Architecture
Championing the Power of Design
Cities in both the US and abroad, including Sydney, New York, Paris, and San Francisco, do a great job of embracing design to enhance commerce, create delightful experiences, and cater to every aspect of human life. In Jacksonville, however, design appears to be underutilized and, in many cases, overlooked altogether.
read moreExpanding Its Space
When the Jacksonville Museum of Arts and Sciences (originally the Jacksonville Children’s Museum) became the Museum of Science and History (MOSH) in 1969, it moved into its current building, designed by North Florida architectural icon William Morgan. Morgan described his modern, brutalist design as a “castle for children,” and MOSH has indeed served our city and its children with innovative, award-winning exhibitions and programming for decades.
read moreA Choice for Jacksonville
When it comes to the city’s decisions about demolishing some of its older buildings without a plan in place, many local architects don’t find much to celebrate.
read moreGreat Houses in Jacksonville’s History
Jacksonville has had its share of grand mansions, and nearly every generation has produced at least one preeminent home that has stood out as the city’s showplace. Most of these are gone now, having fallen to the vagaries of fire, changing fashions, and real estate development. But these grand homes of yesteryear still linger in our collective conscience.
read moreThe New Frontier in Porcelain
SapienStone is crafted from ceramic clays and mineral colorings … and thanks to this unique manufacturing process, these slabs will not be altered by heat, light, or chemical cleaners and disinfectant products. These gorgeous surfaces were designed by Iris Ceramica Group S.p.A., a world leader in the production of top quality porcelain and high-tech ceramics for more than fifty years. Their goal was to develop a product that would be visually stunning, provide outstanding performance and be practical in residential and commercial applications.
read moreCrane Ramen: A Restaurant Designed to Comfort and Inspire
Crane Ramen, located in Historic Five Points in Riverside, is a lively, comfortable place to enjoy a bowl of its uniquely crafted noodle soups. In the dining room, designer Larry Wilson of DesignMind features original works by North Florida artists, including a series of tranquil botanical drawings.
read moreActivating Jacksonville’s Riverfront
The American Institute of Architects’ visionary plan for a series of riverfront activity nodes, first brought to light in the 2016 Architecture Issue of Arbus, is fast becoming a reality under the guidance of Councilwoman Lori Boyer. The plan calls for a series of connected destinations along the St. Johns River designed to engage our community and attract tourism. Last year’s City Council president is eager to update readers about what she now refers to as Jacksonville’s “Riverfront Activation Plan.”
read moreThe Haydon Burns Library: A Case Study in Preservation
Designed by innovative Jacksonville architect Taylor Hardwick, the new library was like nothing else the city had ever seen. Its façade featured eighty-eight cast-concrete sculpted fins, each nineteen feet tall, which mimicked the windswept profiles of popular automobiles of the era. The fins created ever-changing shadow patterns and added to the harmonic, almost musical rhythm of the exterior. (Architect Hardwick liked to point out that the number of fins on the library was the same as the number of keys on a piano.)
read moreThe Future of Making Things
Innovation surrounds us constantly. As a product of that constant innovation, new trends emerge that can change an entire value chain seemingly overnight. Here, Phil Bernstein helps us understand the technological trends and disruptions in building design and construction that are setting the stage for a new, monumental era.
read moreIt’s in the Details: Pompeii Quartz and TopZero Seamless Sinks
Bee Tree Homes’ recent build in Queen’s Harbour Yacht & Country Club incorporates two smart kitchen upgrades by Any Old Stone: a TopZero seamless, rimless stainless steel sink and Pompeii Quartz countertops.
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