CLOUD architecture|design recently entered an ideas/design competition for a site next to the recently complete Railroad Park in Birmingham, AL.  The contest is being sponsored by the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.  Below is our entry, VEGETATION STATION agri[CULTURAL] center.

CLOUD architecture|design proposes VEGETATION STATION, an Agri[CULTURE] Center for Birmingham that creates a link between the proposed Barons baseball stadium and the Sloss Furnace.  Instead of a passive landscape or a new “attraction”, this project is instead a working building – one that provides spaces for growing and selling produce, as well as elements for education and community outreach centered around nutrition, healthy living, and agricultural practices.

The project seeks to addresses the sustainability of Birmingham’s cultural and physical landscape in a holistic manner. As such, the various project components address specific aspects of what we think constitutes a truly sustainable city: a self-sustaining food source, education and culture available to all, via organic and self-sustaining economic growth. Through the building’s architecture and programming, VEGETATION STATION seeks to weave itself into Birmingham’s physical fabric, and cultural landscape.

We broke down our idea into five components:

[Grow]

The project’s main component is a hydroponic vertical farm to provide food for the City of Birmingham. The project also introduces a new industry to Downtown, providing new jobs and business opportunities within the city.

[Gather]

VEGETATION STATION extends the public space of Railroad Park into the site as a large public food market. A mixture of permanent and temporary vendors will populate the space and provide a daily market for nutritional food sourced from the region and the city.

[Educate]

Addressing the cultural landscape and encouraging cultural growth is a key component in the VEGETATION STATION. The project includes community meeting rooms, classrooms, test kitchens, and other spaces that provide and environment for education outreach about nutrition and healthy living.

[Entertain]

VEGETATION STATION positions itself as an economic catalyst within downtown. An entertainment zone anchored by restaurants and entertainment venues will provide a tangible draw for downtown. With the new Barons’ stadium close by, this area would support pre- and post- game activity within the area.

[Exercise]

Providing a physical link to Sloss Furnace is an active and experiential human-powered monorail, called Shweeb. This unique system would take advantage of the historic train tunnels and provide both an exercise opportunity and a new and unique perspective of Birmingham. The route would have multiple stations in order to facilitate activity within the new greenway corridor.

Below is our design submission:

If you would like to read more about the competition you can find the informations here: www.prize2thefuture.org

©2011 CLOUD architecture|design; all rights reserved

we knew they’d eventually re-brand all of the old Wachovia buildings.  We just didn’t know that it would clash so horribly on one of the more prominent buildings on “Main Street Atlanta”, the Connector:  The Atlantic Station gateway building.

We have a tendency to be verbose in our posts, but this revision is going to be short and sweet.  There are a couple of easy changes (if you have a helicopter) Wells Fargo could do to show a little aesthetic compassion.

So, let’s get started.

First, make the letters of the “Wells Fargo” sign white. Especially during the day.  They’ve done this in on other buildings and it works very well, but perhaps they bought yellow letters in bulk and have since decided to slap yellow on everything.

Since it seems that Wells Fargo really wants to keep the yellow (we’ll get why they shouldn’t in a minute) then illuminate it with yellow lights at night.

This looks a lot more reasonable, don’t you think?

And the one other thing we would do to the branding of this building is remove the sign from the “lantern” at the top of the building.  We didn’t like it when there was a Wachovia sign, or South Trust for that matter.  But the current sign is the worst. It makes the building look like the headquarters for a fast food company.

Red Box + Yellow Letters = ?  For some reason, I’m getting hungry for Fast Food.

In short, we think Wells Fargo should change their logo/colors, because banking isn’t about quick satisfaction.  It should be considered a conservative institution that is “playing it safe” with your money.  The current logo doesn’t do that.

CLOUD INTERPRETATION 1:

CLOUD INTERPRETATION 2:

A brand can be simply defined as the name of a company, an iconic symbol or logo, maybe even a slogan.  Then why all the hoopla?  Because the essence of a company, product, or service is hardly summed up by a combination of cleverly crafted words in a particular color or typeface.  It’s the story behind the slogan that resonates with the general public.  The logo, the colors, the typeface are a tangible embodiment of a brand that goes much deeper.

Every company has a story.

Branding is the transformation of the story into a culture that promotes solidarity internally, while simultaneously projecting the same story outward to the public.  To share the story with the public, a company must go through a design process.  The ‘story’ must be packaged in a way that it will be recognizable on any shelf, coffee table, I-pad, or e-mail.  So, before you commit to a logo and slap it on a bundle of mugs and golf balls, here are some things to consider.

