The West Broadway Neighborhood Association recognized the efforts of KITE to construct the new building at 1577 Westminster Street along with Barbara Sokoloff Associates at their annual meeting on January 11, 2011.

KITE’s design had won a neighborhood-judged design competition at the WBNA’s annual meeting in 2004. Despite a number of setbacks with financing of the project, it came to life with the sponsorship and involvement of Spurwink RI, which provides and manages housing for adults with developmental disabilities.

The project is nearing completion and will be ready for occupancy in Spring of 2011, and plans to open an organic grocery store for the neighborhood in the ground floor space are underway.

KITE is thrilled that their design for the Carter Center for Music Education for the RI Philharmonic and Music School has won a Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects Rhode Island Chapter in the Interiors category.

The jurors praised the complete renovation of a former industrial building that met its limited budget and aggressive schedule, noting spaces that are appealing and comfortable with forms that responded to sound and acoustic control.

Peter Diepenbrock’s sculpture in front of the newly renovated Lippitt Hall at the University of Rhode Island was dedicated with a well-attended ceremony on April 26th. KITE’s renovations were completed in early 2009 and the sculpture was funded by RI’s public art program.

Diepenbrock’s remarks at the event stressed how important the arts are for their ability to teach a process of establishing a vision, then setting goals and understanding one’s own capacity to reach them. As an example, he noted how the large bronze sculpture was built entirely by him and an assistant without special equipment: it is a 4,000 lb sculpture built 6 oz at a time.

Thanks are owed to RI Citizens for the Arts and the RI General Assembly for ensuring that funding is available for public arts and acknowledging their importance in our society.

Architects from KITE spent Saturday April 10 building our entry for CANstruction along with Consigli Construction, and judges awarded the finished sculpture the “Best Meal” award. CANstruction is an annual event where architects and contractors build elaborate structures entirely with cans, with the food donated after the event to the Rhode Island Food Bank to help families in our community.

Co-Captains Carrie Borges Patricio and Phil Derby designed a structure that captures a Rhode Island summer spirit – a crab at the beach! Su-Hyun Jenny Kwon from KITE also joined the construction team.

Creative Environment Corp. consulting engineers is a co-sponsor of the team with KITE and Consigli Construction, with additional contributions from Pella Windows; Jutras Woodworking;  Gene Fournier, Product Representative with Shaw Carpets; and Reece Tormos, Designer at  Rhode Island Design Center. Thanks go to all our partners for their support of this fun, yet important way to help others in these tough economic times.

Finished structures will be on display at the Providence Place Mall until April 24th, and there will be a public gala and awards ceremony on April 22nd at 6 pm.

On March 17, Albert Garcia, AIA, LEED-AP, Principal at KITE Architects, spoke to a group of non-profit leaders in the Rhode Island Foundation’s Initiative for Nonprofit Excellence about green building with a focus on the financial aspects and the return on investment of sustainable initiatives.

Green measures can have a defined payback period from energy savings, but can also improve the “triple bottom line” and strengthen the organization’s mission and appeal to donors.  A large part of KITE’s work is with non-profit organizations and so we have a unique perspective on how sustainable initiatives fit with their needs. The presentation was part of a Organizational Development Workshop series that is designed to complement and strengthen management practices at the senior leadership and board levels of the nonprofit sector.

The Rhode Island State Building Code Standards Committee almost unanimously approved an appeal to allow the use of an extensive green roof in Rhode Island.

KITE Principal Albert Garcia, AIA presented arguments in favor of a proposed extensive green roof at the Narragansett Bay Commission Field’s Point Facility in Providence.   This is the first green roof to be approved under the 2006 IBC Building Code. This precedent-setting victory represents an important milestone for the approval of extensive green systems in hurricane prone zones.

Albert is happy to share the technical background of this case with other design professionals facing similar code challenges in high-wind zones and may be reached at (401) 272.0240.

KITE Principal Albert Garcia, AIA was among the featured panelists at the AIA Rhode Island’s Emerging Architects Forum 2009: The Pen vs. The Layer The Relevance of Hand Drawing in Today’s Workplace on October 29, 2009 at Brown University’s Grant Recital Hall.  James Evrard, Assoc. AIA of KITE was instrumental in organizing the panel through his position as Associates Director of AIAri.  The well-attended panel discussed the interaction and roles of hand drawings and computer-based tools in both education and practice.