Bertram Goodhue’s Intent Honored

by

 

Rendering of proposed courtyard update. Image courtesy of the Nebraska Capitol Commission

Rendering of proposed courtyard update. Image courtesy of the Nebraska Capitol Commission

Nebraska lawmakers voted to override Gov. Dave Heineman’s vetoes of state budget items, including funding for four bronze courtyard fountains and a new heating system at the Nebraska State Capitol.

The 37-11 vote came days after the Governor announced that he had trimmed $65 million from the Legislature’s updated budget package. Heineman singled out the $2.5 million fountain project as a less important priority than state-funded property tax relief.

Many private fundraising efforts for the fountains have occurred over the years and have been unsuccessful.  Senator John Nelson of Omaha, who introduced LB 797, said the state is now able to finish the project and if lawmakers hadn’t acted, it could have been postponed indefinitely.

The fountains would mark the completion of architect Bertram Goodhue’s original design. They were originally expected to sit in each of the building’s four open-air courtyards, but the work was halted because of the Great Depression. With the new funding, construction is expected to be completed just before Nebraska celebrates its 150th anniversary as a state in 2017.

Zoo School

by

Henry Doorly Zoo Conservation Academy sketch, image courtesy of DLR Group.

Henry Doorly Zoo Conservation Academy sketch, image courtesy of DLR Group.

DLR Group in association with CLR Design was recently selected to work with the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo to program, plan and design a facility that they will call the Conservation Academy.

This project will integrate indoor and outdoor facilities that will provide educational opportunities that will support their Pre-school – Kindergarten education programs as well as their high school education program.  The Pre-K to 8 year old outdoor education facilities will also be available to zoo visitors.

This project will support the Zoo’s Education Mission. Engaging children with nature has been the subject of many recent books and studies that have identified a “nature deficit” in that children appear to be losing touch with the natural world around them.  The Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo intends to make a difference in this area and be a leader among North American zoological institutions.

Cool Spaces!

by

Steven Chung, AIA, interviewing Frank Geary, FAIA. Photo courtesy of Cool Spaces!

Steven Chung, AIA, interviewing Frank Geary, FAIA. Photo courtesy of Cool Spaces!

If you receive the AIArchitect emails from the AIA, you may have seen this article from March 21, 2014, entitled “Cool Spaces! Premiers on PBS in April.”  You can view the article here: http://www.aia.org/practicing/AIAB102008

The show will investigate the design process through specific building types.  “Cool Spaces!, hosted by Stephen Chung, AIA, will explore how architects and their clients use innovative technology and practiced design traditions to shape the world around us. Equally interested in the design process and the design product, the program will demystify the work that architects do for a general audience, helping to build awareness of how an architect’s hand can improve and refine nearly every aspect of the built environment.”

Intrigued, I looked to see when we can watch in Nebraska, but there are currently no air dates set for NET Nebraska (http://www.coolspaces.tv/cool-spaces-season-1-air-dates/).  We’ll keep an eye out and post an update when we hear more.

In the meantime, you can watch the trailer here: http://www.architectmagazine.com/videos/detail/ar-2014-02-11-cool-spaces-exclusive-premiere/2114509

And, you can visit the Cool Spaces! website here: http://www.coolspaces.tv/

 

Historic Architecture – which side are you on?

by

Joslyn MuseumArchitecture plays a significant role in defining our culture.  From the first known buildings on earth over 5000 years ago and in the US over 1200 years ago, we have a sense of cultures lived in the past. 

Architecture designed today, in the current culture we live, will become the historical fabric of the future.  Today we are building the history of tomorrow.

It is the understanding of the past and creativity of the present that allows us to move ideas forward, to advance our culture.  People tend to be more comfortable with a familiar environment, detail or material.  It is human nature, literally.  Our first experience of shelter existed within the natural elements, which is why even today most people resonate with stone, wood and daylight. 

We are at an exciting point in design.  Innovation and creativity are experiencing a new age with an increased rate of interactions and technologies which simplify complexities in structures.  At the same time, the built environment is becoming more and more significant considering the move of the population to urban spaces. The opportunity exists today to create spaces that touch our spirit, just as they have in the significant structures completed hundreds of years ago.

As a culture, we should both embrace our historic structures of the past and appreciate the concept that design ideas conceived for the built environment today will become the historic structures of the future.

Linus Burr Smith, FAIA: Heritage and Architecture Education at UNL

by

Linus Burr Smith, FAIA, undated photo

Linus Burr Smith, FAIA, undated photo

Linus Burr Smith in the classroom, FAIA, undated photo

Linus Burr Smith in the classroom, FAIA, undated photo

With the pending restructuring of the College of Architecture and the Hixson-Lied College of Fine & Performing Arts, it’s worth stepping back and reflecting on a significant segment of the College of Architecture’s heritage – the tenure of Linus Burr Smith, FAIA – Chairman of the Department of Architecture for 30 years (1934-1964).

At the age of 35, Linus Burr Smith was appointed Chairman of the Department of Architecture at the University of Nebraska. His curriculum vita was impressive – educated at Kansas State University, Harvard University and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He taught and practiced in Kansas for 10 years before joining the faculty at the University of Nebraska in 1934.

Burr was a man of many talents – an accomplished design architect, a renowned artist particularly in watercolor, a commanding knowledge of architecture history and design styles, a philosopher and a respected administrator. Between 1948 and the mid 50’s he was at least partially responsible for the design of five major buildings on the University campus. His affability and quick wit made him one of the most colorful characters on campus. But for those who experienced Burr during his 30-plus year tenure, it was his passion for teaching and his lectures on architectural history and design that inspired a whole generation of young architects at UNL.

Continue reading →