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Plans are moving forward to upgrade the infrastructure of downtown Oxford, located in Calhoun and Talladega counties in the foothills in the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Oxford streetscape project will overhaul the core of the city from sidewalk to sidewalk and street to street, and is set to begin mid-October after the city’s annual fall festival.

Building improvements have been made over the years to bring life back to the downtown’s historic buildings. Now the streetscape project will further upgrade the town’s commercial core and completely redo the public infrastructure.

“Private money has been used to renovate the buildings, and the city is now updating the public areas,” says Keith Strickland, a civil engineer with Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, the firm that designed the Oxford streetscape plan.

Hale Building and Construction in nearby Anniston recently won the bid for the $2.2 million project, which is expected to take about 10 months to a year to complete.

Strickland says the Oxford Main Street program is “heavily involved” in the planning of the streetscape project. Interim Main Street director Hunter Gentry says the plans calls for improving traffic flow, adding more green space, widening the sidewalks, upgrading the street lights and adding decorative traffic signals.

The streetscape project also includes placing utility lines underground, adding brick pavers and curb and gutter improvements. Landscaping is also part of the plan, and adding benches may be part of the later phase after the initial work is done.

Oxford’s Performing Arts Center – housed in a 1921 building that was formerly City Hall – brings people to the downtown with performances by top artists such as The Marshall Tucker Band and The Temptations.

Gentry points out that only one restaurant currently operates in the downtown. Dinner and a show go hand-in-hand. So the streetscape project could bring about additional restaurants opening downtown, which would make heading downtown for a performance all the more enjoyable.

Image 1: This rendering designed by Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood shows the improvements planned for downtown Oxford. These include changing the direction of main streets to improve traffic flow.

* Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Goodwyn Mills & Cawood

A nondescript warehouse with no windows in Irondale has been transformed into an inviting and highly functional work environment offering abundant light and views.

Williams Blackstock Architects in Birmingham renovated the interior of the 57,000-square-foot long-abandoned tilt-up panel warehouse for High Cotton, a data-driven company that serves the banking and healthcare industries with payment technology and customer communications. Office space comprises 15,000 square feet and printing production takes up 43,000 square feet.

New windows were cut into the existing concrete walls and large areas of interior glass were added. The result is light flooding the interior and a “layering” effect with views that extend from the main lobby – which features a full-height glass wall – and through to the office space.

“Very few places in the building don’t have natural light,” observes architect Joanne Riddle who was on the project team. “The walls are solid concrete, so we had to take drastic measures to open them up without hurting their structural integrity.”

Focal points include glass box “war rooms” located in the open office area. These glassed-in conference rooms provide privacy without giving up daylight and views. And located between the office and production areas is a “town center,” an employee gathering spot containing a dining area and kitchen.

“This was a fast-track project, so we kept the existing concrete floors and stained and polished them,” Riddle explains. “The interior mechanical systems were left exposed and painted white.”

A sophisticated color palette was used throughout, consisting of soothing neutrals in white and gray with accents of the company’s signature blue.

The High Cotton renovation project received the 2017 AIA Birmingham honor award and jury award in the commercial category.

Image 1- A wall in this conference room is painted the shade of blue found in the High Cotton logo. Lighting fixtures throughout are striking and modern, and are in keeping with the interior’s overall scheme.

Image 2- Williams Blackstock Architects took a dreary warehouse with no windows that sat vacant for several years and flooded it with plentiful light with the addition of new windows and large expanses of glass.

Image 3- When visitors enter the lobby area, they are sure to be impressed by the dramatic glass full-height wall.

Image 4- Glass box “war rooms” create a sculptural effect and serve as central hubs for video conferencing and meetings. The glass walls provide auditory privacy , while keeping the space open to its surroundings and letting in light. 

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Williams Blackstock Architects

While Auburn is certainly best known as a university town, it’s becoming increasingly recognized for its cultural offerings.

The Auburn University board of trustees has approved a $65 million new Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center – an 85,000-square-foot building designed for top-rated musical, theatrical and dance performances, along with speakers and other events. Anticipated completion is summer 2019.

