ArchitecturAl Firms - Utah Construction & Design...
Transcript of ArchitecturAl Firms - Utah Construction & Design...
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ArchitecturAl FirmsmArk milestones in 2014
EDA Architects, 60 years
Archiplex Group, 10 years
AE Urbia, 10 years
Babcock Design Group, 30 years
ArchitectAnniversary Profiles
Each year firms within Utah’s A/E/C industry hit significant milestones
along the way. Four architectural firms who submitted surveys as part
of our 2014 Top Architectural Firms list are celebrating anniversaries
this year. UC&D takes a look at this unique mix of design firms.
Profiles by Brad Fullmer
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EDA Architects Salt Lake CityFounded: 1954
As the longest tenured partner at Salt
Lake-based EDA Architects – 39 years and
counting – Burke Cartwright said the only
reason he’s still in Salt Lake is because of
the strong early commitment to him from
founders Ralph Edwards and George ‘Jud’
Daniels.
“They were extremely supportive,
almost to a fault,” said Cartwright, a
native Californian who began working
as an apprentice at an architectural
firm in his home state at age 16. “I told
Ralph I’d be (in Utah) one year and then
go back to California. He threw money
and opportunities at me...told me ‘you’re
staying here.’ Without that commitment,
I’d probably be gone. This is the only job
I’ve ever had; I’m glad I didn’t go back to
California.”
Cartwright, who serves as Executive
Officer of Design, joined the firm in March
1975 after graduating from the University
of Utah’s Graduate School of Architecture.
He described the atmosphere at that time
as “kind of a ‘Mad Men’ environment.”
“The firm had been in place and
establishing itself as a player,” he said.
“Ralph saw the vision and was committed.
He was an excellent salesman; the
standards and quality of design were high.
We had continuity and a broad base of
clients.”
Besides Cartwright, senior partners
Peter Emerson (Executive Officer of
Operations) and John Shuttleworth
(President), have led the firm since
Edwards retired in 1988 and Daniels in ’98,
and guided it through myriad peaks and
valleys.
Emerson has been with EDA since
September 1981; Shuttleworth joined
in February 1988. Both men are proud
of the firm’s rich heritage and legacy
for delivering well-designed, beautiful
projects over six decades.
“When we changed the name to EDA,
it always surprises me how people in the
community remember the firm as Edwards
and Daniels,” said Emerson. “The original
name still resonates with people in the
design industry.”
“It is a continuation of a legacy
and trying to build upon that,” added
Shuttleworth, who was named President
last fall. “It’s about having people in the
office who support that every day.” >>
ArchitectAnniversary Profiles
The Ogden High School Renovation is one of EDA’s most recent award-winning projects. (courtesy EDA)
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Remember the Past; Embrace the Future
As one of the oldest architectural
firms in Utah, EDA’s history of projects
is enviable on any level, as is the firm’s
expertise in myriad markets. Notable
projects from EDA’s early portfolio include
Cottonwood High School in Murray, the
Old Main Library in Salt Lake (now The
Leonardo), and the Arts and Architecture
Building at the University of Utah. Higher
education and K-12 projects have been
particularly strong in recent years,
including award-winning projects like
the Ogden High School Renovation and
the Skaggs Pharmacy Building at the
University of Utah. Public work has been
a staple for EDA, particularly through the
recession, but the firm is also targeting
more private work.
“The private sector is where we’re
seeing the most change. It was obviously
challenging the last 4-5 years because
private sector work all but dried up except
tenant finishes,” said Emerson. “(Tenant
improvements) helped sustain us during
those times, along with our opportunities
on some great public projects. It allowed
us to keep the doors open. The state is
still busy with higher education and we’re
seeing start-up companies expanding in
tech areas. We’re fortunate to be in Utah.
We were the last ones to downturn and
we’re coming out of (the recession) faster.”
The trio has been immersed in
sustainable design throughout their
careers, and sees LEED and other green
building movements as vital to the long-
term well-being of people, communities
and the environment.
