Architecture

American Bungalow Magazine Features Historic Tampa

Ybor City's bungalow homes are featured in "Historic Tampa," a series of articles that highlight the rich historic value these homes add to the Tampa Bay region, in the Spring 2010 of American Bungalow Magazine.Del Acosta, an adjunct instructor at Tampa's International Academy of Design & Technology, shares a timeline of the Giunta Family -- vegetable farmers who emigrated from Sicily to Ybor City and built a Craftsman-style bungalow home in 1925.Read the complete story.

Saint Leo University In Pasco County Breaks Ground On Business School

Saint Leo University broke ground on a state-of-the-art facility that will house its School of Business. And it was all made possible by a former student who never set foot on the campus until he graduated.Phoenix entrepreneur Don Tapia donated $4 million to Saint Leo University for the purpose of building a 50,000-square-foot facility that will house nine new classrooms, 37 faculty offices and a broadcast recording studio. Tapia is a graduate of Saint Leo's online program. The building is a much needed asset to a growing campus and Tapia's gift was a welcome windfall."We were sort of bursting at the seams," explains Michael Nastanski, Dean of the School of Business. "With student growth on campus we're sort of at capacity. We ran out of office and classroom space."Nastanski is excited about the building's digital capabilities. "Picture an accounting class with ticker tapes flashed around the room. That's the kind of technology we're talking about."Saint Leo is a pioneer on the online course landscape. "We've been doing it for 15 years," says Nastanski. "Our programs contribute $246 million in revenue for the Tampa Bay area." In addition to its Pasco campus, the University has 17 satellite campuses that offer continuing education courses in seven states.Tapia researched several online programs before enrolling in Saint Leo's online business program. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in 2005 and attended the commencement exercises then. It was the first time he'd ever set foot on campus. The 72-year-old graduate went on to earn his master's in 2007 and later served as the university's first online program alumni to sit on its board of trustees.The building is set to be completed in time for the 2011 school year.Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: Michael Nastanski, Saint Leo University

USF Selected To Compete In U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon

The University of South Florida will be one of four Florida colleges joining together to represent Team Florida in the U.S Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon. The event, held in Washington D.C in Fall 2011, will bring together 20 teams spanning four continents for a two-week competition to design, build and operate the best solar-powered house. Team Florida was selected for "Flex House," a modular building system that includes a cistern for collecting rainwater and a solar chimney to let out rising heat.Read the complete story.

PechaKucha Returns To Tampa April 30, 8 Take Mike To Chit-Chat

Described as a rapid-fire, creative show-and-tell, PechaKucha 20x20 returns to Tampa on Friday, April 30, at the Armature building (the historic trolley barn in Tampa Heights) from 7-10pm.PechaKucha (pronounced: peh chak cha) is a Japanese word for "chit-chat." The event, which originated in 2003 in Tokyo, was created by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture. The goal is to provide a forum for young designers to meet, network and quickly show their work to the public. The "quick" part involves the format, which requires presenters to show 20 images for 20 seconds. The reasoning is simple, according to the website: "Because architects talk too much! Give a microphone and some images to an architect - or most creative people for that matter - and they'll go on forever! Give powerpoint to anyone else and they have the same problem.'' PechaKucha was launched in Tampa in 2009 by organizer Kenneth Cowart, an architect with ASD. Cowart says the rapid-fire format makes it a bit less formal. "Everyone has to be on their toes and it makes for awkward pauses and moments that are generally filled with humor, and it keeps the presentations lively and active." The eight presenters at PechaKucha Tampa Bay V5: -- Alfred Goldberg, mobile technology evangelist-- Mark Hebert, design anthropology-- Megan Hildebrandt, performance artist-- Lauren Alyssa Howard, visual artist-- L.A. Moore, photographer-- Randy Van Duinen, photographer-- Brandon Wagner, creative stylist-- Brian Willis, local politicsThe event will also be a fundraiser for Haiti relief. Proceeds will go to Architecture for Humanity 501(c) and will be used to build buildings.Writer: Nancy VaughnSource: Kenneth Cowart, ASD

