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In Academic Settings, Design Priorities Evolve as Students Grow

BY KARL VON BIEBERSTEIN, PLA, FASLA

I’m sure I speak for most designers when I say that academic projects tend to appeal to our most noble intentions. Creating spaces that will foster learning, social interaction, and personal discovery in children from their earliest formative years all the way to adulthood is a very inspiring task. It is also a task that requires consideration of multiple viewpoints: that of the student, the parent, the administration, and unfortunately even that of a stranger who might be up to no good. Because quality design always has the end user in mind, design for academic environments must grow along with students to address their changing needs and the changing times.

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RVi Helps ABIA Recover after October Floods

BY MARK SMITH, PLA

Last October brought flooding of historic proportions to Austin that temporarily shut down Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA), flooded the control tower, and handicapped operations for nearly five days.  Although flights resumed their normal schedules months ago, the airport is still working to complete its flood recovery effort. This includes renovating the flood-damaged landscape around the airport control tower.

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Students Tackle Pedestrian Mall Project at 2016 Aggie Workshop

In what has become an annual tradition, RViers traveled to Aggieland this past month to attend the Aggie Workshop and Career Fair.  The multi-day event brings students and professionals together for a combination of networking, seminars, and design charrettes.

This year’s team included Lisa Horne, Megan French, and Austin Hicks, who selected RVi’s recent Tarleton State University Pedestrian Mall project as the subject for the workshop.  Students enjoyed digging in to the challenges of designing this 2.5 acre space, and after a timed charrette, they produced a site analysis, spatial programming, site plan, two perspective sketches, and two sections for the project.  Once the students finished their designs, the RVi team revealed our firm’s actual design for the project, including a 3D fly-though created using Lumion software.

Apart from the Workshop, RViers also participated in interviews during the Career Fair portion of the event and enjoyed a keynote address from Andrea Cochran of the award-winning Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture in San Francisco.

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