" memorial to children wil! connect these areas.
Aubrey Garrison III, AlA, is principal-in­charge
for the project. Jeff Dungan, AlA, serves as
project architect with Louis Nequette, AlA, David
Blackmon and Sean Witt, intern architects, and
Brittany Whitley, IIDA Associate, also contributing.
The Tennessee Valley Art Association, under the
direction of Sheffield architect Thomas M. Donaldson,
AlA, has recently completed the second phase of
additions to the Tennessee Valley Art Center in Tuscumbia.
The expansion added roughly 5,700 square feet to the
1 ,600-square-foot facility and included the addition of two
new gallery spaces, an educational workshop area, three
offices, two new handicapped restrooms, storage facilities
for equipment and artwork and an exhibit space for the
museum's prehistoric rock art collection.
The $500,000 expansion added a second
entrance to the museum which faces Tuscumbia's city
"Commons" and Ivy Green, the birthplace of Helen Keller.
Shingled, sloped roofs were added over the original entry
and new west entrance to blend the building within the
context of the adjacent residential neighborhood. The
architect's design remains true to the building's original
appearance while attempting to create visual interest and a
sense of scale on the building's windowless exterior.
The Retirement Systems of Alabama, Sun belt
Golf Corp. Inc. and Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc.
are working together on a new course and clubhouse for
the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Prattville. The new
clubhouse will be prominently poised at the center of the
72-hole course on a bluff overlooking the Alabama River.
It will house the traditional golf pro shop, a dining hall,
storage for 260 golf carts and restroom/locker facilities.
The overall project also includes a Golf Academy building
and essent'lal course maintenance buildings.
Praffville's Robert Trent Jones Golf Clubhouse was designed by Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc. to complement a new 12-acre course overlooking the Alabama River.
DesignA!abama 4
Urban Design
The Auburn City Council has
approved a Corridor Overlay Plan to
regulate development along eight
main streets leading into the city's
downtown. Already under signage
regulations, new development in these
areas will be subject to the building i material and design review process Landscaping, lighting
: and fencing also will be subject to review.
! The plan's mission statement reads, "Recognizing
1 the special nature of certain thoroughfares and the direct
: and indirect impacts of the appearance of these roadways
: and their importance to the local economy, this section
! sets forth regulations that will help ensure that
: development in these critical areas is visually pleasing and
! economically viable."
: In addition to the new regulations, the City of
: Auburn is making a significant investment in South
: College Street, the most prominent thoroughfare
: connecting the downtown and Auburn University campus
! to 1-85. Improvements will be made to the US. Highway
: 29 bridge which crosses 1-85 and approximately one mile
: of roadway leading into the city. A new intersection about
!, 1' 000 feet north of 1-85 will serve as a primary node or
: "Gateway Intersection" that will include new signage,
! decorative paving, landscape treatments and lighting The
: right-ot-way will be lined with canopy trees 50 feet apart,
! which upon maturity, will create a turn-of-the-century
! appearance. A 12-foot median wiil be added to a portion of
: the roadway to soften the expanse of the 72-foot-wide
: highway and add a cOiorfullandscape element. Atlanta
: landscape architects Altamira provided the design.
: According to Kelly Templin, AICP, Auburn's
: director of planning, the City is investing roughly $3
: million in the South College improvements. "That is rather
: extraordinary, I feel, for a town of Auburn's size," Templin
: states, "especially considering the improvements are
: widely supported, backed by a bond issue and considered
: by all an 'investment' in the city's future."
ROADWAY SECTION • ,.1
McWane Center's IMAX tacilily, the John W Woods Theater.
Birmingham's McWane
Center, the new science museum
which opened this summer, is full of
exhibits and interactive displays that
challenge the mind and the
imagination. The center incorporates
an IMAX giant dome theater with
learning exhibits like Just Mice Size, which lets you see
the world as a mouse would; World of Water, which
explores the underwater world; Challenger Learning
Center, which simulates a space mission and
ScienceQuest, a collection of interactive exhibHs that
teach, as well as entertain.
A project as
extensive as the ~ ~
McWane Center McWane Center
requires careful A d v e n t u res InS (i e n (e
planning, design and engineering. Civil, mechanical,
'. :"',. plumbing and electrical engineering services for the
Center were provided by Gresham, Smith & Partners,
based in Birmingham and Nashville. Structural
engineering services were provided by Lane, Bishop,
York, Delahay Inc., also of Birmingham These firms
worked closely with project architects, display designers,
I i audio engineers and construction firms to make this unique
learning center a reality.
: Proposed road improvements create a sense at entry into Auburn.
?=.;~-,,->
r..~ ~=_ .,.~",
_'J,.<.~..-.._ "-~~ II ~~~.~:; ._ _. -..' W._--
: I ','" L-______________ ~ _ ~
: Character sketch at bridge improvements on U.S. 29 over 1-85.
, Research in low gravity has taken an important
: first step toward making metal products used in homes,
: automobiles and aircraft less expensive, safer and more
: durable. Auburn University is partnering with NASA and
: industry engineers to develop the first accurate computer
: model predictions of molten metals and molding materials
) used in a manufacturing process called casting. Cast alloy i parts are formed by mixing and pouring melted metals into
! a mold.
· The first commercial use of the new computer
! information is being made by Howmet Industries of
! Whitehall, Mich., to more preCisely design and cast aircraft
: turbine blades. In a s'lmilar activity, Ford Motor Co.'s
: casting plant in Cleveland, Ohio, is using the computer
: modeling information to improve the casting process of
: automobile and light truck engine blocks.
· "We're doing the long-range research that
: industry really needs to improve its final products," said
':! : Tony Overfelt, director of the Solidification Design
I : Center at Auburn University "We're benefiting the
il : Arnerican public who pays for the research and uses the
! oroducts." Cast metal parts are used in 90 percent oj all
: durable goods such as washing machines, refrigerators,
: stoves, lawn rnowers, cars, boats and aircraft. Sales of cast
: parts in the United States aione total $25-30 billion a year,
! according to the American Foundrymen's Society in Des
: Plaines, III.
: High-temperature metal alloy parts for the
: aerospace and auto industry can make aircraft and vehicles
! stronger, lighter and more efficient, but casting typically
: requires three to four years to develop an effective process.
: "We started with experiments on the ground," Overfelt said.
: "Then went aboard a NASA KC-135 aircraft flying an arc
: pattern in low-gravity to refine our research. Our goal," he
: added, "is to continue to produce accurate measurements
! for all the alloys used by the casting industry. This
! information can be used by American manufacturers to
: standardize metal-mixing 'recipes' and to compete more
I effectively in the worldwide market."
! Dr. Probal Banerjee, Auburn University Post-Doctoral Fellow,
: takes lIuid lIow measurements during NASA-sponsored research
! to improve the casting process .
2~
.,g;
~ ,
~j ", oS:
§~
! Bruce Strom, mechanical engineering co-op student at Auburn 0 I"
· University (on letl) and Don Sirois, Auburn research associate,
evaluate an aluminum automobile engine-block castmg.
5 Volume IX, No. I
Birmingham-based Gresham,
Smith & Partners recently worked
with Alabama Dialysis Services to
design a free-standing healthcare
facility located adjacent to Walker
Baptist Medical Center in Jasper. The
original 7,500-square-foot design calls for 10 dialysis
treatment stations but can be expanded in the future to
accommodate 24 patients, Architecturally, the design was
intended to be sensitive to the adjacent hospital campus
and blend with nearby residences to create an inviting and
comfortable environment
The City of Thomasville selected
Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc.
of Montgomery for the renovation and
addition to Anderson Field at
Thomasville High SchooL The $1 ,8
million project is scheduled for
The interior design is "patient focused," Lighting
and color are combined with curved forms to maximize
visual interest for the patients, who spend an average of 14
hours per week receiving dialysis, Openness and the
integration of exterior elements also contribute to a
calming interior environment
completion in February 1999,
The landscape architects provided the site plan
for the entire stadium complex which consists of a field
house, concession/restroom facility, 400-meter track,
practice field, sidewalks and courtyards, Plantings for the
courtyard include carissa holly, red maple, dwarf yaupon,
crape myrtles and Asian jasmine,
Alabama Dialysis Services features a comfortable layout
For the new 11 ,500-square-foot field house and
concession/restroom facility, the architects chose a two­color,
split-face concrete block exterior scheme to represent
the school colors and provide a low-maintenance exterior.
