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What’s not to love about baseball? The ball parks, the home runs, the cheers and hot dogs that somehow taste best when eaten in the bleachers – and, of course, the uniforms.

The Birmingham Barons, the city’s beloved Minor League team, recently unveiled their new uniform at Regions Field. The design reflects the team’s long history which dates back more than 130 years.

The solid black jersey with a “Magic City” logo in white was designed by Big Communications, a full-service creative agency in Birmingham. The new alternate uniform will be worn during Thursday home games starting in the 2018 season.

“They were looking for a city-centric, alternate jersey,” said Associate Creative Director Matt Lane Harris who supervised the jersey design.

“We cast a wide net at the beginning. We wanted it to have a historical reference to it, so we looked at some old jerseys. We whittled it down and landed on the design we did. They liked the ‘Magic City’ logo, and the hat was an homage to the Birmingham Black Barons.”

The new cap – black with a red bill and a white block “B” – honors the Black Barons who were part of the Negro Leagues that played from 1920 until 1960 when the Major Leagues integrated.
At the height of the nation’s manufacturing era, Birmingham grew so fast that it was nicknamed “Magic City.” The uniform’s “Magic City” logo reflects the city’s growth both in the past and today. The new uniform is designed to respect Birmingham’s past while honoring its future.

“With the resurgence of the downtown, the magic has come to the city and we want to celebrate that,” explains Erin O’Donnell, vice president of marketing for the Birmingham Barons. “The jersey serves a dual image, vintage but with modern elements with the script.”

Harris says he and his design team are “thrilled” with how the uniform turned out: “Simple and old school without a lot of embellishment.

Image 1 -The new uniform for the Birmingham Barons was designed to reflect the team’s long history and its future in the Magic City. The uniform also pays homage to the Birmingham Black Barons, the city’s African-American team before Minor League baseball was integrated.

Image 2- Matt Lane Harris stands proudly beside the new Birmingham Barons uniform that he and his design team created. Harris is associate creative director of Big Communications, the full-service creative agency in Birmingham that was commissioned to come up with a new design.

* Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Big Communications

 

A museum in Florence designed around an ancient Indian mound believed to be 2,000 years old has received the AIA’s highest recognition. Lambert Ezell Durham Architecture, LLC won an Honor Award for the Indian Mound Museum at the 2017 AIA North Alabama Design Awards.

The 3,438-square-foot Indian Mound Museum features an auditorium, gift shop, entry lobby and interactive display area to depict various historical eras of Native Americans who lived near the mound, which is the oldest and largest in the Tennessee Valley.

Because the mound is the museum’s focus, the plan configuration curves slightly, reflecting the mound’s footprint. The design provides spacious views of the mound from within the museum. Its prominence reinforced with views of the mound immediately before entering and after exiting the exhibit area.

“We took great pains from a design effort to see the mound,” explains project architect Calvin Durham. “You see the mound before you enter and after, which is the point of the museum.”

Challenges included working with a very narrow footprint, which was managed by extending the property line. The building was originally used as a radio station that had few windows.

The cross section of the mound’s profile with its steep sloping sides and level top is incorporated into the museum’s entry design, veneer forms and other architectural elements.

The Tennessee River was known to the Indians as “Singing River” and they believed a spirit lived in the nearby waters. The Indian swirl symbol for this spirit is anchored in the entry lobby floor and expands out into adjacent areas.

Cast stone and native cypress wood were selected for the museum’s exterior along with a natural color palette for both the exterior and interior. High ceilings and large skylights produce an open and sunlit entry into the museum. Incorporated prominently into the museum’s cast stone facade is an explorer’s map of the river, mound and surrounding embankment.

Petroglyphs of the original Woodland Indians are carved into the cast stone veneer above the entry element. These elements are part of the overall design and serve as a teaching device.

