Tom Griffin

By Tom Griffin, AIA, Editor

This is our first “printing” of the new E-Charrette version of the AIA Orlando newsletter. We are very excited about this new format, and hope that you will enjoy the many new features. This issue will be sent out in both emailed and mailed printed versions to make sure everyone receives the newsletter. Starting with the next issue in October, the Charrette will be sent by email only.

Please reply back if you received (or did NOT receive) the emailed version of the Charrette, so that we will know where we might have connection problems to your email addresses to fix. Also, let us know if you have any suggestions. We have tried to keep the look of the Charrette as closely as we could, while upgrading the colors slightly to the new AIA National recommendations. Some of the new features include the ability to click on pictures to enlarge them, to click on article titles in the Contents to go directly to that article. We will have more flexibility about the number of articles and size, and production costs will be lower due to the elimination of printing and postage expenses. There will still be advertising opportunities available between articles that could be set up to click directly to that company's website. You may also still print out the Charrette from your emailed version on your own printer if you prefer to read it that way.

Thank you for your patience as we upgrade the Charrette to better serve you in the architectural profession.

By Richelle Siska, HKS Architects, Inc.

Hotel & Resort operators compete daily for a share of the Central Florida tourism dollar, they rely on architects to enhance their resort's image. They look for unique and highly creative design solutions tailored specifically to their needs on every assignment.  Successful resorts highlight their unique amenities as a differentiator to the competition, and a successful resort architect must be keenly aware of latest trends in the industry. Often the best research and education comes from on-site experience; checking in to a few key resorts each year to evaluate the product and test drive the amenities. “In the “ notice me…notice me! ” hotel and entertainment business of central Florida, it pays to know your clients business as intimately as we know our own,” states Matt Clear, Sr. Vice President and Principle at HKS Architects, Inc. in Orlando.

Doral Golf Club and Resort Ballroom Addition, Miami, Florida (click to enlarge)

The HKS Orlando office currently has in design the Doral Golf Club and

Resort Ballroom addition in Miami. The Doral addition is a 64,000 s.f. single-story building addition with a 24,000 s.f. ballroom. The design of the ballroom incorporates a 22 foot ceiling that will allow for many different types of exhibits and shows, including boat shows with sailboats at full mast. A food service kitchen, special effects lighting, sub-dividable partitions, and a porte-cochere drop-off for valet parking as well as paved and landscaped terraces are among the many features of this resort project, expected to be completed by December 2006.

Hilton Hotel Hurricane Restoration, Melbourne, Florida (click to enlarge)

The Hilton Hotel Hurricane Restoration Project in Melbourne, Florida will restore the facility to its pre 2004 hurricane season condition while updating affected areas to Florida Building Code standards for wind blown debris. All exterior doors and windows are to be replaced as well as all guestroom sliding glass doors on the beach side. The first 60 feet of the hotel will receive impact glazing. Interior renovations due to water damage from last years storms will also restore the facility while updating it to the 2001 Florida building code for egress and accessibility. The 11 story, 119 room hotel with a first floor restaurant, ballroom and hotel business center will receive all new furnishings, fixtures and interior detail.

Grand Vacations Club, Orlando, Florida (Rendering) (click to enlarge)

Fugleberg Koch currently has on the boards Phase 6 at Hilton Grand Vacations Club with Phase 7 starting soon. The project has seven residential mid-rise towers (two towers in Phase I) that have been designed to encompass an 11-acre manmade lake. The Tuscan hillside with a mix of Venetian style Clubhouse and Preview Center overlooks a courtyard with a view of the 10,000 s.f. pool and 20,000 s.f. amenity deck with a large lake backdrop.

The units were designed to exceed the current design standards of the interval ownership market. The design included custom finished cabinets, granite countertops, upsized whirlpool tubs, higher end appliance package, custom build-in furniture, and custom designed light fixtures. There are 384 units and 720 keys in the total project build-out. The theme is Tuscan hillside with a mix of Venetian appointments.

The project was submitted in the 2005 ARDA Awards in the Resort Architecture category winning a GOLD, best in its category.

Rosen Shingle Creek Resort & Golf Club, Orlando, Florida (click to enlarge)

Rosen Shingle Creek Resort & Golf Club currently under construction and designed by HHCP includes design features such as 1,500 guestrooms, hospitality and presidential suites, and 250,000 s.f. of ballroom and meeting facilities. When completed, the resort will offer one of the largest “column free” ballrooms (95,000 s.f.) in the United States. All of the guest rooms offer scenic views, and are equipped with the latest innovations in computer technology. The resort also features a full service Spa and Health Club, tennis courts, three outdoor swimming pools, and walking trails for guests to enjoy.

The signature 18-hole championship golf course designed by David Harman, and its HHCP-designed Clubhouse is already available for public use.