The facilities are complete with a ticket office, coaches'
offices, training facilities, weight room and locker room for
the Thomasville athletes,
The City of Homewood contracted with Jane ! Reed Ross & Associates PC to develop the Homewood
~ Shades Creek Greenway Master Plan which features a six­mile
linear park along Shades Creek with a multi-use trail
designed for cycling and pedestrian activities, The park will
connect with Jemison Park (another linear park) to the east
and travel west along the creek past Wildwood Shopping
Center. It will cross Lakeshore Drive with a flyover and
connect with West Homewood Park, For the first time West
and East Homewood will be connected by a major multi­use
trail with minimum interference from vehicular traffic,
The linkages along the route are numerous with five
residential neighborhoods, two high schools, one univer­sity,
many office buildings, two hospitals, three churches
and two large shopping districts, Construction documents
are being developed with Phase I beginning spring of 1999
and completion of the trail in 2001, There also is discussion
of continuing the greenway west and connecting with trails in
Oxmoor Valley in Birmingham and Bessemer.
This pavilion along Homewood Shades Creek Greenway provides a peaceful resting spot
DesignAlabama 6
Birmingham-based Lewis
Advertising recently completed
an ad campaign for Rock City,
Chattanooga's tourist destination
known for its slogan "See Rock
-------------, City" painted on barns
throughout the Southeast. Lewis' Rich Albright
explains that, "the Rock City campaign posed an
interesting advertising and PR problem, Somehow,
people had come to think of the place as an outdated
roadside attraction; one of those cheesy dinosaurs from
the '50s that time just passed by," Lewis' mission was
to update Rock City's image and introduce it to a new
generation
Targeting "day-trippers,"
people within about 150 miles of
Chattanooga, the advertising
firm embraced the idea of old
Southern culture and memories
by incorporating Southern icons into
the advertising, For instance, they chose the very
Southern singer and actor Webb Wilder as the voice in
the radio campaign heard across the region during
summer 1998, For the print portion, which appeared
mainly in regional travel magazines, they used deep,
rich colors, images of Lookout Mountain and updated
versions of the old icons and language they knew
people would remember.
Spencer Till served as creative director for
the project. Art directors included Albright and Roy
Burns, Radio spots were written by Carey Moore,
Six Auburn industrial design
students working with associate
professors Rich Britnell and Tin
Man Lau and designers at the
Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville have made an important
contribution to the International Space Station, During the
spring 1998 quarter, the students designed methods for
repairing holes in the exterior of the station, The holes,
caused by BB-sized meteoroids and other space debris,
have the potential to depressurize the interior. If
depressurized, the station must be re-sealed before it can
be returned to normal pressure,
The students, Jeff Osborne, Robert Langley,
Naomi Nelson, David Pollard, Anthony Paxton and
Derek Webster, all seniors, created individual designs
for devices that could repair such holes,
Several design constraints made the project even
more challenging, First, the holes must be sealed from the
outside of the station requiring the astronaut to wear a
bulky space suit, Which restricts movement. Also the
astronaut must secure himself, so repairs must be
accomplished using only one hand, Another problem
arises because the devices must be compatible with
components of the station being constructed by three
different countries, Japan, Russia and the United States,
While the students' devices may not be used as
designed, their participation could provide fresh new ideas
to the those responsible for the final design .•
Design.Makes A Difference
Designform Inc.
RAISING THE BAR FOR
UTILITARIAN DESIGN
By Laura Uuenelle
Design Makes a Difference highlights efforts
to apply quality design principles and aesthetic
value to projects which are typically lacking In
these areas. In this issue, a school gymnasium,
an industrial distribution facility and a retail
automobile dealership by Birmingham's
Designform Inc. demonstrate that utilitarian
structures when well designed can effectively
(or, perhaps, more effectively) serve their purpose
while making a positive contribution to the
surrounding environment.
The d(,5igll called for the pre.<e/"1ltltion a/sllrrounding
trees, minimizing the scale of the nfW g)'iililfl.<ium.
The campus of Saint Rose Academy. situated on the slopes of Red Mountain in Birmingham's
Southside. consists of several historic masonry bungalows complete with early 20th-century
detaiiing and terra coUa roofs. In 1992 Designform, led by president Craig Rogers, was enlist­ed
to design a gymnasium and classroom facility which. according to Rogers. "would be con­textual
with the existing faciiity and not completely overwhelm and dominate the perception of
the campus.'
The Academy had been sold on the concept of using an off-the-shelf metal building
package for the new facility, Rogers concedes that "a metal building system works well
for that building type, but the metal building aesthetic does not work well for a small,
private school campus." To effectively break down the scale of the 14,OOO-sQuare-foot
building, the designers overlaid a structural grid of stucco on top of the metal building
skin, Careful siting also played a major role in the design, By tucking the gymnasium
into the hillside and preserving surrounding trees, the scale of the building was further
diminished, Earthen shades of red and gold found in the existing campus structures
were used on the new building's exterior to solidify "a harmonious relationship between
the new and the old,"
Corpol"fltc iogos dnd COLoI~' promote
Dc! Montes product identit),.
Care fit! siting Ilnd color selection hefp the gymnasium
blend into the Saint Rose campus,
Color also played a major role in the design of a 286,OOO-square-foot distribution facility for
Del Monte Foods. Employing "design as a way to promote brand identity," Rogers used
shades of red, green and gold found in the firm's familiar logo and prominently displayed the
corporate imprint on the building's exterior.
Designed for efficiency and cost-effectiveness, as weil as aesthetic appeal, the facility offers
maximum high-rack warehousing capacity due to long-span joists and fewer columns and
was completed for less than $27 per square foot including site work, The project, construct­ed
by the design/build team of Brice Building Co. and Designform, is located in Pinson
Valley Industrial Park.
7 Volume IX, No, 1
Brand identity was certainly a determining factor in the design of the Driver's Mart automo­tive
dealership built in Pelham in 1997 as a design/build partnership with Birmingham's
Rives Construction Co. Inc. Working closely with Driver's Mart and its Dayton. Ohio, market­ing
and concepting firm Design Forum (no relation), Oesignform created a retail facility
which would convey in built form the firm's corporate philosophy of no-hassle, relaxed,
customer-controlled auto retailing. This facility is the first Driver's Mart dealership newly
constructed from ground up and, according to Rogers, is 'designed around the concepting
firm's notion of how do you attract a customer; how do you get the customer in the door;
how do you show inventory to the customer; how does the customer interact with the sales­person;
how do they close the deal; how do they get their financing and insurance and how
do you deliver the vehicle to the customer."
Every aspect of the car-buying experience is considered and addressed by the building's
design in order to create a relaxed, trusting environment Potential customers are greeted
by a snack bar and computer kiosk where they can peruse the inventory, learn about
financing options and even get an appraisal on their own cars. Covered parking provides
a convenient place to view vehicles.
Cill"t'fidly placed windows tmd jil7niJi)ings ensure th/lJ the (fIr
a/yollr drl!llms i$ neva fill' out ofsighr.
Driver's ivhlrt's t:asi!y recognized vtluiud design pro1Jzotes brand identity.
DesignA!abama 8
Every attempt is made to "make it really easy for you to buy a car, but also control the way that
you engage the inventory," says Rogers. 'It's designed so that you can't just park and walk out
into the car lot - you have to walk through the building. And when you get in the building, you
see the snack bar, and you see the kiosk, and you're automatically drawn to those things. By
doing that they try to draw you into the system. and, hopefully, if you're an interested buyer and
you find what you're looking for, they close the deal"
Some of the building's marketing features might not be so apparent Once the customer has
made the decision to discuss purchasing a car with a salesperson, he is led into an office situat­ed
along the exterior edge of the bui!ding. The placement of furniture in the office guarantees
that the customer is always facing the window. Magically, the car in question, most likely shiny
and clean from a recent washing, appears outside the window. According to Rogers, the entire
facility is 'designed strictly in accordance with those kinds of tactics, and it works.'
The computer kiosk (lilt! SIlili.:k b(IT seek to engage tlutomobile bup:rs.
The designers considered not only the way the customer would interact with the inventory and
sales staff, but how the facility might engage motorists on nearby 1-65. Extensive site pianning
and visibility studies, in addition to the building's striking vaulted design and dramatically lit
parking lot, ensure that Driver's Mart is noticed and remembered.
