Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Announces “Topping Off” of New Lodge and Casino Expansion.

Read Article…

]]> http://www.walshbishop.com/swinomish-progress/2011/08/03/feed/ http://www.walshbishop.com/walsh-bishop-aids-marquette-plaza-in-attaining-leed-platinum-certification/2011/08/02/ http://www.walshbishop.com/walsh-bishop-aids-marquette-plaza-in-attaining-leed-platinum-certification/2011/08/02/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:55:42 +0000 PaulHand http://www.walshbishop.com/?p=1085

Building is first in downtown Minneapolis to receive highest LEED status Read Article….

The design team assembled images and real samples of local materials, tribal patterns and textures. The tribal elders shared their beading patterns, headdresses, artwork, birch bark canoe, and photography outlining their past and current culture. We looked at the regional indigenous materials such as tree types with branch arbors, leaf patterns, grasses, thistles, vines, wild rice stocks and local stone of the north woods.

Using these samples and images, we abstracted them into building materials and these items became the inspiration for the design team’s direction.

Walsh Bishop engaged local and regional vendors to use these samples and images and quickly assemble material boards for review of the team. Some of the abstracting was on a one to one scale; other abstracting was accomplished on a much larger scale. Carpet patterns and color schemes were established to be reminiscing of the branch patterns of the local forests and water. The front entrance floor tile reflects the color of the swift running rivers and creeks of the area. The front panels of transaction areas emulate the grasses and wild rice reeds in the prairies and lakes around the region. Behind the transaction areas are glass panels with abstracted Aspen tree trunks on angles found in the local forests. The team worked with lighting designers to design a state of the art, computer controlled, multi-colored LED lighting system to reflect the changing northern light patterns in the north woods sky. The restaurant areas incorporate wood accents around table and booth edges. Natural stone was used on the floors. Carpet and wall coverings as well as countertop fronts have the look of leaf patterns and wild rice reeds. The two story hotel suites have an earthy, relaxed, warm feeling to them to accommodate a restful night’s sleep. Leaf patterns were incorporated into the wall coverings and natural stone was used on fireplace facades.

All of these material boards were assembled, reviewed and approved within the scheduled 6 week timeframe allotted for the re-design process. Long lead items were ordered and the technical team of Walsh Bishop completed the construction documents for implementation into the building process. The result is a successfully completed project that incorporates the tribal culture in an abstracted design that the St. Croix Chippewa are proud to call their own.

The LEED-certified Norman Pointe II is one of the more architecturally bold structures on the Interstate 494 strip. The building’s inviting entrance features a canted glass curtain of windows bisecting the middle portion of its 10 stories. The sloping middle section ends at the top with a two-story, light-filled space offering spectacular views of downtown Minneapolis and Bloomington’s neighborhoods and parks.

Norman Pointe II’s glassy facade is enlivened by building-length bands and blocks of dark and light browns, white and various window treatments. A 1,290-space parking ramp sits behind it.
“Walsh Bishop, the architects, did a really nice job of designing a beautiful building,” says Duke Senior Vice President Pat Mascia, head of the Minneapolis office. Norman Pointe II is part of a larger development that includes a small lake, walking trails and Norman Pointe I - a seven story, 210,000-square-foot, multitenant commercial office building.

Mascia’s favorite space, the three-story atrium lobby, features wood walls, leather chairs and couches, trees (”we’re trying to bring the outside in”), a large origami-like piece of art inspired by an 1880 plat map of the site and a unique waterfall - partly inspired by the one in the IDS building downtown - where ribbons of water that look like guitar strings travel 30 feet into a basin of slate gray stones.

“It’s really cool,” he says.

Norman Pointe II was the first Twin Cities structure to receive LEED “core and shell” certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. (Tenants decide whether to pursue LEED in multitenant buildings, and so far none has at Norman Pointe II.) The LEED recognition derives from the building’s many sustainable attributes, as well as little things like dedicated parking for hybrid cars.

-Frank Jossi

Walsh Bishop recently completed this Seattle branch office relocation bringing two full floors of first generation core and shell space from exposed concrete and steel to well appointed Class A office space. Delivered on time and under budget this space suits the clients needs in every respect and has settled in as the “gold standard” for all continuing branch remodel work.

RBC Seattle Conference Room

Sustainability is an integral part of current conversations regarding development and resources. The impact of design and operating decisions an owner will make over the course of their development is becoming increasingly transparent and quantifiable. How can an owner take steps to ensure that they will be prepared as they address issues of sustainability throughout their development process?  Read Article>>

“Walsh Bishop was able to capture the essence of what we wanted. They promptly translated our ideas into a beautifully executed series of renderings that looked as if they had been prepared for a much more costly project.  They have been sensitive to our need to work with a relatively modest budget and I am confident that we will have the most welcoming and quietly elegant lobby possible as a result of their creative flair and enthusiasm.”

Designed to appeal to the senses and evoke the natural environs of northern Michigan, the new Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel in Williamsburg, Mich., is a stunning example of modern architecture gone green. Read Article>>>