Located near the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts, the center will include a 1,200-seat performance hall, outdoor amphitheater, box office, catering kitchen, wardrobe and dressing rooms, as well as conference and office space.

Wilson Butler Architects in Boston designed the center. BL Harbert in Birmingham is providing pre-construction management services through the project’s design phase.

The new center is sited near the Jule Collins Smith Museum, which will define a future arts district, says Josh Stiling, project architect at Wilson Butler Architects.

Stiling points to four principles that define the exterior design:
• Connection to Community – a grand lobby sheltered by a wood ceiling that extends beyond large expanses of curtain wall to connect the interior to the exterior.
• Transparency and Activation – large expanses of glass revealing activity within the lobby with a distinctive curtain wall design to reflect the notion of a performance venue by “drawing the curtains” on the interior.
• Expressing the Venues – promoting the presence of the main hall and future venues from the exterior to interior through material and form.
• Defining an Arts District – developing a future language through exterior materials to compliment neighboring buildings, and prepare for the future of a flourishing arts campus.

Interior aspects of the design focus on the patron experience from first to last impressions with close attention to guest amenities ranging from concessions and restrooms to aisle widths and rigorous sightline studies within the hall. The lobby was designed to support special functions such as string quartets, lectures and other events.

“The main hall features natural and adjustable acoustics which boast reverberation times on par with some of the world’s most prominent concert halls, such as the Tonehalle Concert Hall in Zurich and the Amsterdam Concert Hall,” Stiling notes.

Architectural screens within the main hall provide an intimate performance experience while allowing the hall’s acoustical volume to function effectively. These custom-design screens also conceal adjustable banners for natural tuning of the space for Broadway performances without altering the visual character of the room.

Exterior materials consist of brick, accents of stone and large expanses of glass curtain wall at the lobby. A neutral-colored brick with a custom coursing pattern is used to express performance venues, while accents of stone highlight public entrances and faces the neighboring art district. Red brick used in administration and back-of-the-house areas face the university in order to bridge the traditions of the historic campus with the contemporary nature of the arts district, Stiling explains.

“The interior features a neutral palette of finishes with a warm presence of natural wood – southern long-leaf pine – and pops of color at points of interest,” adds Stiling. “The lobby will also feature custom art installations periodically throughout public areas.”

Image 1-The new Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center is sited at the south edge of Auburn University’s campus, complimentary to the Jule Collins Smith Museum. This location will contribute to a future arts district and establish a more defined gateway to the campus.

Image 2-Large expanses of glass reveal activity within the lobby. The dramatic curtain wall is designed to reflect the notion of a performance venue by “drawing the curtains” on the interior.

Image 3-The exterior materials consist of brick with accents of stone and large expanses of glass curtain wall at the lobby.

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Auburn University

Few objects are more functional than a table, yet bDot Architecture in Birmingham has designed one that takes the functionality of a table to even greater heights.

The smiLe table is a custom-design play table for children with special needs, and is tailored to the child’s specific reach and range of motion. The moveable arm is designed to be able to “hug up” to the user in order to help support and stabilize the child during physical therapy.

The prototype was designed for a patient at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. The child has since been discharged, but the table has remained and is being used by physical therapists at the hospital, says bDot founder Brian Roberson.

Fabricated completely in-house, the table consists of CNC-milled plywood profiles for play surfaces, a 3D-printed edge band, 3D-printed adjustable legs and 3D-printed feet. Flexible bumper cushions keep oxygen tubes and other equipment from becoming pinched.

The table’s legs are adjustable to cope with uneven surfaces, accommodate the use of support devices and grow with the child. The table can be used either on the floor or on a hospital bed.

“We really didn’t have preconceived ideas about the table before we visited the child and the staff at the hospital,” Roberson recalls.

“The design is based around the needs of the child and how the physical therapists wanted to use it to accelerate (the patient’s) recovery. All of the parts and pieces are custom and are printed, cut and fabricated at our studio. It is available for purchase and can be modified as needed.

The smiLe table received the 2017 Honorable Mention AIA Birmingham Design Award.

Image 1- The cheery play table features bright, primary colors that are sure to appeal to young patients. According to the creators at bDot, “Being able to create a custom solution for a special needs child really is enough to put a smile on your face.”

