Augustana University students had performed in the same Kresge Recital Hall for nearly 50 years. Nestled deep within the interior of a large Humanites and Arts building, its color palette evoked the 1970s, and the acoustics scheme was abstract and minimalist. Augustana came to TSP to help them formulate a list of improvements for the…
Des Moines, Iowa-based substance architecture and Tim Hickman, AIA, LEED AP, served as juror, considering 28 submitted projects, for the 2019 AIA SD Design Awards. One of the four awards given was for the NSU Athletic Fields & Pavilion project by record architect COOP Architecture. The building’s story is something like this; Northern State University…
Tim Hickman AIA, LEED AP, Principal at substance architecture When you enter an AIA design awards program you may wonder what the criteria for judging excellence may be. This year Substance Architecture was invited to organize the awards jury for the AIA South Dakota 2019 Design Awards. We were asked what we are looking for…
A little over a year ago, a group of AIA South Dakota members banded together to create a virtual space for public outreach to “build strong South Dakota communities and to connect ideas and expertise to address challenges in our state.” As the AIA South Dakota Communications board liaison, I wanted to take a moment…
The Black Hills are home to several historic buildings, each with their own unique story to share with visitors and residents. Badger Hole in Custer State Park is one of these buildings that is still around today, despite the hail, snow, and passing time. Badger Hole was home to South Dakota’s first poet laureate,…
Ali Rausch Vernacular architecture: local, logical, and functional, no guidance from the intellectualized architect who is trained in design. Vernacular architecture is a direct reflection of the individual and the use of its context. And in South Dakota our vernacular is just that, practical and humble in nature. It’s the corn crib that has been…
Constance Walter, Communications Director, Sanford Underground Research Facility In early spring 2019, crews began preparing for the removal of the old machine shops at Sanford Underground Research Facility. The three buildings—Machine Shop, Motor Shop and Iron House—were used during mining operations. However, since 2002, the shops have been largely empty and were used as cold…
A letter to the editor on Rapid City school planning by John Riker, Assoc. AIA, that ran in Saturday’s Rapid City Journal.
Sofia Mattesini, Historic Preservation Specialist South Dakota State Historical Society I recently attended the Preserving the Recent Past 3 conference in Los Angeles. This was the third of a series, the first and second being in 1995 and 2000 respectively. The purpose of all three conferences were to inform professionals that work with the built…
Architectural tragedy has struck downtown Sioux Falls. What started out with high hopes and ideals to be a vibrant new hi-rise(ish) development downtown has had a major hiccup… well, honestly… more like an amputation. The Village on the River project, which was a partnership between the City of Sioux Falls and developer Village River Group…