Architecture News in Raleigh

The North Carolina Museum of Art has a new pavilion among the many sculptures on its yard designed by Vincent Petrarca of Tonic Design, and Mike Cindric of Design Dimension. 

More information below the fold

Raleigh’s Dorton Arena is part of the cover story focus in this month’s Architectural Record.  The issue focuses on the engineering aspect of architecture and illustrates a handful of projects that served as precedents in this field. 

from the article:

Midcentury masters

“Those Modern structural design engineers engaged the next generation, who by the 1950s and 1960s inserted themselves into larger consultancy roles for new building typologies, such as massive skyscraper projects. For example, Frederick Severud, with architect Matthew Nowicki, made possible the design of the suspended roof of the Raleigh Arena in North Carolina (1952). With its unique saddle shape, it fast became a pilgrimage stop for engineers Frank Newby, Ted Happold, and Frei Otto on their first visits to the U.S. in the early 1950s. Severud’s ability to free structure to express the potentials of nonlinear space, breaking away from the rigid grid, also inspired Eero Saarinen’s concrete shell for Ingalls Rink in New Haven (1956–59).”

Full Architectural Record Article

More info on Dorton HERE and HERE

Construction photos and more HERE

Also in this issue of Arch. Record is a review of Victoria Ballard Bell’s new book Materials for Design.  Victoria is the wife of local architect and former NC State Design School Professor Bryan Bell who runs community design build Design Corps

Local architect Frank Harmon, known for various design projects in the triangle and North Carolina, has been chosen to serve as Chairman for the Brick SouthEast’s AIA/Georgia “Design With Brick” awards competition. This will be the first such for AIA/Georgia.

City officials issued an RFQ on Wednesday for a new $100M, 15-story building which will contain offices for the city’s police and fire departments.  A local firm will be hired, who will serve as the architect of record for the project, and subsequently a nationally recognized firm to serve as the lead designer for the new tower.  This is an exciting opportunity for Raleigh to gain a significant architectural work, and an important show of initiative by the city. 

More below the fold…