Image 2- This child (not an actual patient) enjoys playing on the smiLe table, which is designed to add children with special needs during physical therapy.

Image 3-Uneven surfaces are not a problem with these adjustable legs that allow the play table to be used on the floor or on a hospital bed. The height of the legs can be adjusted as the child grows and they are designed to accommodate the use of support devices.

Image 4- The plan diagram of the play table, which can be modified for various needs and is available for purchase through bDot Architecture.

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of bDot Architecture

When Harold’s Furniture store recently closed after 50 years, many prospective buyers looked at the early masonry building on Second Avenue North in downtown Birmingham.

Yet not one of them could see its potential. No one except Louise Nequette, who purchased the 30,000-square-foot building – actually two interconnected buildings – which he is renovating for the new offices of Nequette Architecture & Design.

“It was filled with junk and was too big for some businesses and too small for others,” explains Nequette. “But it has room to grow if we need it, and creating a mixed-used building was perfect for us.”

Construction is about halfway completed and Nequette’s firm is targeted to move into the building in December.

The ground floor will be leased for retail space and nine boutique loft apartments will be available for rent on the second and third floors.

A fourth floor is being added to the building, which will provide 5,000 square feet for his firm’s new offices and additional space set aside for possible expansion.

“I’m putting a modern box on an existing building,” he says of the addition. Though adding the top floor made the building ineligible for historic tax credits, the addition retains the original character of the building.

The fourth floor addition was inspired by building’s panoramic views. After purchasing the building, he discovered the roof hatch and climbed to the roof.

“We went up and found the most magnificent 360 degree view of the city,” he recalls.

From the roof – and soon from the windows and terrace of his new offices – one can see the Sloss Furnaces, the Vulcan statue, Red Mountain and the downtown Birmingham skyline.

The new location of Nequette Architecture & Design reflects the firm’s commitment to community-focused architecture, as well as contributing beyond the parameters of the buildings they design. It also reflects Nequette’s roots in new urbanism.

Image 1: A former used furniture store that was a fixture on Second Avenue North in downtown Birmingham will soon be the new offices of Nequette Architecture & Design

Image 2: Construction is about halfway completed and Nequette Architecture & Design plans to move into the building in December

Image 3: The three-story 30,000-square-foot building is actually two interconnected buildings and a fourth floor will be added as part of the renovation plan, offering panoramic views of the city and beyond

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Nequette Architecture & Design

Pratt City, part of the greater Birmingham area, was among the many communities devastated by the April 2011 “super outbreak” of tornados that swept through much of central Alabama.

One Pratt Park and Community Center are part of a long-term plan for the restoration and renewal of this historic town, notes Landscape Architect Lea Ann Macknally of Macknally Land Design in Birmingham, who is on the design team.

Leading the team is TLS Landscape Architects, in Berkley California. The architecture firm involved with the project is Design Initiative in Birmingham.

The eight-acre park is scheduled to open early summer 2018. Extensive walking paths, amphitheater, overlook tower, and a large and imaginative play area are part of the park plan. The community center will be used for meetings and events.

Energy-efficient LED lighting will be used to accent the overlook tower and other plaza structures, as well as providing security. A tapestry of native plantings will frame gathering spaces, such as the reading garden adjacent to the Pratt City Public Library.

Reclaimed brick and granite in a dry streambed will be used to promote filtration and infiltration of storm water from the site and adjacent roadways, Macknally explains. Reclaimed wood from the site will be used in the seating.

Macknally says the plaza and other elements of the park will incorporate the history of Pratt and its role in the growth of Birmingham.

Support for the project comes primarily from Federal Disaster Recovery funds allocated for communities hard hit by the tornados. The city has announced plans for new housing developments near the park.

Community engagement in the project has been strong. Since the disaster occurred, the city has made sure that the community had a voice in how the disaster recovery funds would be used. A park and community center was what the citizens desired. The design team started work on the project’s programming and conceptual development in April 2016, and in April of this year broke ground on the site.

“The community has been absolutely amazing to work with,” Macknally says. “This is a truly a passionate group that is dedicated to seeing their community revitalized.”