Image 1-They believed a spirit lived in the adjacent waters. The Indian swirl symbol for this spirit is anchored in the entry lobby floor and expands out into other adjacent areas. Symbols are incorporated into the plan, to both serve as a teaching tool and enhance the design.

Image 2- Cast stone and native cypress wood were selected for the museum’s exterior along with a natural color palette for both the exterior and interior.

Image 3- High ceilings and large skylights produce an open and sunlit entry into the museum. The museum’s focus is a domiciliary mound that is the oldest and largest in the Tennessee Valley, and the museum’s plan configuration curves slightly, reflecting the mound’s footprint.

Image 4 -Incorporated prominently into the museum’s cast stone facade is an explorer’s map of the river, mound and surrounding embankment. Petroglyphs of the original Woodland Indians are carved into the cast stone veneer above the entry element.

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Lambert Ezell Durham Architecture, LLC

 

The former BEBCO (Birmingham Electric Battery Company) building on Second Avenue and 22nd Street South is being redeveloped into a mixed-use office and retail space called The Battery.

Approximately 250 square feet of the project will be new construction with the remaining 19,210 square feet a renovation of existing buildings.

Demolition began early December and The Battery is expected to be completed in April 2018. Architects on the project are Scott Burnett, VP, and Michael Foster, both of CCR Architecture and Interiors.

“These buildings were formerly used for automotive repair and servicing,” says Foster. “They were built to be unassuming, durable, and functional, and you can tell when you look at them. There are no awnings or human-scaled elements – in many ways, these buildings were made with cars in mind more than people. The new design seeks to keep the gritty historic character of the existing structures while creating a fun, attractive place for people to gather.”

And the building will employ the same no-nonsense approach to materiality. New exterior walls are clad in corrugated metal in white, grey, and charcoal. Existing metal sign elements are salvaged for use as screening for rooftop mechanical equipment.

Heavy timber trusses previously hidden within one of the auto mechanic service areas will be exposed as part of the roof structure over the enclosed outdoor courtyard. Original masonry openings bricked shut over the years will be restored, flooding the interiors with natural daylight and enlivening the street by replacing blank stucco walls with glass.

Green elements will be introduced breaking up the currently paved lot. A bamboo hedge will separate the development from the adjacent warehouse and planting strips and low trees will create comfortable outdoor rooms for people to gather. With the diversity of tenants on site, these outdoor spaces will be useful at all hours – day times for office lunches and trips to the gym, nights and weekends for drinking, dining, and shows.

The new design is every bit as pragmatic and unassuming as the current site: basic rectangular volumes simply constructed using affordable, durable materials. Basic improvements will be made to modernize the buildings, including new windows, new plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems and new interior finishes.

“All the old buildings on site already have good bones, high ceilings, and abundant natural light,” Burnett explains. “Many of the tenants were intentionally seeking out unfinished space that they could move into and make their own. With the added benefit of historic character and a prime downtown location, the site didn’t require much intervention to be perfect for the right tenants.”

The new complex will house The Birmingham District Brewing Company, a micro-brewery, The Syndicate Lounge, a music venue, along with a fitness studio and several restaurants including Gus’s Fried Chicken, Alabama’s first location of Memphis-based fried chicken chain.

Image 1-The former Birmingham Electric Battery Company building on Second Avenue and 22nd Street South is being redeveloped into a mixed-use office and retail space called The Battery. Roughly 250 square feet of the project will be new construction, with the remaining 19,210 square feet a renovation of existing buildings.

Image 2- The new design is as pragmatic and unassuming as the current site with basic rectangular volumes simply constructed using affordable, durable materials. Improvements to modernize the buildings include new windows, new plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems and new interior finishes.

Image 3- Green elements will be introduced to break up the currently paved lot. A bamboo hedge will separate the development from the adjacent warehouse and planting strips and low trees will create comfortable outdoor rooms for people to gather.

Image 4- All the old buildings on site already have good bones, high ceilings, and abundant natural light, says Scott Burnett, who is project architect along with Michael Foster. These buildings were formerly used for automotive repair and servicing.