“Sustainability is having a positive
impact on the quality of buildings being
designed and built, from the standpoint
of livability and reduced energy costs,”
said Cartwright. “We’re trying to focus
on designing buildings from the inside
out. We should be thinking about how the
building functions and design with that in
mind.”
“LEED has given the industry a bench-
marking process to achieve goals,” said
Shuttleworth. “We’re seeing an emphasis
on reducing carbon emissions, reducing
energy usage, pushing that envelope of
LEED even further and going beyond some
of the LEED prescriptive requirements to
create energy neutrality.”
Emerson said there are increasing
opportunities to incorporate ‘Net Zero’
ideas and standards into projects,
especially as owners expand their
knowledge of sustainability.
“(Net Zero) is part of a greater
understanding and effort of owners and
architects toward sustainability,” Emerson
said. “It’s a great incentive to move the
process of sustainability forward.”
Cartwright added regarding
sustainable design, “Once, it was a
specialty; now it’s so integrated into the
consciousness of everybody, we just do it.”
With their collective reservoir of
experience, they remain committed to
moving the firm forward and into the
next generation of partners. They didn’t
speculate on how many years each wants
to continue working; they’re just enjoying
the ride and thankful for the experiences.
“Part of what we’re looking at is
solidifying our process, solidifying our
ability to expand on our delivery to clients
and the community…being a bigger player
in that aspect,” said Shuttleworth. “We’re
interested in development of our young
people, providing them opportunities to
grow and blossom. We’re committed to the
people who work for us.”
“During the last stewardship of
the firm – with Peter, myself and John
as partners – we have had an enviable
relationship with each other,” Cartwright
said. “Don’t get me wrong – there is
drama from time-to-time as firms take
their personality from the leaders at the
top. What family doesn’t have its ups
and downs? It really has enriched my
professional career being associated with
these gentlemen.” n
ArchitectAnniversary Profiles
(left to right) John Shuttleworth, Burke Cartwright and Peter Emerson have nearly 100 years of collective experience at EDA Architects. (courtesy EDA)
Sustainability is having a positive impact on the quality of buildings being designed and built, from the standpoint of livability and reduced energy costs. - Burke Cartwright
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Archiplex Group Salt Lake CityFounded: 2004
Ralph Stanislaw’s decision to uproot
his family and relocate from the hustle
and bustle of Los Angeles to the serenity
of Park City 21 years ago had nothing
to do with his career, and everything to
do with his then 8-year-old daughter’s
chronic asthma and a desire for a healthier,
outdoor environment.
After an RV tour in summer 1993
to western cities like Boise, Idaho and
Bozeman, Montana, the family settled on
Park City after some advice from friends,
even though Stanislaw wasn’t sure what he
would do for work despite having worked
in architecture in L.A. for 16 years.
“When I resigned I had no immediate
job prospects,” he recalled. “Within a week,
through a network of architects I knew in
L.A., someone contacted me from DMJM
and I was offered a job. It was an easy
transition; I felt very fortunate.”
After a decade with DMJM (later
AECOM), the firm closed its Salt Lake office,
and Stanislaw started Archiplex Group in
2004, also rather seamlessly.
“A former client offered me office space
in their building which helped us set up
the new business immediately,” he said.
“We helped AECOM complete its regional
ArchitectAnniversary Profiles
Archiplex Group is led by founder Ralph Stanislaw (right), who designed the AGC of Utah Headquarters. (AGC photo by Dana Sohm)
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architectural commitments as we started to
establish new opportunities for Archiplex.”
L.A. to Utah; Private Work to Public Sector
Stanislaw was born in Toronto
and split time between Canada and
Pennsylvania as his father worked for
Litton Industries as an engineer. His
family moved to L.A. when he was 13, and
Stanislaw attended Yale before earning
a Master in Architecture from UCLA and
starting his career in L.A.
He said the transition from California
to Utah from a career standpoint forced
him to learn about the public sector and
doing more municipal-related projects,
which he appreciates. His final job in L.A.
was as a design department manager for
a firm with a commercial focus, one that
worked mostly with development clients.
