The Ultimate Urban Tour of Living
Cole + Russell Architects is proud to sponsor the 2007 Ultimate Urban Tour of Living featuring new homes in Downtown, Mt. Adams, Mt. Auburn, Over-the-Rhine, and Walnut Hills. The tour is free and takes place October 13th and 14th. For more information see the website: www.toururban.com.
Parma Fire Stations Win Bronze
Parma Fire Stations No. 1 and 2 won the 2007 Station Style Bronze Award from Fire Chief magazine. The prototype design is an interpretation of the early 1920s residential and institutional architecture in Parma, Ohio. Red brick and white cast stone, along with the overall detailing, all tie the new stations to the architectural context of the community. The stations opened in May 2007.
Celebrating 25 Years
C+RA celebrated 25 years in business on October 1, 2007. C+RA's goals today are the same as when it was founded in 1982—to create enduring value for clients, their communities and our firm by thinking big and doing what it takes everyday. This commitment and the loyal support of clients and friends are the foundation for our many accomplishments over the years. C+RA commemorated this milestone with an Oktoberfest celebration.
K-12 Arts School Breaks Ground
City and state leaders gathered at the future site of the School for Creative and Performing Arts on September 6, 2007. The groundbreaking ceremony for the nation's first K-12 public school devoted to the arts included performances by the Cincinnati Symphony & Pops Orchestra and the children's choir. C+RA is completing this project in association with Fanning Howey Associates and Moody Nolan, Inc.
Williston Dedicates Fire & Police Headquarters
In back-to-back weekends, hundreds of families and town officials turned-out for the unveiling of the new police and fire stations for the Town of Williston, Vermont. The dedication and open house of the 23,000-sf, fire headquarters, featured a traditional wet-down of the fleet and two-story facility. Visitors got the chance to tour the state-of-the-art facility, which features C+RA’s Training by Design. The highly-secured, two-story police station sits on the lot previously occupied by the fire station. C+RA completed both stations in collaboration with Dore & Whittier Architects.
Raising the Roof
Future residents of the riverfront, mixed-use development One River Plaza celebrated at a ceremonial demolition of the existing Montgomery Inn Banquet Center on July 17, 2007. This party kicked off the construction of the two high-rise condominium towers in downtown Cincinnati. C+RA is completing this project in collaboration with Miller Valentine and RTKL Associates.
Fire Station Design Symposium
C+RA will present two seminars at the FIERO Fire Station Design Symposium on October 25-27, 2007, in Charlotte, North Carolina. "A Station Designed for Training" will educate fire professionals on C+RA's Training by Design concept and develop an awareness of how to take advantage of a building and site for simulated training. "Understanding ADA" will provide insight into making a station ADA compliant without undue expense and while maintaining the necessary functions.
Cornhole Tournament
More than 40 participants sought the crown of Cornhole Champion at C+RA’s First Annual Cornhole Tournament. Atop the roof of C+RA’s headquarters building, Project Associates David Johnson and Tim Goyette threw bean bag for bean bag against Project Architect Mike Boron and Project Manager Larry Suer for the title and bragging rights. Johnson and Goyette won the honors in a close match winning 21 to 19.
Boyle County Awards Fire Station
The Boyle County Fire Protection District in Danville, Kentucky, awarded C+RA its new fire station/training center project. The station will include six apparatus bays, a 5,000-sf central office/station headquarters building and a 6,000-sf training facility.
Anderson Towne Place Breaks Ground
Anderson Towne Place held its groundbreaking ceremony on July 17, 2007. The $35 residential and retail development will include 49 condominiums and a 12-screen theater within close proximity to an adjacent shopping and restaurant center. This project is scheduled to open in the summer of 2009.
Softball Finale
C+RA finished its softball season 4-6 after multiple rainouts. The team ended the season on a high note, defeating its architecture archrival in recreational league.
Hot Off the Press
School Planning & Management recognized Sharonville Elementary School and Stewart Elementary School in its June issue. Among 300 award submissions, Sharonville received an Honorable Mention and Stewart was recognized as a Project of Distinction. Both schools serve pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and draw upon historic influences in the community. C+RA completed this project in collaboration with Fanning Howey Associates.
