was revealed when the hoarding came down on Friday. It’s not quite complete – seasonal deficiencies like paint (no, the messy rust paint is NOT by choice), signage + landscaping remain. That said, we’re still thrilled with the results. We hope Edmontonians will agree that it’s a positive contribution to the square…
For us! For our Alberta Avenue facade improvement project! While our time on stage was a bit of a blur, I did hear that a jury comment was that the design is “cool”. We’ll take that. Our thanks to the building owner for trusting our ideas, our contractor Global Construction for executing the design so well and our photographer Jim Dobie for his genius.
View all the winners here.
Absolutely nothing to do with architecture, but I think my new rescue puppy (australian cattle dog/blue heeler) is newsworthy. She came from the fabulously tireless Terra @ Prarie Animal Rescue Society and required a LONG drive up north to pick her up. I’d never done that drive before – it’s beautiful country. I was particularly taken with a stretch of highway where a fire had gone through and nature was returning. Blackened trunks stood sentinel over the new bright green growth of conifers below. Very Group-of-Seven moment and more inspiration for design. Can’t escape it, especially when you’re trapped in a car with nothing to do but think. The quiet was awesome!
2009 started out with some excitement – a flood in the neighboring business which made it’s way into our office. Fortunately damage in our space was minimal - the presence of the nearby Saskatchewan River has made us wary of the possibility of flood and affected some design decisions. We just didn’t anticipate a water line in the building would beat the river to it. Strangely enough, the biggest loss was some millwork trim suspended far above floor level but which nevertheless did not react well to the humidity and tore itself away from the construction adhesive. We may have to rip out the drywall on the party wall which is a bit depressing as it’ll mean removing a feature wall containing our power and network….one step forward, two steps back. The plants were delighted with the increased moisture levels, so maybe there’s a silver lining?
Yes. We are still here. I am a bad dog, but no blogging because too busy. Which is good, but bad.
We’ve moved into our new space which is a huge relief as we’re actually able to collaborate! Imagine! Still things to be done of course, but it’s gradually feeling more complete. Our green wall is a work in progress but look – it’s planted and giving us oxygen! It’s rather spotty now, but we look forward to it filling in with masses of healthy growth. And, we can still admire the beautiful walnut frame masterfully crafted by our good friend Gord over at Raine Design.
We’re getting our website re-done and should be embarking on that particular adventure next week. Our friends and neighbors next door at Freckle Creative www.frecklecreative.ca will be taking that into their capable hands. My intention is to keep the blog going in some form…