Whether promoting a product's identity or preserving the identity of an existing site, these
projects demonstrate that investment in quality design does make a difference. III
Introduction and
articles contributed
by Philip Morris with
"Gorham's Bluff" by
Louis Joyner of
Southern Living
magazine.
,
IS
It began with Seaside, the neo-traditional pedestrian­scale
plan for 80 acres on the Florida coast near
Destin. It has blossmned into a movmnent called The
New Urbanism, complete with a charter of principles
and a growing number offollowers.
At its most essential, this is Simply a return to
the practice of town planning as it existed earlier
this century before being interrupted by the Great
Depression, World War 11 and the boom years that
followed. Instead of subdivisions and commercial
strips now accepted as the way things are, The New
Urbanism champions development of functional
urban or suburban places where uses are mixed,
people can walk to things and the civic realm is
made important again.
Alabama now has more than its share of new
urbanist developments. So far, none has achieved
the quick critical mass of Seaside. But all are
soundly planned, and all are devotedly nurtured
by the people who are building them and by those
who have chosen to live there.
This foature surveys thmn: Blount Springs, Tannin,
Gorham's Bluff, Grangemoor and Mt Laurel. How
much of a viable alternative they offer to typical
development remains to be proven. But even in
drawings or plans or with just a fragment of the
whole constructed, they are compelling. Each
shows the design arts of architecture, landscape
~ f~~rC/2'~"sin.m Ci~r ~tpl;drm.)),f.~ f~.i%n.~ % ~mi! fJl(i t~.P f.,,~r{tl!rf;~1\ (2 I; ,rn w m &! ~'r/ gt!@; W: mfu W lli:,,0S m $. ;,; %1 0,· (Q }1 ffi ill fS It) @ !J!ifA , 'elistv'fVJay ·.Ue~~"~foM.'· U7J.'t1.rl • u If hAl
9 Volume IX, No.1
DesignA!abama 10
blount springs tar
When announced in the late 1980s, plans for Blount Springs
in Blount County, some 30 miles north of downtown Birmingham,
created quite a stir.
The Blue Hole
at
Blount Springs
The DPZ plan for Blue Hole Viffage is part of a larger
master plan cOl/ering many thousand acres.
The Miami-based finn of Andres Duany and Eli7.abeth Plater-Zyberk
(DPZ), created a master plan for Blount Springs encompassing
nearly 5,000 acres and a detailed plan for an initial 450-lot Blue
Hole Village named for the adjacent spring-fed lake.
Ten years later the village has 46 houses built or nearing
completion, less than half of the first phase goal of 100. Bya
developer's measure, this is not a success. And linda Ms, whose
husband]im began buying the property in the 19705 due to old
family ties on his mother's side, admits, "We would like to have
it go faster." His primary business is in investments. They live in
Connecticut, with a house at Blount Springs visited regularly, so
they are not developers in the usual sense.
But even while Blount Springs has been slow and not at all
the stimulating model of success provided by progenitor Seaside,
enough houses do line tile hilltop green designed to be tile signature
feature of each Blount Springs village) that a special sense of place
is evident. The codes govel1ling the placement and design of houses
have been followed, much of this under the eye of architect Gary
Justiss, who until recently was tOV..11 architect and lives here with
his daughter in the house/workplace he designed.
"The location of Blount Springs opposite the main thrust of
growth and at some distance from other development has had
some effect, as has the fact that people essentially have to do a
custom house here," says Justiss. Lack of vigorous marketing
and developers \vho live at a distance have also contributed to
the slO\v pace. "But as for creating a sense of belonging, which is
what this sort of plan is about, Blount Springs really delivers."
MO\ing into an existing house facing the green, Jay Jones and
Andrea A.nderson say they were first attracted to the aesthetics.
'·Now it's the neighorhood that holds lIS," he reports. "Our son,
Tucker, can be out on his own. Last night one tent went up on
the green for someone's children to camp out, and in no time it
was a tent city. We like the gro\\1h slow and steady so \Ve can get
to know people."
Photogrdpher Dayid Haynes, who \\ith his \\ife and two children
moved into their Justiss-designed house a year ago, was attracted
by the natural setting which he had visited over the years when
canoeing or kayaking in the area. '1'he idea is to put people dose
together so you almost have to know your neighbors," says Hayes.
He was introduced to the concept when A.ndres Duany made his
Birmingham Museum of Art presentation on neo-traditional
planning while working on Blount Springs. "It works. The place
lives like one extended family. Everyone knows everybody else's
kids, and they look out for them. We catch fish at the lake, and it
turns into an impromptu party:"
Haynes, a portrait photographer who works only in black :U1d
white, uses not only his house but Blount Springs as a studio. He
represents something of a pattern. "My husband, John, works out
of our house," says Cheri Henley. "W'e iove being here for hiking
and the natural setting but mainly for the community: He's 30
miles from the airport, so it's easy' for us to live here while he
flies to his consulting jobs."
Designs have been completed for a planned post office and
chapel at Blount SPlingS. And as growth continues north along 1-65,
the location seems more accessible. Recently, Blount County has
seen increased in-migration, and leaders have expressed a desire to
see their county grow, but in a distinctive way, building on its heritage.
With Blount Springs, they have a model close at hand. - PM . ..
Houses wrap around the hifftop green (extending out of view to the left) at Blount Springs' Blue Hole Vii/age. Residents find the strong sense of place does encourage a sense of community
Architect Gary Justiss designed his house as bottl a living and Vlorking space and has since designed other Bfount Springs
houses with fivelwork capabffity
DPZ's Blount Springs pfan commissioned by Jim and Linda Tullis mandates tighter
placement of houses than today's suburban standard. so houses gather into a true
neighborhood. Codes mandate porches and an architectural response to the street.
An open-air poo; pavilion. designed in coflaboration by DPZ and Gary Justiss.
doubles as a backdrop for the tennis court aM with a grill built into the far end.
as a center for Blount Springs social gatherings.
Blount Springs' influence has begun to spread. An ungainly
former church at the /-65 exit feading to the development
was bought by resident John Gwrge and. with design help
from Gary Justiss. converted to a Baptist Medica! Center
clinic 'Ilith a landmarK lower.
11 Volume IX, No.1
............ .-------
DesignAlabama 12
blount springs gorhan
Tannin's plan by DPZ. completed not long after the one for Seaside, features narrow streets with rextured pavers, picket fences and porches. Though not on the beach, it has a dedicated pedestrian access.
Lagoons dar''(ened 'Ilitl) tannin from trees are a distinctive feature of the
50-acre village and prompted the mme suggested by Andres Duany
House types ranging from St. Augustine walled courtyards to cottages are
grouped to create four neighborhoods within Tannin. The forested Gulf
State Par'" wraps the northern edges.
AlABAMA STATE PARK r-·-·-··-----·----h'-·-·-:
Right: Devefoper George Gounares has provided the kind of carefuf
oversight needed to ruffiN new urbanist architectural standards.
Far right: Architect Affen Hudson from Branson, Mo .. found the
desired ambience evident with only a fev/ houses built. The
number now exceeds 20.
s I ff grangemoor tannin mt laurel
Designed by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (DPZ) shortly after their plan for Seaside,
the Village of Tannin at Orange Beach, Ala., has not shared in its celebration or rapid development.
BEACH
"
But it has quietly advanced the concepts of The New Urbanism and attracted
residents who understand the difference. "We like the return to the to\m concept," says Carol
Kandel, who with her husband, Hero, built a house at Tannin
and moved from New Orleans. "Everybody lives here full­time
or on weekends."
ALABAMA STATE PARK
Tannin's 60 acres (compared to 80 at Seaside) lie
across the highway from the beach, but the development
has a dedicated pedestrian access. Its most striking feature,
the dark, reflective lagoons, gave Tannin its name. Wrapping
around the north side of the village is the forested eastern
end of the 6,000-acre Gulf State Park.
Streets are narrow, houses are drawn close to the streets
and each other, and the architectural code requires minimum
eight-foot-deep porches covering at least 40 percent of the
facade. The urban code establishes four neighborhoods
based on placement and house type: coastal cottage, Savannah
river house for larger Sites, Charleston Side-yard house and
st. Augustine urban house with walled courtyards.
Prior to settling on DPZ, developer George Gounares
went through several planners. "They gave me loops with
double garages filling the streets. One even showed 2,000
units on the site." Gounares wanted something with a sense
of place, and DPZ provided it.