*Article By Jessica Armstrong & Images Courtesy of CCR Architecture & Interiors

A majestic Romanesque Revival building that served as Dothan’s main grammar school from the turn of the 20th century to the early 1940s is being converted into affordable housing for seniors.

The long-discussed Historic Howell Senior Apartments is a public/private partnership with the city of Dothan and is underway with the help of state and federal historic tax credits. Construction is scheduled to begin late January or early February.

Project architect Joseph Donofro of Donofro Architecture in Dothan sees the transformation of the Howell School as a way to bring much needed economic development to this area and is a reason why the city was interested in partnering.

The school building will house 23-25 senior apartments. Two additional buildings will bring the total number of units to about 55. The Howell School, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will be the focal point of the complex.

This was Dothan’s second public school, constructed in 1898 at the cost of $15,000. A fire destroyed the building, which was rebuilt in 1903 and in 1916 named the Howell School in honor of Dr. J.R.G. Howell, a local physician who served as mayor of Dothan in 1898. The building later served several functions, including a pajama factory.

Donofro calls the masonry building “a gorgeous piece of work” and to his knowledge the only building in the region with terracotta trim. Other notable features include pressed tin cornices and overhangs.

The project, he says, is a “win-win; affordable senior housing and the restoration of a national gem.” He praises project developer Rob Coats of The Banyan Foundation in Birmingham for making it happen.

“He took a gamble, jumped in and has spent many hours making sure the project was economically viable.”

The Howell School project is part of resurgence in the core area of Dothan, Donofro adds. The city’s old Coca-Cola bottling plant is to become an entertainment venue and Donofro would like to see residential lofts downtown.

 

Image 1- The Howell School as it appeared in 1926. The school closed in 1942 when another elementary school opened. It was then used as a sewing plant for the Dothan Manufacturing Company and most recently sat long vacant.

Image 2- First floor plan- Instead of classrooms, the masonry old school building is now planned for affordable apartments for seniors. The facility will be for independent, not assisted living.

Image  3: Project architect Joseph Donofro has been part of the effort to make the Howell School project a reality for roughly 10 years. The building was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Image 4: The Howell School and two other buildings set for construction are slated to offer affordable housing for seniors. The project is viewed as a catalyst for improvements to the blocks surrounding the old school building.

 

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Donofro Architects.

 

 

Work has begun to create an inviting and walkable environment in Trussville’s downtown area that will transform it into a hub for entertainment, community events and shopping.

Partnering on the Downtown Trussville Revitalization Plan are TurnerBatson Architects and Dix.Hite Partners in Birmingham and the Trussville Downtown Redevelopment Authority.

The plan consists of more than 10 projects in the city’s commercial core. Outdoor spaces will accommodate farmer’s markets, art shows, large concerts, food trucks and special events.

“Our goal is to create a family-friendly environment that can become the heart of this city,” notes TurnerBatson Principal/President Dave Reese. “We will provide for safe and secure parking and improve the traffic within the district so that businesses and restaurants will prosper.”

First phase of the redevelopment plan is focused on the entertainment district, which is set to open late 2018 and will be the stimulus for continuing development.

The entertainment district will include a stage, pavilion, shop and restaurants, along with two breweries. A goal is to attract local businesses under local ownership rather than chains and franchises.

“We will also deliberately design more intimate spaces within the urban fabric to allow visitors to tuck away and enjoy outdoor games, ice cream or a beverage with family and friends,” Reese says.

The plan encompasses a neglected area of the downtown that provides a “fantastic location,” he adds, and the project is progressing because of the visionary leadership of the city and key developers.

“Our intent is to design spaces that feel evolved over time, with common design threads but a feeling of eclecticism. We want to re-purpose materials and buildings where appropriate to craft an area that is uniquely Trussville and will be a regional draw for the state of Alabama.”

