The annual Golden Hammer Awards were announced in ceremony last week and we are pleased to report that BAM was clapped at on several different occasions. Presented by the Better Housing Coalition’s newly created Center for Neighborhood Revitalization, the awards recognize projects that make a strong contribution to the preservation and revitalization of Richmond’s historic neighborhoods.
Richmond is a city of hills, not unlike Rome or a colony of ants. For 100 years, elevated viaducts (which are like bridges, only way cooler) have crossed Shockoe Valley and connected downtown with the communities of Church, Union and Jefferson Hills. The first such structure, the Marshall Street Viaduct, opened for business in 1911 and was a trestle of steel and wood that stretched a half-mile from College Street downtown to 21st Street in the East End. Streetcars, automobiles, horse-drawn carts, pedestrians and farm animals could now travel above the fray of Broad Street without fear of the steep hills awaiting them at either end. This being Richmond, tolls were required: wheelbarrows were assessed a flat 2c fee while children under 10 were allowed to pass free of charge. There was even an elevator to the streetcar line below at 18th street.
Fast forward many decades...
Curious things are happening in Manchester. A mobile kiosk is drawing folks who live and work in the neighborhood onto the streets and asking them to do some drawings of their own. The What Do You See kiosk is designed to spark a conversation with the community and to inspire the way people see Manchester. Inside you’ll find pens and a window where you can sketch and share ideas for the historic district on view just outside. The kiosk is the collaborative effort of a group of young architects (including BAM studio-mate Amrit Singh) from around Virginia who are participating in this year’s Emerging Leaders in Architecture program sponsored by the VSAIA. Conceived, researched, designed, built and marketed by the ELA class, the structure made its debut last weekend at two sites in Old Manchester.
What Do You See will be on display again this Saturday, Oct. 15th, at the Hull Street Library from 10am – 4pm. Don’t miss this chance to engage the community, a group of talented architects and a nice piece of architecture.
Our friends over at Modern Richmond are hosting their latest Exchange this Wednesday night at 5:30 pm. More information is available here and here. On view will be our longtime friends (and clients from La Diff) Andy and Sarah's lovely hilltop residence, for which BAM contributed design services including a new kitchen to replace an old porch. In addition, using only a single sheet of paper and a pair of black pens, our own Bill Church designed the particularly lovely pair of wood and steel columns adjacent to the front door. Besides offering a modern counterpoint to the rustic charm of the existing house (and hinting at the transformation inside), they carry a new rim beam required for bathroom renovations above.
For the second time in a week, we find ourselves staring at color-coded maps that attempt to quantify the relationship between humans and the earth. First it was the earthquakes (which are continuing, by the way). Then came hurricane Irene which left most of Richmond (and the rest of the East) soaking wet, in the dark and wondering where our chainsaws were for all those trees which had gone from vertical to horizontal. This time around, the maps come from Dominion Power and include an interactive real-time map of outages complete with estimated repair times. For all the technology on display, we are reminded that it only takes an errant piece of wood hitting a wire to grind one's day (or in this case week) to a screeching halt.
This got us thinking architect-y thoughts…
