Check out this video spotlighting the soon re-opening TCU football stadium. Opening game September 8th is coming fast!
Archive for July, 2012
Renovated TCU football stadium prepares to open
Tuesday, July 17th, 2012Is Construction America’s Least-Innovative Industry?
Thursday, July 12th, 2012Buildings today are conceived and constructed in much the same way as they were hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. A design team envisions what can be and draws this up conferring with a builder on how to get it done, the builder sets out to build the design and confers with the design team about intent, there is much conflict and camaraderie and moments of exhaustion and exhilaration, and then one day the building is finished and put to use.
This could describe a process today or in the time of Queen Hatshepsut, perhaps the most prolific of all the Egyptian Pharaohs. It could describe how we designed and built Hagia Sophia in Constantinople in 525, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1250, The Empire State Building in 1930 or The Burj Khalifa in 2010. We’ve cleaned things up a bit, leveraged research findings, brought more people into the mix, utilized the power of technology and generally put a 21st century spin on things, but it could be argued that the basic relationships and processes have evolved at a snail’s pace over the last two or three thousand years.
We believe we are on the cusp of a quantum leap in the design and construction industry; that the basic fundamental core relationships, the end product of design and the processes of imagining and building the places we inhabit are in the midst of a monumental sea change.
If you can shape it, you can build it. Parametricism, the science of advanced computational design and digital animation in the creation of fluid forms, envisions a new aesthetic, claiming relevance on all scales from architecture and interior spatial design to large-scale urban design projects. Through the use of parametric design we can input prescribed variables that determine space efficiencies, overall sustainability attributes, building skin performance, and virtually anything you can measure. We can then develop a prototypical virtual model of the design and predict how a building will perform before it is erected. (more…)
Hunter Speaks as a Panelist
Monday, July 9th, 2012HKS Architects, Inc. participated in the Bisnow LA Construction and Development Summit on June 25th at the Omni Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. In addition to hosting an exhibit, HKS LA Managing Principal Scott Hunter spoke as part of a panel of local AE professionals on the current and future state of Los Angeles construction and development. 250 attendees listened as Hunter and 3 other panelists (Andrew Millar, Hensel Phelps Construction; Tony Moayed, Tricorp Construction; and Chris Barton, Hudson Pacific Properties) provided insight into the future of construction for LA. CBRE senior managing director Robert Peddicord moderated the session.
Hunter told the audience that the firm’s LA office has grown 50% in 18 months by doing diverse projects. Not all are large-scale, but developers are starting to scout for projects, and the market is coming around slowly. However, the financial condition of government clients is still a concern. Case in point, HKS was awarded a major renovation of the federal building in Westwood, only to have the GSA pull the plug.
Hensel Phelps executive development manager Andrew Millar manages the area from San Diego up to the Santa Barbara County line. Two years ago, nothing was being budgeted, even in the private sector. Now, he’s got numerous projects in the budget stages, with growth driven by hospitality, high-rise residential, and healthcare. What keeps him sleepless in SoCal? The RFP process: going through design competitions and spending millions to chase a project; money the firm will never recoup.
According to Hunter, one of the challenges is designing creative space for tech or entertainment tenants that are looking for one-story bow-truss buildings with parking in front, while their developers can only make mid-rise buildings with structured parking work. Moayed and Millar agreed that one answer is design-build. Having a team from the start working on costs and efficiencies is better than trying to work in a vacuum. According to Millar, you’re getting real-time data and construction feedback, so it’s a better end product for the owner.
