Cox, Gordon and Price Receive Awards for Distinguished Achievement
WPA is excited to announce Mel will be receiving the Award for Distinguished Achievement from AIA Virginia, along with Al Cox, FAIA and Christopher Gordon, AIA.
Author: WPA
OpenNorfolk Neighborhood Spots
Check out the new video by the City of Norfolk on the OpenNorfolk Neighborhood Spots!
The Next Wave Campaign with The Elizabeth River Project
The Elizabeth River Project is taking up position on the frontlines of the international quest to combat impacts of sea level rise on urban waterfront communities. WPA is proud to be designing the first facility on the East Coast intentionally to be constructed as a resilience model in the urban flood plain.
OpenNorfolk — A Toolkit to Help Restaurants and Small Retail Businesses During COVID-19
Work Program Architects is leading an effort to OpenNorfolk, as cities and towns around the world try to imagine living with COVID-19.
Inform Magazine: Designer Q+A with Thom White, AIA
AIA Virginia’s Inform Magazine is back in action and WPA’s Thom White was interviewed for this issue’s Designer Q&A.
Happy Birthday! MEGA CAKE
The MEGA CAKE’s journey to Burning Man is getting close to it’s fiery conclusion! Fresh off its successful test build at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens, the 50′ tall sculpture has just been listed in Forbes Magazine as on of the “Best of the Best” to watch for in 2019.
From the article: MEGA CAKE is a large scale interactive sculpture of a 4-tier birthday cake that will serve as both a singular piece of art and a place to explore and discover art within. According to the artists, “We are a diverse group of misfits who came together due to a shared love of teamwork and crazy ideas. Each of us has a different combination of reasons for traveling to the Black Rock desert to spend a week laboring to bring a 50-foot wooden cake to life, only to watch it burn shortly thereafter.”
Architect Thom White of Norfolk’s WPA has designed a 12-sided wooden structure resembling a 4-tiered birthday cake. Art glass embellishments representing the animals of the Chinese zodiac and the constellations of the western zodiac will catch the light of the sun and sparkle like sugar in the distance. Plywood panels line each faceted tier and have perforations which recall cake icing embellishments while letting wind pass through. Flexible LED light strips are draped along the top of each level, adding to the icing motif. A propane-fueled “poofer” on the top-most tier will provide flame effects that will fire off at least once per hour at night.
“Our mission has evolved since work began over a year ago. At first, the Cake was thought of primarily as a place to gather, play, and observe Burning Man’s Black Rock City. Then, as the work progressed and construction began, we realized the piece is a singular work of art with vast potential for embedded meaning. MEGA CAKE facilitates a journey through the distinct moments that people encounter along the arc of one’s lifetime.”
Installations: The Best of the Best
Forbes Magazine article Jul 13, 2019
SCULPTING WATER | LAUREL LUKASZEWSKI
SCULPTING WATER | LAUREL LUKASZEWSKI Opening: Friday, June 21 Showing: June 21-Sept 6, 2019
popblossom is pleased to present SCULPTING WATER, featuring the recent works of sculptor Laurel Lukaszewski, Opening Friday, June 21 and Showing June 21-Sept 6, 2019
Washington, DC based artist, Laurel Lukaszewski, has a lifelong fascination with water, enamored by the movement, patterns and rhythms as well as the life that inhabits it. In her new exhibition, SCULPTING WATER, it becomes readily apparent that the natural world and more specifically, water, plays a significant role in Lukaszewski’s creative endeavors. Her most recent works of ceramic sculptures and site specific installations are stunning interpretations of the visual rhythms and the incessant flux of water. According to Lukaszewski, her work aims to capture a snapshot where this constant movement is stilled if only for a moment in time. Her installation based works reflect this continual change, existing for the duration of the exhibition, and then changing if and when configured again.
ULI – Hampton Roads
Speakers:
Jeremy Sharp, AICP, Zoning Administrator, City of Norfolk
and
Peter Johnston, Lead Urban Designer, Work Program Architects
Peter Johnston, Lead Urban Designer, Work Program Architects
Program Description:
This program will explore the purpose and requirements of Norfolk’s Commercial and Mixed-Use Pattern Book. The Book has been created for developers to make the development process more predictable. The Book is to be used as a companion piece to the new zoning ordinance and includes a checklist for new project development.
Venue
Slover Library
235 E Plume Street
Community Engagement Room: 6th Floor
Norfolk, VA 23510
|
REGISTER NOW: The Future of Development According to the New Norfolk Commercial & Mixed-Use Pattern Book
Business of Architecture Podcast
Please join WPA at the AIA National Conference on Architecture 2019! In Support of the AIA Small Firm Exchange, we are organizing two workshops with guest presenters Enoch Sears (the Business of Architecture Podcast) and Scott Beebe (My Business on Purpose):
WE101 – The Business of Architecture: Tools for a Profitable Practice (B-School)
8AM-12PM
WE301 – The Marketing of Architecture: Tools for Winning Great Projects (B-School)
1PM-5PM
Click HERE for Podcast
The Hermitage Museum and Gardens “2030 Vision”
The planning process will continue with a series of Listening Sessions, which will ensure that the voices of key stakeholders, community members and supporters are heard as we plan for the Hermitage’s future. We would love for you to join us in a fast-paced discussion to identify the most vital aspects of the Museum & Gardens and to consider how they contribute to an aspirational vision for the near, middle, and long-term. Findings from the session will be incorporated into the “2030 Vision” document and a new Master Site Plan that will guide us for the next decade.
Join us on May 7th for the first community Listening Session
Two times are available; please come to the one that best suits your schedule:
9–10:30 am and 5:30–7:30 pm
There will be a tour of the grounds led by our Curator of Gardens and Grounds, Philip Riske, beginning 45 minutes before each session (8:15 am & 4:45 pm).
The agenda for the Listening Session will include a summary of the evolution of the Hermitage and an update on programming and current events. Staff from Work Program Architects will then lead the group in a discussion looking toward the future of the Museum and Grounds. Breakout groups will be formed to focus on key areas and site factors and to generate ideas for improvements, enhancements, and new opportunities – no idea will be too small or too large! The session will conclude with a discussion about next steps in the process and how you can remain involved.
If either session does not work with your schedule you can still contribute. We will have future sessions and you can always send a comment to info@thehermitagemuseum.org.
Hermitage Museum & Gardens | 7637 North Shore Rd. Norfolk, VA 23505
www.TheHermitageMuseum.org | 757.423.2052