John Colon, the city’s director of community planning says Pratt City is at the tipping point of stabilization with the introduction of the One Pratt concept.

“After much exploration regarding catalytic development across the City over the past few years, we have determined that public spaces such as this provide a sustainable catalyst for revitalization.”

Says Birmingham Mayor William Bell: “With tragedy also comes opportunity. Pratt City had not seen investment for some time, so this project provided the ability for us, in conjunction with the neighborhood residents, to be innovative but also strategic in how we thought about neighborhood revitalization. This park will serve as a communal space but also, more importantly, will re-instill a sense of place for the residents that lost so much in April 2011. Not unlike how our now famous Railroad Park has spurred investment and growth for our downtown city center, so will One Pratt for the Pratt City community.”

Image 1: The park’s spacious central lawn can be used for many functions, including a farmer’s market.

Image 2: An outdoor amphitheater with inviting seating and landscaping provides the ideal spot to enjoy live music and other events.

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of TLS Landscape Architecture / Macknally Land Design / Design Initiative

Across America, vacant buildings are being converted into craft breweries and Alabama is no exception. Two such projects are under way in downtown Mobile – one in a 1960s building that was a Goodyear Auto Service Center and the other a 1926 warehouse that operated as the Crystal Ice plant.

Serda Brewing Co. is scheduled in July to move into the 11,000-square-foot building that was home to Goodyear.  Haint Blue Brewing will occupy the 7,700-square-foot former ice plant next February.

Steve Stone, founder of dakinstreet architects, a full-service architectural and interior design firm in Mobile, is at work on transforming the buildings into the ideal space for two breweries.

Goodyear’s form showroom will be transformed into Serda’s 50-person taproom with a 20-seat bar, Stone explains. Five service bays will be renovated into the beer-brewing operations. The warehouse area will house rows of tanks for fermentation and storage, as well as a large drive-in cooler and bottling/keg filling area.

Large stainless tanks will be a focal point and patrons can talk to the brew-master about the process. The overhead doors will create flow between the brewery and adjacent outdoor seating areas. The bar will be topped with concrete and the tables are being custom made by a local furniture maker.

Outside, patrons can enjoy their drinks in a 100-seat front court overlooking the live oaks along Government Street. A side alley will have on-site food trucks stalls and live music performed on a back porch.

“We have retained the 10 overhead doors and many of the grittier elements to try and maintain that vibe,” says Stone. “

Stone says Haint Blue will feature a more intimate taproom, incorporating many of the existing elements such as rusting, corrugated roofing, exposed brick and raw concrete. The building will also feature an indoor courtyard created by removing the roofing and wall cladding in the center of the building. The remainder of the building will be used for storage.

“As was common with warehouses, there are many outdoor terraces and former loading platforms that will be used for outdoor seating and a great vantage point for the Mardi Gras parades which will roll right past,” Stone notes.

Because Haint Blue will be a rawer environment than Serda Brewing, peeling paint will be left intact and the space will feature exposed brick and untreated concrete. Softer elements will also be used such as terraced landscaping at the entrance and at the indoor courtyard area.

“Serda Brewing and Haint Blue are only a quarter mile apart as the crow 8ies, but have very different feels,” explains Stone. “Serda is right on a busy street and much more visible, while Haint Blue feels more like a secret destination that you stumble upon and don’t want to tell
anyone else about.”

Image 1 : A 1926 warehouse that was once home to the Ice Crystal plant is being renovated for Haint Blue Brewing Co.

Image 2: The old warehouse on Monroe Street in downtown Mobile will retain much of the gritty character of the building when it becomes a brewery.

Image 3: A rendering of Serda Brewing Co. shows how the former Goodyear Auto Service Center on Government Street in the heart of downtown Mobile will be completed transformed.

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Provided By dakinstreet architects

Planning is vital to making a community more cohesive. Community planning, particularly long- range comprehensive planning, establishes consensus in the community as a means to guide its future, explains Brandon Bias, community and regional planner in Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood’s Mobile office.

Developing a comprehensive plan includes many steps – from research and analysis to defining an implementation strategy, he notes. Central to the process is determining the consensus regarding the community’s vision and principles, which is used to steer future planning decisions.

