Gina Clifford, Author at DesignAlabama | Design Alabama

New BJCTA Intermodal Station

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Gina Clifford

Birmingham’s public transportation has been upgraded with the opening of the new Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority intermodal station.

Amtrak, Max, Greyhound and Megabus terminals are together in the facility that takes up three blocks along Morris Avenue in downtown Birmingham. BJCTA administrative offices will operate out of the new complex, and there is space for a food service component and a police substation.

The new transit hub replaces the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority Central Station and Amtrak building

Riders at the old station complained about not being able to see buses from the waiting room. So, the new station has a long glass waiting room with the buses circulating around it and seats oriented outward. Riders can sit and watch the bus slip for their ride while sheltered by a huge overhanging roof, notes project architect Jamie Aycock of Giattina Aycock Architecture Studio in Bessemer.

“The intermodal complex is contemporary modern,” Aycock explains. “That’s not a style; it is a statement of being designed and built in the era in which we live and it strongly speaks to the function of housing the services and people who use it, while filling the need for a strong civic structure in the area.”

There is no ornamentation. Instead, everything in the complex speaks to the utilitarian aspect of the building. Materials are simple and in a neutral palate.

When viewed for the first time, what is most striking is a huge sheltering roof over the two-story intermodal station that soars out and overhangs the street in all directions, providing shelter from the elements as people load and unload, observes Aycock. It softens any glare on the glass, making a strong visual connection between interior and exterior, and allowing those outside to see the activity inside.

Article Written By Jessica Armstrong and Images of the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority intermodal station courtesy of Giattina Aycock Architecture Studio.

City of Alabaster Creates Overlay District for State Route 119

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Gina Clifford

A plan was recently approved to steer the growth of a high-traffic corridor and major gateway into Alabaster — the largest city in Shelby County and fourth largest in the Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area.

State Route 119 Overlay District was established to set development standards and regulations for properties abutting 119 and along the U.S. 31 Medical Mile in Alabaster. Included in the plan are zoning requirements pertaining to building development, landscaping, buffering and screening, access, parking and signage.

An overlay district is a zoning tool that encourages a more uniform and visually pleasing appearance. The overlay district is placed “over” the corridor’s current base zoning as a way to guide future development.

“Many single-family properties in this area have been rezoned for commercial use, so we want to get ahead of the development,” explains Lindsay Puckett, principal planner with the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham.

The overlay plan “gets away from a suburban feeling,” Puckett adds, with buildings closer to the road and allowing only one parking bay “so you aren’t seeing a sea of parking.”

Plans call for State Route 119 to be widened from two lanes to five, which Puckett says could also spur more development. She notes that many communities have overlay districts, but not always with design guidelines.

“We’re excited and hope this starts a trend.”

Article Written By Jessica Armstrong and Images Showing New Setbacks Courtesy of Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham

Industrial Design Creating Community- A Linear Example

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Gina Clifford

Like other design disciplines, industrial design can help develop and define a community. A dynamic example is “Linear Motion,” a moving sculpture that helps to not only define the McWane Science Center but its Birmingham surroundings.

The robotically controlled sculpture – said to be the largest in the world – was created by industrial designer Lloyd Cooper of PUSH Product Design in Birmingham. The interactive installation is a focal point of the McWane Science Center Plaza and a key element in bringing people together in downtown Birmingham.

“Linear Motion” combines art, science, mathematics and mechanics to allow people to perceive the neighboring space in new ways. The entire structure is suspended over the plaza. Five cantilevered I-beams are anchored directly to the reinforced concrete buttresses that support the adjacent multi-use building.

“It reflects both the visual landscape surrounding it and the creativity of those who interact with it, and adds visual interest to the public plaza,” explains Cooper. “It’s an opportunity to apply industrial design from a user’s perspective.”

It is not a passive form of public art, but one that promotes engagement and inclusiveness. The sculpture’s robotic pendulums can be set in motion not only by McWane visitors, but anyone passing by who wishes to take part. (Click here to see “Linear Motion” in Action https://vimeo.com/3778907)

Article Written By Jessica Armstrong and Image of “Linear Motion” Sketch /Video Courtesy of PUSH Product Design

Landscape Architecture and Community

Posted on March 23, 2017 by Gina Clifford

Landscape architecture encourages people to get out – to walk, to recreate, to dine outdoors, enjoy an outdoor concert, or simply take pleasure in a natural environment, notes landscape architect Joel Eliason, principal of Nimrod Long and Associates in Birmingham.

