November 21, 2016

Bialosky Cleveland Honored for Recent Work and Service at Cleveland Design Awards

On Friday night, a record-breaking 500 people from the Cleveland architecture and design community gathered at the sparkling new Hilton Cleveland Downtown for the annual AIA/IIDA Cleveland Design Awards. An impressive, diverse pool of projects by local architects were showcased and honored, by juries led by Roberto de Leon, FAIA and Christopher Stulpin, IIDA. It was a magnificent affair, with an uplifting spirit of collegiality and unity from the design community.

Bialosky Cleveland earned three design awards for recent projects. Also, three of our employees were individually recognized. Congratulations to our teams behind The Schofield, Roberta A. Smith University Library, and our own offices.

Congratulations to Chris Persons and Kate Walker, two of our recent grads, who also took home honors for their grad work at Kent State University! Also, the President's Citation was awarded to our own Hallie DelVillan for her service and leadership in the chapter, and her commitment to advancing equity in the profession.

More posts to come, that will profile these award-winning projects.
Congrats to all our peers who were also recognized, and to every firm who submitted this year!

Project Awards

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IIDA Best Small Corporate Office
Bialosky Cleveland Offices
Bialosky Team: Jack Alan Bialosky, Jr., Paul Deutsch, Paul Taylor, Mandisa Gosa, Philip Erb, Chelsey Finnimore

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IIDA Best Education Project
Roberta A. Smith University Library
Muskingum University
Bialosky Team: Bruce Horton, Brandon Garrett, Tracy Sciano Vajskop, Philip Erb, Nick Dilisio

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AIA Merit Award
Project Name:  The Schofield
Bialosky Team: Paul Deutsch, Ryan Parsons, Theodore Ferringer
Architect:  STUDIOCRM, Inc., Bialosky Cleveland and Sandvick Architects

 

Individual Awards

AIA Student Merit Award
Chris Persons, for Drydock No. 2

IIDA Student Honorable Mention
Kate Walker, for SCFBC

President's Citation
Hallie DelVillan

 

May 13, 2015

The Year of the Advocate: Pro Bono and the Genius Loci

Pro bono, civic, and community projects have always been deeply embedded in the culture of our firm. We wholeheartedly believe that as architects, we have a distinct responsibility to serve and strengthen our community. But the value of pro bono work runs deeper than the neighborhoods it touches, it has transformed and elevated our very profession. Pro bono projects are a powerful medium for architectural firms to grow and empower leadership and heighten awareness of local expertise that can often be overshadowed. Too often we hear bemoaning around awarding projects to outside architects.

LeBron said it best, “In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have.” In Cleveland, “being of this place” means rolling up your sleeves, and chasing what you want. For Cleveland architects specifically, it means fueling ourselves (and each other) to rise up, advocate for architecture, and serve our city.

Consider the following article I wrote for AIA Cleveland as a call to our local design community - to challenge the notion of pro bono work being categorized as simply “other”, “charity” or “unpaid” projects, but rather as an ingrained part of architectural practice.


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Pro Bono and the Genius Loci

Jack Bialosky, Jr., AIA Cleveland President-Elect

For AIA, this year is intended to be "the year of the advocate". The recent national "I Look Up" ad campaign has engendered comments, both positive and negative, about architecture and advocacy (for more information on the campaign, read AIA Cleveland President Aaron Hill's recent article Why "Looking Up" Is Important). It is good that there are strong feelings about this, especially if you ascribe to the theory that any press is good press. But more importantly, the campaign has empowered dispersed dialogues to surface as one national conversation.

Personally, I believe that every year should be the year of the advocate for architects and architecture. As President-Elect, and a fairly new comer (or late returner) to active duty in AIA Cleveland, I have been educating myself on the issues that our local members prioritize as the most relevant and important to our community. In response to our recent member survey, most of the respondents felt that one of AIA Cleveland's most important roles was to advocate for local architects. Many architects feel they have lost power, voice and position as leaders of the built environment. Furthermore, Cleveland and Northeast Ohio have suffered for years from a low self-image which has fueled a desire for outside experts. Compounded by an economic downturn spanning half a decade, this triple-whammy has left some architects in our community feeling under-appreciated and unable to compete for important commissions in their own market.

