Building APS

Rio grande HS ISP bldg

2011-01-20T10:19:00.001-07:00

YouTube Video

Sensory room
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RFK schematic presentation

2011-01-06T16:02:00.001-07:00

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laugh!

2010-12-17T08:59:00.001-07:00

for the new year, a revamp.

2010-12-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

on the sketch page: new gym + admin @RFK Charter school

2010-12-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

architects: DWLNM

the coolest invite of the season

2010-12-08T14:44:00.001-07:00

from rmkm

2010-12-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

in progress. rio grande ISP.

2010-11-04T13:05:00.001-06:00

2010-11-04T11:03:00.001-06:00

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on the boards: south valley academy.

2010-11-02T14:48:00.005-06:00

break from the prosaic. Predock's ASU museum.

2010-10-27T07:25:00.002-06:00

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Location:ASU Tempe. AZ, USA

2010-10-24T21:26:00.001-06:00

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Images from the trek east

2010-10-01T12:12:00.002-06:00

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Images from the trek east

2010-10-01T10:31:00.002-06:00

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Images from the trek east

2010-10-01T10:27:00.002-06:00

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Images from the trek east

2010-10-01T10:15:00.002-06:00

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Images from the trek east

2010-10-01T10:11:00.002-06:00

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Spray insulation at RGhS ISP

2010-09-09T16:44:00.001-06:00

YouTube Video

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Celebration

2010-09-03T10:38:00.001-06:00

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diversion. visual acoustics/ the modernism of julius schulman

2010-08-30T11:30:00.004-06:00

if for anything else, this documentary film will serve as a mini seminar on the evolution, influences and people involved in the making of california's modern architecture captured by the photographer julius schulman.

rentable/ streamable from netflix or your local [hip] video rental company.

2010-08-24T12:00:00.000-06:00

Lightwell. RGHS

2010-08-19T09:05:00.000-06:00

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Location:Arenal Rd SW,Albuquerque,United States

AHAS. aspects

2010-08-17T12:08:00.001-06:00

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[finishing] elsewhere in the district

2010-08-02T10:56:00.026-06:00

the georgia o'keefe elem school in the NE heights by john anderson architect. previously noted here [on-the-boards].

location here. [google map after the jump]

aps staff architect/manager: tyler mason aia

aps staff construction manager: frank shaw

***

notes.

jon anderson had to have had some awareness and appreciation of the work by the school's namesake. georgia o'keeefe's oeuvre is both familiar and ubiquitous: the poppies and the petunias, the skulls and the studied closeups of northern NM hillsides and canyons, the expanses of skies and deserts compositionally dominating what's depicted as life- or decayed objects, a skull- in the fore. she also does the obverse- she rarely focuses on the middle ground. she thrives in the super-macro equally as she delves into the micro- closeup of her subjects. one could characterize her work as being about intense focus and seeing. and her canvasses expresses a great deal of restraint even while her use of colors is intense. there is always a large field of monochrome to offset this, neutralizing the composition's pitch, balancing these color bursts.

this is not unlike the approach that jon anderson employs in his latest school architecture [or his only sizable work for the district, he has lately been partnered with antoine predock as executive architect for the latter's many local comissions, the latest of which is the UNM school of architecture here; or an improbably miesian use of glass for mesa del sol town hall here.]. but the school design at georgia o'keefe is not unlike the approach he employs to most of his architecture in general [see especially his houses; in particular schwartz, white, archibeck, griego-ruth]. there is a thread of unabashed modernity, a conscious grounding to the inspirations of place and region. a trait and modus that he shares and perhaps honed with his partnership with predock.

but he does not limit himself to just that, the works hark to the sensibility of barragan of mexico, moves that the early california modernists in neutra, wurster, lautner may employ. in theirs and his, there is remarkable restraint and economy.

color is used peripherally and sparingly at this school's design; except for an amorphous and angular dark [a color?] metal-clad volume that defines the cafeteria visible at the southern facade and that turns into a shed structure in the courtyard, the visitor is confronted with mostly a neutral field-- polished concrete floors and off white walls. three reverberant colors [or iterations/version of red, yellow, green] are always parallel-- usually above one that subtly underpins, the field of vision and never confronted perpendicularly. these colors outline and always over you as you traverse the circulation areas. they are also always under eaves outside of window openings.

