Alchemist Boutique

The perfect site for a new boutique is rarely wedged into the fifth floor of a parking garage, but in Miami Beach, Fla., Alchemist is proving conventional wisdom wrong. Of course, the scenario couldnt work with just any store, or with just any parking garage: Roma Cohen and Erika Sussman already have a successful boutique farther down the street and a devoted clientele, and the setting is 1111 Lincoln Road, the Neapolitanlike Herzog & de Meuron design that merges parking, retail, and residences, and anchors the western terminus of Miami Beachs main retail alle. But even with such a pedigree, the retail world can be fickle, and success is never assured. The duos first step, they knew, would be to hire the right architect. When we started the project, we were in the middle of a recession, so we knew we had to create something really, really exciting, Cohen says. This brought them to Rene Gonzalez, AIA. The kind of designer who understands the world poetically, Gonzalezs work is distinguished by a singular attention to environmentthe hues of blue in the sky, movements of people, patterns of shade. It is about making observations and putting them into architectural filters, he says. When it came to designing the interior of a 1,726-square-foot glass cube housed in a car park, however, he was faced with an unusual context. The views from the site are far-reaching, encompassing the Miami Beach cityscape and the areas characteristic deep-blue sky. You have a feeling of being in the clouds, Gonzalez says. He kept the floor-toceiling glass free from obstruction to capitalize on these stunning vistas. But this is, after all, an urban boutique in a busy parking garage, not a beachside meditation retreat. Concerned with context as Gonzalez is, he wanted the store to acknowledge that kind of energy. We wanted to keep a connection with the parking garage and the busyness of the sidewalk below, he says. To this end, the ceiling is lined with ribbons of mirrored panels, which then cascade down the walls, setting up a series of fragmentary views within and out of the space. There are infinity effects around the room, but views are often croppedyou can see the back of your head in one mirror and your feet in anotherso the experience of moving through the store is always changing. In an effort to amplify this visual energy, Gonzalez collaborated with Random International, a London-based art practice, to rig the mirrors into a kinetic installation. As a result, some individual panels move, pivoting on one edge, like a door. The result is a constantly changing kaleidoscopic effect. The environment is fragmented, reflected, and reverberated around, he says. The subtle movements of the mirrors also attract the attention of street-level pedestrians, unifying the retail experience of the street and of the boutique five stories overhead. Taking this into account, the store was able to avoid using garish signage: Its presence speaks for itself. The space is a store and a billboard, Gonzalez says. On a sunny day, the mirrors in the store reflect the sky and the space emits an azure hue. In addition to drawing people in, the space also needed to be flexible. Sometimes we might want to just show a handful of pieces and other times, we may want to show much more, Cohen says. This is really a gallery space, so we wanted a blank canvas. In an effort to give Cohen and Sussman as much flexibility as possible, Gonzalez poured a 2-inch layer of a clear satin-finish concrete over the rougher garage slab. He included periodic perforations that hold custom clothing displays, so the space is unencumbered by bulky racks. The pair admit that the decision to lease the equivalent of 13 glassed-in parking spaces for their new store was born more of instinct than wisdom. But having recently finished their first year with revenues 25 percent above projections, the gamble seems to be paying off.

Frazer-Nash wins Regulatory and Licensing Contract with Horizon Nuclear Power Frazer-Nash, the systems and engineering technology consultancy, has been awarded a five-year framework contract and three significant work packages by Horizon Nuclear Power, the company which aims to develop and operate around 6,000 MW of new nuclear power stations in the UK by 2025. Horizon Nuclear Power, a 50:50 joint venture of RWE npower and E.ON UK, has purchased land for the development of nuclear facilities at Oldbury-upon-Severn in South Gloucestershire and at Wylfa, on the Isle of Anglesey. Both sites have been identified as suitable for development in the Governments draft nuclear National Policy Statement, announced on 9 November 2009. Frazer-Nash have signed a framework agreement with Horizon Nuclear Power for the provision of regulatory and licensing services for a five-year period from 2010, representing the start of a long term strategic relationship. The framework will initially focus on supporting Horizons submissions of Site Licence Applications for the Oldbury and Wylfa sites. Commenting on the contract wins, Business Manager Paul Deeran said: The award of these work packages is a testament to the quality and value of the engineering services we provide the nuclear industry. Horizon Nuclear Power, one of the major players in the nuclear new build industry, also represents an important new client for us. Frazer-Nash now has significant involvement in the development of the UKs next generation of nuclear power stations, and these contracts complement our ongoing work for the Health and Safety Executive on the Generic Design Assessment, which is considering the options for nuclear reactor design. John Baker, Head of Regulatory & Licensing, Horizon Nuclear Power says: We are pleased to be working with Frazer-Nash and welcome the company to our team. Site licensing is a pre-requisite for our ambitions to develop around 6,000 MW by 2025 and it is a key priority for our business.

