Grilles, Frills, & Obama

Yesterday was an exciting day at the site. I arrived with the hoist shut down and our construction administration team staring out the windows. "What's going on?" I am thinking. My team tells me that the construction site is shut down from 11am to about 1:30pm for the Presidential arrival at Cooper Union. Cooper Union is adjacent to 2 Cooper Square. As we proceed with our meeting, we hear sirens. We watched as 15-20 vehicles pass us by, carrying the President and his entourage. An hour or so later....our meeting still going-on....the President leaves Cooper Union and we watch it all over again.

After the construction meeting, I walked the site to inspect the installation of our decorative grills and glass railings on the 7th floor. The pictures below illustrate the new installations.

The continuous glass railing detail provides optimum viewing down the bowery and up towards midtown's Empire State Building, while also meeting building code's required parapet height. The glass railing is not visible from street view.

The decorative grille above is an aesthetic piece that conceals the PTAC louvers that allow fresh air intake. The pictures above show the grille concealing a blank off panel (where there are no PTACs or louvers under window unit). To be consistent we located decorative grilles under every window unit.

Student Work (2002): Crosby Arboretum Visitor's Center

I wanted to post another one of my favorite student projects: the Crosby Arboretum. This multipurpose center included an educational center, gift shop, administration offices & restrooms. This is one of my favorite projects because of the natural environment surrounding the purposed structure. My project opens up & provides views to Fay Jone's Pinecote Pavillion.

My concept was to represent the vernacular style of the region using treated cypress as the siding & untreated hardwood for the exterior shades. I also designed large glu-lam beams that spanned from each building to create a forced perspective to the Fay Jones Pavilion.  Between the each wing of the building is a wood clad plaza area used as a meeting place before performances and lectures at the Pavilion. The center sits on pilings above the ground. This and the shape of the building assist in utilizing natural cooling systems. 

Some of the influences I had for this project are as seen below:

The Lake Flato Hilltop Arboretum in Baton Rouge. When I studied at LSU, I visited this Arboretum often. It's executed perfectly. It identifies with the natural environment of southern Louisiana which weighed heavy on my choice of materials when designing the Crosby Arboretum.

Another influence I had was the Stephen Atkinson Dog Trot House in Zachary, Louisiana seen below. This house is another example of translating the vernacular style architecture of southern Louisiana.

Treme' (Treh-MAY) a neighborhood in the city of New Orleans

I was feeling a little homesick last night watching the premiere of Treme.  I decided to post some photos I took back in 2006, less than one year after Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast. At the time, I was living in NYC and taking a recreational black & white film photography class in downtown Manhattan. I developed and processed these images in a dark room. I wish I could have explored more of the city that day. What I love about these is that they feel timeless to me...its the Vieux Carre the way I remembered it as a kid.

These photos below are images I took while at a wedding in New Orleans. Rebirth Brass Band led the Bride and Groom's Second Line through the New Orleans Museum of Art. The HBO show Treme features some of New Orleans most noteworthy musicians like, Kermit Ruffins, Juvenile, Dr. John and Rebirth! 

Hvar, Croatia

These are some images that I took while on vacation in Hvar, Croatia in 2009. I used my digital camera, but I wanted to give these photos an older vintage film look, so I adjusted the contrast and over exposed the edges.

To see more photos of Croatia in color, you can visit my Flickr page.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimberlypayne/sets/72157622606338964/

FUSION: A photography masterclass

I recently participated in FUSION: A photography masterclass with Rick Focke of HOK. At this seminar, I learned photography tips and techniques from Rick Focke. About 40 designers who worked at various types of studios in Manhattan, listened and watched Focke's slideshow of professional work. After the 45 minute slideshow, the designers and I walked around the city and took photos using our digital cameras.  After a half hour, we uploaded our photos, selected our favorite and presented it to the group. One photo out of forty photos was selected as the best. Mine was not that photo. Shown below is my photo. 

It would have been nice to win that photo printer....oh well :)

Student Work (2001): Red Stick Theatre

I have a hand full of student work that I really love and the Baton Rouge Theatre is one example of my favorites. The Red Stick Theatre design incorporates an exterior space that allows for pedestrian movement to its neighboring gallery, as well as, complimenting the Old State Capital Building across the street. The design combines the use of various materials including red aluminum panels and composite style glass panes surrounding a large spacious lobby adjacent to the capital building.

About four years later, the Shaw Center for the Performing Arts was built on the site. Its noted for its sophistication and innovation. It was a 2008 AIA Honor Award recipient. To learn more about the Shaw Center, check out the wesbite: http://www.shawcenter.org/content/about/

I took these photos while visiting my nearby Alma Mater, LSU in 2008.

Personalitees

I designed a series of T-shirts called: Personalitees. These designs are inspired from color keys lying around the office. They make me laugh every time I read them. I created names for the colors describing distinctive personalities I have encountered in New York City. You can buy these at Cafepress. I am also looking for a manufacturer or vendor who could produce the shirts for a less expensive price. Email me if you know anyone that would be interested. I have twenty or so Personalitees designs, but I am only showing my favorite three: Architecture, Fashion Designer, & Fashion Executive.

Diamonds Are Forever, A GKV Quilt

For two years now, I have been involved with the IIDA sustainable quilt forum in Manhattan. This is an opportunity for many design firms to come together, design & fabricate quilts from recycled fabric samples. As designers, we have access to many scraps of drapery & furniture textiles. After a certain amount of time passes, the fabric becomes less useful to us in the office. So instead of throwing away the fabric, we make gorgeous quilts, auction them off, and donate the funds to a charity of choice.

Diamonds are forever was auctioned off this year for $1100. Its simply magnificent!  Here's a picture of the GKV team. I am second from the left. For more info about how to get involved with IIDA NY visit: http://www.iidany.org/home.html

The Gramercy, New York, NY

Early in my career, I was given the opportunity to work along side a very dynamic team to develop The Gramercy Building in the Gramercy neighborhood in Manhattan. I was on this project for 2 1/2 years, preparing construction documents, coordinating engineering systems, & working on site as the field architect. I prepared over 200 sketches for complicated details & worked through construction problems with contractors. I was influenced heavily by the interior design team, YOO by Starck, and Michael Shvo's marketing team. Meeting with these teams regularly allowed me to realize their visions and use this influence when preparing construction details & coordination. 

I attached some images that I took while working on site. I have hundreds of construction photos. First image: lounge space while studs are being placed. Second image: skyline view from penthouse level. Third image: one of the three interior finish palettes, this one is called CULTURE. Fourth image: interior view of one of the bedrooms.


If you want to live at the Gramercy, visit: http://www.gramercystarck.com/

Cooper Square, New York, NY

This is my current project Cooper Square.  The new marketing signs have been hung as illustrated in the below image. I wanted to start my entries with my largest current project. Our projected opening date is in mid May. I am looking forward to the roof top pool, one of my favorite details about the building. Check out the building, plans and more on www.2Cooper.com