 

Image 1- A pavilion is part of the entertainment district, which will serve as the site of family activities and community events. The entertainment district is set to open late 2018.

Image 2- Though the Downtown Trussville Revitalization Plan consists of 10 projects, the first phase will focus on developing an entertainment district. The revitalization will serve to strengthen the downtown economy while creating an appealing location for community events and other activities.

Image 3- Trussville’s new entertainment district will be a focal point of the downtown and provide a catalyst for future development. The outdoor stage offers an ideal setting for a variety of performances and entertainment.

 

*Article Written By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Turner Batson Architects

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Gadsden’s riverfront development continues to improve and grow, it’s bringing “extraordinary opportunities” to the city, Mayor Sherman Guyton has said of the progress taking place along the Coosa River.

The development – likely to be called “The Venue at Coosa Landing” – is a multi-million dollar, multi-use public/private partnership on a 14-acre lot owned by the City of Gadsden. The project will include event and retail space, restaurants and a new convention center.

The property has nearly 20,000 square feet available for retail and restaurant tenants to lease. And waterfront parcels are available for new, river-facing dining establishments. Spring of 2018 is the targeted completion date.

Large public gatherings such as banquets, trade shows and stage performances will take place in the public space, says Brian DiRusso, senior architect at CCR Architecture and Interiors in Birmingham, who is serving as project architect.

“I was most inspired by the beauty and potential of the adjacent waterfront,” says DiRusso of the project.

Activities planned for the new convention center long took place in historic Convention Hall located downtown. Built in 1935, it has served as a mixed-use facility designed to provide space for a variety of events. DiRusso says the city expressed a need for additional flexible event space.

“This project will effectively act as a replacement for the existing Convention Hall on the other side of the Coosa River,” adds DiRusso, who views the new convention center “as a new start for a vacant property along a major thoroughfare in Gadsden’s heart.”

The Venue at Coosa Landing is an expansion of the riverfront park along the Coosa River adjacent to Coosa Landing, which includes Riverwalk Park with a boardwalk, picnic pavilions, as well as docks and piers for fishing or tying up boats.

“Pedestrian routes around the development will connect to the adjacent Riverwalk at Coosa Landing,” explains DiRusso. “We expect that many events held at the new facility will be associated with use at the waterfront. For instance, boat shows, fishing tournament banquets and other outdoor events that could benefit from indoor gathering spaces.”

Image 1- Pedestrian routes around the new development are planned to connect to the adjacent Riverwalk at Coosa Landing. The Venue project is set to be completed by spring of 2018.

Image 2- The Venue at Coosa Landing will expand Gadsden’s riverfront with a 20,000-square-foot building designed for multiple purposes. The 14-acre site is owned by the City of Gadsden.

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of  CCR Architecture and Interiors

 

While classroom instruction certainly has its place, students also learn by doing. With that in mind, Auburn University’s College of Agriculture has initiated a project to fund and manage a hands-on teaching garden where students can engage in agricultural fieldwork.

A master plan has been designed by David Hill, founder of Hillworks Landscape and Architecture Studio in Auburn and associate professor in Auburn University’s Graduate Landscape Architecture Program. Preliminary site work has been completed and the garden will be developed in phases.

The 11.3-acre garden is adjacent to the university’s circa 1898 Old Rotation, the oldest continuous cotton experiment in the world and the third oldest field crop experiment on the same site in the United States.

Hill says the goal is to provide an overall armature for the garden, and create well-defined paths and plots. Within that framework, students and their instructors can use each plot as they see fit.

“We’re trying to do a patchwork quilt on the landscape, with each demonstration plot having its own theme,” Hill explains. “It will be an ever-evolving landscape. Students will build a lot of the garden as part of their coursework, and a few semesters later another class might rework it.

Along with teaching, the garden will be used for research and demonstrations. Visitors will be able to learn about the crops, trees and other plantings with informative signs placed along the pathways.