one affect i find compelling: in varying degrees depending on the time, angle and intensity of light hitting them, is the colors evanescent nature/propensity to wash adjacent building planes in paler, softer, nuanced shades and hue. this effect comes and goes and they evoke similar effects that the works of dan flavin in which colored fluorescent bulbs propped bare against a wall renders the adjacent planes as if lit from within. rothko's work, in a different medium, does the same.

the floor plan suggests a an elongated letter U-- with its left leg on the south perpendicular to the letter base, the right leg canted a few degrees off perpendicular [to base] towards the NW forming and embracing a courtyard that opens the west and NW. the base of the letter is two stories high with administration consisting the bottom and classrooms on top. the canted volume to the north consist of two stories classrooms arranged off of a double loaded corridor at the top and with kindergarten classrooms at the bottom opening into the covered portal/ eaves and into the courtyard. the southern leg is partially occupied as classrooms above with most of the remainder to be left as bigger two-storey volume for the cafeteria. all of the these three volumes intersect and are contiguous to each other.

the only shortcoming i found is this: reception and office can be easily missed. the visitor, cued by the big school sign on the southside enters the building from there and may be tempted to walk to the courtyard beyond. the intended path: front door, hallway right, hallway left. but this is an incidental point that could not be readily addressed by directional signage.

Publish Post

the first gold leed-for-schools in albuquerque

2010-07-30T14:35:00.001-06:00

for THIS project.

Break from the prosaic. Louis Kahn. Ft. Worth. II

2010-07-28T10:01:00.002-06:00

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Break from the prosaic. Louis Kahn. Ft. Worth

2010-07-28T09:36:00.001-06:00

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Break from the prosaic. Renzo Piano. Dallas.

2010-07-28T09:29:00.002-06:00

At the Nasher

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Break from the prosaic. Tadao Ando. Ft. Worth

2010-07-28T09:25:00.002-06:00

. Fort Worth

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Break from the prosaic. Tadao Ando. Ft Worth. II

2010-07-28T07:53:00.000-06:00

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rghs. isp. progress.

2010-07-02T08:23:00.003-06:00

this IDEA is [in the process of] being materialized.

edward gonzales elementary school

2010-06-29T16:07:00.001-06:00

returns to my cluster to manage. a good sum had recently been allocated for landscaping which was not afforded during the building construction. recent photos from this morning visit.

break from the prosaic. fumihiko maki. st. louis, mo.

2010-06-24T22:49:00.002-06:00

break from the prosaic. tadao ando. st. lious: the pulitzer foundation.

2010-06-24T22:47:00.001-06:00

from the archives. ahahs.

2010-06-08T11:42:00.000-06:00

break from the prosaic. steven holl. kansas city.

2010-05-18T09:56:00.004-06:00

steven holl's bloch building addition to the nelson atkins museum, kansas city, MO.

photographed from the weekend.

progress. rio grande ISP building

2010-05-06T12:00:00.000-06:00

landscape concept. los padillas ES.

2010-04-29T10:25:00.001-06:00

elsewhere in the district

2010-04-22T11:36:00.005-06:00

a new kindergarten addition in highly saturated colored stucco- at alamosa e.s. by PA Architects. APS Staff Architect is David Ritchey.

the architect's conception here.

APS' and the the State's first certified LEED for Schools Gold

2010-04-21T08:34:00.007-06:00

Barcelona Elem School. related story/press realease[s] here and here.

photo from Baker Architecture. more here.

helen cordero es.

2010-04-14T09:50:00.000-06:00

update to this.

ahahs. progress.

2010-04-13T12:01:00.000-06:00

rghs. conduit in the way of the stormpipe line

2010-04-13T12:00:00.001-06:00

top pvc pipe: QWEST fiberoptic
bottom pvc pipe: copper

our building efforts. in [other/ wider] context.

2010-03-04T09:14:00.001-07:00

the handmade school in Rudrapur, Bangladesh. the story here.

via archdaily.

adobe acres kindergarten and art-music classroom addition

2010-02-24T10:20:00.003-07:00

images: rmkm

2010-02-18T08:42:00.001-07:00

Metro Youth Art Exhibit from APSinMotion on Vimeo.

