Suisman Urban Design’s proposed Gateway Project for Palisades Charter High school was presented to the school’s Board of Directors tonight and favorably received. The phased project will create a safe and beautiful pedestrian promenade from Temescal Boulevard to the campus’s main quad. The first phase of the project – the California Garden – was initiated and funded by the school’s Booster Club.
Read MoreThe Zimmer Children’s Museum has published the “visionary prospectus” developed by Suisman Urban Design in collaboration with a special board committee and staff leadership. The 40-page document sets the direction for the Zimmer’s relocation from its current location on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile.
Read MoreWorld Architecture News (WAN) has invited Doug Suisman, FAIA, to be a member of its jury for the newly launched World Infrastructure Awards for 2013. The jury includes members from internationally renowned engineer and architecture offices of Foster Associates, Buro Happold, HOK, and Arup. Since 2008, WAN has successfully run the World Architecture Awards; in 2012, over 1,370 entries were received, making it the largest international architecture awards programme in the world, The new infrastructure awards will give entries global exposure to WAN’s database of 165,000 professionals in the global AEC community. All participants to the Infrastructure awards will be published through the online news channel, which serves over 1.7 million unique visitors per year. A gallery of all entries for each sector will be feature permanently on World Architecture News and weekly focus on Infrastructure projects will run during the award to generate exposure for participants. The winning scheme will be covered in a special feature including a video of the judges’ comments. Judging criteria will differ in detail on each category but the overall aim will be to highlight:
-Innovation in design and construction methods which have demonstrably pushed the boundaries of accepted standards
-Progress towards increased sustainability and carbon reduction
-Construction methods or design processes that reduce costs
-Increased resilience for the built environment served by the project
Commenting on the award, CEO of World Cities Network, Brain Kikelly said “Innovative infrastructure projects are helping cities become more resilient when confronted with acute stresses and it gives World Cities Network great pleasure to support World Architecture News in uncovering the best in international infrastructure design.”
Read MoreThe board of Downtown Santa Monica Inc. reviewed the final designs for the Third Street Promenade streetscape improvements and unanimously approved moving ahead on the pilot program to install key elements at the corner of the Promenade and Wilshire Boulevard.
Read MoreAs part of its “InConversation” series, the A+D Museum invited Doug Suisman to join David Kipen to discuss the contemporary boulevard in Los Angeles. Suisman, author of Los Angeles Boulevards: Eight Xrays, addressed how the city’s urban identity flows from the growth and expansion of its main arteries. Streets, not parks, plazas or freeways, are the city’s public spaces. Kipen is the author of reissues of WPA Guides to California and to Los Angeles, and is the owner of Libros Schmibros Bookstore. The conversation took place in the context of the museum’s “Never Built: Los Angeles” exhibition.
Read MoreSuisman Urban Design and its client, the iQuilt Partnership and the City of Hartford, have received the Award of Excellence from the Connecticut Main Street Center. The award was given to Suisman’s iQuilt urban design plan for downtown Hartford, in the category of Public Space Master Plan. Suisman has been progressively designing and supporting the implementation of the comprehensive plan since 2008. “Connecticut’s city centers are critical drivers of commerce and competitiveness,” said Governor Dannel P. Malloy. “I applaud the 2013 award winners for their efforts to make Connecticut’s downtowns thrive.”
Read MoreThe iQuilt Partnership has won a highly competitive placemaking grant from the State of Connecticut’s “Arts Catalyze Placemaking” (ACP) Program. Suisman Urban Design will lead development of iNSIDE/OUT, the iQuilt’s project focusing on a collection of beta sites that will demonstrate a wide variety of ways to externalize Hartford’s cultural assets. Pilot projects will be sited in different parts of downtown, notably along Church Street, which is home to Christ Cathedral, Capital Community College, and the Hartford Stage Company.
Read MoreDoug Suisman and Erick Rodriguez traveled to Pittsburgh this month to present the results of their year-long study for design initiative called Reimagining the Children’s Museum (RCM). RCM was organized by the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), which was holding its annual conference in Pittsburgh. In 2012, ACM selected four international design teams, Suisman among them, to investigate the children’s museum of the 21st century (see our April 2012 entry). The Suisman presentaton was called “Inside-Out-Around – The Children’s Museum as New Public Square.” The project was exhibited at the conference, and the work was presented by all four teams in a plenary session. Conference attendee Brad Larson of Brad Larson Media wrote on his blog: “The seminar gathered the four international design teams who have been charged with re-examining some of the basic architectural and community-interface mechanism used by museums… I resonated with analysis from Suisman Urban Design, who spoke of expanding the audience age range, and moving from ‘play based’ to ‘place based’ learning. Lots of insightful analysis such as ‘6 district types’ that I hope will will be published soon.”
Read MoreErick Rodriguez, a project designer at Suisman Urban Design since 2011, was honored by the Child and Family Guidance Center (The Center) for his exceptional contribution to improving the lives of children and families in the San Fernando and Antelope valleys. Erick’s work focuses on sustainable regional development, urban revitalization, public transportation, public spaces and buildings. Erick received services at the Center as a toddler, and he returned to the organization recently as a volunteer, where he created the Center’s CITY ART PLAY Program. CITY ART PLAY offers today’s children a chance to learn, play and grow through a series of art workshops that encourage them to think of art and their community as one entity. The Center, a leading non-profit provider of mental health services for children and families, is honoring him at their “Champions for Children” 50th Anniversary Celebration, which took place on Thursday, April 25th at the Sheraton Hotel in Universal City. “Erick’s commitment to giving back to his community has resulted in a new, creative outlet for children to learn, heal and grow. He sets an example of what is possible when non-profits and business professionals work together to improve communities,” said Roy Marshall, the Center’s president and CEO. “It is our pleasure to honor him for all he brings to our organization.” The Center has provided exceptional, accessible and affordable mental health care in the San Fernando Valley for more than half a century.
Read MoreThis summer, through Los Angeles, the Getty has sponsored an array of architectural exhibits and events at a range of venues, all under the umbrella of “Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A.” As part of Pacific Standard Time, the latest cicLAvia–boulevards closed to cars to allow for walking and biking–will take place along Wilshire Boulevard. And this cicLAvia has an added layer: stories about the buildings and urban design on that boulevard that took place in the time period being covered by Pacific Standard Time. To coincide with with all this activity, distinguished journalist and urban critic Edward Lifson invited Doug Suisman to talk about Wilshire as part of Lifson’s KCRW radio series, ”Iconic Wilshire Boulevard.” Suisman delivers a meditation on the changing nature of a strip conceived for cars. You can listen to it here.
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