WBAkers Win The Great Birmingham Bake Off

This weekend the WBA team had a great time at The Great Birmingham Bake Off at Cahaba Brewing. But, the time was made all the sweeter considering we WON the golden rolling pin. A huge congrats to the team and a huge thank you to all who came out to Cahaba Brewing to support us.

WE Made creates quality food mixes and home goods while providing employment, training, and opportunities for people with barriers to employment. You can support them by buying your own mix and learning more about the program here:

2021 AIA Gulf States Awards

We're thrilled to announce that we won an AIA Gulf States Citation Award for the design of the Resource Management Services offices. The design concept reflects the company’s identity and values by creating a dynamic relationship between the wooded lake front and the daylight filled interior. The result is a pleasant office space that attracts and retains employees that are engaged by the company’s collaborative, entrepreneurial, forestry-focused culture.

Resource Management Services Office

• AIA Gulf States Citation Award

The design optimizes light and transparency throughout the space with unlimited views of the surrounding site. From the elevator core of the building, visitors and employees experience is a panoramic view creating a dynamic heart for the office space. The “town center” of the office has a formal and informal conference space, a café, and a variety of open seating areas for employees and visitors along the lakefront side of the building. Strong axial views through the building of the surrounding forest are found throughout the space providing a connection to the what drives the company.

AIA Alabama Awards Featured in Bham Now →

The Williams Blackstock Architects team was recognized by The State of Alabama American Institute of Architects (AIA) with five honorable awards this month and we are proud to have it covered on BhamNow.

Joel Blackstock Receives AIA Alabama President's Award

"I am pleased to announce Joel Blackstock as recipient of the President's Award.  For decades, Joel has led Williams Blackstock Architects to excel in creativity and dedication to our collective craft, as evidenced by their portfolio … as well as the design awards they have been awarded.  (And we all know – one cannot lead others to grow in any attribute without having a great measure of that attribute themselves.)

Joel has also selflessly given himself in service and leadership to our sister organization, the Alabama Center for Architecture. During his years of service (which includes President), Joel worked with Design Alabama to coordinate the architectural portion of "Design200". This 2019 feature showcased 200 examples of excellent design, including 50 examples of superb architectural design.  Joel also jumpstarted the ACFA's membership initiative, which has helped it become more financially self-sustaining.

Perhaps most importantly, Joel selflessly volunteered for ACFA events on numerous occasions, emphasizing to children, youth, and adults the excitement and fulfillment architecture brings to individuals and society.

In recognition of his exemplary and substantive leadership of the Alabama Center for Architecture and of Williams Blackstock Architects, AIA Alabama bestows the 2020 President's Award on Joel Blackstock!"

- Bruce Herrington, AIA

Jeremy Cutts Wins AIA Alabama Young Architect Award

We are honored to announce that Jeremy Cutts, an Associate at Williams Blackstock, has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 AIA Alabama Young Architects Award! This award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the architecture profession early in their careers. Congratulations on this incredible achievement, Jeremy!

2021 BBJ Building Birmingham Award Winners

KMS and The Historic Greyhound Station were announced as winners of the 2021 Birmingham Business Journal Building Birmingham Awards.

KMS (Kemp Management Solutions)

• Winner of 2021 Building Birmingham Awards

Birmingham’s Lakeview District has gained new life with the renovation of an existing warehouse space along the Second Avenue South Pepper Place corridor.  The vision for this 12,000sf corporate headquarters to maintain the spirit and bones of this old masonry warehouse was achieved through a series of modern adaptations to special building features such as the existing mezzanine supported from the roof deck above, and reuse of the generous amount of skylights.

The design for this family-owned business creates a professional home away from home.  The setting combines professionalism and seriousness with that of a relaxed, comfortable family atmosphere for employees to gather, meet with clients, and provide focused work zones in several environments away from their desk.

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Historic Greyhound Station

• Winner of 2021 Building Birmingham Awards

The Historic Greyhound Bus Depot (1952) is located in the heart of the Birmingham Central Business District near Linn Park and City Hall.  This facility was historically hailed as one of the largest Greyhound Bus Depots in the southeast and was in use until the late 2000s, where after Greyhound relocated and abandoned the original facility.  Capstone purchased the building in 2018 with the intent to readapt the bus depot into Class A office space.  The project is participating in the State and Federal Historic Tax Credit Program.

