FALL 2011
New projects:
Salt Wing at the Norristown Farm Park’s Dairy Barn
Design is finalized for this wing of the historic dairy barn. The barn space is reinvented as a museum to showcase the history of the region’s agrarian beginnings. This project will give the public further insight into the importance of the historic collection of buildings that are protected within Norristown Farm Park.
Glenside Free Library
Construction begins on lighting upgrades to improve lighting quality and flexibility within the Main Reading Room, Main Entrance, Women’s Auxiliary Room, and ADA Toilet Room, as well as accessibility improvements and aesthetic upgrades to the ADA Toilet Room.
Projects completed or underway:
Don Guanella School
Bidding phase for renovation work
Center City Office Building
Bidding phase for renovation work
Exhibitions:
less.home.less
Dave Kratzer and BAU collaborate with Project H.O.M.E and Philadelphia University on a multi-discipline exhibition. Artwork from Project H.O.M.E residents are displayed together with PhilaU architecture student work focused on mixed-use projects designed to end Philadelphia’s homeless epidemic.
Leverage: Strengthening Neighborhoods through Design
Southern Gateway Corridor to the Kensington Community: West Kensington Neighborhood Revitalization along 2400-2600 of Kensington Avenue for this Community Design Collaborative exhibition highlights BAU urban redevelopment proposals, main street design guidelines, and master site planning and feasibility studies for the Visitation Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) campus.
Interior Space: Process and Product
BAU exhibits Transforming Space/Reimaging Health at the Raritan Valley Community College exhibition geared toward exposing students to the career opportunities available in architecture and interior design.
SUMMER 2011
New projects:
Curtis Hall
Renovation design and construction for upgrades to the HVAC systems at historic Curtis Hall located inside the Curtis Arboretum in Cheltenham Township, a treasure listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The goal is to increase energy efficiency of the HVAC system and decrease the noise generated by the old system while respecting the sensitive historic nature of the building. The existing system was so loud it had to be turned off in order for speakers to be heard.
Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Vailankanni
The spatial design of shrines to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Vailankanni inside the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal located in Germantown required the sculpting of worship spaces within a large basement chamber directly adjacent to restroom facilities. The design solution established two autonomous spaces for contemplation and reflection through spatial barriers designed to maximize accessibility to both shrines while disguising the washroom in close proximity.
Center City Office Building
Space planning, moderate renovation coordination, and move assistance to ensure a smooth transition during internal organizational restructuring.
Projects completed or underway:
McKenzie Brew House
Construction begins on the façade of the newest McKenzie Brew House in Berwyn.
Research:
Dr. Ellis presents “Ecological Urban Environments: Networked Adaptable Human-Building Ecosystems” at the International Green Energy Economy Conference hosted by the Korea Energy Economics Institute in Washington DC.
SPRING 2011
New projects:
Don Guanella School
Renovation of Don Guanella School in Springfield, PA includes the design and construction administration of the conversion of a large open workroom at the school into four individual classrooms for middle and high school students. Don Guanella School provides residential and rehabilitative services for individuals with cognitive and developmental disabilities. Design focus includes maximizing accessibility and daylighting in the new spaces.
Cheltenham Township
Feasibility study services to improve energy and programmatic efficiency at several township buildings.
McKenzie Brew House
Façade design for the newest McKenzie Brew House in Berwyn and the first McKenzie’s located within a linear shopping center complex. The unique challenge is to establish a strong identity to set the restaurant apart from the rest of the strip mall while being respectful and sensitive to the overall aesthetic. The goal is to design a bold façade that will attract customers from nearby US Route 202.
Research:
Green Building Alliance Proof-of-Concept Grant
BAU is collaborating with Drexel University, Appalachian Lighting Systems, Crystalplex and Pulsar Informatics on innovative LED lighting technologies. The team is developing a ceiling- and wall-mounted LED luminaire that will ameliorate systems of dementia and sleep disturbances for Saint Francis Country House.
Wearable Optical Fiber-based LED Light for Photodynamic Therapy
A portable, wearable, photodynamic therapy device using LEDs is being invented to activate a photosensitive compound developed by Case Western Reserve University to heal various skin disorders such psoriasis.
