WBA has a studio recycling program for paper/cardboard, aluminum and plastic. Last year we recycled and estimated:
21,834 lbs. of paper
47 lbs. of aluminum cans
35 lbs of plastic bottles
21,916 lbs of recycled materials
Communication
2016 will be the year of communication. We will strive harder than ever to communicate our value as architects and designers to the general public around us. We have increased the awareness to many of what we have to offer, though there is still much ground to make up, and many, many more to reach. We will meet our clients on their terms and listen to their wants, needs and goals. We will bring awareness to those who don’t know we exist by being present in unexpected places, offering a glimpse that will lead to their wanting to know more about our profession. We will learn how to communicate in such a way that speaks universally of quality in the places we call home.
We will communicate to our profession the value of the AIA as an organization. We will listen to our peers as they speak of our shortcomings and areas we need to improve, and we will act. We will communicate with our young emerging professionals, letting them know what our organization does for them and how they can find their place with our support. We will learn how to communicate with those who are just beginning their architectural careers or education by understanding what it is that makes them unique, and so perfectly suited to elevate our profession to new heights. We will also communicate with our experienced colleagues who have so much to offer through countless lessons learned throughout their careers.
By communicating visually through examples of our work, we can expand our reach to vast numbers of potential clients, supporters and future architects who will gain understanding of the important roles architects serve in the places we live, work and play. We will have entertaining and informative opportunities to truly socialize with one another, and provide venues and events that will encourage coming together and building community. We will communicate with others within the profession, our schools, and other chapters by exchanging ideas and resources. We will occasionally get up from our desks, from behind our computer screens, and become active participants in our communities. What an immensely exciting time to be living and practicing in the cities that make up our Chapter and State!
We will communicate with our supporters and let them know how much we appreciate them. The successful programs we run, and are now taking statewide, are due in large part to their continued support over the years. We will also communicate to new potential donors the outreach we provide through our programs and how they can help advance our mission.
2016 will be an exciting year, and I am grateful and honored to be the Chapter President. It would be foolish to think that a small group can accomplish the things outlined above and continue to toe the line that others started to move in years past. This excitement comes with a need to increase our numbers, embrace new ideas and strive to strengthen and grow our footprint. Therefore, I’m excited to see our numbers grow, our participants increase and our message get out into the surrounding communities, cities and statewide. I look forward to hearing each of your thoughts, ideas, and challenges and I look forward to seeing and communicating with each of you at our upcoming events.
Thank you so very much for your passion and dedication to our profession!
Humbly,
Bill Segrest, AIA
2016 AIA Birmingham President
This appears in the AIA Birmingham January 2016 newsletter found here →
2016 AIA Alabama Design Awards
WBA was honored to take home two awards from the AIA Alabama Design Awards Ceremony.
“The Alabama Council’s Design Awards Program encourages excellence in architecture through the commentary of our colleagues. From a group of statewide entries, the jury awarded a Honor Award, four Awards of Merit, two Honorable Mention Awards.”
Homewood Board of Education
- Merit Award
The new home for the Homewood Board of Education Central Office is the first phase of a 24-acre development plan for the Homewood School System. The New Central Office provides for the programmatic needs of the Homewood City Schools administrative staff which includes offices, conference rooms, and meeting rooms for professional development and public events.
The building is conceived as a “garden pavilion” integrated with the site, intended to mediate between public and private, man-made and natural. Sited to create synergy between the Central Office, Middle School, Community Garden and the adjacent residential neighborhood, the building is nestled behind a line of pine trees with a cantilevered porch roof extending just beyond the pines. With pavilion as precedent, the roof is accentuated in the form of a kite inspired by the social history of the site; fondly known as “Kite Hill”. The north façade - the public face of the building,is a solid “garden wall” with punched openings at offices. The private south façade provides a sense of immersion in the landscape, dematerializing from stone to glass to provide views of an existing stand of pine trees.
Cahaba Brewing Company
- Merit Award
Located on 5th Avenue South in the historic 1925 Continental Gin Building complex, Cahaba Brewery & Taproom occupies 21,000 SF of their renovated 50,000 SF space.
A controlled material palette and priority on craft was leveraged in the creation of a memorable atmosphere unique among Alabama’s breweries. Custom tables and chairs made from reclaimed wood provide customers with various seating options and breaks up the expansive space. The overhead doors are often opened in the evenings allowing patrons to overflow onto the patio. Use of natural light from the monitor windows gives the reclaimed pine walls a radiance in the afternoons, highlights the existing steel structure all while providing the brewers and customers with adequate light.
The brew house was custom made in Wisconsin and is the only American-made brew house being used in Alabama. The brew house is treated as an art piece framed by steel and reclaimed wood. Butt jointed glass allows customers an uninterrupted view into the production of their beer and a literal window into the building’s industrial past.