DMJM in Utah, on the other hand, dealt
mainly with public clients.
“Part of my shift was to focus on
things that are important for public
clients,” he said. “Besides quality
architecture, the focus is squarely
on budget and schedule. Some of the
flexibility on a private sector project
doesn’t exist on a public sector project, so
that was something I had to learn along
the way. Today, we have a larger number
of public sector clients, particularly as we
weathered the recent recession.”
Archiplex Group has three other
licensed architects besides Stanislaw,
and 11 employees. The firm works across
multiple sectors in both public and
private sectors. Stanislaw said his firm
is interested in complex projects that
require thoughtful, sustainable solutions,
including projects for Utah Transit
Authority (UTA Lovendahl Maintenance
Facility in Midvale), the Associated General
Contractors of Utah’s headquarters in Salt
Lake, and the Liberty Park Pump House for
Salt Lake City Corporation.
“We pride ourselves in maximizing a
building’s potential; we’re not focused as
much on a particular style or approach
as we are solving problems,” he says.
“We bring sustainable concepts to all
our jobs, whether they are going for
LEED certification or not. I’ve personally
supported principles of sustainability
throughout my career. I was interested
in renewable energy as an architecture
student and pleased to see this area of our
industry transform how we think about
projects.”
On the Lovendahl Maintenance
Facility (built in 2009), his firm had to work
around the installation logistics of a $4
million, 50 ft. by 15 ft. by 10.5 ft. Wheel
Truing Machine for repairing wheels on
UTA light rail cars. The project, Stanislaw
said, “Benefitted greatly from our ability to
think three-dimensionally and integrating
a complex installation within an existing
building. It was a very successful, problem-
solving, non-traditional architectural
approach we took.”
For the Liberty Park Pump House,
which is slated for completion this summer,
the firm is designing an architectural
enclosure for pump equipment for a
secondary irrigation system project.
“We came up with the concept of a
green building – literally a landscaped
clad building,” said Stanislaw. “A building
that is approachable by the public, but
recedes into the landscape. We had the
idea of enclosing walls with trellises and
encouraging landscape ivy growth on the
building. It’s an important building for the
City.”
Stanislaw envisions working another
decade, or so and then perhaps turning his
firm over to the next generation.
“We have some very capable people
within our group,” he said. “I would like to
think at some distant point, 10 years-plus,
that the firm could continue with a change
of leadership and follow the same basic
principles I’ve been following since its
inception.” n
ArchitectAnniversary Profiles
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AE Urbia Salt Lake CityFounded: 2004
In the commercial design industry,
particularly here in Utah, it’s rare to find
a firm that offers both architectural and
engineering services under one roof, much
less so from one individual.
But that’s what makes James Williams
unique, the fact he’s a licensed civil
and structural engineer, and a licensed
architect (in addition to being a LEED
accredited professional).
Williams is the owner and founder of
Salt Lake-based firms J.M. Williams and
Associates, a structural engineering firm he
founded in 1992, and AE Urbia, a full-service
architectural firm that is marking its 10th
anniversary. Williams insists he doesn’t
have a split personality; he thoroughly
enjoys both design professions.
“I think of myself as both,” said
Williams. “I think engineers look at me as
an engineer that gave up engineering to
become an architect. Architects look at me
as an engineer who became an architect.
It’s like I’m floating between both
professions and not embraced by either.
But we’re happy doing our own thing and
we’re seeing success.”
Williams looks at his diverse skill set as
one that is attractive to clients, since he can
offer two vital design services in one stop.
“I get to be involved in the creative part
of architecture, the artistic side, and also be
able to design a building that stands up to
an earthquake,” Williams said. “I have a >>
ArchitectAnniversary Profiles
AE Urbia design the Air Hotel project in Salt Lake City, which is slated to begin construction this fall. James Williams (above) is both a licensed structural engineer and a licensed architect. (rendering courtesy AE Urbia; portrait by Dana Sohm)
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full understanding of how to build. They
used to have a term ‘Master Builder’ – it’s
a lost art. It now requires multiple people.