There have been past efforts at advocacy for local architects. The Design Forum of Cleveland was founded in 2006 as a multi-disciplinary organization with the goals of improving awareness of area design professional services, increasing the consumption of area design professional services, and enhancing and sustaining the professional careers within the local design community. The forum sought to educate area leaders on the quality of available services and the economic impact of the commissions going out of town. Unfortunately, the efforts foundered when confronted by the Cleveland malaise described above; Corporate cultures that inherently value the corporation over the community at large have failed to see the connection and synergy that strengthens them both, while political authorities focused on feathering their own nests or occupied with surviving the times.

Fast forward to 2015, Cleveland has been rightfully labeled as a "Comeback City", as a new sense of optimism pervades our town. The City of Cleveland has new momentum and the economic cycle appears to be stable and in our favor. Downtown Cleveland, no longer a ghost town at night, is experiencing a resurgence of pride from its residents. Clevelanders are feeling better about the future of their city and architects in Northeast Ohio similarly seem to be doing a bit better than years past. AIA Cleveland has new energy and engaged members in all stages of their careers. We have schools of architecture nearby who are engaged in the community and turning out great students, many of whom are choosing to stay in Northeast Ohio. Now seems like a good time to start the conversation again about local advocacy, and to develop our own virtuous cycle.

To propel the local architectural and design community to the  position of leadership and respect to which it aspires requires a concerted effort by the whole A&D community to work together in a collegial and non-self-serving manner; to strengthen and elevate the design culture of our internal community. If you want to be the best, play with the best; taking pride and ownership in our place calls for addressing challenges facing our community as thought-leaders of the issues we feel passionately about.

We become thought leaders by educating and pushing ourselves, by looking outside our own immediate surroundings, by learning from each other, and reaching out to the community at-large. I believe that local advocacy should not be the focus of our efforts, but rather the byproduct of how we lead our lives, demonstrate our creativity, navigate complex systems, solve problems, give back to and strengthen our own community.

If I look around, I see that this is happening even now in many encouraging ways, although we have never been good at bringing attention to ourselves. Just as it has taken many years for Cleveland to begin to understand its place as a world-class, second tier city, it may take a long time to establish Cleveland architects in the appropriate place in the hearts and minds of our fellow Clevelanders. That's no reason to stop trying.

I recently learned about a Not For Profit group in San Francisco called Public Architecture http://www.publicarchitecture.org/, who propose that firms donate 1% of their firm hours towards pro bono work and track these efforts* . I started thinking about this and wondered what percent of effort Northeast Ohio architectural firms are already donating pro bono to charity, faith-based, community development, or public policy agencies. My guess is it exceeds 1% of firm hours- Let's find out and demonstrate that we are the geniuses loci.

* Bialosky + Partners Architects exceeds this benchmark set by "The 1% Project", donating 2% of their firm hours annually towards pro bono work.

November 24, 2014

LCCC Culinary Arts Design Receives IIDA Best of Category Award

Bialosky + Partners received a 2014 design award from the Cleveland Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) for Best of Category in Education for the Lorain County Community College Ben & Jane Norton Culinary Arts Center in Elyria, Ohio.  We are pleased to announce that this is our second design award for the Culinary Arts Center and we want to again thank the college, the construction team, our consultants, and our photographers as well as our colleagues and the prestigious jury for this honor.

Visit our AIA Honorable Mention blog post to see the award submittal images and read the project brief.

Additionally, Plain Dealer Art & Architecture Critic Steven Litt has a recap of the event here: Healthcare projects dominate winning entries in 2014 AIA Cleveland architectural design awards

September 17, 2014

A Future Practice: Bialosky + Partners Lead Sessions at the 2014 AIA Ohio Convention!