Shades of Green® at Walt Disney World® Resort Interior / exterior (click to enlarge)

KBJ Architects, Inc.'s Shades of Green® at Walt Disney World® Resort is a major expansion in Lake Buena Vista. The United States Armed Forces Recreation Center purchased the Disney Hotel in the mid 1990's to provide a reasonably priced vacation facility for military families to visit the local theme parks. The original 288 room hotel is situated between the Palm and Magnolia Golf Courses and directly across the street from Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom main entrance. The expansion of the facility

includes 300 guest rooms, 3 specialty restaurants, a multi-purpose Ballroom with an entry arcade, covered terraces, kitchen facilities, and pre-function Lobbies. The 5,500 s.f. Ballroom is designed for banquet styled dinners/meetings and also serves as the media center for the annual Professional Golf Association tournament hosted by Disney in November. This media center provides state-of-the-art telecommunications and data utilities to televise this event. Moveable partitions allow the Ballroom to be divided into four equal meeting rooms; all served from the food service facilities on this floor.

Guests arrive at an elevated exposed beam porte-cochere and ornamental rockscape entry that is situated 36" above the existing finished floor of the old facility. A grand covered stone staircase leads the lower level transportation terminal and Breakfast on the Run food service facility. The elevated new building accommodates the back-of-house functions on the lower floor level. Kitchens, storage rooms, employee lockers and dining facilities are situated off the service side of the facility. The Main Lobby level provides guest check-in, Guest Lobby, Specialty Pod Restaurant, and the Ballroom amenities. Guest rooms are oriented towards the golf course for spectacular vistas of the Florida flora and fauna. Adjacent to the Ballroom and Guest Rooms is a 600 car, 5 story parking garage structure that is fully integrated into the design of the resort.

"Tackling Hunger – Level the Playing Field" Cuhaci & Peterson, 2,423 Food Items, Awarded: Best Meal, Best Use of Albertsons Product (click to enlarge)

It's never too late to help someone in need. It's never too late to give to your community. It's never too late to give something of yourself.

YES, we are talking about joining the fun and rewarding CANSTRUCTION® Challenge. Your friends and colleagues have been participating in this event for years. Don't you think it is time for you and your firm to accept the challenge to help the hungry of Central Florida ?

When: October 18th–October 23rd

Where: Orlando Fashion Square Mall

For more information see the CANSTRUCTION® Orlando website http://www.canstruction-orlando.com/

Eola Drive Tour (click to enlarge)

For the June AIA Orlando Chapter Meeting we gathered for our 2nd Annual Downtown event at the Loft in the Central City Market, in the heart of Thornton Park. We had the opportunity to listen to two prominent downtown figures, which included Frank Billingsley with the Downtown Development Board and Phil Rampy, Developer and Founder of Olde Town Brokers, Inc. Anyone who has visited the downtown area recently has experienced the incredible growth that has occurred over the last five years. Frank kicked off the meeting with an overview of all the current and upcoming downtown residential projects for Orlando. The following is a list of some of the current and proposed projects for Downtown Orlando:

Eola South – Completed 2005 – $10 million project (Baker Barrios Project);

Osceola Brownstones – Completion 3rd Quarter 2005 - $5 million project (Urban Studios Architects);

Star Tower – Proposed - $30 million project;

The Jackson – Under Construction – Completion 3rd Quarter 2005 - $10 million project (BakerBarrios Architects);

Paramount on Lake Eola – Proposed - $125 million project (LRK Architects/ZOM Inc.);

The Sanctuary – Under Construction – Completion 3rd Quarter 2005 - $60 million project (Mike Penny Architects);

217 North Eola – Proposed - $12 million project (BakerBarrios Architects);

Solaire at the Plaza – Under Construction – $52 million project (Preston Partnership Architects);

55 West at the Esplanade – Proposed - $164.5 million project;

Ridgely Manor – Proposed - $170 million project (KBJ Architects); The Vue at Lake Eola – Under Construction - $85 million project (Forum Design Architects);

The Ivanhoe – Proposed - $80 million project (BakerBarrios Architects);

Tradition Towers – Proposed - $175 million project (HKS Architects).

Phil Rampy talked about his vision of Downtown Orlando and the popular “new urbanism” movement which is occurring in the Central Florida area. Following Phil's presentation, Wes Featherston, with BakerBarrios Architects, gave a brief presentation on The Jackson. The group gathered afterwards for a walking tour of The Jackson, which was located a few blocks south of Central City Market. Thanks goes out to Jennings Construction Services LLC for their sponsorship for this event and for keeping the construction site available for the tour. Stay tuned next year when we revisit new and upcoming commercial projects for Downtown Orlando.

By Christopher J. Nemethy, AIA Assoc.

HuntonBrady Architects

Jay Ammon (AIA Architect) graduated from Kent State University in 1978. Jay moved to Florida in 1982. He opened his own firm, Jay Ammon Architect, Inc. near Orlando in 1991 and specializes in building envelope consulting. He is married and has three children.

