Submergia, a conceptual design for a city of the future developed by Shepley Bulfinch’s Tad Jusczyk , has been recognized in the 3rd Advanced Architecture Contest: The Self-Sufficient City, held in Barcelona earlier this year. The international competition, which attracted more than 700 entries from around the world, was sponsored by the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and Hewlett-Packard.

Submergia creates a new typology for suburban housing with a series of floating cities, each designed to accommodate 8,000 people. Tad, working with partner Andrew Wit, envisioned the new cities for sites south of San Francisco, where existing communities face the risk of submersion due to rising sea levels over the next half-century. The floating cities provide the amenities of urban life, including parks, schools, commercial centers, and housing. As seen in the section at right, only twenty feet of the ¼-mile long structure are ...[more]

Campbell University and the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law were honored by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) as a recipient of the Alliance’s 2010 Imprint Award at a ceremony on February 25. Campbell treasurer Jim Roberts and law school dean Melissa Essary accepted the award on behalf of the university. Shepley Bulfinch, the project’s design architect, and associate architect Small Kane were also recognized during the presentation, together with the general contractor and project engineers.

The Imprint Award recognizes new construction and renovation projects completed in the previous year that significantly contribute to the identity of downtown Raleigh. Campbell was honored for its $32 million investment in locating the Wiggins School of Law in downtown Raleigh. The 110,000 s.f. law school also houses the Raleigh division of the North Carolina Business Court.

Construction continues on the new public library in Show Low, Arizona, with an anticipated opening this summer.

Designed by Merzproject of Phoenix, now a studio of Shepley Bulfinch, the library uses masonry and laminated timber construction that reflects the wood barn tradition of the region’s White Mountains. The design reflects an environmentally conscious approach to the project. A 150-foot long clerestory window brings daylight deep into the main hall, while other sustainable features include the use low-VOC and recycled-content finishes, high-efficiency plumbing and mechanical equipment, and regional materials, such as Arizona stone.

The new library is one of a series of transformative projects that Merzproject is completing for Show Low that give the city a pedestrian accessible and environmentally friendly downtown. Its entrance is aligned in direct axis with that of the City Hall across the street, creating a civic portal. The City Hall ...[more]

The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, has given the green light for construction of the 210,000 s.f. Anderson Student Center, with plans to complete the project by the end of 2011.

The center will draw students crossing from the Quad into a lively three-story atrium filled with light and activity (image, right). Jane Canney, the University’s vice president of student affairs, said, “The student center will be our living room… the real heart of the campus.”�

A hub of campus activity, the center will feature a variety of dining facilities, including a 590-seat dining hall; recreational facilities; stores; meeting rooms and offices; a major multi-purpose room; and a small gallery, linked together with a unifying circular stair in the atrium. A variety of small, informal lounge spaces will enliven the space further.

Anderson Student Center, which has been a priority of the University’s ...[more]