Of the 150 dwelling sites, just over 20 have been built,
but the residential component of Tannin is essentially sold
out. For a town center fronting the highway, the plan calls
for a square surrounded by Main Street-scale individual
buildings. It would serve resident, with pedestrian access
but draw on the whole Orange Beach area as a market.
There have been several proposals to proceed, but
none have matelialized. - PM. IIIi
13 Volume IX. No.1
DesignAlabama 14
Activities. with emphasis upon the arts. are scheduled
to attact visitors. Dining also is offered at the lodge
except for winter months.
GORHAM'S B L U F F
"S·II TO",,, IN ;"PP>'~;"C
The Gorham's Btuff plan by architect Lloyd Vogt wraps around a bluff with the Tennessee River far below. The town center
opens to the view across a green, with the grid layout modified to foffow the bluff.
gorham's bluff
For the new town of Gorham's Bluff,
location is both an asset and a challenge. It offers a
magnificent view of the Tennessee River from the bluff
that gives the name, but the northeast Alabama location in
Jackson County is too far from major population centers to
serve as a bedroom community. So developers Bill and
Clara McGriff and their daughter, Dawn, have aimed "A
New TO\;11 in Appalachia" as a place appealing to people
who can live or work anywhere. The plan, by architect
Lloyd Vogt of New Orleans, calls for 350 residences on the
186 acres. Lots average 75 by 100 feet, though some are
smaller and some conSiderably larger. There is a town
center, with residential encouraged ahove shops or offices,
plus a workshop district to appeal to artisans wishing to
have living and studio space. There also will be an assisted­living
component.
Building traffic to Gorham's Bluff has become an ongoing
series of events, many centered around the arts. A small
amphitheatre perched on the bluff's edge has hosted a
Summer Theatre Festival, the Gerhart Chamber Music
Festival and other events sponsored by the Gorham's
Bluff Institute.
The first structure to be built in what will become the
toW11 center is The Lodge on Gorham's Bluff. It is a three­story
inn with six guest rooms and also serves as sales
office, meeting hall and restaurant. "The inn has been
absolutely key to our being able to attract people who want
to build," says Clara McGriff. "We are somewhat remote,
so the inn allows people to come and spend a little time to
get a feel for the place."
The first phase of Gorham's Bluff has 77 lots, and of
those about 50 have been sold. Twelve houses have been
built and three spec houses are under construction. As its
balance between spectacular setting 'Uld town life evolves,
the remoteness may become more tUld more a virtue to
those who chose to live there. - LJ l1li
These homes at Gorham's Bluff feature multi-leve! porches for visiting with
neighbors or enjoying views of the nearby Tennessee River.
lount springs ta
grangemoor I
The site for Grangemoor, a short drive
from Montgomery's eastern grO\V1h edge and three-fomihs
of a mile south of 1-85, is an old plantation with a rolling
landscape most suitable to new urbanist development
concepts. Looking like an English park, with meadows and
stands of trees usually along watercourses, the land is gentle
enough to receive a compact form of development and varied
enough to make picturesque landscapes.
Completed in July 1997, the charrette-generated plan
by DUallY Plater-Zyberk (DPZ) weaves s'weeping meadows,
extensive lakes alld majestic woods against each other with
a series of residential neighborhoods set within - Villages
in a garden setting. Of the total 2,000 acres in the master
plall, a first phase, involving some 600 acres and 504 lots, is
under permitting process.
Trey Granger, listed as a town founder along with his
father, Roy, and Larry Morris, says the plan has been
tweaked since the charrette, but the basic concept remains
the same: a tightly organized tOW11 center plus hamlets 'Uld
villages with walking access to a rural setting. House types,
which Montgomery architect Bobby McAlpine has helped
develop, range from townhouses faCing parks to cottage
bungalows to larger family houses to manors.
"We have gotten it to the point that every house in tlle first
phase has been detemtined according to types and paluculal'
setting," says Granger. He emisions Grangemoor as a possible
center for botanical and horticultural study overseen by a
foundation as at some other new urbanist developments.
Depending on infrastlUcture shedules, Grangemoor hopes to
have sites available by late winter or early spring. - PM l1li
,._ .... _.'_~~.H~'_'-'·._ .
~,... ..... -,..,--~--."-,""
A brochure describing Gorham's Bluff includes a bird's-eye view of how the town
center will look when complete. The Lodge at Gorham·s Bluff is the large
structure facing the bluff.
I
rangemoor mt I u
a g r a
A gently {offing and partly I'{ooded landscape would give Grangemoor, with its sweeping open spaces, the rook of an Eng/ish park.
The extent of the open space pfanned for Grangemoor is evident in this plan with shaded areas in meadows, lakes or 'IIoods.
lu
A regional map shoVis where the Grangemoor site is in relation to Montgomery.
GRANGEMOOR
The cover of the Grangemoor
charrette report features the image of
a civic pavilion overlooking a lake.
15 Volume IX, No, 1
DesignAlabama 16
mt laurel blount SI
Mt Laurel, the latest announcement of a
new urbanist development in Alabama, is also among the
largest and most strategically placed in respect to positing
an alternative pattern of development. Located further west along the same valley and ridge as
Shoal Creek, it would be the first phase of a master plan
for 6,000 acres owned by Birmingham's Stephens family.
Renderings completed during tile two-week charrette show the town center with the fire station and tower serving
as a landmark and a mix of uses in mostly English Tudor-inspired buildings.
Duany Plater-Zyberk's (DPZ) Andres Duany headed a
full two-week charrette on tile master plan and initial phase
embracing SOO-plus acres in August. Due to its location in
the direction of the immediate growth thrust of Birmingham,
DPZ's reputation, the Stephens' involvement and a sophisticated
public relations effort, the event received front-page news­paper
coverage and more than 600 people attended the
final presentation.
"We've had more than 100 phone calls since the
presentation from people who want to buy a lot and statt
building," says Elton Stephens Jr., who is overseeing the
project for the family, whose main business is publishing.
"It seems that Binningham is ready for this."
Due to rugged topography climbing steeply to the
Double Oak Mountain ridge, the development will use a
tighter, new urbanist modified grid in the valley and
progressively loosen as it rises. Steep slopes will be
retained as open space and, notably, the ridge top will
remain untouched with estate lots set just below (see plan).
A town center fronting Shelby County 41 will feantre a
fire station, a post office, limited shopping, a destination
restaurant and a variety of other uses. There will be
residential above some shops and tovmhouses nearby.
Midway up the slope will be a scenic lake with spectacular
views surrounded by a community park.
Architects from across the ScUtil fanliliar witil new urbanist
principles, as well as Birmingham-area architects, were
COmmissioned to develop a series of house types for various
sites. Plans are to develop a particular look for hOllses at
Mt Laurel using a range of compatible styles atld materials
drawn from Binningham's best neighborhoods of the
1910s and '20s.
DPZ's adeptness at responding to the particularities of
place, at the same time maintaining new urbanist standards,
comes across both in the architectural work and in the
plan and road layout. For example, how early Mountain
Brook used triangular intersections and other devices
responsive to slopes inspired Mt Laurel plans. The test now
will be to get these techniques approved for use today.
"Our first phase will be about 100 lots ranging in size
from 3,600 to 8,000 square feet, with frontage ranging
from 36 to about 80 feet," Stephens says. "We hope to start
infrastructure work in the spring and begin building houses
in the fall of 1999." - EM ..
These renderings illustrate a variety of house types developed for Mt Laurel, many exploring alternatives for access on slopes.
ings tannin gorham's bluff grangemoor
The plan for MI Laurel in Shelby County has lighter developmenllike the town
center and nearby sma/Hal sites in the ve!!ey with looser iayou! as the land rises
to the ridge. Open space tllreiids throughout much along wa/BrcOu/58s.
Looking to Birmingham's early, distinguished development tradition, Andres Duany used these illustrations to show the charrette
presentation audience how the Stephens property master plan of walking neighborhoods corresponds to those along Red Mountain.
17 Volume IX, No.1
"Towns and villages in rural Alabama, likethosein much of America,
face an uncertain future - a future at risk from large-scale changes in the national
economy, population shifts, the impact ottel~comniUnJcations and mass merchandising
and changes in federal land policy. In th~Ja~eoHhesephanges, rural communities often
struggle to maintain their vitality and eve0t~eirisenseofidentity. Frequently, design
decisions make the .9iHerence inaCqlllmunltybet\Aieensurvival and decay, between
prosperity and decline.Despite the crucial influence of design, rural areas rarely have
ready access to resources of design assistance or information on the application of
design to community problems."
