On December 10, the Rhode Island chapter of the American Institute of Architects held its annual awards ceremony at the Narragansett Towers in southern Rhode Island. This year we submitted East Side Addition (Residential), Old Stone House Inn (Adaptive Reuse), Old Stone House Spa and Restaurant (Interior), and Au Bon Pain (Commercial/Industrial) –all four received Merit Awards in their respective categories. Take a look at our submissions and view other winners on AIA/RI’s website.

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A new video of the Biltmore Hotel Porte Cochère project has been posted on 3six0’s YouTube channel. The evolution of the project is condensed into a 30 second animation that illustrates material reasoning driven by the net-like matrix of the hotel’s lobby ceiling, and the canopy’s function as a sheltering entry-marker that reverberates with the historic architecture of the Biltmore Hotel and the city of Providence.

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On December 17, 2008, the AIA New York launched its Not Business as Usual initiative in an effort to unite the architecture and design community around issues relating to the current economic crisis: a slowdown in new projects, downsizing of firms, current projects put on hold, a lack of positions available to recent graduates. An “Opportunities Fair” to be held on February 25 will bring together representatives from community organizations, non-profits, schools, and training programs to share information about volunteer opportunities, continuing education, and other opportunities. This made me think, how can architects and architecture firms contribute to our communities during this economic crisis? Certainly we can offer our professional services pro bono, but we can also offer non-professional skills that would still greatly contribute. Might we volunteer at a food bank or repair a rundown school? Could we clean up our parks or run for the cure? Could we get inventive and create volunteer opportunities that might also draw on our skills as designers and experts of materials?

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The sun hangs low in the sky, the brisk breeze stings our cheeks, the lethargy of the ever darker afternoons takes over…we are approaching the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year.  As somebody who grew up much closer to the equator (where there is much less seasonal variation in the sun’s position in the sky) I love the immense variation of the sun and the shadows it casts: the impossibly long shadows cast by the sun throughout the day.

This morning as I walked into the office the sun cast a shadow of a model (sitting on the window ledge) onto one of our translucent window blinds.  This simple projection of a model into a shadow-line drawing was striking in its stark and simple beauty.  But what drew me in was also the expression of a time of year, a time of day, a quantity of light, and a quality of light.

As an architect it is always wonderful to discover (and employ) the ever changing palette that nature washes across our buildings and spaces.

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Achilles – Honor Award

The clients approached 3six0 with an outside of the box concept: a store / restaurant / bar / gallery for a former warehouse space in Boston’s Fort Point Channel District. This unconventional problem demanded an innovative solution: instead of compartmentalizing the different programs in the deep but narrow space, 3six0 developed a design which allowed the different activities to overlap. Inspired by the strength of the concrete and steel industrial shell, we designed a system of 28 glass and steel merchandise cases riding on steel rails mounted to the ceiling. The cases roll open during the retail hours and agglomerate into clustered vaults at night; transforming the retail space into the extension of the bar/lounge beyond. The chef wanted flexibly sized tables, for the small, medium, large and extra large dishes of his menu. Groupings of 2-tops was an obvious solution, but the uneven existing floor caused uneven joints between the tables. We developed a rail system that supports the tabletops and allows them to slide and group.

Shepherd of the Valley – Honor Award

The construction of a new freestanding chapel is the first stage of expansion for the Shepherd of the Valley church. 3six0 developed a tectonic based on the concept of “spirare” (spirit), “inspirare” (breath) and “spiral”, expansion and contraction. The geometry of the ceiling/roof and floor spirals north setting the structure, windows, and ceiling/wall acoustic fins.

We are honored by the AIAri’s recognition and also congratulate our colleagues on their achievements from this past year. A full list of winners is available on their website.

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look for our book at the Blurb.com Bookstore

3six0’s 100-page portfolio is now available at Blurb.com for preview and purchase. The latest version features our recently completed Shepherd of the Valley Chapel and Au Bon Pain stores.

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The Westminster Street entry to 3SIX0

The third floor foyer to our studio

models are everywhere

everyone is busy, including Echo who is watching for the mailman

This blog is a new door for us swinging wide open. Let’s see what comes in, and what we’ll be sending out. The photomosaic above is part of a terrific animation Josh Lantzy our summer intern compiled, documenting a walk to our studio at 146 Westminster street in Providence. See below for the full animation:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skEPX0oz5OU&hl=en&fs=1]

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Without trying to pat the firm on the back, I have to commend my fellow coworkers and bosses for taking this dive with me into the blogosphere. It is never easy to take something as unfamiliar and unregulated as blogging into the structure of a business. During the next few weeks, my fellow writers will likely push and prod the blog until they find their own comfort level with the medium. Having just joined this firm a few weeks back with relatively no architecture background, I’ve been drawn into their world – materials, designs, colors, textures – and am beginning to see, what I hope you will come to see, the world as seen by architects.

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