Mackey Mitchell

A Whole New Look

kathyulkus — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:03:51 +0000

Eastern Kentucky University recently sold $21 million in bonds to fund the first residence hall built on campus in 40 years. “We were looking for a signature building,” said James Street, vice president of capital planning and facilities management. “We’re trying to bring a more modern look to the campus and get away from the halls built in the 1960s.”

Working with Ross Tarrant Architects, Mackey Mitchell designed the 259-bed, 86,400SF residence hall for upperclassmen. The $17 million, LEED-silver anticipated project will feature an “iron-chef” kitchen on the first floor that encourages interaction, along with a central pavilion which will provde a welcoming environment for guests and a place for residents to socialize in their community living room. Mackey Mitchell’s project team includes Dan Mitchell, Paul Wuennenberg, Steve Emer, Gwynn Zivic, Matthew Roeder and Avik Guha.

Cool School

kathyulkus — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:08:30 +0000

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has selected the team of St. Louis-based Clayco construction company, working with Mackey Mitchell Architects and Georgia-based firm Niel Dawson Architects for a new student housing project. Reminiscent of a Hollywood backlot, the proposed 6.5 site is located in an industrial triangle south of Savannah’s historic district.

Students enrolled in programs based at nearby Montgomery Hall, which includes classroom facilities for the college’s animation and motion media design programs (among others), will get priority in the new residence hall.

A U-shaped design will create a new campus green space and courtyard, sheltering students from exposure to the sun and the noise and traffic of adjacent busy streets. Glas- fronted lounges at the building’s corners will create a sense of lightness and transparency within the modern, pre-cast concrete structure. The 126,000SF project will include a total of 500 beds consisting of double suites and one RD apartment.

Widely considered one of the premier art conservatories in the country, SCAD enrolls about 11,000 students each year. Its diverse student body, about 15% of which are international students, contributes to the vibrant creative environment that characterizes student life at the college. Mackey Mitchell’s project team includes John Burse, Jordan Gatewood, Steve Emer, Clint Smith and Dan Mitchell.

Teen Rooms at County Library

kathyulkus — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:51:45 +0000

Rachel Raterman and Jim Konrad have been creating design concepts for two St. Louis County library branches that focus on appealing to teens. It all began last year with their work at the Natural Bridge Children’s Library which was revitalized using a baseball Cardinals theme. After completing another branch library space in Chesterfield for teens, Mackey MItchell was contacted to develop special themes for the Lewis & Clark and Oak Bend branches. Since Oak Bend received a donation from a mystery books conference, a mystery theme was chosen for their library space. Concepts include fun “body chairs” by Bouloum, chalk outlines of bodies and police tape. Enormous lampshades with graphics inside complement the quirky but well-received theme.

Architecture 2030 Challenge

kathyulkus — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:52:35 +0000

Mackey Mitchell’s LEED Platinum-designed Alberici Corporate headquarters will be a featured project in the May 10, 2010 program titled “Cleveland 2030 District.” Founder and CEO of the Architecture 2030 Challenge Edward Mazria will be the keynote speaker at the event which will highlight many of the most sustainably designed projects in the United States. The Architecture 2030 Challenge was issued to the global building and planning community to encourage, facilitate, and measure the reduction of energy usage, water, useage and CO2 emmisions generated from building operations and construction.

SMPS Award of Excellence

kathyulkus — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:02:21 +0000

The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) recently announced the winners in their 2012 Awards program for marketing materials developed by local A/E firms. The categories ranged from brochures to direct mail pieces, including holiday cards. Mackey Mitchell received an “Award of Excellence” for this past year’s holiday card which consisted of six watercolor drawings by architect John Burse which were made into sets of notecards. Judges saw the cards as a “great outreach effort to clients, and that personal touches like this go well beyond the “normal” marketing approaches.” Another saw it as a great study in how to subtly announce awards received by the firm (John received an honor award for his drawing in the 2011 AIA Drawings competition), and still offer holiday greetings. “In this day and age of electronic communications and mass-produced , off-the-shelf-cards,” another juror commented, “holiday greetings such as these really stand out.” If you’d like to receive a set of watercolor notecards, please send an e-mail request to Kathy Ulkus: kathy_u@mackeymitchell.com Kathhy_u@mackeymitchell.com

Gene In the News

kathyulkus — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:47:18 +0000

If you happened to catch the news last night on KPLR, Channel 11, you would’ve seen Gene Mackey being interviewed about the Waiwright Building and its architect Louis Sullivan. Gene has become a local authority on the building, having given so many lectures on Sullivan’s architecture to a variety of groups. The Wainwright, which opened in 1892, is famous for being recognized as the nation’s first skyscraper. According to Gene, “Architects around the world come to St. Louis to see two things. They come to see the Gateway Arch and Sullivan’s Wainwright building.” The structure will also be part of a 2013 PBS special titled “10 Buildings that Changed America,” featuring 10 influential American buildings. “The city is home to some monumental architecture,” said Gene, “and sometimes all we need to do is look up to appreciate what makes St. Louis unique.”