Later phases include a walking and bike trail that will extend from the nearby Donald E. Davis Arboretum and connect to Auburn University’s new performing arts center site that is under construction.

In addition to the garden, the master plan includes greenhouses and a pavilion for classes and outreach programs. The plan also calls for students to grow produce in the greenhouses, which will be served in dining sites through the Auburn University campus.

“It’s very much a dynamic landscape,” Hill adds.

 

Image 1 -A fruit orchard and space for master gardeners are incorporated into the teaching garden, which will not only benefit current students but also provide a place for the community to enjoy. In addition, tours will be offered to prospective students.

Image 2-Plans call for a variety of plots designed for different functions. These include a medicinal garden, as well as space for turf grass science and field crops.

Image 3- Greenhouses to grow produce for the university’s dining facilities are also part of the overall plan, as are bee hives and a vineya

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Hillworks Landscape and Architecture Studio

 

Ballparks are where people go to enjoy spectator sports, but at Regions Field in Birmingham an attraction has been designed to provide an opportunity to actually participate in games.

SwitchYard on 14th is an outdoor venue at Regions Park where visitors can play on a regulation-size bocce court, play ping pong or partake in other outdoor games.

Macknally Land Design and Appleseed Workshop partnered on the design, which includes two early Airstream trailers – one offering gastro-pub food and the other offering a variety of beers and liquors. The “Beerstream” has been designed with a custom draft beer system.

The Airstream serving food dates to 1967 and the one serving drinks is a 1971 model. Silverliner in Irondale gutted the two vintage Airstreams and completely rebuilt them. Their bullet-shaped riveted aluminum was polished to a high sheen that catches the light in the Alabama sun.

The main seating area features a distinctive metal arbor that creates partial shading over the tables. Large perforated metal in a circular shape is suspended from posts over each table. The perforations cast striking shadows on the ground, and at night create an equally dramatic effect.

“They provide a little shade and are aesthetically pleasing,” notes Switchyard on 14th general manager Angela Cagle. “We had them specially designed in Kansas and they are power coated.”

Bistro table and chairs painted in chartreuse green add to the festive feel. More of these brightly colored chairs are by the ping pong tables. Landscaping softens the space and adds a naturalistic, tranquil feel.

“We wanted to provide a relaxed area by the ping pong tables,” adds Cagle.

Switchyard on 14th is now open during the Barons offseason. If no game is in session a ticket is not required to enjoy this outdoor venue. A TV was recently installed for fans to watch the games during the fall football season.

Image 1 -Switchyard on 14th at Regions Field is designed for fun and relaxation. The main seating area features a metal arbor with perforations that create a striking lighting effect at night.

Image 2- Plenty of seating options are offered to encourage visitors to linger and enjoy themselves.  Food and drink are served out of two vintage Airstream trailers that were completely refurbished.

* Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Angela Cagle

Office Environments, a Herman Miller office furniture dealership, has transformed its showroom and workspace in Birmingham’s historic Jemison Flats into a “living office” – a more human-centered approach to the workplace and how people work together.

The “living office” is based on Herman Miller’s approach to creating a more dynamic and less static work environment for both employees and customers who visit the showroom.

Office Environments is the only certified dealer Alabama and northern Florida for Herman Miller, a pioneer of the modern office having established itself as a leader in workplace design over 40 years ago.

“The goal of this project was to create a great experience for customers and a great work environment for our people,” explains Office Environments President Brian McMahon.

McMahon says the result provides “a unique and vibrant space” for employees and at the same time is designed to educate customers about the principles of a “living office.”

Interior designer Rick Edwards of Rick Edwards Design LLC in Holland, Michigan, who has designed a number of Herman Miller showrooms and offices, created an environment for spontaneous interactions.

Get people up and moving rather than anchored to a cubicle, which brings co-workers together to build relationships, brainstorm ideas and be physically active.