Madison Local Schools Awards Primary School
Madison Local Schools selected C+RA and education partner Fanning Howey Associates to design its pre-kindergarten through sixth grade elementary school. The project will add approximately 100,000-sf to the current junior/senior high school building. The addition will feature a media center, technology lab, gymnasium with connected cafeteria and administrative areas.
Station Style Conference
C+RA presented "Training by Design" to more than 225 attendees at the Station Style Conference in Denver. The seminar educated fire professionals on C+RA's concept of economically incorporating basic physical and tactical training needs through the innovative design of a station.
Convention Center Wins AIA Award
The Cincinnati Convention Center won the AIA Seattle Honor Award. C+RA participated in this project as part of the Cincinnati Architects Collaborative, which served as the Architect of Record. LMN Architects served as the signature design architect. The jury commented: "Architects know that to innovate at this scale offers a real challenge, to integrate a major civic structure with its urban surround. Here the exterior expresses a sense of the city, with a sunscreen that literally reflects the urban neighborhood and relates it to the riverfront. The interiors present a fresh way of elevating the discourse among very large spaces that usually have very little character or articulation. The Center animates the street, while offering a civic presence that crosses the river."
Softball Grand Slam
C+RA’s recreational softball team won a close match against the Rod Squad 11 to 10 on May 10, 2007. The team is 1-1 for the season.
Proud Sponsor
C+RA is proud to be the 2007 sponsor of the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati’s Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Apple Awards. This year the award is honoring Thomas R. Schiff, an award winning Ohio photographer.
Cincinnati Builds Green
The City of Cincinnati’s first LEED registered project and first firehouse in 24 years is under construction. Cincinnati Fire Station No. 9 is a two-story, 15,555-sf station expected to open in the fall of 2007. Sustainable elements built into the station include: horizontal sun screens to reduce HVAC loads, light pollution reduction, 15% better than current energy code, construction waste management, both daylight and views points and operable windows.
Broomball Madness
C+RA’s recreational broomball team, the “C+RA Zs”, tied their final game of the season 3 to 3. The team skidded to a final record of 1-4-1 of their first fun-filled season.
Urban Living Redefined
C+RA unveiled the design for One River Plaza, a luxury, mixed-use development that will change the Cincinnati skyline. The dual tower design creates a dramatic architectural expression and embraces the heritage of the city while providing a direct connection to the downtown core, riverfront park system and the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Ohio River to Northern Kentucky’s entertainment district.
Best in American Living
Stratford Heights at the University of Cincinnati received the “Best in American Living Award - Best Community 150 units and over” from the National Association of Home Builders. The project team for the contemporary, Tudor inspired student housing community included C+RA, Mackey Mitchell Associates, Towne Properties and Miller-Valentine Group.
Air Force Recognizes Crash-Rescue Station
The Consolidated Crash-Rescue building at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base received the Air Force Materiel Command Honor Award in the Facility category. The design-build project team involved C+RA, Burgess & Niple and Messer Construction.
Montana Fire Station Wins Gold
Kalispell Fire Station No. 62 received the Station Style Award Gold Medal. The volunteer station incorporates C+RA’s Training by Design features into the station design to allow firefighters to perform tactical training on-site.
Architecture Rivals Team Up
Three prominent Cincinnati architecture firms, C+RA included, joined forces and formed the Cincinnati Architects Collaborative to successfully complete the Duke Energy Convention Center project. The project opened to rave reviews four months ahead of schedule and $10 million under budget.
Arts Devotion
Cincinnati Public's School Board approved the design for the new School for Creative and Performing Arts, the nation’s first publicly funded K-12 public school devoted to the arts. The 252,000-sf facility is scheduled to open for the 2009-2010 school year. C+RA is completing the project in association with Moody•Nolan, and Fanning Howey Associates.
Living it Up at the Movies
C+RA has been selected to design a $35 million lifestyle center to include a 14-screen theater, 48 to 60 condominiums, an outdoor amphitheater seating 325, restaurant and jazz bar. This project is scheduled to open in the summer of 2009.
