Greetings from in situ studio!
We had a wonderful March. We are now comfortably settled into our studio space and making good use of it. Thanks to all those friends, colleagues, and clients who have dropped by to enliven our days! Feel free to come by anytime to say hello and see what we are up to.
We would value your feedback. What would you like to see in our next newsletter? What questions do you have about what we do? Please send us a message and share your thoughts. We love what we do and enjoy sharing it with others!
Otherwise, here’s a bit of news about our work over the past month and some upcoming events. If you like what you see, forward it to a friend. Thanks for your continuing support!
On the House Happy Hour
We are excited to announce we will be hosting the inaugural On the House Happy Hour organized by Triangle Modernist Houses. Please join us at the studio at 6:00pm on 05 25 11 for snacks, drinks, architecture, conversation, and fun!
Oaxaca Montessori School
Construction is underway for the highly anticipated and much needed Oaxaca Montessori School. Collaborating with Sara Queen, we have volunteered our services to the Oaxaca Educational Foundation and the Vigia community to renovate and expand their existing school to accommodate a growing community.
Taking advantage of Oaxaca’s dry and temperate climate, the school opens to a courtyard that provides a protected area for children to play in, while dramatically expanding the school’s usable space. The thick north wall of the school building is made of old tires and plastic bottles, with an opening in the stucco finish to reveal the wall construction and provide a teaching tool that encourages the reuse of discarded materials.
Once complete, the newly renovated and expanded school will create new opportunites for the children of the Vigia Community. See more images of this project here.
High Bridge ARTLAB on archdaily
in situ studio was recently highlighted on the well-known architecture blog archdaily! Last year, Matthew Griffith, Will Lambeth, and David Birge worked together on a submission for the High Bridge Competition. Their design featured a new rail station, a live/work space for artists on the High Bridge, a new community arts center on the Washington Heights side of the bridge, and a new public school and rehabilitation of local shops in the High Bridge Community. See the article here.
Church of the Holy Family
We are excited to announce we have been shortlisted to design a renovation and addition to the Church of the Holy Family in Chapel Hill.
This is a challenging project that will focus on clarifying the connection between fellowship and worship programs within the existing campus, establishing a direct connection between the main fellowship areas and a new courtyard, and upgrading mechanical systems in the older portion of the campus. These design goals are very similar to those we met as project architects for the renovation of the First Presbyterian Church Raleigh, which will begin construction later this month.
AIA NC Center For Architecture and Design
One of the most difficult parts of our decision to leave Frank Harmon’s office was walking away from our roles designing and managing the new headquarters building for the North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA NC). This groundbreaking project began in late 2007 with an open competition for all North Carolina Architects. We credit the quality of our winning entry to a productive collaboration with Landscape Architect Gregg Bleam and the dedicated effort of Frank’s entire office.
Having seen the project completely through design and permitting, we are ecstatic to now see the concrete foundations and filigreed steel frame materialize. Many thanks to structural engineer John Moore of 4SE, INC for his efforts in realizing the vision of a thin, folded roof hovering above a multi-tiered site. And, kudos to Clancy + Theys for coordinating the construction of this tightly detailed building. Drive by and see it at the corner of Wilmington and Peace next time you are in downtown Raleigh.
Many thanks to the team at Frank Harmon Architect PA for managing the construction of this project that is so dear to our hearts! And a special thank you to AIA NC for their persistence in making this project possible. See more images of this project here.
Working In Our Community
We recently learned that Habitat for Humanity of Wake County has received the 2011 Recycling Business Development Grant of $20,000, due in part to our assistance. We are glad we could help! Erin and Matthew served on several architecture design juries at the NCSU College of Design in March, and Erin was on the City of Raleigh Environmental Awards jury. We also continued our involvement with local schools, participating in the Daniels Middle School Science Symposium and Career Day at the Cathedral School. As Architects, we enjoy the range of ways we can assist our community and increase design awareness in the process. Learn more here.
Please contact us if there is anyway we can help you.
Best.
in situ studio
919 397 3949
www.insitustudio.us