For new business, it starts with a business plan.  Identify the people, the products, the market, the goals, the operations.  You’re writing the story!  Beyond the dollars and sense, think about the culture that you want to create, the work styles, the marketing strategy, the deliverables, client and public interaction.  Once you have a solid vision for these points, it is possible to factor in the branding aspect, it’s time to start designing your story.

For an existing business that has somehow lost its way or the vision has fizzled, start with the remembrance of the story of why you started in the first place.  The process is not much different than that of a start-up company.   Existing branding standards are parameters – not limitations – that will inform the design.  Consistency is important, but it is possible to instill new life into an existing brand.  It needs to invoke confidence and a reaffirmation of the ‘story’.  For lessons in re-branding campaigns, please check out Brand New. Also, some tidbits from FastCompany.

What does branding have to do with architecture?

Architecture exists as the visual identity of a brand, just as much as a logo.  It is communicated largely through interior design, unless if the company resides in a stand-alone piece of architecture. (think Fast-Food)  The Interior Design of a workplace or retail environment has just as much brand power as a website does to an online business.  It takes brand recognition from the 2D graphic world to the 3-dimensional EXPERIENCE.

In the world of Interior Design, branding is a sensory artform.  It has the power to invoke a mood, state a principle, create an energy…all tying back to the ‘story’ of a company.  Consider it your opportunity to create an experiential billboard, where every floor, wall, and ceiling is your blank canvas.  Interior designers layer information by adding millwork, furniture, graphics and signage.  Each layer is an extension of your brand…creating a culture…telling a story.

We didn’t say it was easy.  It is a considerable amount of information to record, monitor, and implement.  That is why we recommend  documenting a ‘brand identity book’ – set the rules for your coherent brand identity.  This book will clearly identify the usage of the following:

Logo, Typeface, Colors, Correspondence, Promotional Material, Icons and Illustrations, Photography, Architectural and Interior Details, Architectural and Interior Materials, Signage, Graphics, Wayfinding, Lighting, and Artwork.

It will become a valuable reference for your business, for the life of the business.

For more information on branding and our design services, contact us at info@cloudarchitecturedesign.com.

Brando would star in our remake.

A few months ago, the announcement was made of a $47 million dollar investment in light rail in Atlanta by the Federal government. If leveraged correctly, this investment can change in-town Atlanta for the better and for good. There has been a lot of talk- both in favor and against- regarding the streetcar, so naturally, we just had to weigh in.

Now, for those of you out there who do not know, Atlanta used to have one of the most comprehensive streetcar networks in the country. The streetcar lines, which were built by private land developers, fueled the growth of the “Bungalow Ring”, or what is now the in-town neighborhoods. The streetcar effectively built Atlanta. And in true Atlanta fashion, they were all torn up in the late 40′s in favor of the bus. Awesome.

So, fast forward to today, we find ourselves with a $47 million dollar check from Uncle Sam (i.e. We, the People) and ask ourselves, “What do we do with it?” We could use it to widen a road, or to make a few intersections more pedestrian- friendly. It would actually go a long way to buy land for greenspace. So then, why spend it on a 2.5-mile streetcar loop that connects Centennial Park and the MLK historic district?

Because this is not just a streetcar – it’s a Streetcar Named Opportunity.

As is the case most of the time, many people miss the forest for the trees. Detractors say that a streetcar won’t help traffic. Well, maybe not in Cherokee County, but it will increase the walkability of Downtown, which is of great importance to us that make Atlanta our home. Not all transporation projects need to address making it easier for suburbanites to drive their SUV’s. Detractors say that the taxpayers will have to support it. Well, how do you like driving on those roads that apparently “just happened by magic?” Who do you think pays for the operation of them? That’s right folks, the taxpayers. And, while we’re on the topic of taxes, we here in the city pay taxes too, and we want something for them, just like you. We just want different things than you. We want a streetcar network so we don’t have to drive everywhere. This is the beginning of building that network, not the end.

This streetcar is an opportunity for us as a city to test our assumptions about streetcars and light rail, and how they actually fit within our urban framework. It is an opportunity to establish the operational infrastructure to allow for the implementation of the Beltline transit. It is an opportunity to support the current rejuvination of a troubled area, and to support the small-business owners and entrepreneurs that are forging a new neighborhood out of abandoned buildings. It is also an opportunity to establish a backbone that a larger system can grow out of; where we can figure this “light rail” thing out. This is not about the 2.5 miles that we are going to build starting in 2012, but the following 40-50 miles of light rail that we can build after that.

