Construction has begun on 3720 Chestnut! Our 30-story multifamily residential project in University City is being developed by EPG Urban and Mapletree Investments. The project is being built by the Hunter Roberts Construction Group, and will be completed in mid 2020.
SITIO'S KAREN BLANCHARD COMPLETES 2018 AIA PHILADELPHIA PRESIDENTIAL TERM
Congratulations to SITIO principal Karen Blanchard who ends her 2018 term as Philadelphia AIA President and joins SITIO founding principal Antonio Fiol-Silva as distinguished past-president alumni!
ANDREW FERRARELLI MENTORS STUDENTS AT COMPETE 360
SITIO’s Andrew Ferrarelli presents to a group of middle school students at Welsh Elementary in Philadelphia, PA as part of Compete 360's Designers in Schools week. For several years Andrew has volunteered as a mentor at various schools helping students creatively solve problems they identify in their school or community. The program empowers students to become change makers while learning about design thinking.
Compete 360 is an organization to support the education and development of urban youth. For fourteen years, the charity provided academic support and enrichment programming to children in grades K-8 in Atlantic City, Camden, and Philadelphia. Their mission is to cultivate a design thinking practice in under-resourced city schools, helping teachers bring new ideas and practices to their work, and helping students engage in hands-on, inquiry-driven learning.
KAREN BLANCHARD JOINS TEMPLE UNIVERSITY SYMPOSIUM PANEL
On October 10th SITIO Principal Karen Blanchard spoke on design challenges and opportunities of library buildings at The Building the 21st Century Library symposium series at Temple University. The session explored a library’s potential to transform a campus, from the building’s impact to the relationship between the university and its neighbors to the university’s vision of sustainability. The conversation, moderated by Kevin Delaney, Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs, Temple University, also included:
Siobhan Reardon, President and Director of the Free Library of Philadelphia
Dozie Ibeh, Associate Vice President of the Project Delivery Group at Temple University.
Anne Krakow, Director of the Post Learning Commons and Drexel Library at Saint Joseph’s University.
STEELSTACKS’ RUDY BRUNNER GOLD MEDAL AWARD CASE STUDY RELEASED
The Brunner Foundation released the in-depth case study publication that accompanies the biennial Rudy Brunner Gold Medal that was awarded to the SteelStacks Arts & Cultural Campus in Bethlehem, PA for the transformation of a former steel plant intro a mixed-use cultural and entertainment district. The publication discusses in depth the context and development of the landmark district and features the planning and design work led by SITIO Principals Antonio Fiol-Silva and Karen Blanchard on the Levitt Pavilion and the Hoover-Mason Trestle, the centerpieces of the district’s public realm.
Download Investing in Urban Infrastructure: The 2017 Rudy Brunner Award for Excellence at: http://www.rudybruneraward.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/03-SteelStacks-Arts-Cultural-Campus.pdf
KAREN BLANCHARD JURIES AIA DC CHAPTER DESIGN AWARDS
SITIO Principal Karen Blanchard recently chaired the jury for the 2018 AIA Washington DC Chapter Design Awards. These annual awards not only demonstrate the value of good design, but also illustrate the wide variety of services performed by architects. Following the two-day review of over 200 submissions, awards were given in the categories of architecture, interior architecture, historic resources, and urban design. The jury represented distinguished architects from across the country including Rick Archer FAIA from Overland Partners, Jean Carroon FAIA from Goody Clancy & Associates, Steve Dumez FAIA from Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, and Ron Rochon FAIA from Miller Hull Partnership.
ULI GLOBAL URBAN OPEN SPACE AWARD JURORS ANTONIO FIOL-SILVA AND STUART ACKERBERG TOUR BAXI RIVER ISLAND IN CHANGSHA, CHINA
Baxi River Island is one of five finalist for the ULI Urban Open Space Award. Baxi was reclaimed from former industrial use as an ecological park serving the burgeoning Changsha metropolitan region in Hunan Province.
The ULI global award recognizes vibrant parks and open spaces that have been transformative in promoting healthy, sustainable, and equitable outcomes in their communities. This year, five projects were selected as finalists from among the 49 submissions from five countries. The announcement of the winning project will be made at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston, October 8–11
The jury for the award include Jury Chair Stuart I. Ackerberg, chief executive officer of the Ackerberg Group; Antonio Fiol-Silva, founding principal of SITIO architecture + urbanism; Lynn S. Carlton, vice president and regional leader of planning at HOK; ; Glenda E. Hood, cofounder of TriSect; Mehul J. Patel, chief operating officer of Midwood Investment & Development; Mitchell J. Silver, commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation; and F. Karl Zavitkovsky of Drever Capital Management.
The five finalists are:
— Levy Park, Houston, Texas
— Madrid Rio Park, Madrid, Spain
— Baxi River Forest Island, Changsha, China
— Quequechan River Rail Trail, Fall River, Massachusetts
— Ricardo Lara Park, Lynwood, California
SITIO WELCOMES ANDREW FERRARELLI!
SITIO welcomes Andrew Ferrarelli the team!
Andrew brings over 10 years of experience in cultural and institutional projects at a variety of scales for both local and national organizations including Case Western Reserve University, The Shipley School, The Haverford School, and AKA . He received his Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech which provided a strong foundation rooted in process and design exploration to shape space.
Andrew extends this passion through volunteer work designing and building several Little Free Libraries, most recently collaborating with the Buffalo Architecture Foundation. In addition he is a mentor to high school students through Compete 360; a program that teaches students problem solving skills and helps them identify and creatively solve issues in their local community.