Ken Rollins And Son Launch Art Consulting Company In St. Petersburg

Rollins Fine Art launches in St. Petersburg to provide fine art consultation and representation for artists nationwide. Led by father and son team, Ken and Noah A. Rollins, the firm represents over 150 artists working in various media and styles.Ken has served for 30 years as an art museum director for four museums in the Tampa Bay region including: The Deland Museum of Art, Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo, and finally at the Tampa Museum of Art. Noah is a Harvard-trained architect based in Tampa and is a LEED accredited professional with the U.S. Green Building Council."This is the first time we've had an opportunity to collaborate in a professional capacity," says Noah. "My 'day job' is as a designer in an international architecture firm, but it is entirely divorced from the work I do with my dad on Rollins Fine Art, so working with him provides me another creative outlet under a different structure." Noah says both his parents are visual artists. "My father worked in ceramics and my mother in fibers and metals jewelry, and I grew up around the visual and performing arts. My dad is extremely versed and experienced, so I constantly learn more from him." Rollins Fine Art will provide fine art placement support to architects, developers, interior designers, corporations and private art collectors. The duo represents painters, sculptors, digital artists, printmakers, photographers, and fine craft artists specializing in glass, wood, fiber and metal."We are unique in our ability to understand and solve architectural and design issues, integrating fine art and crafts or developing projects, beginning with schematic design through construction," says Ken.Rollins Fine Art is able to handle large-scale installations or collections going into incomplete projects.The most recent project for Rollins Fine Art's is the public art piece displayed at the Element condo tower in downtown Tampa. Collaborating with sculptor, Eric Higgs, the 60-foot-tall sculpture "Conversations" is installed at 12 different places on the Element's exterior. In the evening, 288 LED bulb lights illuminate the artwork, which is meant to serve as a "conversation" piece representing communication between individuals and nations. Ken advises that it also sets a precedence for sustainable lighting in public art.Writer: Nancy VaughnSource: Ken and Noah Rollins, Rollins Fine Art

American Institute Of Architects Honors Former Tampa Architect

Architect Christopher Kelley is one of nine recipients of The American Institute of Architects Young Architects Award for 2010. Kelley earned his Master in Architecture at the University of Florida and began working for Ruyle, Masters, Hayes + Jennewein Architects of Tampa in 1997. Kelley now works as an assistant studio director for Gensler in Washington, D.C.Read the complete story.

Encore In Downtown Tampa Hosts Job Fair, Seeks Construction Workers

Interior Design Firm In Tampa Seeks Additional Subcontractors

Studio LTR, a Tampa-based interior design firm specializing in residential projects involving new construction and renovations, plans to hire  additional subcontractors in 2010. Linda Cox, one of the company partners, says the business is in a growth pattern and is adding more projects and participating in commercial and high-end residential work. Cox says her business employs a wide variety of talented subcontractors, ranging from licensed building contractors who pull permits and work on multistory buildings projects to architects, who sign and seal drawings. Various craftsmen specializing in textile work are also employed as subs. Cox describes her firm's role as "the conduit'' between a client who has a vision for what he or she wants and the architect and construction experts who can make it happen. The firm is akin to "a ringmaster in a circus,'' she says. Every project is different, and none is typical, she says, pointing out that projects can range from remodeling an exercise room in a large multistory condo to doing a bathroom remodel for a 1960s ranch style home. Through the end of March, Studio LTR is a participating design firm in the Florida Orchestra Designer Showcase at Ovation in downtown St. Petersburg. Two fully decorated condos by Studio LTR are on display at the Showcase at 180 Beach Drive NE. Proceeds benefit The Florida Orchestra. Writer: Lisa Clementi Source: Linda Cox, Studio LTR

Photo Slideshow: McNichols Company, Tampa

The perforated aluminum "skin" that wraps around the Tampa Museum of Art was provided by the McNichols Company, a Tampa=based global manufacturer of perforated metal, expanded metal, wire mesh and other decorative metals, as well as a full line of grating and flooring products. See the sights and hear the sounds inside the McNichols Company as workers create such designer metals for use by architects and builders.