In true revision|CLOUD fashion, we have decided to not just tell you what we think, but show you what we mean. What follows is what we think should happen as this seed of a 2.5 mile light rail line should grow into. Our plan is based on the assumption that light rail lines cannot create economic growth- as most officials and proponents would trumpet- but rather can only SUPPORT economic growth that is already there. If you think that any governmental agency can create healthy entertainment districts or neighborhoods, I welcome you to visit Underground Atlanta, and to research the old East Lake Commons. Jurisdictional regulations and initiatives can only create an environment to support growth that has already started- usually from small-businesses and entrepreneurs (see Midtown Alliance).

As such, our plan does just that- it targets areas that need transit connectivity and places where flickers and the beginnings of economic vitality and growth are starting to emerge.

Connectivity to Phase 1 of the Beltline Transit

The most evident expansion for us is to connect the streetcar to the Beltline (which for those of you not from Atlanta, is a new parks and transit loop). Current proposed alignment diagrams show it coming within a mere three blocks of the Eastside portion. It has become pretty evident that the first part of the Beltline light rail will be on the Eastside, due to the required density of residents needed to support it. Given that stance, we feel that the currently proposed streetcar should be extended to link up with it- preferrably in the first phase of construction. This will accomplish a few things at once: 1) it will allow the Beltline to connect directly to downtown and MARTA (@ Peachtree Center), 2) it will open up an entire area to increased walkability, and 3) it will provide the maintenance facilities (currently proposed under the Connector) for the Beltline train, thereby dramatically reducing the start up costs. This extension will also help to support the new restaurant/ bar district along Edgewood. This area, fueled by places such as Soundtable, Noni’s, and Corner Tavern, have changes the face of the part of Downtown. This redevelopment occurred organically, with no “studies” or developers. Providing transit to this area would help to support and sustain this economic growth.

While we’re at it, let’s go ahead and integrate this phase of the Beltline into this project- and stop the Balkanization of transit planning and construction in this city. The Revision|CLOUD believes in singular cohesive visions.

This extension of the Downtown streetcar would open up the “streetcar neighborhoods” of Inman Park, Fourth Ward, and Virginia Highlands and give them access to MARTA (albeit in a roundabout way). Many of the residents of in-town neighborhoods work in-town, and so connectivity to transit would be a viable alternative. Again, remember, this is not about suburban commuters (from Cherokee County), but rather providing transportation alternatives within the central core of Atlanta.

Going to the Westside: Connecting to existing areas of economic growth

For many years, I wondered how Atlanta could best leverage light rail- much like Portland did with the Pearl District- to support (not create) economic growth within the city. It always seemed to me that one of the best places for transit would be the Marietta St./ Howell Mill corridor.  Marietta street links the GWCC, the world headquarters of Coca Cola (have you seen that mess on North Ave. at rush hour?), Georgia Tech, and the Westside, as well as several loft areas. None of this is currently served by transit. Connecting to MARTA through Atlantic Station and adding transit along Marietta street would provide a “back door” to major job (and traffic) centers such as the GWCC, Coke, and GA Tech, thereby reducing traffic and increasing connectivity.

New, hip areas like the Howell Mill/ Marietta St. corridor, where the growth was already occurring, must be supported with our civic infrastructure. While self-sustaining, adding transit linkages would take this area to the next level. For those of you who don’t know, the Westside used to be the nothing more than the backside of Georgia Tech. Over the years, it has developed (organically, I might add) into one of the best areas in town. While not exactly a pedestrian’s dream (yet!), it has a wonderful mix of people and uses. It is home to two arts institutions, arguably the best restaurant in the city, and one of the top five taco joints in America. Even in the midst of a recession, it remains to be a thriving and growing neighborhood.

It seems perfect: a growing number of residences, bars, restaurants, and retail, and tons of depressed industrial land to redevelop. Transit options need to go where people want to go, and the West Midtown area is such a place. Extending the current proposed alignment westward would service many different potential rider groups. It would provide a transit link and backdoor to the Coca Cola campus, provide a transit connection to the west side of Georgia Tech, provide service to the Designer District on Huff Rd/ Howell Mill Rd., provide service to the Marietta Loft District, and finally establish the light rail service link to Atlantic Station- terminating at the Arts Center MARTA station. By basically creating a westside loop, the streetcar would link Coke’s campus with Freedom Park, and the High Museum with the King Center. By servicing these potential rider groups: residents, tourists, and corporate executives, the train would attract enough riders to make it economically viable.

Happy Holidays!