It gives me an advantage in that I know
how to design it, and how to build it. I can
usually get to an answer faster.”
“James sees a building from multiple
perspectives,” said Chad Robinson, a
structural engineer who joined J.M.
Williams & Assoc. nine months ago after
nine years at another local firm. “I started
out as an architect major and defected to
engineering myself. He’s not just seeing a
building as trusses, beams and columns,
but also from a spaces perspective. He
has a very studied sense of many building
systems and codes.”
“He’s been a close friend since we
went to BYU together,” said Mike Morley of
M13 Construction in Springville. “He knows
from an engineering perspective what
makes sense and uses his knowledge to
create designs that are cost effective, and
he can also design architecture around a
structure. It’s nice to work with someone
who understands both disciplines.”
Driven and PassionateIt’s not easy to understand what
makes anyone tick, let alone a man who
had an original goal of being an architect
dating back to junior high, yet went to a
college that didn’t offer an architecture
program and ended up switching to
engineering, figuring it would all work out
someday.
“I felt I would be a better architect if I
had a structural engineering background,”
said Williams. “When I graduated, I
talked to the University of Utah (about
architecture) and they recommended
I become a licensed engineer and then
pursue an architectural license.”
He worked for McNeil Engineering
for eight years before founding his SE firm
in ’92. It took him a dozen years to finally
launch AE Urbia, simply because business
as an engineer was so good.
“We had so much success it was hard
to justify going back to school,” he said.
Williams admits that he tends to have
more fun with the architectural side of
design, because it allows for so much more
creative expression and diversity.
“I like architecture because that’s
what people see,” he said. “They see it, they
can comment on it, whereas structural
engineering, I get satisfaction engineering
a building correctly and efficiently.
(People) don’t appreciate it until there is
an earthquake and the building stands
up. The architectural part is much more
rewarding.”
Besides his vast knowledge and
expertise as a designer, Williams has a
personality to match.
“He’s got great design skills that are
pretty diverse,” said Ken Bretschneider,
Owner of KPB Equities of Pleasant Grove,
a developer that Williams is currently
designing two major projects for in Utah:
the Air Hotel, a $100 million-plus hotel/
mixed-use development in downtown
Salt Lake across from the new U.S. Federal
Courthouse on West Temple; and Evermore,
a multi-phase, fantasy-based, 45-acre
adventure park in Pleasant Grove. “He has
the artistic side, but also the analytical
side. It’s rare to get a great designer
who also understands the structural
component. He’s a great guy to boot.”
Perhaps part of Williams’ success is
his work ethic. 12- to 14-hour work days, he
claims, just aren’t that big of a deal when
you’re doing something you enjoy.
“I usually get up at 3:30 in the morning,
get to the office by 5:00 and work until 6 or
7 at night,” he said. “To me, it doesn’t feel
like work. This is what I do for fun.” n
ArchitectAnniversary Profiles
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Babcock Design Group Salt Lake CityFounded: 1984
Babcock Design Group (BDG) has
undergone a significant transformation in
the six years since founder Fred Babcock
sold interest in his firm in 2008 to four
Principals – Brent Davis, Rob Cottle, Darin
Bell and T.J. Winger – after a lengthy career
spanning five (now six) decades.
A key part of BDG’s progress has been
the opening of a satellite office in Boise
in May 2012, a decision that was fueled
in part by the firm’s strong relationship
with Gardner Company a prominent Salt
Lake-based developer that has completed
several recent projects in Idaho’s capital,
including the 17-story 8th & Main building
that was designed by BDG.
“When Gardner opened an office in
Boise, that environment was picking up
faster than Salt Lake City and they asked
us to do some jobs up there,” said Davis.
“We’ve been fortunate to be associated
with (Gardner). We opened an office (in part)
to be more attentive to their needs, and it’s
been profitable and we’ve picked up a lot
more work. It’s been a good venture.”
“We had never planned on being in
Boise, but we took the leap and are glad
we did,” added Rob Cottle. “8th & Main was
an incredible project and we’re currently
working on some exciting work in its
preliminary stages.”