Darren Kaye (Allied AIA) grew up in Central Florida graduating from Winter Park High School 1992 and Brevard College, Brevard N.C. in 1997. Upon completion, he then spent 4 years in the United States Air Force in Hampton, Virginia. Darren has been married for 10 years to his wife Allison and has 3 children - ages 8, 3 and 1 ½. He currently works for Rulon Company, the nation's leader in Wood and PVC Ceilings and Wall Systems.

Ana Monnaco (Associate AIA) was born in Curitiba, Brazil. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2002. Upon graduation, Ana moved to Orlando to join Morris Architects and serves as a designer for both the Hospitality and Entertainment studios. She is LEED-certified and a member of the USGBC Orlando Chapter. Ana and her husband, Carlos, are celebrating their one year anniversary this October.   

James Horvath (Associate AIA) spent his pre-college years growing up just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Since graduating from Kent State University in 2000, James has been involved in both commercial and residential designs. He is an Associate at The Scott Partnership Architecture, which he joined in 2001. Just this past June, he received his license. In his free time he enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and co-workers.

W. Carl Taylor (AIA Architect) is a structural engineer as well as an architect. Carl received his degrees from The University of Tennessee where he taught structures in the School of Architecture over a ten year period. After living 50+ years in east Tennessee, he closed his private practice and relocated to Central Florida in the Fall of 2003 to establish a regional office for Michael Brady Inc., and A/E firm based in Knoxville. He and his wife reside in Ponce Inlet with their 9 year old Chow Chow, Callie.

Jeff Friedrich (AIA Architect) is one of the principals of The Friedrich Watkins Company in Orlando. He graduated from Purdue University and has worked in the Central Florida construction industry for over 20 years.  Jeff and his wife Lisa have been married 21 years and have three teenagers.

Gail Goretsky-Ramos (Associate AIA) is a Florida native and a graduate of the University of Miami 1995. She spent a year abroad studying architecture at the Charles Rennie Mackintosh School of Architecture and has worked for architects in both New York City and Orlando, FL. She currently works for C.P.H. Engineers and is very blessed to have a happy two year old boy, Gregory.

Hernando Castano (Intl. Associate AIA) graduated from "Universidad Nacional de Colombia" in 1992 with specialization on Ordering of Urban Environmental and lectures on Buildings on Guadua (Bamboo). After 9 years of professional practice in design and construction Hernando came to Orlando in Spring 2001. Since then, he was working at E&BT LLC and recently became a part of Baker Barrios Architects.

Amy Wan (Associate AIA) was born and grew up in China. She graduated from The University in Switzerland in 1998, and then got her Masters of Architecture degree from SCAD ( Savannah College of Art & Design) in GA in 2002. Amy has been working at BSB Architects & Planners as intern architect for over 2 years. So far, it has been a fun journey for her!

Chris Little (Allied AIA) is originally from Ohio moving to the great state of Florida four years ago with Dietrich Metal Framing.  Chris's entire career has been with Dietrich since graduating from Mount Union College with a degree in Business and Sports Management. While not working, Chris enjoys outdoor activities and watching sports.

Escherl Flyer (click to enlarge)

When the Orlando Museum of Art began its search for sponsors to fund the upcoming M.C. Escher: Rhythm of Illusion exhibition their fund raising team saw in the exhibition's content something that Orlando's architects may share a particular interest in. To gauge this interest, OMA Executive Director Marena Grant Morrisey approached AIA Orlando members Terry Irwin, AIA and C.T. Hsu, AIA with sponsorship opportunities. Both architects saw potential in the exhibition and a proposal was brought to AIA Orlando's Board of Directors to organize a sponsorship effort through the Chapter. The Board embraced the idea, seeing it as a way to create a stronger relationship with the OMA and advance the Chapter's goals for community involvement.

Having only a few weeks to organize and execute the sponsorship effort, the Board decided on a focused approach, inviting individuals from AIA member firms to attend a luncheon at the museum on June 17. A delicious meal was provided courtesy of AIA Orlando's Allied Member Representative, Larry Trobough. The program consisted of a presentation on the life and work of M.C. Escher by the museum's curator, Mr. Hanson Mulford, followed by a sponsorship presentation from John Ehrig, FAIA. Mr. Ehrig emphasized the important role that the museum has in supporting the mission of Orange County Public Schools; highlighting the lasting impact that sponsorship of this exhibition would have on the thousands of children and families that will visit the museum to view Escher's work.