- Alabama Your Town Program Manual
II1II II1II .YOUR TOWN:
The inaugural "Alabama Your Town" program is
a great success.
Over a three-day period in mid-June, nearly 50 people from
a variety of backgrounds participated in the inaugural Your
Town workshop in Alabama Convened in the idyllic setting
of Camp MacDowell in Nauvoo, near Jasper, civic leaders
and professionals from around the state engaged in an
intense short course on the issues and processes of good
deCision-making about planning and design in their com­munities.
Workshop attendees then applied these ideas to a
hypothetical community facing issues about its future that
were all too familiar to the participants' experiences
back home.
This charter class was focused on two fundamental goals: to
develop leadership skills and provide a set of tools - ideas,
concepts, strategies and other information - to take control of
the future of rural communities. In reality, the workshop
achieved these goals and more - it was a powerful exercise in
raiSing consciousness on the issues and opportunities that
small towns face, understanding the processes for addressing
these concerns and learning about the array of resources and
expertise available to help Alabama communities.
National experts including Shelley Mastran of the National
Trust for Historic Preservation and Ed McMahon, director
of American Greenways Program and The Conservation
Fund. presented overviews of the issues faced by rural
communities. Professor Doug Phdllips of the University of
Alabama's Alabama Museum of Natural History and Philip
MorriS. executive editor of Southern Living magazine,
reinforced these ideas with a locai spin.
Pau! Kenlli:dy disClisses fhe AYTprogram with Paul
HOI/Se! of Congressman Robat Adt:rho!t's offiCI'.
Photo,' coiltributet/ by emot/co Ri'.romn: ConseFl/(/JiOfi ({nd Delle/vpm''ll!
Council, idap tint! logos COIiI'!".,), o/th(, fV{uiomd HII$! for Historic
PII.';l:rwJiOI1, tb" Sum.' Ulliversit), ofll/iew York-S"ymnm:, r/;I'iVa/jolla!
E":dowmenr for th(' Arts (mJ rho' Cawaco R('source Cons('fwuioll find
Dn-dopmolt COUl/cil.
OesignA!abama 18
By Franklin Setzer
Dil/Ie Lee, member of the Oneonta Tree Commission,
introduces his ream's presentation.
Alabama Your Town (AYT) faculty including Professor Cheryl Morgan of the Auburn
University Center for Architecture and Urban Siudies and Larry Watts and Ben
Changkakoti, both of the Birmingham Regional Planning Commission, addressed spe��cific
topics such as how to identify organizations in the state that provide design and
planning expertise, how to manage planning and design programs, how to inventory
local cultural and natural resources and how to approach basic graphic communica­tion,
In addition, case studies on successful planning and deSign initiatives in the state
were presented including two of OesignAlabama's Alabama Community Design
Program (ACDP) communities, Florence and Winfield, and Anniston's highly success­ful
Main Street program headed by Scott Barksdale, A lively session of questions and
answers followed,
Class members listen to a presentation.
History of the Your Town Program
Lisa Alecsko-Stlndt, planning and economic dellelopmem
specialist with the Lee-Russell Council OfG(Jt!cl"ltmmts,
presents her team's idet1J for d.r:sign impr01J1'ments to thc
courthome squarc in YOUI" low;;.
The Your Town: Designing Its Future program was developed initially by the National Endowment for the Arts
(NEA) as part of its leadership initiative in the early 1990s to respond to the needs of small towns and rural
areas, Between 1991 and 1993, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and faculty from the landscape
architecture program at the State University of New York (SUNY)-Syracuse developed the prototypical work­shop
curriculum under a grant from the NEA, Three initial workshops were held in Bozeman, Mont, Nashville,
Tenn, and Prescott, Ariz, In 1994, the NEA expanded the program by setting up five regional Your Town
Centers around the nation, At present, the National Trust and SUNY-Syracuse jointly host the Your Town
National Center which provides technical and organizational assistance, as well as basic course
materials, to loca! groups sponsoring workshops,
19 Volume IX, No, 1
Then in a collaborative workshop format, participants in groups of eight applied
what they had learned to a series of all-too-real issues in a hypothetical Alabama
community named Your Town,
Each focus group developed a consensus on the future of the communiiy then
dealt with two specific issues: what positions to take on a proposed by-pass
highway around downtown and a proposed new residential subdivision,
They also drafted a concept to improve the design character of the town's
courthouse square,
Their vision statement for the community included goals and specific objectives
addressing economic development, growth, preservation of historic aspects and
overall quality-of-life concerns, Then within this framework, each group prepared
appropriate responses to the highway by-pass, subdivision and courthouse
square problems. The workshop culminated in a presentation by each of the
four groups of their vision/goals/objectives for the community and
specific recommendations.
Shelley k/astraY! relaxes during
a break in the program.
A ream works Oll the problems a/Your Town during the workshop.
The Alabama Your Town Program
The Alabama Your Town (AYT)eHortis the brainchild of PaulW, Kennedy, prograrn coordinator fbr
the Cawaco Resource Conservation & Development Coun9il, headquartered in Birmingham.
Cawaco is one of several iederally sponsored RC&D councils in the state. Kennedy attended a Your
Town prograrn in Georgia in 1996 and.leit with great enthusiasm iorthe concept. He initiated
Alabarna's prograrn with the help.oi lfie.National Trust and oiher RC&D councils and counci!.soi
government in the state.
According to Kennedy, the Alabarna Your Town program is a "response to the rapid change in
Alabama's rural landscape and a variety of difficult issues that faca our .srnall towns as we strive to
develop greater economic diversity." He a.dds that"the program endeavors to bring together the
interests and leadership from· all sectors and disciplines to provide guidance and assistance to
regional planning efforts. The AYT Steering Committee is cultivating rural leadership to teach them
where to find technical expertise, to encourage them to take action on aloca! level and to deter­rnine
their future - not resign themselves to fate."
DesignAlabama 20
Joe Hester, planner with the Central Alabama Regional Planning
Ifnd Delle/apmen! Commissioll, reviews ({'-peets of his team's vision for Your Town.
In this context, participants gained fundamental insight into the importance of mak­ing
decisions and recommendations about specific proposals that are informed by
overall, long-term community intentions and the importance of consistency between
the overall vision and decisions about very specific proposals. They also gained
experience in making decisions involving disparate viewpoints and the often difficult
task of reaching a consensus that can be broadly supported.
Based on the success of the inaugural Alabama Your Town workshop and the
enthusiasm of the participants, the program's future looks very bright.
Several members of the charter class are working with members of the AYT
Steering Committee to organize Your Town leadership workshops in their commu­nities.
The Alabama Historical Commission and Auburn University Center for
Architecture and Urban Studies will be two of the lead organizations in developing
future AYT workshops, both local and statewide. Concurrently, other AYT advocates,
led by Nisa Miranda, director of the University of Alabama's Center for Economic
Developrnent, are working on strategies to provide ongoing funding for the program
and to provide an even stronger community economic development cornponent.
The Alabama Your Town program began as the idea of one person; but, in
short order, it seerns poised to become one of the most significant educational
programs for the future of Alabama's srnaller communities .•
Just inside the park gates, visitors have a place to meet before wandering into Main Street. Buildings reflect familiar
Southern styles.
STEPPING FORWARD
INTO THE PAST
by Mac Logue Photos by Gabriel Benzur
When designing VisionLand, Birmingham's hot new theme park,
architects HKW Associates worked to ensure that each
visitor's impression is shaped by more than the jolting
speeds of Rampage or the cooling waves of Steel Waters
Park. While rides remain VisionLand's central attraction,
the design of the park exerts a subtle but powerful
influence on the visitor's overall experience.
A tribute to Fairfield Mayor Larry langford,
whose vision brought Visionl3nd to life.
Visionland's Main Street has all the
components of a traditional small town.
HKW, an architecture and interior design firm, provides
design services and site planning for corporate, retail, educational and
public clients throughout the South. In the four years since the firm's
founding, HKW has expanded from two partners, Russ Hale and Fred
Keith, to employ more than 20 professionals. The design team for
VisionLand included Hale, Chris Engel, Joe Ellis and Mark Coyle
HKW's original design goals for VisionLand were to
create a theme park as unique as Alabama. "It really is Alabama's theme
park," says Hale. "We tried to use forms and elements indigenous to the
state; materials and shapes that people here are used to seeing The original
concepts were vitally important because the entire project was completed in
such a short time frame: 14 months from release to finished construction.
