HERE'S THE LATEST

Susanne Angarano, Principal and Senior Interior Designer, has been recognized by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) as one of the 2019 Ones to Watch award winners. Each year, the ASID Ones to Watch program identifies and recognizes rising leaders in the interior design industry who demonstrate exceptional leadership potential and a willingness to push the boundaries of the profession.

Andrew Schuster, Principal, presented at The Plan Magazine’s annual Perspective USA conference in New York City on Thursday, July 18. His presentation explored using a value-set approach to making sustainable material selections, highlighting the Onondaga Nation Net Zero Energy Fire Station / Community Hall.

In the July edition of Green Building & Design, Principal Andrew Schuster is featured in the publication’s recurring series, “Architects to Watch.” The series spotlights innovative architects who build sustainably.

On Monday, May 6, 2019, Ashley McGraw Architects were presented with a Small Business Excellence Award at the U.S. Small Business Administration Annual Small Business Excellence Awards luncheon in Syracuse. Seventeen companies were recognized during the luncheon, which coincides with National Small Business Week (May 5-11).

Small businesses are selected for the Excellence Awards based on their company’s longevity, innovation, sales growth, increased employment, ability to overcome adversity or community contributions.

Launched in Fall 2018, the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Outcome of Design Awards seek to recognize projects that successfully illustrate that “Design Impacts Lives.”Ashley McGraw Architects received an honorable mention for Binghamton City School District’s MacArthur Elementary School. MacArthur Elementary and the other winning projects of the Outcome of Design Awards were featured in the April 2019 issue of Metropolis for setting a new bar for design research, practice, and evaluation.

On April 4, 2019, the Sustainable Energy Fund officially broke ground for a new 15,000 square-foot net zero energy office building. Drawing on Passive House strategies, the design sets a regional standard in sustainability—from both economic and performance perspectives. Located in the Lehigh Valley town of Schnecksville, PA, the SEF building will consume about 25% of the energy used by comparable commercial structures while generating more than 130% of the energy it needs.

Ashley McGraw’s Deep Energy Retrofit and renovation of Binghamton University’s Science IV was featured on the cover and cover story for American School & University’s March 2019 issue on “Modern Makeovers.” The article spotlights how schools and universities are finding that there can be a lot of life left in their older facilities. Instead of defaulting for shiny new facilities, many institutions are deciding the best path is to breathe new life into an older building with a modernization that embraces a facility’s link to the past while providing learning spaces that accommodate the needs of 21st-century students.

Ashley McGraw was featured on University Business for raising the question to remodel, restore, or raze when evaluating midcentury campus buildings. President Matthew Broderick takes on this critical decision facing school administrators and facility planners in the article.

Catherine Wolfe, Senior Interior Designer, co-presented “Values Matter: Changing the Culture of Education” at the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) Northeast Regional Conference on March 28, 2019 in Boston. Catherine presented with Casey Barduhn, Superintendent of Schools at the Westhill Central School District. Catherine and Casey discussed how the clarity of the District’s values shaped the conversations and goals to enhance the delivery of education, how administrators and faculty members embraced the shifting educational model, and how robust guiding principles informed the creation of energized, student centered spaces during the first phase of a two-phase renovation at the High School.

Andrew Schuster, Principal, co-presented “A Commercially Viable Net Zero Office Building: Technology, Beauty & Meaning” at the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) BuildingEnergy Boston conference on Friday, March 15. Andrew was joined by Shannon Kaplan, Project Engineer and Project Manager at AKF Group / In Posse, and Karla Wursthorn, Senior Estimator at TN Ward Company. The session focused on the Net Zero Energy office building the team is designing and building for the Sustainability Energy Fund (SEF).

Ashley McGraw Architects is pleased to announce that Michael Frisina has passed his Architectural Registration Exam and completed the requirements to become a licensed architect. Frisina received an Associate’s degree in Architectural Technology from Onondaga Community College. As Ashley McGraw’s Design Technology Manager, he has over 10 years of experience in architectural design and BIM coordination and standards.

Ashley McGraw Architects is pleased to announce that Diana Elliott has passed her Architectural Registration Exam and completed the requirements to become a licensed architect in the State of New York. Diana holds a Master of Science Sustainable Engineering: Renewable Energy Systems & the Environment from the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, UK) and a Bachelor of Architecture from Roger Williams University.

