Happy Thanksgiving from in situ studio!
As November wraps up and we rush off to be with family, we can’t help but think of all that has happened this year: a new office space, two new studio mates, one new license, lots of new clients, neighbors and friends, teaching, trips, and much, much more! We can’t say enough about how much we appreciate our clients and the fabulous design community that keeps this city moving! See below for some of our projects and community involvement, as well as a new series we are starting: Where We’re From. We are so thankful for the wonderful city of Raleigh and thought we’d take a look at how we all ended up here!
DHIC
We are very excited to have received unanimous planning commission approval for the Person Street Townhouses! Our nearly two-year collaboration with DHIC, Inc. and Perry Cox Design has resulted in a new housing scenario for downtown Raleigh – modern, efficient, urban, and within minutes on foot from downtown. And, the project now also has a name – The Ten at South Person. For sales inquiries, contact Hilary Stokes of Allen Tate Realtors.
Exploris Middle School
Our office was thrilled to help judge the 5th Annual Model Water Tower Competition at Exploris Middle School! Prior to the official judging, we came to give advice to the teams of 8th graders, challenging groups to develop sturdy structures while maintaining robust aesthetic concepts. Water towers were judged based on four criteria: structural efficiency, hydraulic efficiency, cost efficiency, and design ingenuity. We were really excited to see the enthusiasm and dedication to craft that teams brought to their projects. We hope the students will consider studying design!!
Saturday Seminar by AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design
Don’t miss the last of the How We Live Series: Beyond the Single Family House – featuring our very own Matt Griffith, on December 7th at 10am at the AIA NC CfAD! Joining Matt will be Tina Govan, Matt Tomasulo and Robin Moore. Speakers will discuss how we should embrace urban domestic life and the importance of variety in cost, format, and value of housing in the city. Raleigh is one of many cities in the nation experiencing rapid growth and increasing density. We hope you will take the opportunity to hear some of our city’s dedicated citizens discuss what this means for us, and participate in a discussion afterwards as well.
Public Interest Design Institute
Raleigh is fortunate to be hosting the upcoming Public Interest Design Institute on December 13-14 at the AIA NC CfAD. The institute is organized by Bryan Bell of Design Corps and provides design and planning professionals with the opportunity for in-depth study of how design can address the most pressing needs of any community. The curriculum is tied to the SEED metric, a set of standards that assesses the social, economic, and environmental impact of design projects. Instructors at the institute this year are Bryan Bell, Ryan Gravel of Perkins + Will, Joseph Minicozzi of Urban 3, Rachel Minnery of Architecture for Humanity, and Phil Szostak of Szostak Design. Register for this important event here!
Day of the Dead 5k
Early Saturday morning on November 2nd, Matt, Erin, and families hit the road along with hundreds of other participants for the annual Day of the Dead 5K organized by one of our favorite Raleigh restaurants, Centro. The event benefits the Brentwood Boys and Girls Club of Raleigh. Matt and Erin had a great time and look forward to seeing you all there next year!
Book of the Month
This month we have selected the work of Office dA, the (unfortunately) defunct Boston-based practice formerly led by Monica Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani, as our book of the month. Office dA (Contemporary World Architects) is the sole monograph of the firm’s work, showcasing their playful and often witty manipulations of standard building materials and construction methods. Many of the projects in the book are unbuilt, but the exquisitely crafted models and pencil drawings make this book essential reading for any student of architecture.
Where We’re From: Matt
I’ve lived everywhere from Boston to the Arkansas Ozarks, in cities ranging in size from 2,000 to 600,000. I’ve always lived close to the center of town. I claim to be Welsh. My parents are academics, liberals, and super energetic, creative people. My awesome brother is way more laid back than I am, but no less intense. He and I were taught to chase after our passions. I attended church with my parents every Sunday as a kid. I didn’t care about church or have a faith until I was twenty. Both are important to me now. I failed a period of pre-algebra in junior high and majored in math in college – my parents never gave up on me. In my lifetime I have been inside the snow in Syracuse, mastered the big wheel skid, counted the cars of a 365-car train, skate-boarded to punk music, been unconscious, loved Volvos, caught crayfish, played home run derby with tennis balls and a wooden bat, cruised town, gotten a truck stuck in the mud, botched a drum solo in front of a crowd, loved Blow Pops, hit a 330-yard drive with a slight draw, worn my jeans tight-rolled, had a mullet, pursued love and been rewarded and hurt and rewarded again, traveled Europe on a credit card, found beauty in my work, seen the Red Sox win the pennant three times, learned from the best, put it all on the line at least once and probably twice, listened to music for days while making new things, seen perfection in my kids, been still, cried in front of my students, befriended some of the most inspiring people…all these blessings thanks to where (and who) I’m from!
Please contact us if there is any way we can help you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Best.
in situ studio