…from our family at CLOUD architecture|design to yours.  We want to thank you for your interest in the blog, and making our first year so rewarding.  We hope that the revision|Cloud will continue to challenge the design aesthetic in the great city of Atlanta, while opening up the conversation to all of its inhabitants.

We will be ringing in 2011 with big plans for the year.  Look for a launch party this spring, and a new concept for networking events for creative professionals.  (Think ‘TED talks’ meets revision|Cloud)   Coming soon to the blog is a portfolio page of CLOUD architecture|design’s completed works, along with a breakdown of our services…because as much as we enjoy blogging, we love designing more!

Our lone criteria was simple: The character(s) has to be sourced from a comic-book or literature.

Here is our list of the 5 Superhero Movies we like the best (Please feel free to discuss at the bottom):

1) Spider-Man 2

That’s right, Spider-Man 2 is the best superhero movie based on a comic ever made. Why? For one, it’s not an origin story. The movie advances the depth and relationships of all of the characters because you’re not being introduced to them for the first time. People still have problems that a superhero can’t solve. Like Peter’s inability to help Aunt May get a loan but Spider-Man saves her from Doc Ock. On top of all of that, the animations and graphics are extremely well done. If you don’t wish you could swing around like Spider-Man you don’t know how to have fun.

In the end, we determined that Spider-Man 2 feels the most like the source material while proving to be a great movie.

2) Batman: The Dark Knight

The margin separating this and Spider-Man two is razor thin.  This movie probably has the best story telling and complexity. The pacing is great and the twists are interesting. But the movie takes a lot of liberties with the characters (like switching actresses to play the same character).  All movies, superhero-themed or otherwise, should strive to be this good.

As an architect, I do have one minor problem with Chicago being used as the stand-in for Gotham: Metropolis (Superman’s hometown) is supposed to be modeled on Chicago, while Gotham (Batman’s hometown) is supposed to be modeled on New York.  It kind of bothers the archi-geek in me, though it’s not really a big deal.

3) Superman 1

Most amazing movie to come out in 1978. Hands down. It has to be credited as starting the Superhero film genre. And it had Marlon Brando in it. But then again it had Margo Kidder.

4) Iron Man 1

Best casting of all the superhero movies in this list (sorry Chris Reeve).  Robert Downey Jr. added humor in the movie which helped keep the story telling on track and gave it a “not-so-serious” tone even though the subject matter could be bleak.  Also this movie featured the best re-telling/updating of an origin story.

5) Batman Begins

Chris Nolan should direct everything.  If this movie was released as an original concept (no source material) it would be equally compelling and interesting.  Batman begins breathed new life into the superhero genre with its revision of the Batman origin story.

**BONUS:

Here’s the next 5 of our definitive list:

6.) Spider-man 1

7.) Sin City

8.) X-Men

9.) V for Vendetta

10.) Hellboy 1

A short while ago, the hotel market in Atlanta- one of the largest in the country- got a little more crowded. The Spanish hotel chain- Sol Melia has come to Atlanta. Their first property just happened to be one of our favorite buildings in the city. It’s not much to look at now, but we see it as a blank canvas- one that could position Melia into competition with other design-oriented hotel chains in Atlanta; most notably, Kimpton Hotels and the W. It just needs some revisions.

The former Penta hotel (that’s a shout out to those Atlanta natives!) has many positive things going for it. We like to say it has “good bones.” The building has a comfortable proportion that plays well with the grid on the facade and sits tight to the street on three sides. From it’s site in SoNo (SOuth of NOrth Avenue for the non-city dwellers), the hotel has some of the best visibility from the Connector in the city (although most urbanists will object, the Connector has taken the title of “Main Street” from Peachtree St. See revision 3). The hotel also shows very well to downtown. Inversely the rooms have one of the best views of the city.

So, with that in mind, we sketched out a quick idea of how the building could take advantage of its site.

We think the building could use a little color, so we decided that a new rail system of orange glass should be used.

We also wanted to add a ‘graphic’ presence to the hotel’s blank side. Therefore we created a simple, but large scale, mural that will enliven the pool area and some panache to the side of the building.

One of the biggest changes CLOUD would make is revising the street presence of the building. As you approach the building on W. Peachtree St. you’re presented with a blank and brooding box.  Boring.

Since this is the fist hotel of the Sol Melia brand in the United States, we thought a declaration of the brand was in order.

We avoided the interior revision of this project for the moment, but please note that the hotel could really  use one.  Having been to multiple meetings in the function spaces, CLOUD knows first hand that hotel has good bones, but could really use a renovation.