Decisions were made quickly all the way through construction"
The great challenge for HKW was integrating rides
built by different manufacturers in Japan and Europe into the design of
the park. "It was a laborious process for the design team," says Hale,
"practically building an underground city to support all of the
requirements of a park this size."
21 Volume IX, No. I
Store names on Main Street reflect
surrounding communities that
contributed to the project.
Celebration Park as seen from the
Rampage roller coaster.
DesignAlabama 22
Celebration Park, in the center of VisionLand, evokes images of an old·fashioned street fair and the 4th of July.
HKW delved into the state's early 20th-century
industrial roots to create a theme park reflecting Alabama's heritage.
Vision Land is divided into several major areas or parks, each representing
an element of a traditional Alabama town: from Main Street to residential,
industrial and transportation sections. While state-of-the-art rides generate
the pulse-pounding excitement theme park visitors crave, HKW juxtaposed
Victorian-style architecture elements with industriai forms and imaginative
use of topography to create a series of varied environments that the visitor
experiences traversing the park.
VisionLand is the result of an extraordinary
public/private collaboration. Fairfield's mayor, Larry Langford, provided
the initial dream for the project and the will to complete it. HKW's Hale
and Keith helped give form to reality.
"This project required incredible cooperation, from
the park's management to the construction manager to the design
team. We were lucky to work with a tremendous construction manager,
Brasfield and Gorrie, that was respectful of our design and never tried
to limit our design options," says Hale. "Besides, we were literally
designing some parts of the park while others were under construction.
It was quite a chailenge.'
ALl GOOD THINGS IN PROPORTION
One of the most effective elements in HKW's design of
Vision Land is the use of proportion. Throughout the park, changes in
scale help create a sense of space for the visitor that changes as people
move from one section to another.
As visitors approach the front gate, the scale is
monumental- to build a sense of arrival in the city with an aura of
excitement and expectation. Once inside the park, the scale shrinks to more
human proportions, imparting a feeling of small town comfort and security.
Scale helps convey a sense of space, which varies
with the use of the area. A tall canopy of trees lines Main Street as it
winds through the collection of shops downtown, past the carousel and
toward Celebration Park. As Main Street spills out into Celebration Park,
the intimate feel and security, with limited sightlines, contrasts sharply
with the openness and sense of arrival at the center of Vision Land.
Marvel City, the children's park, uses even smaller
proportions to increase children's comfort and fun. Each element of
Marvel City is scaled to approximately 70 percent of normal size, from
rides to park benches. Even landscaping is scaled down to appeal to the
park's smaller visitors.
A view of the park aboard the Rampage.
"As visitors approach the gate,
we wanted to create
a sense of place, of arrival,
as though the park visitor were
Visionland's front gate draws on Birmingham's railroad history and provides a visual landmark for visitors throughout the park. embarking on an adventure through time."
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The entrance to VisionLand is striking HKW designed
the front gate to resemble a tum-of-the-century train trestle; four ticket
booths align outside the gate to complete the illusion. "As visitors approach
the gate, we wanted to create a sense of place, of arrival, as though the park
visitor were embarking on an adventure through time," says Engel.
Because the VisionLand gate sits squarely on a hill
overlooking both the park and the entrance road, it heightens visitors' sense
of expectation and excitement even as they make their way up the drive. A
brick plaza just inside the front gate serves as a gathering point for groups.
After entering the park, visitors stroll down Main
Street, a 26-foot-wide (52 feet from store to store) paved street lined
with sidewalks, streetlights, trees and storefronts. The stores represent
familiar landmarks in a small town the theater, a school, the town
courthouse, etc.
"We made Main Street full scale, representing a slower
time when the car did not dominate life," explains Hale. 'The great
challenge, of course, was to give the buildings a feeling of permanence,
even though they were all new."
Each storefront is built from brick, and variations in
color and detail clearly define each individual store. The storefronts
also contrast in size to create a sense of context. HKW's design
emphasizes corners as meeting places, points of intersection. Corners
also allow for growth as additional avenues could branch off of Main
Street in the future.
THE RIDE'S THE THING
Most visitors, particularly teenagers, make fast tracks
for the wooden roller coaster, Rampage, that sweeps through the trees on
Vision Land's southeast boundary. From the ground Rampage appears
more like performance art, and the inhabitants of its small cars seemingly
defy the laws of physics as a tortured element of the artist's dream. From a
seat in its cars, Rampage is one minute of pure adrenaline. Perched on
the elevated boundary overlooking the park, Rampage is a constant
reminder of the fear and rush that only speed can deliver.
VisionLand's water park, Steel Waters, pays homage to
Birmingham's genesis in the steel industry. Constructed primarily of
concrete and steel, details of the water park, from the glazed concrete
block locker room to the enormous water tower overlooking the Lazy
River, complete the image of an industrial park. Within Steel Waters,
several rides provide relief from Alabama's relentless summer heat,
including splashy classics such as the log flume or the popular water
slides. The Lazy River allows people to lounge comfortably in an inner
tube and drift with the current around the perimeter of the water park.
Celebration Park, sited squarely in the center of
Vision Land, is an old-fashioned street fair capturing the spirit of the 4th of
July. HKW designed the 14 buildings after turn-of-the-century residential
housing. The houses are constructed from sharply contrasting materials,
mostly wood for warmth and comfort and metal for distinctive variety.
Each buiiding's metal roof includes a dramatic overhang that serves both
symbolic and functional purposes, creating the illusion of a front porch,
but also offering visitors relief from sun or rain.
23 Volume IX, No. I
DesignAlabama 24
THE VIEW FROM HERE
Throughout Vision Land, several prominent landmarks
serve as visual references. These reference pOints prevent visitors from
becoming disoriented, helping people feel more comfortable even among
the large crowds the park expects to draw. From virtually anywhere in the
park, visitors can spot the front entrance, the turrets and other structures
along Main Street, the carousel, the Ferris Wheel, Rampage or the water
park. Even as VisionLand continues to grow, it will maintain this sense of
intimacy, avoiding the intimidating feel of many larger parks.
Color is another important element in the design of
Vision Land. Though each section of the park is defined by specific
colors, HKW designed the entire palette to work together creating a
cohesive visual whole. The colors in the water park are reminiscent of a
factory or industrial setting reflecting safety: luminous yellows, reds and
greys. In Marvel City bright, primary colors enhance the sense of fun.
While all buildings along Main Street are constructed from brick, the
awnings, window frames, canopies and signage add accents of color to
help distinguish each store.
The design of Main Street emphasizes corners as meeting places
and points of intersection.
FROM THIS LAND
The waterpark pays homage
to Birmingham's genesis in
the steel industry.
The contour of the land on which Vision Land is built
is one of the park's most interesting features. Situated in a deep valley, the
terrain slopes upward at the edges; visitors on the parameters of the park
have clear sightlines of the entire facility. As people move through the
interior of VisionLand, the terrain helps build natural divisions between
the individual sections. HKW's design capitalized on this natural feature
to provide visitors a series of experiences as they stroll through the park.
Landscape design is a critical element at Vision Land.
Crafted by Grover & Harrison, the landscape creates and maintains the
park's visual sense of space, while helping direct the movement of large
crowds. Throughout the park, deciduous trees mix with evergreens to
offer variety, as well as shade. The landscape design also varies to work
with the design of each section of VisionLand; while Main Street
maintains an urban theme, the area around Steel Waters takes on the
character of a wetland. The park's limited season, spring to late summer,
lets the landscape design focus exclusively on the colors and plants
native to Alabama.
Visitors to an amusement park expect to be
entertained; each comes willing to exercise his/her imagination. It is up to
the magic inherent in the design of the park to spark the illusion. At
Vision Land, HKW has considered every detail to ensure that visitors, no
matter their ages, can escape the pressures of life to a kaleidoscope of
pure fun.
Mac Logue is freelance writer living in Birmingham He writes about
architecture, the outdoors and any other subject that strikes his interest
Details+of Interest A WAR D s
resources.
Sympathetic addition to the Cahaba Pumping
Station.
SI. Paul's Cathedral. Third Presbyterian Church.
Birmingham's Department of Urban Forestry main·
tains neighborhood trees like this one in Forest Park.
Auburn architecture students teach elementary students about
architecture in Birmingham.
