February 20, 2009
 Beyond our office walls, exciting developments in the design and planning profession occur every second. We see them online, in print, on T-shirts. We hear about them on the radio, around roundtables, in conferences and construction trailers. Our interest in architecture extends past our jobs and into our lives, and our conversations at the water cooler often center on design unrelated to our work. Strong ideas and opinions arise that we can't express on our project drawings or specs.
As such, we are pleased to launch Sketchbook, KSS' blog on events that aren't directly about KSS. Future topics may include news articles and products that catch our eyes, sustainability, building design and community initiatives. We will impart our architectural experience into some of our posts, but we welcome anyone interested in design and sustainability to our community. We'll try to keep it short and on point. You can access Sketchbook via our navigation bar under "Latest News" or by clicking here.
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February 20, 2009
 We did a double take when we saw the cover of fall/winter 2008 issue of Context, the journal of AIA Philadelphia that focuses on higher education. The stately collegiate Gothic classroom with rich, dark wood trim, wood floors, and an organized scatter of chairs and desks featured on the cover is one of the classrooms in Bryn Mawr College's Taylor Hall that KSS renovated a few years ago. The image is part of Laura Kicey's photo essay on "The Walls and Halls of Academia" that strives to portray the stunning collegiate architecture found on Philadelphia's diverse range of college settings, from pastoral to urban campuses.
Learn more about AIA Philly's publication, Context.
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February 12, 2009
 One of the most popular stories in the Feb. 11 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Ed highlights an unexpected opportunity that has come from the current economy. With material costs down and many capital projects on hold or canceled, competition for the few remaining projects is high and bids have been coming in lower than anticipated. Such is the case at Stockton Campus Center, where bids came in about 25% less than two independent cost-estimate consultants had predicted. In addition, a higher than expected number of firms submitted bids, all of which were very close to each other. KSS partner Michael Shatken, AIA, talked about this recent phenomenon with The Chronicle's senior reporter Scott Carlson in the article "Tough Times, Silver Lining: Builders Lower Their Bids." Shatken predicts the opportunity is short lived simply because the lowered construction costs are not sustainable. As a result, for schools with shovel-ready projects with completed feasibility studies and drawings ready, now is the time to build.
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February 3, 2009
 KSS welcomes intern architects from any firm to attend a six-week preparation course for the ARE structural exam. The first ARE Structural Seminar will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m. in KSS' Princeton office, and continue at the same time and place every week. John Harrison, P.E., co-founder of Harrison-Hamnett, P.C., Consulting Engineers, has graciously volunteered to hold these sessions, which are open and free to intern architects. The only caveat is attendees should be prepared to take his/her ARE structural exam within 2-3 weeks of completing the review course. Demanding on need, the course may extend to seven weeks in length. A six-week course would end on Mar. 25; seven weeks would take it to Apr. 1.
If you are interested in attending, please contact Scot Murdoch, AIA, who oversees KSS' in-house Intern Development Program.
The Architect Registration Examination consists of nine individual divisions or test areas, which intern architects may take at any time during their eligibility.
Image by Jessica Huh.
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February 3, 2009
 The Nov./Dec. 2008 issue of Urban Land magazine featured KSS' award-winning adaptive reuse and historical restoration project at New Jersey City University. KSS' project team, which included Michael Shatken and Merilee Meacock, led a collaborative effort to transform an abandoned commercial laundry facility into a vibrant charter high school, business incubator and black box theater. The renovation was the first phase of a long-term master plan, also designed by KSS, to convert a historic industrial site into a new campus for NJCU.
The article appeared in the Developments department of the magazine.
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