Camaraderie in Columbus

kathyulkus — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:28:51 +0000

Mackey Mitchell colleagues, accompanied by spouses and other invited guests, enjoyed a weekend of architectural enrichment and good food in Columbus IN, the weekend of March 30th. For most of the travelers, the main highlight was the Miller House and Garden (Eero Saarinen & Kevin Roche 1954, with interior designer Alexander Girard and landscape architect Dan Kiley). The group enjoyed seeing the First Christian Church (Eliel Saarinen 1942), the building that started this amazing collection of modernist buildings designed by famous architects making Columbus such a unique city. The group was also joined by Dan Mitchell’s older brother and architect Scott Mitchell, who flew in from San Francisco to join the group. On their way out of town they stopped to see a modernist house designed by Scott in the early 70′s. In addition to great food, wine and beer at Bistro 310, everyone commented on how much they enjoyed talking about architecture, meeting spouses, and getting to know each other better. Thanks to Cindy Petzoldt for organizing another successful, event-filled trip.

Mizzou’s High-Tech Concepts

kathyulkus — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:46:47 +0000

The University of Missouri reveals some of the ways it has adapted to rapid technological changes in the article “Wired and Wireless.” The article focuses on student expectations and the high level of technology built into the building (and elsewhere on campus). The goal at Mizzou is not to merely keep up with the modern wired student, but to stay ahead. One of the many examples featured is the use of Tegrity, the latest in lecture-capture technology. This software system allows instructors to record audio, video, and computer screen activity and make it available on the Internet – providing an easy way for students to keep up if they miss a class. For many, the high-tech student center has supplemented the library as the central study stop, and avenues for virtual self-expression have hit an all-time high. The new student center was designed by Holzman Moss Botino in collaboration with Mackey Mitchell Architects.

Total Transformation

kathyulkus — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:13:57 +0000

When Lucy Nicolai visited the newly renovated Memorial Student Center (MSU) at the University of Wisconsin, she sent a note to the Mackey Mitchell team telling them what she thought about their work. Having served for 25 years as the Director of the Memorial Student Center (now retired), Lucy’s first words to designer John Burse were… “WOW. It’s AWESOME!” Her comments were so uplifting, we asked if we could share them with others.

This is what she said: “I had lunch in the MSC today and was in complete awe of the transformation. Thanks to you and your team for making our dreams come true. It is absolutely beautiful. After looking at so many other student center renovations, I’m certain this is one of the most beautiful and functional. Students were sitting at the booths and under the stairway by the big windows in the new entry. It all looks so homey. I thought the entrances were as dramatic as any I’ve seen and the Grandview Terrace is so welcoming. There are so many wonderful aspects of this building I simply can’t list them all. ” Thanks Lucy. We appreciate your kind words and they remind us once again that it takes a great client to make a great project. (The MMA project team includes Dan Mitchell, John Burse, Jim Konrad, Merrilee Hertlein, Clint Smith and Stacey Wehe.)

Team Effort = High Performance Design

kathyulkus — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:44:25 +0000

For the past few years, Eric Neuner’s attention has been focused on the outcome of the new East Academic Building on Webster University’s campus. The goal was to deliver a highly sustainable building with an emphasis on technology and superior performance. Quoted in the recent “Structures” section of the St. Louis Business Journal, Eric said, “We created an air-tight, thermal building with an insulation layer that resembles a ‘wet-suit’ to keep moisture out.” According to Neuner, “the building will function more efficiently so heating and cooling systems won’t run as hard.” A recent engineering analysis revealed that the building would deliver $35,000 in annual energy savings when compared to a similar structure with a standard design. “That’s a big deal for clients who have buildings open 24/7,” Neuner commented. “The payback on that (insulation) system itself is less than five years.”

Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) of New York as a modern interpretation of the Collegiate Gothic style, Mackey Mtchell served as the Architect-of-Record with Neuner guiding and overseeing the building’s day-to-day progress, making sure all systems, materials, building components and details came together to meet the needs of Webster’s first new home-campus classroom building constructed in nearly 30 years. Pictured above from left to right: Eugene J. Mackey, III (Mackey Mitchell Architects); Kevin Smith (RAMSA); Robert A.M. Stern (RAMSA); Eric Neuner (Mackey Mitchell Architects); and Dan Mitchell (Mackey Mitchell Architects).