AHAHS from google's sky

2010-02-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map

elsewhere in the district: proposed new construction for del norte high school

2010-02-08T15:59:00.006-07:00

site/ location
aps staff engineer/ manager: richard miller, pe
aps staff construction manager: stewart ingham, leed ap
designer: dekker perich sabatini
images: dps

aps video production #2: marketing for the upcoming bond election.

2010-01-20T08:58:00.002-07:00

APS Bond Election 2010 from APSinMotion on Vimeo.

aps videp production #1: launching the new website

2010-01-18T14:41:00.004-07:00

Welcome to aps.edu! from APSinMotion on Vimeo.

APS web on the iPhone

2010-01-18T11:07:00.001-07:00

the revamped APS website

2010-01-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

Truman MS- Design Development Submittal to BoE.

2010-01-12T11:48:00.002-07:00

rio grande. ISP + health building.

2010-01-07T11:04:00.003-07:00

feeling the earth move. construction. rio grande high. Thu, 07 Jan 2010. 10:30am. from aps architect on Vimeo.

tools: iphone 3g, ivideo app [$0.99]

in the news: AHAHS Ph II [partial opening]

2010-01-05T08:27:00.002-07:00

ahahs' central courtyard using the iphone

2009-12-17T12:32:00.005-07:00

ahahs' central courtyard from aps architect on Vimeo.

ahahs' library/media center using the iphone

2009-12-17T12:27:00.002-07:00

New Video from aps architect on Vimeo.

front page: todays paper. ahahs as prop

2009-12-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

on LEED

2009-12-15T22:18:00.002-07:00

What is LEED from leed on Vimeo.

LEED v3 and LEED 2009 from U.S. Green Building Council on Vimeo.

LEED AP and LEED GA: GBCI's LEED Credentials from U.S. Green Building Council on Vimeo.

sidebar: on design [method/process/strategy]

2009-12-15T22:06:00.002-07:00

RESONANCE from chris hosmer on Vimeo.

Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce endorses the proposed $616 million mill levy and bond package

2009-12-11T17:15:00.002-07:00

Chamber of Commerce Endorses APS Funding

pragmatics and aesthetics

2009-12-10T12:47:00.002-07:00

professional photos of the soon-to-be-but-not-yet-Gold-LEED Barcelona ES

2009-12-03T15:23:00.011-07:00

design/photo credits and more photos and design exegesis from baker-a.d., the architect's website here.

all about the barcelona es project here.

approved schematic design/ direction. TRUMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

2009-12-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

development of previous concepts here and here.

all images: fbt architects.

imminent completion. phase II. the new atrsico heritage high school

2009-12-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

conceptualizing truman ms

2009-11-30T10:30:00.001-07:00

image: fbt architects; their development of this.

atrisco heritage academy high. imminent completion of phase II [of 3]. 11/25/09

2009-11-26T08:46:00.001-07:00

rudolfo anaya es. post-landscaping. 11/25/09

2009-11-26T08:44:00.001-07:00

Program. Truman MS

2009-11-23T10:01:00.001-07:00

Truman Middle School_Final Program Statement 11-18-09

[re] thinking truman m.s. programming.

2009-11-18T08:28:00.011-07:00

recently, the school's building committee considered two very general proposals from fbt architects showing two distinct locations for future expansions [of mostly classrooms] and solving chronic traffic and parking problems due to over-capacity:

a. option A in green proposes to create a northern urban edge, creating a new internal courtyard.
b. option B in brown proposes, less successfully, to abut to exisiting classrooms; while more compact, it presents less opportunities for external amenities.

either scheme would be done in at least two phases. as expected, the general direction of option A was unanimously favored. stay tuned...

graphics and concept: fbt architects

related for contemplation: alvaro siza 1, siza 2, siza 3

barcelona es. art/music + classroom addn

2009-11-17T12:51:00.001-07:00

architecture: mark baker/ baker a.d.

photo: r pasion

@AHAHS waiting to meet the Principal

2009-10-28T10:15:00.001-06:00

AHAHS progress. Admin & Library (2nd flr)