Let us know what you think!  We’re eager to hear from you.

Spider-man 2, probably the greatest superhero movie of all time, was on TV the other day (we have a list here if you care to comment). As I watched the wall crawler swing around Manhattan, I couldn’t help but think how useless his powers would be in Atlanta. Not all of them, just his chosen mode of transportation – web swinging.  Why? Think about it this way: How does Spider-Man get to Buckhead from Downtown if that’s where he’s needed?

Let’s say, Spider-Man is swinging around downtown on a recent visit to Atlanta. He’s enjoying the warm weather and blue sky as he passes 191 Peachtree St. His Spidey-sense starts tingling, letting him know he’s needed in Buckhead. He starts to make his way north, but he quickly comes to ‘The Connector’ and realizes there’s no way to swing across this barren suburban desert. He hops on a car on Peachtree and surfs that till he hits a red light and sees the traffic for miles. Fearing time is not on his side, he makes his way towards the Peachtree Summit building by slinging his way from light pole to light pole. Then something catches his eye.

So he hops on MARTA which will take him directly to Buckhead. After standing on a crowded car for a couple of stops, the cabin clears and he’s able to grab a seat and read the current edition of the paper (he doesn’t have pockets or a utility belt to carry his iPhone). All in all it was a pretty nice ride to the north side of the city. In fact, there wasn’t one crime to fight. Mainly because MARTA empties out after the Midtown stops as evidenced below.

But here’s the point: Spider-Man couldn’t live in Atlanta because the city is too spread out. In order to travel efficiently, Spider-Man needs density. He needs to be able to get from one place to another without losing too much time. As Atlanta has sprawled all over Georgia, it became a harder place to secure, to fight crime, to fight fires, to educate its citizens and travel around. If you want to complete the analogy, replace Spider-Man with the Atlanta Police Department or Fire Department.

What do we do? We need to increase the density of Atlanta by investing our resources in town – downtown through midtown. Encourage projects to happen between Downtown and Midtown (the “So-No” nothing’s happening district). We need to begin reusing the abandoned school buildings from the middle of the city out for boutique office space, residential apartments, or, best of all, schools! And build the streetcar! (More on that later.) Atlanta is a skeleton of a great city. The bones are here, we just need to add some muscle.

And while we’re at it, fund MARTA. It’s vital to the success of a dense Atlanta.

How are we going to recruit superheros to live here if we make getting to their job too difficult?

Top Flr

Rough around the edges, the blunt patterns and dark colors of this midtown establishment invoke a cool vibe. Throw in great food, a superior wine list and some solid beats from the in-house DJ and you have one of the best matched environments in the city. This space oozes cool. And who doesn’t like black tone-on-tone walls? You can see additional pictures here.  The same owners also operate the Soundtable, in the edgy Edgewood district (pun intended).

The Livingston

Prior to the Georgian Terrace renovation, this space was a weak performer. Since the restaurant was redesigned by Puccini Group, this space has become a star. The bar at the Livingston is a great place to grab a cocktail before a performance at the Fox Theater, as well as a hangout when the theater is dark. The dining room of the restaurant has all the makings of a contemporary space, while mixing-in touches of the original architecture.  Elegance at its finest.  Bravo.

Dogwood

Named after the flowering tree that is no stranger to Atlanta, this restaurant’s warmth and charm is a perfect backdrop to its fine Southern food.  The monochromatic color palette, textured patterns, soft lighting levels, and black and white photography create a sophisticated yet welcoming environment.  We commend their attention to acoustics – a feature too often overlooked in Atlanta restaurants – perfect for when you actually want to converse with your dinner guests.

Rathbuns

Whether a night out with friends, a celebration, a work dinner, or an intimate date night, Rathbuns has it all.  Open since 2004, this award winning restaurant has been an ongoing favorite for locals and visitors alike.  The Johnson Studio completely transformed the once cast-iron stove manufacturing plant.  A neutral color palette lends itself to a modern feel, with contrasting dark woods and a fuchsia pop of color from the hanging pendants – very fun.

Parish

A beautiful adaptive reuse of the only structure left standing from an old pipe factory building in Inman Park.  The original tin ceiling, restored crown molding, and exposed brick set the tone for a rustic dining experience.  The light fixtures add romance, while the chalkboards add character.  All-in-all one of our favorite spots for Southern local comfort cuisine.  Don’t miss the market downstairs, where you can find sandwiches, gourmet coffee drinks, fresh baked goods.  The community table is a great morning spot to read the paper and get to know the neighbors.