“Landscape architecture can and does affect the pace of our communities and our everyday lives,” he adds. “It creates spaces that encourage conversation and people watching. In the best examples, landscape architecture can help us break down the physical and cultural barriers we put up between ourselves and our communities.”

Eliason points to Birmingham as having a long and rich legacy of good landscape architecture. An example he cites is Vulcan Park, built in the 1930s under the WPA.

“We’ve been fortunate to work on Vulcan Park for many years. That legacy of community involvement continues and the work we’ve been part of is still very much a community effort. It’s an extraordinary history for any park and when you look at the range of uses at Vulcan – park, museum, concert venue, event space, walking trail, educational programs, weddings – you see the value and the potential that landscape architecture has in bringing people together.”

David Hill, Auburn University’s chair and associate professor of landscape architecture, says landscape architecture creates some of the most public spaces in our cities. People are not “locked out” of landscape architecture, unlike privatized buildings that require access to be mediated by someone, he observes.

“Of all the disciplines in the built environment, landscape architects work in the public realm,” Hill says. Landscape architecture’s role is holistic – creating exterior rooms where people gather is open and inclusive.

He identifies examples of community-driven landscape architecture. In Headland, a small town near Dothan is a town green where a parade route wraps around it and people gather for festivals and other events.

Hill previously worked for New York City-based D.I.R.T. Studio – a firm known for turning derelict industrial sites into vibrant public spaces. While there he managed a project that transformed a decommissioned U.S. Naval shipyard into the Urban Outfitters headquarters.

The $100 million project included redesigning a dry dock into a dog run, in keeping with the company’s “bring your dog to work” policy. It’s a fitting example of how corporations can use landscape architecture to create community for their workers.

-Article By Jessica Armstrong

-Images are student work under the direction of Professor David Hill at Auburn University and are courtesy of William Nix (1), Felipe Palacios (2) and Preston Frankstone (3)

Creating an Arts & Cultural District in Historic Montgomery

Posted on March 23, 2017 by Gina Clifford

Plans are under way to revitalize a Montgomery historic district that played a critical role in the Civil Rights movement. The Five Points Cultural Commission is redeveloping the commercial corridor of the Five Points area into an Arts and Cultural District.

The goal is to turn Five Points into a vibrant community setting with art galleries, retail, restaurants and performing arts venues. The plan also includes streetscape and façade enhancement and business development.

“We fundamentally believe that low-income neighborhoods have the capacity to support small businesses in those neighborhoods,” says Chase Fisher, president of Five Points Cultural Commission, a nonprofit real estate development organization working to transform commercial corridors in low-income neighborhoods through resident-led creative place-making projects.

“We are working to demonstrate to the development community and to city leaders that developing commercial property in these areas is feasible, beneficial and sustainable.”

Architect Mike Snows of Chambliss King Architects of Montgomery is on the plan’s design team, along with Chambliss King’s intern architect Nicholas Henninger, who is leading the design.

“From a design perceptive, it is very contextual,” Snows explains. “We want to respect the district’s history and draw comparisons between the old and the new.”

He says the project consists of “a lot of little pieces and each have their own schedule.” Currently under renovation are three buildings that have been acquired by the Five Points Cultural Commission.

“Our goal is to create a place that unifies one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Montgomery through creating inclusive and inviting spaces,” Fisher adds. “Folks can follow our progress on instagram @fivepointsmgm.”

-Article By Jessica Armstrong

-Images Courtesy of The Five Points Cultural Commission and show the area as it is now and also proposed development.

Cordova Plans for a New City Park

Posted on March 23, 2017 by Gina Clifford

The city of Cordova was hard hit by the series of tornadoes that tore through parts of Alabama in 2011. Among the latest efforts to revitalize the old mill town is the creation of a park on the 18-acre site of the former Indian Head Cotton Mills.