A great example, Bias says, is Map for Mobile, the city’s first comprehensive planning process in over 50 years. He also points to ACE and Your Town, programs that effectively provide tools to help strengthen Alabama communities.

“In Alabama these two programs, in conjunction with the Mayor’s Summit of DesignAlabama and Main Street Alabama, each serve a role in assisting communities,” Bias observes.

Another way effective community planning is happening throughout Alabama is by putting underutilized properties and buildings back into productive use.

For example, in Brewton the site of a demolished building was turned into greenspace for a farmer’s market. Bias calls this project “an aggressive effort” to bring back the downtown.

In Bay Minette, a former grocery store is now a recreation complex with skating, bowling and other activities. And in Birmingham, thoughtful planning turned an abandoned railroad cut into the Rotary Trail, which is transforming the surrounding neighborhood.

Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Provided By Goodwyn Mills & Cawood and are examples of planning projects in Selma, Demopolis and Birmingham.

It’s no easy feat to restore an old building to use in a radically new way, while at the same time retaining its original character. That’s what Heidi Elnora did with one of the oldest buildings on one of the oldest streets in Birmingham.

The circa 1890 building on Morris Avenue is now heidi elnora Atelier. The 8,000-square-foot two-story masonry building – with its stately windows, tall ceilings and other grand features– had what it took to be transformed into her elegant flagship bridal fashion house.

Although Morris Avenue is the center of her operations, her designs are in bridal shops worldwide including several Nordstrom locations. The “Project Runway” contestant and 2002 Savannah College of Art and Design graduate started heidi elnora Atelier in 2006 and purchased the Morris Avenue building in 2015.

“I love every nook and cranny of the building, and during the restoration I was here every single day in a hard hat with the contractors,” recalls the Alabama native. “I could envision what it could be. I didn’t want to break land and create something new. I wanted old bones.”

Elnora says the building was a disaster with popcorn ceilings, a rickety staircase and old carpeting that hid hardwood floors. Across three centuries it has been home to a grocery store, candy store, the Dixie Coffee Company and even a nightclub that her parents remember in the 1970s.

Downstairs is retail space, a sewing room and offices. In addition, there is a 1,000-square-foot event space that is rented for rehearsal dinners, proms and other special occasions.

The upstairs was designed to be an open space. It consists of an employee meeting room, a full kitchen, restrooms and a large TV for movie watching. The rickety staircase was widened to create a “Gone with the Wind” feel,” says Elnora. Easy access to the roof allows for skyline viewing.

Meticulous planning resulted in Elnora finishing the restoration under budget. She advises anyone contemplating such a project to have a good plan and get the building thoroughly inspected.

“The original brick structure was sound which gave me peace of mind,” she says. “While you must have a good plan, stay flexible and let the old building do what it wants.”

Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of  heidi elnora Atelier 

Tiny houses have been all the rage for some time. There’s even a TV show called “Tiny House Nation” about living in a structure under 500 square feet.

Jeffrey Dungan Architects in Birmingham has partnered with Maryville, Tennessee-based Clayton Homes to create five prototype tiny house designs.

The 464-square-foot Low Country prototype was inspired by the vernacular buildings found in the coastal regions near Savannah and Charleston. Materials include cedar shake, poplar bark siding and a metal roof.

The Salt Box model borrows from New England of the 1600s. The 450-square-foot house features vertical shiplap wood siding, a covered porch and an optional cistern for rainwater collection.

“We designed these houses like we do all of our homes, using our own language of historical precedents of residential architecture and vernaculars, so that is where a lot of the aesthetic is derived,” explains Michael Curtis, project manager and designer at Jeffery Dungan Architects.

Interest in these mini-homes varies widely, Curtis says, from student housing and agrarian communities to family dwellings and vacation homes.

Small, stand-alone living spaces give inhabitants a closer connection to nature and the outdoors, Curtis notes. They are also appealing because they can be placed anywhere and can be purchased with little or no mortgage, he adds.

“Living small also brings with it a sense of freedom to worry less about the maintenance part of owning a home and more on other aspects of your life.”

Article By Jessica Armstrong & Images Courtesy of Jeffrey Dungan Architects