Birmingham Historical Society 1998
Preservation Awards
Cahaba Pumping Station
Established in the 1880s to provide drinking
water to the greater Birmingham area, the pumping station
now also provides educational and conference facilities.
The project is commended for creative use and reuse of
this historic facility and for sensitive new construction.
Owner. Birmingham Waterworks Board; Control Building.
Christy/Cobb Inc.; Renovations. Stone Building Co., Khafra
Engineers; Interpretive Exhibits Design Display Inc.
AU Center for Architecture and Urban
Studies-Birmingham
Since 1991 the Auburn University Center for
Architecture and Urban Studies (AUCAUS) has provided
the Birmingham community a wealth of talent, vision and
energy and fostered preservation and design awareness.
Sponsor. Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and
Construction; Franklin Setzer, director, and Cheryl Morgan,
faculty, AUCAUS.
City of Birmingham Department of Urban
Forestry
Each year Urban Forestry organizes tree plant­ings
in 30 neighborhoods, replacing trees along public
right-of-ways, thus preserving the historic tree canopy for
future enjoyment. The department also makes free trees
available for volunteers to plant within their neighborhoods.
Stained Glass Restoration, St. Paul's
Cathedral
The largest of the magnificent stained glass win­dows
of the main sanctuary were removed, crated and
transported to Wisconsin where they were meticulously
The 1814 Building (formerly Shook & Fletcher). cleaned and restored to their original color and c!arity.
Owner: Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama; Architect.
Birchfield Penuel & AssOCiates; Contractor. Brasfield &
Gorrie; Stained Glass Restoration Contractor: Conrad Schmitt
Studios, New Berlin, Wis.; Stained Glass Consultant- Dr. Virginia
Raguin, Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass
1814 Building (formerly Shook & Fletcher)
The tastefui renovation of this early 20th-century
commercial building as an art gallery and studio stripped
inappropriate renovations and imaginatively redesigned a
secure, but playful, ground floor facade.
Owner Mr. and Mrs. H. Corbin Day; Architect· Krumdieck A+I
Design Inc.; Contractor: Tanner Building Co.
Sanctuary Restoration, Third Presbyterian
Church
Problems with the roof and plaster led to recent
interior renovations of this early 20th-century church.
These renovations enlarged the chancel area and
increased the size of the choir loft. New interior woodwork
was crafted to match the existing features. Lighting and
sound systems also were upgraded.
Owner: Third Presbyterian Church; Architect- The Garrison
Barrett Group Inc.; Contractor. Gary C Wyatt Inc.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Elma Be", feature writer, The Birmingham News
For decades Life Style writer Elma Bell pioneered,
encouraged and supported historic preservation in
Birmingham and across Alabama.
Avondale Park Historic District:
Amanda Wilson, neighborhood president.
South East Lake Historic District:
Lee Craig, neighborhood president.
Two Birmingham neighborhoods have completed
nominations to the National Register of Historic Places.
These nominations will serve to bring attention to the va!­ue
of neighborhood resources and stimulate renovation.
25 Volume IX, No. I
Christian Files' treehouse won the top prize,
AlA Birmingham Honors Children's
"Dream House" Designs
The Birmingham Chapter of the American
Institute of Architects announced the winners of its annual
"Draw Your Dream House" contest for elementary school
children, Judges chose from 900 entries from 21 area
schools, The overall winner was Christian Files of Hall
Kent Elementary, His school will receive a computer com­pliments
of Unistar Computers, Christian also will receive
an art kit donated by Forstall Art Supplies as the first place
winner in the age 5-7 category, Honorable mentions in that
age group went to Justin Anderson of Hueytown
Elementary and Simon Mainge of Hall Kent. The winner
in the 8-10 age group was Brian Pugh of Vestavia Hills
Elementary Central. Honorable mentions were presented to
Laura Briton of Bluff Park Elementary and Shelly
Agnew of St. Xavier. Jeremy Frey of Vestavia Central
won first place in the 11-12-year-old division, Runners-up
were Sarah Roach of Crestline Elementary and Cortez
Stubbs from Sun Val ley Elementary
Scenic Alabama Gears Up for Save Our
Scenery Campaign
Rapid and poorly
planned growth continually
affects Alabama's roads
and communities,
Proliferating strip malls,
obtrusive signage and
degraded scenic roadways
are deteriorating the char­acter
of Alabama's cities
and rural towns that were once rich in natural, historic and
scenic assets,
Scenic Alabama, a statewide, nonprofit organiza­tion
seeking to protect and enhance the appearance and
scenic character of Alabama's communities and roadways,
is kicking off its Save Our Scenery campaign to fight these
oressures on three fronts, First, it is setting statewide com­~
unity appearance standards, Second, the organization is
empowering municipalities to enact and enforce stronger
appearance ordinances by providing scenic conservation
tools, Finally, Scenic Alabama will identify the roadways in
Alabama that could be officially designated as scenic
byways, Roadways with significant scenic, cultural, his­toric,
natural, archeological or recreational resources will
be included in the State Scenic Byways Program,
Scenic Alabama, an affiliate of Scenic America,
was founded in 1996 by volunteers associated with Scenic
Birmingham's successful campaign to ban new billboard
construction in the city,
DesignAlabama 26
To assist with this new campaign, the organiza­tion
is currently building a statewide network with others,
both private and public, to streamline communication,
projects and goals, Offering a wide range of assistance
from consulting services to do-it-yourself guides with fact
sheets, how-to articles and videos, Scenic Alabama wel­comes
the opportunity to address public officials or com­munity
groups, For more information, contact Danielle
Dunbar at (205) 322-2120,
ASLA Alabama Chapter 1998 Design
Award Winners
The Alabama Chapter of the American Society of
Landscape Architects held its annual awards ceremony
September 26 at Southern Progress Corp, in Birmingham
Awards were given in planning and design,
Honor Award:
Project: Village Streetscape Improvements, Mountain Brook
Landscape Architect. Nimrod Long & Associates Inc.
Category Design
Merit Awards:
Category Design
Project: AmSouth Riverchase, Hoover
Landscape Architect. Nimrod Long & Associates Inc.
Project. Birmingham Early Learning Center, .Birmingham
Landscape Architect: Reece, Hoopes & Fmcher
Project: Hampton Cove Community Entrance, Huntsville
Landscape Architect: Reece, Hoopes & Fincher
Project. Outdoor Early Learning Environment, Samford
Children's Learning Center, Birmingham
Landscape Architect: Cecil Jones & Associates Inc.
Project: Whatley Residence, Birmingham .
Landscape Architect: Nimrod Long & ASSOCIates Inc.
Category: Planning
Project: Homewood Shades Creek Greenway Mast~r Plan
Landscape Architect: Jane Reed Ross & ASSOCIates PC
Project: Jefferson County Greenways Master Plan Public Access
Component, Jefferson County
Landscape Architect' Cecil Jones & Associates Inc.
Project: University Blvd, Streetscape Master Plan, Tuscaloosa
Landscape Architect: KPS Group Inc.
Project Robert G, Wehle Nature Ce~ter, Bullock County .
Landscape Architect: Brian J. laHaie, Landscape Architect
Alabama IIDA Student Awards
In April the Alabama Chapter of the International
Interior Design Association (IIDA) sponsored a Student
Design Competition for the University of Alabama and
Auburn University held at the Alabama School of Fine Arts.
The design problem involved an Economic Development
Partnership facility for the State of Alabama located in the
old Wilson Grocery Warehouse building on Morris Avenue
in downtown Birmingham, The agency would market
Alabama to industry and businesses interested in relocat­ing
to the state, The design of the space was to reflect the
state's growth, plans, potential, history and community, as
well as focus on the concerns of the company being marketed,
Winners for the University of Alabama were
Valerie Powell, first place; Jessica Pickett, second place
and Tanya Berry, third place, Winners for Auburn University
were Angela Albanese, first place; Katherine Garcia,
second place and Pat Ritchey, third place, Competition
sponsors included Alabama Graphics, Alabama Power Co"
Steelcase, Haworth, Alabama Gas Corp, and Energen Co,
FitzMartin Receives National Honors
Birmingham-based FitzMartin Design
Partners Inc. recently won six American Graphic Design
Awards and will be featured in an upcoming issue of
Graphic Design:usa The winning entries were completed
for Compass Bank, Bear Creek Technologies (see
DesignAlabama Journal, Spring/Summer 1998),
MontEagle Corp" Young Business Leaders and FitzMartin
Design Partners,
FitzMartins design for MontEagle Corp
FitzMartin's company holiday card "Silver Belles."