2009-10-20T11:42:00.001-06:00

AHAHS progress. Gym wing

2009-10-20T11:40:00.000-06:00

AHAHS progress

2009-10-20T11:39:00.000-06:00

New Music Art Classroom. Kit Carson ES

2009-10-19T11:06:00.000-06:00

At Kit Carson Walkthru

2009-10-19T10:46:00.000-06:00

At Kit Carson Walkthru

2009-10-19T10:45:00.000-06:00

Barcelona ES by Baker AD

2009-10-16T14:19:00.001-06:00

Barcelona ES Classrm Addn by Baker AD

2009-10-16T14:11:00.000-06:00

Barcelona

2009-10-16T14:07:00.000-06:00

Doodle. Truman

2009-10-16T14:06:00.001-06:00

Doodles. Truman classroom addn

2009-10-16T12:42:00.000-06:00

chicago. piano's modern wing addition.

2009-10-06T11:57:00.001-06:00

visiting chicago.

2009-10-02T09:11:00.000-06:00

adobe acres/ schematic.

2009-09-22T17:31:00.001-06:00

photos: rmkm architects

Master Planning at Mountain View ES

2009-09-11T15:02:00.001-06:00

fonts and signage

2009-09-04T11:34:00.000-06:00

rudolfo anaya elem school celebrates this evening.

2009-09-03T16:37:00.000-06:00

one method to our work.

2009-09-01T13:17:00.000-06:00

origami. as exemplified by this work from somewhere else: the chapel in villaceron, spain by Sancho-Madridejos Architecture Office via ArcDaily

gwathmey, the NY five and a short history of architecture

2009-08-24T07:54:00.004-06:00

By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF / NYTimes here:

"This nostalgia has much to do with what’s been lost in the years since the group’s prominence in the 1970s. The early years of that decade was a time when this city was beginning to close itself off to innovative architecture. But it was also a time when New York could still claim to be the country’s center of architectural thought, and Mr. Gwathmey and his colleagues had a great deal to do with maintaining that pre-eminence in the public imagination. The New York Five came to represent the idea that architecture could still express and advance our values as a culture. To some, the group embodies the last heroic period in New York architecture.

That the five came together at all seems almost an accident of fate. They had no real manifesto, no common aesthetic. Several young, promising New York architects were invited by Arthur Drexler, the director of the Museum of Modern Art’s legendary architecture department, to meet informally in the museum board room one day in the late ’60s to talk about their work. More meetings followed, a few attendees dropped out, others joined in. When the book “Five Architects,” which inspired the group’s name, was published in 1972, its success was a shock to everyone.

What the five architects did share, however, was a desire to reassert the importance of architecture as art form during a crisis in the profession. By the mid-1960s much of the Modernist dream was in ruins, and one of its central tenets — that architecture could act as an agent of positive social change — lay buried beneath decades of failed urban housing projects, soulless government buildings and sterile concrete plazas.

public service announcement. free movie night

2009-08-20T14:00:00.000-06:00

Posting in situ. AHAS

2009-08-20T10:02:00.002-06:00

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Aspects of AHAHS. 1st day of school

2009-08-20T09:08:00.002-06:00

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the project roundup.

2009-08-19T12:24:00.000-06:00

barcelona elem school classroom addition

SW valley stormwater project inaffiliation with AMAFCA, BernCo, US Corp of Engineer, APS

Atrisco Heritage Academy

another building opens at AHAHS.

2009-08-14T09:04:00.002-06:00

in time for the fall semester, the 10th grade academy opens earlier than the contract date. the remainder of phase II is still in the works.

elsewhere [outside APS]... khan builds in NYC.

2009-08-14T08:50:00.000-06:00

"I had this thought that a memorial should be a room and a garden. That's all I had. Why did I want a room and a garden? I just chose it to be the point of departure. The garden is somehow a personal nature, a personal kind of control of nature, a gathering of nature. And the room was the beginning of architecture. I had this sense, you see, and the room wasn't just architecture, but was an extension of self."

Excerpt from a lecture given at Pratt Institute. Published as «1973: Brooklyn, New York,» in Perspecta, The Yale Architectural Journal, volume 19, 1982.

via the AIA website here.
the project website here.

from the cooper union exhibit here.

"khan and the belated monument", an essay.

barcelona

2009-08-06T11:37:00.001-06:00

From the library . AHAHS

2009-07-23T16:33:00.001-06:00

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At ahas

2009-07-23T15:15:00.001-06:00

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