“We created a social center in the middle of the plan, along with other places to stop and meet up with people in real time, face-to-face encounters,” Edwards notes.

Employees can no longer eat at their desks, but instead gather in the plaza, or social center, that can seat up to 30. Another way to create an opportunity for interaction was to remove many of the printers and replace them with print centers, which created yet another gathering spot.

Office Environments is housed at the street level of a turn-of-the-20th century masonry building. While some cosmetic work was done to the façade, the extensive work took place inside.

Interior areas that blend the old with the new are particularly striking. The modern, sleek Henry Miller furnishings are a sharp yet pleasing contrast to the exposed brick, tin ceiling, pine flooring and other historic elements left intact.

“I always look for these points of juxtaposition,” Edwards says. “Contrasting the old with the new. Keeping the history of the building and adding to it.”

Image 1: A glassed in meeting room features round tables surrounded by Herman Miller’s popular ergometric chairs.

Image 2: Several work spaces overlook sections of the circa 1900 masonry building’s brick walls, harmoniously bringing together the old and the new. Other original elements of the historic building were also left intact, including the pine floor and tin ceiling.

Image 3: One of many places in the newly renovated office and showroom of Office Environments in Birmingham where employees and customers can interact in style and comfort.

Image 4: Herman Miller sofas, chairs and coffee table create an inviting spot. The bold wall art in warm, primary colors provides a pleasing contrast to the gray walls.

Image 5:  Soft lighting provided by modern lamps cast an inviting glow in a seating area. Aesthetics and functionality go hand-in-hand here and in all of Office Environment’s showroom and workplace areas.

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Tommy Daspit and Office Environments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While it’s not every day that architecture students get global recognition for their work, that’s what happened with four students of Auburn University’s Rural Studio.

Their Lions Park Shade project – a shading structure offering refuge in a 40-acre park in Greensboro – was listed in Archdaily’s Best Student Design-Build Projects Worldwide 2017.

Students were fifth-year architecture students, but the project continued beyond graduation in May 2015, and they continued working on the project as volunteers until its completion in the fall of 2016. Team members are Callie Eitzen, Julia Long, Daniel Toner and Alex Therrien , now an instructor at the Rural Studio.

The project consists of three open-air shade pavilions placed at key intersections along the Lions Park trail. Each pavilion is distinct in size ranging from small to large and is accompanied by benches, tables, water fountains and bike racks.

“Using a two-layered canopy system, precise shadow and dappled light are cast on the surfaces beneath,” Therrien explains. “You can sit in the shade and have views of the sky. Haint blue is painted on the underside of the canopy, a nod to the traditional southern porch.”

Since 2006, Rural Studio and community partners in Greensboro have partnered to turn Lions Park into a multi-recreational haven, he adds. Ten teams have completed built projects at the park.

“The Lions Park Shade team was tasked with helping casual park users seek rest and refuge from the hot, humid climate in west Alabama, especially during the ‘dog days’ of August, when it can be a 100-degree heat index by noon and pouring rain at three in the afternoon,” Therrien observes.

“Sambo (Rural Studio co-founder Samuel “Sambo” Mockbee) always said: ‘It’s got to be warm, noble and dry.’ In this case, we replace warm with cool.”

Therrien says he and his team were “humbled and excited” the day they found out the work of the Rural Studio continues to be recognized worldwide.

“We spent the day reflecting on the journey it took to build the pavilions and how much we learned from the design-build process. As aspiring architects, it reminds us to always try to help make a place a little bit better than how we found it.”

 

Image 1: Each of the three open-shade pavilions is placed at key intersections along the walking trail of Lions Park in Greensboro. The sizes of the pavilions vary, and are accompanied by benches, tables, water fountains and bike racks.

Image 2: Using a two-layered canopy system, precise shadows and dappled light are cast on the surfaces beneath. This allows visitors to the park to sit in the shade and still enjoy views of the sky.

*Article by Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Auburn University’s Rural Studio