The luncheon was very successful, and when the sponsorship effort concluded, over $30,000 had been generated from the following AIA Orlando member firms: Burke, Hogue, & Mills Architects, C.T. Hsu + Associates, P.A., DLR Group, HHCP Architects, Hunton Brady Architects, Rhodes + Brito Architects, and Starmer Ranaldi Planning & Architecture. An initial individual contribution was made by Terry Irwin, AIA as well. Upon reviewing the results of this effort, AIA Orlando's Board of Directors convened in July and voted to make a contribution on behalf of the Chapter toward the sponsorship, bringing total sponsorship dollars raised to over $35,000.

A sponsorship benefits package for this exhibition will be tailored for AIA Orlando members, so look for an announcement soon for details on member benefit availabilities. In the mean time, when you drive by the Orlando Museum of Art, look closely at the banner facing 17-92 and you will see the words “Made possible through the support of the American Institute of Architects Orlando Chapter and its members.” Thanks to all who contributed and participated in this effort. It is our hope that this initiative has strengthened the ties between the OMA and AIA Orlando and that this is the beginning of a lasting relationship that the entire community will benefit from.

The M.C. Escher: Rhythm of Illusion exhibition will be at the Orlando Museum of Art from August 13 until October 30. For more details visit www.OMArt.org.

We were all very saddened to hear of the recent deaths of two of our AIA Orlando architects, D.B. Young and Al Gilder. Both have been active members of AIA, and were creative, well-liked, and respected throughout the design community. We will miss their happy, smiling faces, and our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and friends.

D.B. Young

Downing (D.B.) Young died unexpectedly on July 7, 2005. He was born in Marianna, Florida in 1947, and was raised in Cairo, Ga., Tampa, and St. Augustine. He received his architectural degree from University of Florida in 1971. D.B. moved to Orlando in 1973, where he was a partner of Cox Partnership and A/R/C Associates. In 1985 he founded the architectural and roofing consulting firm, D.B. Young and Associates in Longwood. Since then, he has been known for his imaginative roofing details and knowledge.

Al Gilder

Alden (Al) William Gilder died on August 7, 2005 from complications sustained during the same car accident five months ago in which fellow architect, Manny Suarez died. Al had been in a coma since the accident, and his health had continued to deteriorate. In 1963, Al was born in Lafayette, La. and raised there. He graduated from LSU in architecture in 1986, and worked for Spillis Candela for 16 years. He joined DLR Group in 2003 and was a Junior Partner. Al worked on several large projects including Universal Studios Islands of Adventure and a correctional facility near Leesburg.

AIA Golf Tournament Logo (click to enlarge)

You are cordially invited to join Central Florida 's top architectural design professionals in the 16th annual AIA Orlando Golf Tournament benefiting Valencia Community College Foundation scholarship fund and AIA Orlando.

This is the fourth year that AIA has teamed up with the Valencia Foundation and currently the chapter has raised $66,000 for students in financial need. We are looking forward to this year's tournament at Disney's Golf Courses. Please join us on Friday, September 30, 2005, at the beautiful Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge courses.

For more information on the AIA Orlando Golf Tournament, please go to the website at www.aiaorlando.com “What's New” section.

(click to enlarge)

The guest speaker for our AIA Orlando July meeting was Dr. Patrick Herron, Chief Facilities Officer for Orange County Public Schools. Dr. Herron graciously offered to present the Second Annual “Snap Shot” of the Facilities Program that OCPS is undertaking since the “Change 4 Kids” Sales Tax initiative was voted into effect.

Dr. Pat Herron reported that OCPS had 26,000 additional students added during the last 6 years, and expect an extra 36,000 students through the next 10 years. This has caused a current deficit of 30,000 student seats that are not in permanent facilities. This is further compounded by the Class Size Amendment. There are 136 existing schools in need of significant repair and modernization. OCPS is also building 25 new or relief schools. The budget for all of this work is $3.3 billion - $2.1 billion from the Sales Tax and $1.2 billion from normal funding sources.

(click to enlarge)

The “good news” is that Sales Tax receipts are exceeding projections by plus $4.9 million for year 2004. The “bad news” is that construction material prices have also increased significantly (about 13% over last year). Nine new schools are to open this year, and 10 new schools next year. “Success” will be gauged on quality, and being within budget and on schedule. The OCPS Prototypes will continue to be refined, and they are also making adjustments for the Class Size Amendment – the new classroom size is 825 sf.

Dr. Herron is not only well versed in the business of School Facility Design and infrastructure, but he also understands the Designer's side to this business. This kind of educated client is essential to our profession's success in Educational Planning and Design. AIA Orlando is proud of the relationship it has developed with Orange County Public Schools and Dr. Herron. The AIA and OCPS both recognize the importance of a continued open dialogue regarding the past, present, and future growth of OCPS, and how AIA can and will support that growth, both as an industry and as community leaders.

Steve Murphy, AIA Orlando President-Elect, also made a sales pitch that we need more volunteers to participate in our Government Affairs efforts. This is a very important committee in our Chapter that needs everyone's support and involvement.