KSS Architects: News

July 28, 2008

Partner participates in annual running benefit

KSS partner and cofounder Michael Shatken, AIA, ran in the 29th annual Shelter Island Run in New York on Jun. 21. The summer 10K run and 5K walk were held to benefit three organizations: The Shelter Island Run Community Fund, East End Hospice, and Timothy Hill Children's Ranch. Shelter Island is a small town at the east end of Long Island, accessible only by boat. The annual event has turned into a community affair for the entire island, whose population volunteers or participates in the race, and gives to its charities. According to the Shelter Island Run website, the race's prominence and popularity have also grown from 640 runners in the inaugural 1980 race to about 1,500 runners and walkers this year.

The 10K course started and ended in the middle of Shelter Island, taking runners to the eastern and then western shores of the island. The local newspaper Shelter Island Reporter reported 1,084 runners finished the 10K course and 168 walkers completed the 5K course. Shatken said race day was warm and humid despite its late afternoon start. He finished in the middle of his age group and 669th overall. Click here for full race results.

The Shelter Island Run Community Fund gives money to community, youth and educational groups that support the Island community. East End Hospice provides home health care for the Hamptons and nearby Long Island towns. The Timothy Hill Children's Ranch provides a safe and caring environment for children ages 10-21.'

July 23, 2008

Fate of historic Princeton school building in question

The fate of an early 20th-century school lies in part on a KSS study that was the focus of a July 14 meeting of Princeton Township's Historic Preservation Commission. The study presents and evaluates options to improve and restore the 75,000 sf Valley Road building and its 8.9-acre site, which includes parking spaces and playing fields. Originally designed as an elementary school in 1908, Valley Road has experienced several additions, renovations, and user groups over time.

Currently the building, owned by Princeton Regional Schools, houses a mix of office and educational programs, and its athletic fields remain popular with residents.

In the report, KSS presented four potential scenarios for the site: 1) Renovation of the entire structure; 2) Renovation with partial demolition of the structure; 3) Demolition with construction of a new, efficient structure; 4) Demolition with construction of a new, mixed-used development. All four scenarios retained athletic playing fields on the site.

Princeton's local newspapers, The Princeton Packet and Town Topics, covered the meeting and reported the HPC plans to send a letter to the school board expressing its concerns for the building and asking to be included in future deliberations on the Valley Road building.

July 18, 2008

Eden Family 5K: Great run for a great cause

KSS' Matt McChesney and Wanda Lau joined more than 500 runners and walkers in the 2008 Eden Family 5K Run on July 13. KSS Architects was one of the sponsors of the event, which raised more than $40,000 for The Eden Family of Services. A one-mile fun run kicked off the race in which young kids and parents ran side by side. The 5K course took participants through the streets of Princeton Forrestal Village, an outdoor mixed-use retail center where KSS has designed many tenant fit-outs. A DJ, juggler and balloon artist delighted participants on Market Plaza, where the race began. Runners enjoyed a cool breeze in the otherwise warm, sunny morning. Matt and Wanda both finished in the middle of their age groups. Full results are posted here.

The Eden Family of Services, founded in 1975, seeks to improve the lives of individuals with autism by providing services in early intervention, education, residential and employment, and by offering assistance to families and professions in the autism community.

July 17, 2008

Sustainable design goes beyond the building

Sustainable design and development are here to stay, write Ed Klimek, AIA, and KSS in the Jun. 25-Jul. 11 issue of Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal. In large-scale commercial real estate and industrial architecture projects, architects, developer and engineers are entrusted with the ability to improve the environment not just by designing the building in a sustainable manner, but also the project's site, whose magnitude can encompass hundreds of acres of land. While many people are talking about sustainable building design, the industry is just starting to realize the tremendous environment opportunities that lie with the project site.

Brownfield redevelopment and restoration, for example, physically improve the environment and convert undesirable land into a productive site that can support a community in the form of jobs and tax ratables. Thoughtful master planning and site selection can lead to industrial distribution centers that are located in proximity to ports, reduce truck traffic in communities and generate enormous savings in fuel consumption.

The bottom line: We should consider industrial distribution centers and warehouses first as points in a market supply chain, and second as buildings when exploring how to design and develop in a sustainable manner.

Read the full text of the article.

July 9, 2008

From landfills to wetlands: iPort 12 in Development

In just nine months, KSS, Panattoni and PA Associates transformed a 113-acre brownfield site into iPort 12, closing three neglected landfills, restoring 15 acres of wetlands and building iconic industrial architecture. IPort 12, designated as a Portfields site by PANYNJ and EDA, presented challenge after challenge to the project team, who managed to meet the fast-tracked schedule through innovation, collaboration and experience.

Early on, the team worked closely with NJ Department of Environmental Protection to acquire the necessary approvals and permits--more than 38 in all. Still, building on trash can daunt even the strong willed but Panattoni, foreseeing the challenge, procured recycled oil pipes that were driven 70 ft into the contaminated soil to support the 1.2 million sf distribution center.

KSS and Ed Klimek, AIA, the partner in charge for the project, tells the complete iPort 12 story in the Summer 2008 issue of Development magazine, published by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.

July 7, 2008

Now you see it: Stockton College's Campus Center

Internet users around the world can watch construction progress in real time on the New Campus Center at the Richard Stockton College. The college has construction web cameras offering three different perspectives of the project site. The project, which broke ground in May, is in the early stages of sitework and preparation. Construction of the building is expected to finish in early 2011.

In keeping with Stockton's traditional of environmental responsibility, the campus center will seek the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Gold certification. Sustainable features include a stormwater collection system that will irrigate a rain garden and a HVAC system that uses the college's existing geothermal wellfield. With a gross square footage of about 150,000 sf, the campus center is the largest single building project in the college's history.

July 2, 2008

KSS volunteers to design new home for Chester Co-op

Back in May, the Community Design Collaborative kicked off the 2008 Infill Philadelphia program on food access. KSS' Philly office is one of three volunteer firms paired with a design project.

KSS is working with Chester's Community Charitable Corporation to convert a four-story, 32,000 sf former furniture and warehouse in Chester City, Pa., into a permanent, but manageable, space that allows for the potential to expand over time. The co-op, which was formed in 2006, currently borrows space one morning each week. They hope the new space will allow them to open on more days of the week, thus increasing the availability of fresh food to its members.

According to an article in PlanPhilly, teams have begun meeting with local residents for their input into the designs. The article also says the Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a program of Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development, may eventually help fund the construction of all three Infill Philadelphia projects.

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