Babcock, 75, continues working on
a part-time basis, primarily on custom
home projects, or to help out with advice
periodically. He’s impressed with the
direction the current partners have taken.
“They have done more than I ever
dreamed they might,” said Babcock.
“I’m just as content as I could be with
the arrangement. I keep pursuing work
through past clients of mine – primarily
custom homes. That’s always been kind of
my personal thing to be involved with.”
Long CareerA native of Pocatello, Idaho, Babcock
earned a Bachelor of Architecture from
the University of Utah, and a Master
of Architecture from the University of
California-Berkeley in 1963. He returned to
Utah and started his internship with John
Clawson Architects of Salt Lake.
By 1969, Babcock co-founded
Architects Planners Alliance (APA) with two
former U classmates, Ab Christensen and
Ralph Evans. In 1980, Babcock and John
Pace formed Babcock Pace, and by 1984 the
firm became Babcock Design Group.
“When you’re in charge as the only
principal, there are plusses and minuses,”
said Babcock. “There is a level of comfort
to depend on someone else, to talk about
issues and concerns, but on the other hand,
it’s a plus to be able to make decisions on
your own when others might not agree. >>
ArchitectAnniversary Profiles
Babcock Design Group Principals include (left to right) Brent Davis, T.J. Winger, Darin Bell and Rob Cottle. The firm has expanded its presence in the Intermountain region, with the opening of a satellite office in Boise in May 2012
Despite selling his interests in his firm in 2008, Fred Babcock continues to work on a part-time basis at BDG, mainly on custom home projects. (photos courtesy BDG)
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I was always optimistic and confident.”
One of Babcock’s main strengths is
his friendly personality and easy going
demeanor. He tends to make long-time
friends out of clients and associates.
“Everybody I’ve ever met that knows
Fred Babcock, loves Fred Babcock,” said
Winger. “I asked him one time ‘are you that
good?’ And he said ‘I’m not that good; what
people like is that I recognize it’s their
project.’ Fred says bring your talent, but
don’t bring your ego. We let clients know
we care for them, but it’s their project.”
“He cares a lot for his clients,” added
Davis, who was hired by Babcock in 1975
and worked with him for 39 years. “Fred is
such a well-known architect in Salt Lake. His
influence has led to part of our success.”
BDG also recently designed the
nearly completed 101 South Office
Building in downtown Salt Lake for the
Boyer Company, another long-time client.
Babcock developed strong relationships
with Roger Boyer and Kem Gardner, former
partners of the Boyer Company (Gardner
split in 2004 to found Gardner Company),
dating back to his APA days. The firm had
designed Trolley Square and had an office
there, and former manager Rich Robbins
went to work at Boyer Company and
introduced Fred to Roger and Kem. The rest
is history.
“They’re both good friends,” said
Babcock. “Over the years we’ve done
multiple projects for both of them. I
designed both of their homes. It’s been a
choice association. Now we’re all three
getting to the end of our careers, and
talking about what trip to take rather than
what job to do.”
Next PhaseMoving forward, BDG is well-positioned
for continued growth and success. Davis
said he’s started talking about selling
his interest, with a handful of in-house
architects to consider as the next partner.
Cottle said the firm remains committed to
designing smart, sustainable buildings (8th
& Main in Boise is aiming for LEED Silver
Certification) in diverse markets.
“If you look at our portfolio and what
projects look like stylistically, we have a
wide array of design solutions,” said Cottle,
who worked for Babcock in the mid-90s
for three years, before ultimately coming
back in 2001. “Our emphasis is they’re
not our buildings. The aesthetic look is
a reflection of what is important to the
client. We try not to put our thumbprint on
everything we do. We like the diversity, and
also for the sake of being viable in crazy
economies. Being diverse helps when one
sector goes cold.”
“We’ve surrounded ourselves with a
great team, a talented team, and we have
amazing chemistry right now,” added
Winger. n
ArchitectAnniversary Profiles
BDG designed the new headquarters for Savage Industries in Midvale.