Loft In The Red Zone: A Tribute to September 11th Leave Blank Loft In The Red Zone is a traveling multimedia art installation taking place this September in NYC and traveling to Moscow, Russia. In the late 1990s, many artists could still be found in downtown Manhattan. They were living, working and creating in Tribeca, Soho, Little Italy, Chinatown, Battery Park and The Financial District. Tragically many of these artists suddenly found their studios, homes and lives destroyed by 9/11. In the aftermath, these neighborhoods soon became known as The Red Zone. Yet, out of the ashes the artists arose and reacted as only artists do. They began to create art. Loft in the Red Zone is a multi media art exhibition and installation created to honor the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. It is also an illustration of the powerful part art can play in the healing process after personal and global devastation. The exhibition will be showcased in a re-created space, mirroring the typical post 9/11 live/workspace of artists in lower Manhattan. Covered in ash and burnt paper, the loft will contain over 26 pieces of artwork including works by such esteemed artists as Brenda Beckman, Ultra Violet, Soundwalk Collective, and Marty Abrahams. All of the artists are local and international NYC artists who were living in or around downtown Manhattan during the September 11th attacks. While, pouring pain, loss and sorrow into their work, many of the artists felt relief. They saw that by creating art they were telling their story and giving a voice to their many emotions. Ultimately, they were also beginning the healing process. Loft In The Red Zone will open in lower Manhattan, NYC on the week of 9/9/2011. The installation will then travel to Moscow, Russia at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (http://www.mmoma.ru) This momentous exhibit will be open to the public until 9/30/11.

House of Air The owners of House of Air, two 30-something snowboarding entrepreneurs, happily build upon the flight connotations of their new home: a 1921 biplane hangar converted into what they call an indoor trampoline park. The staff wear reflector-embellished fluorescent nylon vests with FLIGHT CREW stenciled on the back. When asked the meaning of their logoa penguin sporting a jetpackemployees recite their tagline with a grin: We give flight to the flightless. Labeled with military flatness, Building 926 is part of a complex of hangars and support buildings tucked in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Crissy Field, as the area is called, was added to the sprawling Presidio military base on the heels of World War I and played host to a number of aviation firsts before rapidly evolving airplane technology rendered its short field and windy, foggy locale operationally obsolete. Decommissioned in 1994, the Presidio became part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Many of its buildings, including 926, were designated as historic by the National Historic Landmarks Program, which severely limits modifications to the exterior of the buildings, even as the nonprofit Presidio Trust requires LEED certification for any new work on the property. Mark Horton / Architecture was recommended to the trampoline parks owners because of the firms studies for an unrealized aviation museum in the Crissy Field buildings. Moreover, principal Mark Horton, FAIA, is a strategic thinker who thrives on projects that require industrious invention on tight budgets, a good thing given that half the budget was required to seismically upgrade the light, steel structure holding up the original 6-inch-thick and supposedly bombproof concrete roof. Another quarter of the budget was required for extensive remediation of asbestos and other toxics. These guys came to us just wanting to get it built out and up and running. They had no real vision about the design, Horton says. The architect convinced his clients to spend what was left of the budget on two key ideas: First, a massive 45-foot-wide bifold glass door to replace the original hangar door; second, a pair of interior pavilions framing the most visible of four trampoline areas. The north pavilion contains the check-in station, a caf, a shop, and the shoe room (trampolining, like bowling, requires special footwear). The south houses bathrooms and locker rooms. Given the soaring ceiling, Horton included a set of party rooms and offices on an upper level, serviced by a lift and stairs and connected by a series of catwalks. The catwalk system extends to allow a lively overview of the action on all the trampolines. The fullheight pavilion walls are simple white sheetrock for the first 9 feet, they then switch to vivid, blue Polygal affixed to metal studs. Sandwiched in the Polygal wall are randomly scattered, vertically oriented flourescent lights that urge the flyers ever higher and give the entire park a blue glow. The flightless who take flight on the trampolines at the House of Air range from eight-yearolds burning off steam to adult snow- and skateboarders perfecting their technique. On a

typical day, a group of women take aerobics on the field of trampolines that occupies the back third of the hangar; office workers engage in a (mostly) friendly game in the steepsided dodgeball stadium that occupies the one side of the middle trampoline zone; and a family out for a day of recreation uses the inflatable bounce house (for those too young for the tramps). For those abstaining from jumping, there is a lounge eclectically furnished with Ikea couches, aluminum picnic tables, plastic childrens tables, and four old ski-lift chairs suspended from the underside of the catwalk. Finally, front and center, are flyers using three high-performance trampolines, known as the Training Ground, for lessons, and competitions. In nice weather, the bifold door is opened. Exterior signage was severely limited by the historic protocols, but the House of Air needs no other sign than its glowing interior. We had no idea what a great design could do for us, says co-owner Paul McGeehan. Within three days of opening, we were operationally profitable.