Williams Blackstock provided the programmatic planning and technical guidance to successfully readapt the Bus Depot into office space and meet the requirements of the Historic Tax Credit Program.  WBA carefully studied the historic bus luggage area, waiting rooms, basement, and miscellaneous support spaces and developed a plan to sympathetically readapt the building into three separate office spaces, each with separate metering and dedicated building systems.  Sight line studies were performed to thoughtfully locate roof top equipment to minimize visibility from the predominate streets. 

Specified treatments for the rehabilitation of the historic plaster, cleaning of the exterior masonry and limestone, and the interior terrazzo refinishing were carefully provided.  The iconic Streamline Moderne Greyhound marquee sign was completely rebuilt and the three-dimensional running dog was reconstructed and replaced above the entry.  The aluminum windows are detailed to echo the historic design while also accommodating thermally broken fenestration systems that meet modern code.

Who's Who in Building

Congratulations to Joel Blackstock for being named Who’s Who in Building in this issue of the Birmingham Business Journal. Through his years of practice, he as become known as a visionary, an excellent listener to his client’s needs, and a dynamic creator of space through design. He tirelessly pursues the optimal design solution that will create lasting value, making communities and the world a better place.

Dread River Distilling Co. Receives AIA Honor Award

Dread River Distilling Co. received an Honor Award at this years AIA Birmingham awards.

Dread River Distilling Co.

• Honor Award, AIA Birmingham

The design concept for Dread River Distilling Company reflects the company’s brand, which references an ancient tale of an underground mystic river, flowing beneath the streets of Birmingham, large enough for steam vessels to traverse, and from which Dread River sources its main ingredient, water.

The manufacturing space design heavily engages the company branding while providing an efficient production layout and embracing natural light and ventilation. The tasting room design reflects the depth and darkness of this mystic river. The individuality of each lounge room reflects the unforeseen nature of a journey down this mystic river, so as guests move throughout the bar, the experience is ever-changing, similar to one’s journey down “Dread River”.

AIA Alabama Award Winning Projects

We had a great evening representing the firm at the 2020 AIA Alabama Design Awards.

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Children’s of Alabama, Lee Building & 4th Avenue Parking Deck

Honor Award

The new Lee Building and 4th Avenue Parking Deck redefine the northern edge of the Children’s of Alabama campus creating an energetic new face along the Southside Birmingham skyline.  Conceived as a central administrative facility to support and serve those who care for our children, this new office building would bear a homecoming of various departments spread isolated throughout the metropolitan region.

RMS

Honor Award

A financial investment firm in Birmingham, Alabama, specializing in timberland, revamps their global headquarters leveraging the surrounding dense woods as design inspiration.

Historic Federal Reserve

Honorable Mention

This renovation of an historic Federal Reserve Bank building, constructed in 1925 and added onto in 1955, now serves as a multi-tenant office building. The project satisfied all State and Federal historic preservation requirements qualifying it for tax credit funding. The blighted building, located in the heart of the downtown business district, had been vacant for over 15 years, resulted in broken marble finishes, missing columns and rusted bank vaults.

UAB, Collat School of Business

Merit Award

The new Collat School of Business building forms a dramatic gateway at the western edge of UAB’s campus. Envisioned to serve as the home of innovation and entrepreneurship for the University and the City of Birmingham, the building is designed around a central commons “living room” that fosters student and faculty interaction and collaboration and fronts the primary boulevard through campus with glass and exterior patio.

UAB, School of Nursing

Honorable Mention

The project includes a major addition and renovation to the School of Nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The design is expressive of the schools’ forward-looking spirit and identity while being respectful of the desired cohesion of the UAB campus. The project emphasizes efficient operations and a seamlessly integrated flow between old and new.

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Historic Federal Reserve Bank- 2019 AIA Gulf State Design Award

This renovation of an historic Federal Reserve Bank building, constructed in 1925 and added onto in 1955, now serves as a multi-tenant office building. The project satisfied all State and Federal historic preservation requirements qualifying it for tax credit funding. The blighted building, located in the heart of the downtown business district, had been vacant for over 15 years, resulted in broken marble finishes, missing columns and rusted bank vaults.

The design concept respects the history of the building, with an historically accurate exterior renovation juxtaposed with innovative contemporary office spaces, celebrating the unique building artifacts and structural elements.

The new lobby is reminiscent of the original 1920’s lobby, but the interior quickly transitions into contemporary modern office space. The interior features recycled materials, exposed ceilings, original brick walls and unique structural elements. The concrete vaults were retained on each floor, housing toilet cores, conference rooms, and break areas. Restored gleaming stainless vault doors frame entrances like sculptural art elements. Rooftops were converted to outdoor patios and office space was designed to artfully display unique building elements.

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