Kelly Landscape Architects in Birmingham has partnered with the city to create the Mill Site Park Master Plan. The plan calls for developing green space with pavilions and a bandstand created from the mill’s loading docks.

The proposed park will also provide a variety of recreational opportunities – fishing, walking trails with fitness stations, a ball field and a multi-use court. A special park for dogs is also planned, along with an amphitheater and an interactive fountain designed for play and splashing. A senior center is also part of the master plan.

“The town wanted to create a park that offers something for everybody,” notes Chuck Kelly, owner of Kelly Landscape Architects in Birmingham.

Because of its proximity to the central business district, the park will connect with the downtown through a tunnel under the historic spur rail line that runs adjacent to the park.

“This year the plan is to stabilize the site and grass it for regular mowing,” Kelly explains. “It’s a great historic site where the old mill sat. So why not create a park and celebrate what the mill meant to the town?”

-Article By Jessica Armstrong

-Image Courtesy of Kelly Landscape Architects and is an overview of the park master plan.

After Press Offers Custom-Printed Letterpress Designs

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Gina Clifford

A Birmingham studio specializing in the art of letterpress printing combines centuries-old letterpress techniques with today’s digital technology. Letterpress operator Bradey Baxter and Brian Authement, creative director of the Birmingham graphic design and branding firm Odie and Partners, opened After Press last year in Birmingham’s Homewood section. Among the many customized items available are limited-edition art prints, invitations, note cards, logos, letterhead and posters. After Press also provides design services to help customers bring their own ideas to fruition.

–Photo Courtesy of Graham Yelton

Prattville’s Historic “gin shop” to Become Apartment Complex

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Gina Clifford

Plans are under way to turn the historic Continental Eagle Corporation’s five cotton gin buildings in downtown Prattville into a 150-unit apartment complex called The Mill, designed by Chambliss King Architects of Montgomery. The collection of masonry buildings date from 1848 to 1899. In addition to apartments, the $20 million development will also include parking, public meeting space and a venue for special events. The project is under review for an historic tax credit by the National Park Service.

-Photos Courtesy of Chambliss King Architects

Tuskegee University Master Plan

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Gina Clifford

A master plan for Tuskegee University is being designed to address the overall organization of campus functions, create a more pedestrian-friendly and immersive collegiate environment and improve infrastructure. “We are reviewing the final draft of the plan, and the final plan document will be presented to the Tuskegee University Board of Trustees in March,” says Jason Fondren, principal planner with KPS Group in Birmingham. Underutilized historic buildings will be renovated. The plan also includes several concepts that are an extension of Tuskegee’s “learning by doing” approach established by Booker T. Washington. Proposals include a solar farm to supply power to campus and a farm program to provide fresh produce to campus dining facilities.

-Photo Courtesy of KPS Group, Inc.

A Look How Architecture Creates Community- A Conversation with Joel Blackstock

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Gina Clifford

It is virtually impossible to separate architecture from community. Architecture and the result of its application through design and construction are meant for the community. The community is the end-user of the works of architecture, so the needs and preferences of the community must be met.

In The Architecture of Community, Leon Krier identifies two kinds of architecture existing today. An international-style architect’s architecture that may be perceived as arrogant or provocative and architecture often based on regional models that attempts to blend naturally with the architecture of existing landscapes and cities.

Joel Blackstock, president of Williams Blackstock Architects in Birmingham, notes that people sometimes think of a building as simply siting on a site, but a building must fit into the fabric of the community.

He points to several examples of his firm’s projects that foster community, including the Birmingham News building constructed in a blighted area on the site of an unused parking lot. The design incorporated the building into its surroundings, such as the use of brick to harmonize with the masonry pallet of the nearby turn-of-the-century St. Paul’s Cathedral. In addition, a plaza on the corner created public space.

Renovation of the UAB Comprehensive Center provided cohesion and connection to its urban context. A new two-story glass lobby serves as the grand entrance and connects to the street level and to the second level adjacent medical center’s pedestrian concourse. Large third floor windows offer a look at research activities.

The business incubator Innovation Depot operates in a former abandoned Sears building once covered in graffiti. A town center was created inside the building, located in a struggling area of downtown Birmingham that Blackstock says has now “turned that area of town around.”

–Photos Courtesy of Williams Blackstock Architects