AIA Ohio Convention 2014 Bialosky + Partners Architects

AIA Ohio Convention 2014 Bialosky + Partners Architects

This week, Bialosky + Partners Architects will lead sessions at the 2014 AIA Ohio Convention, in Kent, OH that tackle the theme of "A Future Practice".  Senior and Managing Principal Jack A. Bialosky, Jr.,  AIA, LEED AP and Principal David W. Craun, AIA, LEED AP are  jointly leading two sessions. Thursday’s Session, Action Planning For Firm Development will be facilitated by Jeffery Carmen, Management Consultant to the AEC industry. On Friday, Jack and David, along with Partner Aaron Hill AIA of Richard Fleischman + Partners Architects, and Principal Mike Schuster, FAIA, LEED AP of MSA Architects will be hosting a discussion titled It Takes A Village to Raise A Partner. Finally, Designer and Business Development Director Theodore Ferringer, Assoc. AIA, LEED Assoc., is leading a session on Thursday with designer Michael Christoff, Assoc. AIA, of Vocon and Project Manager Angela Jayjack Assoc. AIA, LEED AP of the General Services Administration, titled Empowering Emerging Professionals & Non-Traditional Practitioners: Lessons Learned  From AIA Cleveland.

We hope to see you there!

See details regarding the convention and the individual sessions below:

About the 2014 AIA Ohio Convention:

AIA Ohio, in collaboration with host chapters AIA Eastern Ohio and AIA Akron will be hosting the 2014 AIA Ohio convention at Kent State University on September 18 - 20, 2014. Working together with members of the profession from throughout Ohio, this years convention will be the first time that AIA Ohio has worked to bring its annual convention to the site of one of the states architectural programs.

This years theme, "A Future Practice" focuses on careers, business and practice opportunities for those who are just entering the architectural profession as well as long time practitioners looking for ways to change their existing practices.  Centered out of the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center, the convention will focus on the connection of practice to the academy as the profession is redesigned.

Thursday, Sept. 18: 1:00 - 2:15pm at Dix Ballroom, KSU

Action Planning For Firm Development
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Too much time spent working in the business and not enough spent on the business can leave a firm stagnant and unable to compete. Generational changes and new technologies are not only changing how we produce architecture, but the business of architecture itself. This session reflects on how leadership can successfully plan for the changing landscape of practice, creating opportunities for innovation and growth, while still getting the job done. This session is primarily focused on mid to large size firms. Jeffery Carmen, Management Consultant to the AEC industry will lead this session, explaining the trends, hurdles, opportunities to both the business and practice of architecture. With over 35 years of experience, Carmen has helped many define and achieve success on their terms. With a belief that "industry standard metrics" perpetuate mediocrity, Jeffrey will explain how to plan for action without falling into usual solutions. Joining Jeffery will be Bialosky + Partners Architects Managing Principal, Jack Bialosky, Jr., and the firm's youngest Principal, David W. Craun. They will share BPA's recent Action Planning strategy which has transformed such things as work environment, branding and messaging, and young leadership that has pushed the firm to never before seen successes.

Thursday, Sept. 18: 2:30 - 3:45pm at McGilvery Ballroom, KSU

Empowering Emerging Professionals & Non-Traditional Practitioners: Lessons Learned From AIA Cleveland

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Organizations throughout the county are evaluating how they engage the generations they serve. With an average member age of 50 and 40% of members retiring in the next 10 years, AIA is at a particularly sensitive and exciting time as it evaluates its relationship with Emerging Professionals (EP) and those on non-traditional career paths. In response to this context, AIA is proactively responding to evolving membership needs through the Repositioning Initiative. This session will showcase engagement and programming lessons learned by the AIA Cleveland Associates Committee; a committee organized by a series of Associate Directors who recognized the importance of engaging EP's and non-traditional career path professionals in the organization. This panel will engage the audience in discussing: How can EP's and associates become valuable resources for AIA as outreach into the community, positioning components as leaders within the community? How can increased EP and associate participation help address the diversity gap found in most chapters? What value does AIA participation by EP's and associates have for firms? We shall discuss these questions and more in this moderated panel discussion, sharing the replicable model that AIA Cleveland has recently developed to engage and empower EP and associate members.

