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Leadership, vision keys to Fort Myers riverfront plan |

https://architectabouttown.com/2009/05/09/leadership-vision-keys-to-fort-myers-riverfront-plan

Leadership, vision keys to Fort Myers riverfront plan. May 9, 2009. When I returned to Southwest Florida 22 years ago, I moved into the Miles Building on McGregor Boulevard, right downtown. I loved that Fort Myers had such a unique center. The lure of historical buildings and a spectacular location on the Caloosahatchee River is unrivaled along on the west coast of Florida. But in the late 1980s, the vibrancy of the past had been sucked out to the suburbs. Downtown must become a destination and the river...

architectabouttown.com

Sarasota School teaches lesson of fine modern architecture |

https://architectabouttown.com/2008/06/14/sarasota-school-teaches-lesson-of-fine-modern-architecture

Sarasota School teaches lesson of fine modern architecture. June 14, 2008. Recently out for a drive in my red VW bug, admiring the variety of architectural styles in the older neighborhoods off McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers, I was disheartened to see an older home, from the 1950s, bulldozed to make way for an oversized house that randomly borrowed aspects of many different architectural styles, none regional. This house could have been built anywhere in the United States. The particular house I’...

architectabouttown.com

Every project needs to have an architect |

https://architectabouttown.com/2009/02/14/every-project-needs-to-have-an-architect

Every project needs to have an architect. February 14, 2009. Many think architects are hired only for designing museums or schools or, lately, baseball stadiums. However, an architect can help any building project be more comfortable, functional and energy-efficient. But why would you hire an architect? What benefits will they bring? And, in difficult economic times, how can you justify the cost? The formal professional training is long and arduous. Depending on the university, it takes five or six y...

architectabouttown.com

Uncategorized |

https://architectabouttown.com/category/uncategorized

Gora’s final thoughts recalled. August 8, 2009. Last weekend in Tampa, Bruce Gora was posthumously honored at the annual Florida American Institute of Architects convention with the 2009 Silver Medal Award for Community Service. His wife Carolyn, two brothers, his business partner, Dan McGahey, and colleague, Ken Buschle, accepted the award on his behalf. I sat with Bruce in his modern house in Fort Myers last November, a few weeks before he passed away Dec. 18. More recently, though, it hasn’t been easy...

architectabouttown.com

Architecture styles often blend, merge |

https://architectabouttown.com/2008/03/08/architecture-styles-often-blend-merge

Architecture styles often blend, merge. March 8, 2008. I think it is important to look at architectural styles today. What is being built? Are the buildings appropriate for how we live and work in Southwest Florida? Are buildings today as well-suited to the sub-tropical climate as the early architecture built purely for function? What is a cupola? It was requested we give definitions from an architect’s perspective. Design standards will usually outline heights, lengths, materials, colors and architectur...

architectabouttown.com

A little bit of home in Singapore |

https://architectabouttown.com/2008/08/09/a-little-bit-of-home-in-singapore

A little bit of home in Singapore. August 9, 2008. This past month, I had the opportunity to visit Southeast Asia. It was a trip I won’t soon forget. On the flight home, wedged into seat 47H on Delta Flight 7851, I considered how different this area is from my comfortable hometown: the people, the food, the culture. But the climate would be familiar to anyone from this part of Florida: hot, humid and green. These projects were regularly highlighted in the national press. It was that attention that earned...

architectabouttown.com

Buildings send out clear messages |

https://architectabouttown.com/2008/11/08/buildings-send-out-clear-messages

Buildings send out clear messages. November 8, 2008. Can architecture speak to us? Of course they don’t talk, but it is certainly possible for a building to communicate. By effectively incorporating architectural vocabulary, a well-designed building can send out clear messages. But what kind of messages? The best of these lawmaking buildings remind us that they stand for democracy. As architectural tastes change, these buildings often conform to current styles of design, but the architectural characteris...

architectabouttown.com

Annual conference stresses we embrace green future |

https://architectabouttown.com/2008/09/13/annual-conference-stresses-we-embrace-green-future

Annual conference stresses we embrace green future. September 13, 2008. We were looking at a collection of elegant buildings, nearly all of them white on the exterior but some with exposed concrete. Unique, askew roof planes sloped upward, shading large expanses of glass carefully designed and located to direct the views out. Inside, modern minimal spaces made warm and comfortable with textures and colors opened out to courtyards and splendid landscaped settings. A prominent keynote speaker from a differ...