Alabama AlA Awards
Eight projects (shown on the following page)
were presented design awards by the Alabama Council of
the American Institute of Architects (AlA) at their conven­tion
in Point Clear. The jury included distinguished New
Orleans, La" independent practitioners Malcolm Heard,
AlA, and Nancy Monroe, AlA, and C. Errol Barron,
FAIA, a principal in the New Orleans firm of Barron &
Toups Architects.
The Alabama AlA also presented its 1998
Member Honor Award to Tammy Cohen, AlA,
Architecture and Design, Birmingham, for the firm's
design of Pediatrics East-Deerfoot, a specialty medical
clinic in Jefferson County
Honor Awards
Project- The Olive Room, Montgomery
Architect-McAlpine Tankersley Architecture Inc., Montgomery
Project. Pediatrics East-Deertoot. Jefferson County
Architect Tammy D. Cohen, AlA, Architecture and
Interior Design, Birmingham
Project: Daphne PubliC Library, Daphne
Architect. Gatlin Hudson Architects, Daphne
Awards of Merit
Project Birmingham Police Headquarters, Birmingham
i
Project Adams Beach Villa, Rosemary Beach, Fla.
Architect: Pantsari Architecture PC. Birmingham
,:% I Project· New Covenant Christian Church. Dadeville
:;, Architect: Nicholas D. Davis, AlA. and James H. Johnston, I AlA. Auburn and Opelika, respectively
'~
Project: Birmingham Early Learning Center, Birmingham
Architect- Borden McKean and Payne Architects, Montgomery
Architect Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects Inc .. Birmingham
Auburn Engineer Honored by Discover
Magazine
Project: Harbert Penthouse at Belle Mer Condom·lniums.
Navarre Beach, Fla.
Architect. Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects Inc .. Birmingham
An Auburn University engineer who has made
groundbreaking advances in his research on "smart mate­rials"
has won the 1998 Discover Magazine Award for
Technological Innovation in Aviation and Aerospace.
Ron Barrett, an associate professor in the Department of
Aerospace Engineering. led an Auburn team in developing
a helicopter rotor made of "smart materials" and free of the
mass of moving parts that make up the traditional rotor
hub. Barrett said the technology also has other applica­tions.
"It could be applied to any type of fan - particularly
industrial fans." The Auburn model proves that the tech­nology
is feasible. and now funding will be sought to
develop a more complex model
Barrett also has worked with the Air Force's
Wright Laboratory in Eglin, Fla, in applying the "intelli­gence"
of adaptive materials to the development of an elec­tronically
controlled "smart bullet."
AlA Birmingham Awards
The Birmingham Chapter of the American
Institute of Architects held their annual Design Awards pre­sentation
at the Birmingham Museum of Art on May 21,
1998. Award winners from the Memphis AlA Chapter
judged entries. This year's theme was "The Team of
Architecture" because quality design is not possible with­out
the complete dedication of the entire project team
including the client. consultants and the contractor.
Honor Awards
Project. Bill Harbert Penthouse. Belle Mer
Architect GiaHina Fisher Aycock Architects Inc .. Birmingham
Engineering Consultants. Miller & Weaver Inc., Birmingham;
Cater, Reddington, Staub Inc., Birmingham
Contractor Bill Harbert Construction
Honorable Mention: Tammy D. Cohen, AlA
Project. Pediatrics East-Deerioot
Engineering Consultants. Marlin Bridges & Associates
Inc., Whitaker & Rawson. Hyde Engineering and
Outdoor Engineering
Contractor: D.L. Acton Construction Co.
Honorable Mention: Krumdieck A+I Design Inc.
Project.· 1814 Building owned by Corbin Day
Contractor: Tanner Building Co. Inc.
"Building Our House" Exhibit
"Building our House," a house exhibit developed
by the Home Builders Association of Alabama (HBAA) will
teach children about the home building o all .'\' industry by enabling ' ...... .y f)o. them to try their hands -"'4 0 at some of the trades '- C~<
involved in construct- Ch
r:P t7l
ing a house. Kids in
grades K-3 will learn to lay bricks, connect pipes. excavate
land and frame a house. The 1.aaO-square-foot exhibit
also lets children experiment with architecture, interior
deSign, electricity, surveying and landscape design. An
interactive Kid CAD (Computer-Aided Design) Program
helps children design their own house on computer.
Designed and built by 1220 Exhibits, "Building
our House" will travel to Jasper and Baldwin County over
the next few months. For more information. contact your
local home builders association or Billy McQueen at HBAA
at (800) 745-4222 •
Past HBAA president Kenneth Chandler helps a student under­stand
surveying.
27 Volume IX. No. I
INCOR PORATED
~-c--.~-~----------~~-- -.~ -
PUBLIC DESIGN AWARENESS AND EDUCATION
DESIGNAlABAMA IS WORKING TO CREATE AWARENESS AND APPRECIATION FOR THE DESIGN DISCIPLINES
THAT INflUENCE OUR ENVIRONMENT. WE BELIEVE THAT THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH OF
THIS STATE CAN BE ENHANCED THROUGH ATTENTION TO AND INVESTMENT IN GOOD DESIGN.
Architects design the buildings which poputate our man-made
environment A building design is a carefully considered synthesis of
pragmatic, functionat and aesthetic requirements of the client, site and
its setting. Architects first develop a concept which meets these
requirements, then translate the concept into a detailed design sotution
in which myriad technical considerations are solved in partnership
with engineers, landscape architects, interior designers and other
consultants. Architects not only design new buildings but are also
increasingly more involved in the preservation, renovation and reuse
of existing buildings.
Landscape architects specialize in exterior environments. Theyapply
creative and technical skills to overalt site plans, landscape grading and
drainage, irrigation, ptanting and construction details. Their task is to
preserve and enhance the environment and to define exterior spaces,
including functional and decorative areas. Planning streetscapes, gardens,
parks or gateways are also responsibilities of the landscape architect
Interior designers deal with the spaces within buildings. They plan the
organization of interior areas to meet functional and technical
requirements. The interior environments they create meet aesthetic
and functional needs through the articulation of interior surfaces and
the materiats used, the selection and placement of furnishings and
other objects in the space, lighting and the like. Interior designers
work with architects and other consultants on new buildings, as well as
on the preservation and renovation of existing buildings.
Urban designers and planners deal with the collective environment of
towns and cities which we all share. Their work deals with aspects of
function, aesthetics and process related to making existing
environments better and more attractive and designing new
environments for living, working, shopping and recreating. Urban
designers help to translate ideas about the space of the city or town
into specific plans that become the framework within which architects
and landscape architects work.
Alabama
State
Council
on the
Arts
Industrial designers humanize technology by developing design concepts that
optimize the function, value and appearance of products, packages, displays
and systems. They design product lines, packaging and displays that enhance
a producfs success. Specific tasks of the industrial designer include the
design of computers and software interfaces, space station environments,
ergonomic furniture, store displays, exhibitions, telecommunications systems,
sports and fitness equipment and medical products.
Graphic designers create effective visual communications. Their work is
traditionally related to the design of printed materials such as brochures,
annuat reports and other publications. It also encompasses the design of
corporate logos and their application to signage, stationary, etc., as well as
the design of ad campaigns. Increasingly, their scope has expanded to
include film, television, video and computer imagery. Through the
creative manipulation of color, type, symbols, photos and iltustrations,
graphic designers translate their concepts into compelling designs to
inform and persuade a specific audience.
Fashion designers are style arbiters of dress who interpret the mood of
a generation, intuit popular taste and understand merchandising and
business principles. They attempt to resolve the contradiction between
art and industry in order to construct a collection of clothing and
accessories with a unique sense of style and taste, enabting people to
create a personal statement about themsetves in the way they dress.
Engineers are responsible for the application of science and technology to
solve the technical aspects of design problems in effective and efficient ways.
Engineers work in partnership with each of the other design disciplines on
the planning and design of cities, buildings and their components. They take
a lead role in the design of roads, bridges, transportation systems, utility
systems and other infrastructure of the built environment The engineering of
industrial processes is also a responsibility of this profession.
AlA Alabama Council
ARCHITeCTS , ENG I NEERS . PL ANNERS
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For additional information about DesignAlabama, please call (800) 849-9543.