WBA Annual Golf Outing
On Friday, Walsh Bishop employee-owners braved a chilly rain during what has become a favorite Fall tradition, our annual golf outing. This year we played the beautiful course at Theodore Wirth Park and our game included such fun contests as the shortest drive, the most balls lost and the best and worst team attire. After golfing, we returned to the office for a barbecue dinner and despite the uncooperative weather, a great time was had by all!
Jodie Maruska to Present at Midwest Conference of ESOP Champions
On September 24, Walsh Bishop’s Jodie Maruska will lead a round table discussion on the topic of “October Ownership Month Activities” at the Midwest Conference of ESOP Champions. The Conference encompasses the Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa Chapters of the ESOP Association and will cover a variety of ESOP-specific topics over two days in Bloomington, MN. Jodie is presenting with Sheryl Neuman of Toll Companies and Betty Bollis of Amerequip and promises a fun and energetic discussion on ways to promote your ESOP during October’s ownership month. Walsh Bishop became a 100% ESOP company on January 1, 2008.
WBA Project Featured in Casino Enterprise Management
The Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem is featured in the current issue of Casino Enterprise Management. Walsh Bishop Associates was the Interior Architect for this project and in the article, Design Principal Ed Wilms discusses the challenge of providing a design that incorporates the historical significance of the site (formerly the Bethlehem Steel Mill) yet has a modern and pliable tone for future development. The article can be read at:
Cultural Fabrication: Grasping an Essence with Surrogate Hands
On Saturday July 25, Walsh Bishop Design Principal Stephen Knowles presented a lecture at Taliesin - The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Entitled “Cultural Fabrication: Grasping an Essence with Surrogate Hands”, the lecture was part of the 2009 Summer Taliesin Lecture Series that also features Kostas Terzidis and Michael P. Johnson.
Stephen’s presentation came out of an architectural journey that started with a desire to build edifices, from concepts, for cultures to grow in and around. Recognizing that the architect can only design around the materials he or she can utilize, the mind-hand-tool process of drawings, modeling, calculations and prototypes is an opportunity to experiment with concepts, geometry, matter and execution. The ultimate goal is to understand building culture by investigating, imagining and discussing the capacity of materials, assemblies and routines that diverge from contemporary building practices.
Walsh Bishop is Moving!
Walsh Bishop is excited to announce that on May 29, 2009 we will be moving from our current location in the Oracle Building into our new office located in the North Loop neighborhood! Our new address will be:
900 North 3rd Street
Minneapolis MN 55401
All direct dial telephone numbers and email addresses will remain the same. Our general office telephone number of 612.338.8799 will also remain unchanged.
Watch this website for further updates!
Earth Day 2009
It’s that time of the year again! The 2009 Minneapolis Earth Day Watershed Clean Up is taking place on April 18 and Walsh Bishop will continue it’s history of participating in this fun and important activity with what we hope is a large team of WBA staff, family and friends! The LEAP Task Team is coordinating this event for the fourth year in a row and we hope to have some fun, help our community and set a good example of environmental stewardship. This year we will also be wearing blue in support of Architecture 2030’s “Two-Years, Nine-Millions Jobs” initiative. Go to www.2030architecture.com for more information on this important plan to add jobs and grow the economy by investing in the building industry.
A Sweet Discovery
When you purchase a building that started it’s life as a candy factory you’d expect some interesting finds and 900 N. 3rd Street hasn’t disappointed! Our new building was built in 1923 as a candy factory first for Gurley Candy, followed by Fannie Farmer. One of the more unique features we have discovered during our core and shell work is a large roof-top vat that once held the molasses used to make candy and other sweet confections. Even though it has not been used for many decades, you can still step inside the vat and detect the strong smell of syrup! While we will be removing the vat as part of the roof top renovation, it has served as a great reminder to us of the role the North Loop played in the commercial development of Minneapolis and how we want to mark our own presence in this dynamic and revitalized part of our City.
Walsh Bishop..Meet Your New Building!
Last Friday was a gorgeous summer day and one in which Walsh Bishop employee/owners were formally introduced to our new building. The afternoon started out with tours of the building from top to bottom, and was followed by a family picnic at Boom Island. Many people were amazed at the incredible architectural details found in this old building that interestingly, started out as a candy factory. In fact, on the roof of the building is a large vat in which you can still detect the scent of molasses! Meanwhile, the building renovation continues at full-steam with alot of recent demolition and importantly, a decision regarding the type of elevator that will be installed.
Finally, this week Walsh Bishop launched an internal “Name Your Building” Contest. The name should speak not only to the building, it’s history and neighborhood, but also to Walsh Bishop and our own identity. Importantly, it should resonate with other tenants and tell a story. Watch this website for a formal name announcement in September!
A Month of Practice Building
May was a busy month for Walsh Bishop’s LEAP Task Team! At Walsh Bishop, LEAP stands for “Leaders in Environmental Awareness and Protection.” The LEAP Task Team raises sustainability awareness, educates and provides a framework for sustainable design and operational decisions. In May, the LEAP Task Team presented Walsh Bishop’s mid-year sustainability report and created master specifications for indoor air quality (IAQ) management, environmental procedures and requirements for products. In addition, after identifying the industry need for improved logistics and management, the LEAP Task Team developed three tools that will streamline Walsh Bishop’s internal sustainable design process and provide additional value to our clients.The first tool is the Cost of LEED Matrix which identifies historic costs associated with each LEED credit. This document was produced from renowned sources, as well as from input by leading local contractors. It will be a valuable tool for guiding the Owner to feasible LEED points; and will be a great companion document to energy modeling and life cycle reports that are produced to identify payback. The second tool is the Project Management Checklist for LEED. The checklist is based on the services described in AIA Contract Document B214 Standard Form of Architect’s Services - LEED Certification. Using this document will aid in accurate budgeting, staffing, project expectation and production during each phase of the project. Lastly, the LEAP Task Team created the Checklist of Reference Standards for LEED, which will simplify the scope and technical responsibilities required by LEED projects.These innovative tools further enhance our commitment to, and experience with, sustainable design practices.
Take Me Out To The Ballgame!
Despite temperatures in the low 40’s and a hint of snowflakes, the Walsh Bishop softball team was warmed up and rarin’ to play at our first softball game of the 2008 season last Monday.
Walsh Bishop has sponsored a softball team in the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s Architect League for more than seven years. Playing every Monday at the Lake Nokomis ball fields is a great way for us to enjoy working together as a team in a fun and relaxed environment, as well as to share some friendly competition with our rival architectural firms. Did I mention that Walsh Bishop was undefeated last season? We also started this season with a win last week and although I sense a repeat of last year’s stunning season, only time will tell!
Play ball!