Dr. Ellis’ article, “The Red Square: Frank Lloyd Wright, Theosophy and Modern Conceptions of Space” is published in Theosophical History.
Dr. Ellis presents “Daylighting, Daylight Simulation and Public Health: Low-Energy Lighting for Optimal Vision/Visual Acuity and Health/Wellbeing” and “Energy and Environmental Aspects of Data Centers” at the World Renewable Energy Conference in Linköping, Sweden.
Dr. Ellis presents “(re)Visiting the City of Dreams” at Mobilities in Motion Conference at Drexel University.
Awards:
Preservation Achievement Grand Jury Award
The Norristown Farm Park receives the Preservation Achievement Grand Jury Award from the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia for the renovation and restoration of seven of the park’s ten historic buildings.
Leab Book Award
Claude Bragdon and the Beautiful Necessity wins the 2011 Leab Book Award administered by the American Library Association/Association of College & Research Libraries Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (Category One). These awards are given annually in recognition of excellence in the publication of catalogues and brochures that accompany exhibitions of library and archival materials. Catalogues are judged on originality, accuracy of detail, informational content, visual impact, contribution to scholarship, and usefulness to the intended audience.
Exhibitions:
Dark Light, the luminous wall surfacing system funded by the Green Building Alliance that BAU developed with Drexel University, is exhibited as part of the Westphal College Faculty Exhibition.
WINTER 2011
Research:
Urban Turbine
Dr. Ellis receives $20,000 grant from NetScientific America and $5,000 from the Pennsylvania Energy Commercialization Institute (ECI) for the development of the “Urban Turbine”, an alternative energy technology to capture both low and high velocity wind energy to supply electricity to buildings. The wind turbine is suitable for all building types, residential, commercial and institutional, with an impact to a building’s structure comparable to a solar array.
Dr. Ellis joins the Faculty Advisory Board for the Center for Mobilities Research and Policy (mCenter) at Drexel University.
Dr. Ellis represents Drexel University in Washington, DC at the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors, a professional association of academic environmental leaders, and attended “Our Changing Oceans” at the 11th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment.
New projects:
Salt Wing at the Norristown Farm Park’s Dairy Barn
Design is finalized for this wing of the historic dairy barn. The barn space is reinvented as a museum to showcase the history of the region’s agrarian beginnings. This project will give the public further insight into the importance of the historic collection of buildings that are protected within Norristown Farm Park.
Glenside Free Library
Construction begins on lighting upgrades to improve lighting quality and flexibility within the Main Reading Room, Main Entrance, Women’s Auxiliary Room, and ADA Toilet Room, as well as accessibility improvements and aesthetic upgrades to the ADA Toilet Room.
Projects completed or underway:
Don Guanella School
Bidding phase for renovation work
Center City Office Building
Bidding phase for renovation work
Exhibitions:
less.home.less
Dave Kratzer and BAU collaborate with Project H.O.M.E and Philadelphia University on a multi-discipline exhibition. Artwork from Project H.O.M.E residents are displayed together with PhilaU architecture student work focused on mixed-use projects designed to end Philadelphia’s homeless epidemic.
Leverage: Strengthening Neighborhoods through Design
Southern Gateway Corridor to the Kensington Community: West Kensington Neighborhood Revitalization along 2400-2600 of Kensington Avenue for this Community Design Collaborative exhibition highlights BAU urban redevelopment proposals, main street design guidelines, and master site planning and feasibility studies for the Visitation Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) campus.
Interior Space: Process and Product
BAU exhibits Transforming Space/Reimaging Health at the Raritan Valley Community College exhibition geared toward exposing students to the career opportunities available in architecture and interior design.
SUMMER 2011
New projects:
Curtis Hall
Renovation design and construction for upgrades to the HVAC systems at historic Curtis Hall located inside the Curtis Arboretum in Cheltenham Township, a treasure listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The goal is to increase energy efficiency of the HVAC system and decrease the noise generated by the old system while respecting the sensitive historic nature of the building. The existing system was so loud it had to be turned off in order for speakers to be heard.
Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Vailankanni
The spatial design of shrines to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Vailankanni inside the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal located in Germantown required the sculpting of worship spaces within a large basement chamber directly adjacent to restroom facilities. The design solution established two autonomous spaces for contemplation and reflection through spatial barriers designed to maximize accessibility to both shrines while disguising the washroom in close proximity.
Center City Office Building
Space planning, moderate renovation coordination, and move assistance to ensure a smooth transition during internal organizational restructuring.
Projects completed or underway:
McKenzie Brew House
Construction begins on the façade of the newest McKenzie Brew House in Berwyn.
Research:
Dr. Ellis presents “Ecological Urban Environments: Networked Adaptable Human-Building Ecosystems” at the International Green Energy Economy Conference hosted by the Korea Energy Economics Institute in Washington DC.
SPRING 2011
New projects:
Don Guanella School
Renovation of Don Guanella School in Springfield, PA includes the design and construction administration of the conversion of a large open workroom at the school into four individual classrooms for middle and high school students. Don Guanella School provides residential and rehabilitative services for individuals with cognitive and developmental disabilities. Design focus includes maximizing accessibility and daylighting in the new spaces.
Cheltenham Township
Feasibility study services to improve energy and programmatic efficiency at several township buildings.
McKenzie Brew House
Façade design for the newest McKenzie Brew House in Berwyn and the first McKenzie’s located within a linear shopping center complex. The unique challenge is to establish a strong identity to set the restaurant apart from the rest of the strip mall while being respectful and sensitive to the overall aesthetic. The goal is to design a bold façade that will attract customers from nearby US Route 202.
Research:
Green Building Alliance Proof-of-Concept Grant
BAU is collaborating with Drexel University, Appalachian Lighting Systems, Crystalplex and Pulsar Informatics on innovative LED lighting technologies. The team is developing a ceiling- and wall-mounted LED luminaire that will ameliorate systems of dementia and sleep disturbances for Saint Francis Country House.
Wearable Optical Fiber-based LED Light for Photodynamic Therapy
A portable, wearable, photodynamic therapy device using LEDs is being invented to activate a photosensitive compound developed by Case Western Reserve University to heal various skin disorders such psoriasis.
Dr. Ellis’ article, “The Red Square: Frank Lloyd Wright, Theosophy and Modern Conceptions of Space” is published in Theosophical History.
Dr. Ellis presents “Daylighting, Daylight Simulation and Public Health: Low-Energy Lighting for Optimal Vision/Visual Acuity and Health/Wellbeing” and “Energy and Environmental Aspects of Data Centers” at the World Renewable Energy Conference in Linköping, Sweden.
Dr. Ellis presents “(re)Visiting the City of Dreams” at Mobilities in Motion Conference at Drexel University.
Awards:
Preservation Achievement Grand Jury Award
The Norristown Farm Park receives the Preservation Achievement Grand Jury Award from the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia for the renovation and restoration of seven of the park’s ten historic buildings.
Leab Book Award
Claude Bragdon and the Beautiful Necessity wins the 2011 Leab Book Award administered by the American Library Association/Association of College & Research Libraries Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (Category One). These awards are given annually in recognition of excellence in the publication of catalogues and brochures that accompany exhibitions of library and archival materials. Catalogues are judged on originality, accuracy of detail, informational content, visual impact, contribution to scholarship, and usefulness to the intended audience.
Exhibitions:
Dark Light, the luminous wall surfacing system funded by the Green Building Alliance that BAU developed with Drexel University, is exhibited as part of the Westphal College Faculty Exhibition.
WINTER 2011
Research:
Urban Turbine
Dr. Ellis receives $20,000 grant from NetScientific America and $5,000 from the Pennsylvania Energy Commercialization Institute (ECI) for the development of the “Urban Turbine”, an alternative energy technology to capture both low and high velocity wind energy to supply electricity to buildings. The wind turbine is suitable for all building types, residential, commercial and institutional, with an impact to a building’s structure comparable to a solar array.
Dr. Ellis joins the Faculty Advisory Board for the Center for Mobilities Research and Policy (mCenter) at Drexel University.
Dr. Ellis represents Drexel University in Washington, DC at the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors, a professional association of academic environmental leaders, and attended “Our Changing Oceans” at the 11th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment.
architecture