Friday, Sept. 19: 9:00am - 10:15am at McGilvery Ballroom, KSU 

It Takes A Village To Raise A Partner

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A roundtable discussion will allow participants to examine the road to Partnership as one that requires equal ownership of the process by both older and newer leaders of the firm. This model of shared ownership asks experienced Partners to strategize in growing and harvesting the next generation of leadership together with future firm leaders. A culture of empowerment and self-driven responsibility proves to be the soil for emerging practitioners (EPs) to not only bloom, but to take roots in the firm. From the EP side, the session explores how to emerge as a partner in a fashion that fits him/her personally. Managing Partner of Bialosky + Partners Architects, Jack A. Bialosky, Jr, AIA, LEED AP, will host this roundtable with David W. Craun, AIA, LEED AP, who made history when he earned the first intern-to-partner promotion in the firm. Mike Schuster, FAIA, LEED AP, Founding Principal of MSA Architects and AIA Ohio Immediate Past President and Aaron Hill, AIA, Partner at Richard Fleischman + Partners Architects and AIA Cleveland President-Elect will join other architects at various career milestones from around the state to join the discussion.

November 22, 2013

BPA Designers Take Home AIA Cleveland Awards!

Our firm congratulates two of our youngest designers, Jill Christoff and Theodore Ferringer, for taking home AIA Associate Awards at the 2013 Cleveland Design Awards last week. The annual awards honor the next generation of designers and professional leaders in both practice and in the community.

The 2013 AIA Design Awards held at the newly opened Cleveland Convention Center.
Photo by Ally McCarley Photography

Jill Christoff is awarded the Emerging Practitioner Award at this year's AIA Cleveland Design Awards!

Jill Christoff is awarded the Emerging Practitioner Award at this year's AIA Cleveland Design Awards!
Photo by Ally McCarley Photography

Jill Christoff received the 2013 Emerging Practitioner Award, for shattering the myth of a single specialty. Jill is the rare story of successfully melding interior design (B.A. Interior Design Kent State University, c/o 2004) and architecture (Master of Architecture, University of Notre Dame, c/o 2009) into her professional identity. She has been recognized in both fields, earning the title of AIA Associate, and being NCIDQ Certified. As an enthusiastic Adjunct Professor, and an engaging Practitioner, Jill successfully devotes considerate time to both her students at KSU and the firm’s interns. In fact, Jill has always been a leader of the firm’s internal mentorship program, and has recently pioneered changes to improve the program’s impact and longevity. Additionally, Jill’s exceptional hand-drawing (often thought to be a skill lost in her generation) was on display at the AIA “Art of Architects” exhibit at the at Intown Club (October – November 2013) alongside the work of Richard Fleischman.

Theodore Ferringer was awarded the Activism Award for exciting Clevelanders about their city.
Photo by Ally McCarley Photography

Theodore Ferringer (Master of Architecture, Master of Urban Design CUDC c/o 2008) has received the 2013 Activism Award for his pledge to enrich Cleveland which has empowered the young designer to advocate, educate and excite its residents, architects and stakeholders about their city. His enthusiastic activism, creativity in the industry and continuous volunteerism/involvement in the region has earned Theodore several prestigious leadership positions. Theodore, having served on the AIA Cleveland board since 2011, is currently shadowing as the Associate Director Elect for 2013 for the AIA Ohio Valley Region (OVR), to serve a term in 2014-15 as Regional Associate Director to represent all AIA Associate (unlicensed) members in the region on the AIA National Associates Committee (NAC). Theodore is a champion at Bialosky + Partners in their regional pro bono work, including collaboration with Bike Cleveland for a safe and vibrant cycling culture in a rigorous planning proposal calling for a separated cycletrack network, The Midway, that re-uses right of ways of former street car lines to be installed throughout Cleveland.