In November 2018, members and friends of the USGBC New York Upstate community gathered in Albany to celebrate the annual Friends of USGBC NY Upstate Gala and Leadership Awards. We were honored to receive the Green Building Legacy Award for the Syracuse Center of Excellence. The award recognizes a building constructed, renovated, or operated within the past 10 years. Buildings/projects that were innovative in sustainable practices and pushing the envelope of sustainability in design and development.

Christina Aßmann presented at the 2018 Greenbuild Conference and Expo in Chicago, IL on Friday, November 16, 2018. Along with Amber Bartosh, Assistant Professor at Syracuse University School of Architecture, they presented “Virtual Reality: An Emerging Tool for Sustainable Design.” This presentation highlighted the application of VR as a visualization and simulation tool to support the design process and educational outreach of Nuthatch Hollow, a 2,500-square foot facility to be used for teaching and research of Environmental Studies.

Ashley McGraw Architects is pleased to announce the promotion of Daniel Donovan AIA, LEED AP, BD+C to Associate Principal. “In his years as Senior Project Manager, Dan has consistently brought clarity and creativity to projects of all scales,” said Ed McGraw, founding partner and CEO of Ashley McGraw. “As Associate Principal, he will actively contribute to the direction of the firm, as well as continue to be a large part of our success serving as a leader in educational design.”

Jason Evans, Associate Principal, is featured in The Architect's Newspaper article "After a decade-long fight over I-81, Syracuse inches toward a decision." Jason is a member of ReThink81, a grass roots effort advocating for a more comprehensive, well thought out design options for the I-81 Viaduct Project. ReThink81 is committed to economic growth and improved accessibility throughout the Greater Syracuse area.

Ed McGraw presented at the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS) Fall Leadership Summit on Sunday, September 23, 2018. The presentation “Designing Instructional Space to Promote Student Engagement” engaged attendees on how flexible space requires flexible furniture; the classroom layout should provide space for students to work collaboratively in small groups, independently, or as a whole class; and how to engage stakeholders in co-creating high impact learning environments. Ed co-presented with Dr. Tonia Thompson, Superintendent of Binghamton City School District.

The Koffman Southern Tier Incubator was selected as the first place winner in the Commercial Large design category in the 2018 Professional Design Competition by the American Society of Interior Designers New York Upstate/Canada East (ASID NYU/CE). An awards ceremony was held on Friday, September 21 as part of the ASID NYE/CE “Fall into Design” annual signature event.

On Friday, September 14, 2018, the Thousand Islands Central School District held a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new turf field stadium. The new varsity field, THE TURF, is the new addition to Viking territory.

At the 13th Annual North American Passive House Conference (NAPHC) in Boston from September 21-22, 2018, two presentations featured Binghamton University’s Nuthatch Hollow project. The NAPHC is the leading passive building conference for climate-specific zero energy design, construction, and building science expertise. Nicole Schuster, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC, Associate Principal, co-presented “Passive + Active: Batteries, Resilience, and the Duck Curve (CT).” Christina Aßmann, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC, Project Architect, co-presented “Virtual Reality at Nuthatch Hollow – An Emerging Tool for Sustainability Design Visualization of High Performance Buildings”.

Susanne Angarano, Principal and Senior Interior Designer, co-presented at the International Living Future Institute’s Living Product Expo on September 13, 2018 in Pittsburgh, PA. The presentation “Biophilic Design Integration: Macro to Micro and the Spaces In Between” engaged attendees on learning ways to craft the qualitative sustainable narrative, creating a stronger awareness of and connection to the natural environment.

The 2018 Central New York Best Places to Work awards event was held on September 12, 2018 to recognize 40 organizations across the area. Ashley McGraw Architects was ranked #7 out of the 15 awarded companies in the 25-100 employees category.

A special ribbon cutting ceremony was held pre-game to the Windsor Central School District Black Knights' home football game on Friday, September 7, 2018. The ceremony officially "kicked off" the District's new multi-purpose athletic field.

On Thursday, July 26, Edward McGraw and Andrew Schuster presented "Combining Technology, Beauty and Meaning in the new SEF Net Zero Energy Office Building” at the Energypath conference. The Sustainable Energy Fund is designing and building a Net Zero Energy office building to demonstrate that NZE can be achieved for the same cost as a conventional developer office building. Energypath 2018, held at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, is the region’s largest sustainable energy event, attracting industry professionals, policymakers, and academia throughout the region and across the United States.