The Pulse in July 2023
BKV is F&C’s Architect of the Year
At the June?Finance & Commerce?Top Projects event in Minneapolis,?BKV Group?was extremely excited and proud to receive the Architect of the Year award, given annually to the firm which best exemplifies creativity in design, innovation with construction techniques, and sustainability efforts.
As a Minnesota-founded design firm, we are humbled by this honor –?thank you to F&C, our industry partners, clients, and of course our BKV colleagues.
The?BKV Group-Designed Howard Lake Library Breaks Ground as the First Net Zero Library in Minnesota and Upper Midwest
As a net zero energy building, the new Howard Lake Library will be optimally efficient, and over the course of a year, generate energy on-site, using clean renewable resources, in a quantity equal to or greater than the total amount of energy consumed on-site. The many sustainable net zero features include highly insulated foundations, walls and roofs; building and window placement for passive solar gain; and rooftop-mounted photovoltaics as the source of the property’s renewable energy.?As?Susan Morgan, Education & Library Practice Leader and Partner states, “There are currently just a small handful of net zero libraries across the country and those tend to be sub-15,000-square-foot profiles in large urban areas. This is truly a watershed moment for the state of Minnesota as well as the city of Howard Lake and the many partners on the project dedicated to bringing to the community the highest-quality, most energy-efficient public library, which will serve as a center for education, programming and socializing for decades to come.”?
Read more about our sustainable design leadership and work with the emerging Howard Lake Library via the links below:
Congratulations Times Two, Ellie Ziaie!
Not only did?BKV Architectural Designer, Ellie Ziaie, pass all of the exams for licensure, but also last month Ellie was the official recipient of the 2023?AIA Minnesota?Next Gen Award! With over 12 years of experience, Ellie is the co-founder of?BKV Group's pro-bono design outreach group, named BKV Workshop, and is a trusted leader with design and multi-disciplinary coordination for a variety of multifamily work, varying from affordable to luxury, urban infill to historic renovation. Ellie also works with our mission-driven/non-profit clients, spearheading trauma-informed projects, and creating sustainable and healing environments for individuals.?Cheers to you, Ellie!
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Collin Koonce Publishes UrbanLand Article Focusing on “Outdoorness”
In a featured UrbanLand article,?BKV Group's Urban Design and Landscape Architecture Leader,?Collin Koonce, posits that "it is often our aim to erase the line between inside and out and understand how we can provide spaces across a spectrum of what I call outdoorness." Collin goes on to describe outdoorness as providing end-users with a full range of spaces that offer an optimal level of comfort according to the weather, time of day, and type of use, all tied to a greater connection to the outdoors.
Parti-Librari: A Portable Reading Room Concept
Buildner (Bee Breeders), in partnership with?MArch. Arquitectura y Dise?o, issued the second edition of their Portable Reading Rooms competition with our?BKV Group?team collaborating on a versatile concept using lightweight components that can be reconfigured to create distinctly unique and inviting installations adaptable to locations within any climate or season.?Take a look into the resulting submission, titled "Parti-Librari," brought to you by a multidisciplinary team composed of Senior Associate and Project Manager,?Chris Hutton; Architectural Designer,?Jena Quast; Project Architect, Brita Carlson; and oversight provided by Education & Library Practice Leader and Partner,?Susan Morgan.?Great work!
Duffey Lofts Presents a Case Study for Conversions in the Warehouse District
As Minneapolis officials hope to create more housing and jumpstart the downtown office market, they are looking at the underused, aging buildings in the Warehouse District. One successful case study they're using is the warehouse-to-housing project in the North Loop named Duffey Lofts. The?BKV Group-designed, mixed-use community has city planners and other downtown boosters excited about the possibilities of future conversions in the district.
Rosemount Police & Public Works Facility on Film
View the process behind how our Rosemount design team worked with each department to confirm their operational space needs to develop an accurate space program for their current and long-term needs. This new Police & Public Works facility (which just broke ground) will centralize public works operations, providing space for public works offices and staff support space as well as vehicle storage, vehicle maintenance, and wash bay areas.