Welcome to Blueprint South Dakota, a blog created by architects in South Dakota to provide a forum for public conversations with citizens, city planners, developers, property owners, designers, public office holders and others. Through these conversations, we want to participate with the public and community leaders in the creation of vibrant, prosperous, beautiful and effective places to live, work and play in South Dakota. Please join us in conversing about design and planning issues in our state.
Design in the Hills: Thursday Morning Recap, Part I
By Terri L. Miller, AIA, NCARB, CDT Design in the Hills is one of my favorite AIA South Dakota Events. I would encourage anyone to join if they are able. Every year, the tours are either in Rapid City or the surrounding area. There are usually some very interesting and different things to tour, and …
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Architectural Abbreviations
Has anyone else noticed the abundance of firm names containing initials within the architecture community? I’m sure you have. In addition to abbreviating names, Architects have their own shorthand that can often alienate our clients and general public. Some are common sense or intuitive while others are not. Today we’d like to translate some for …
An Engineer’s Poem
According to the current State Engineer, Stacy Watters, PE, each state engineer (all the way back to 1898) had to submit a report to legislation showcasing every project of theirs over the previous year. The following report book is from 1908 and the State Engineer at the time included this poem he found. It’s amazing …
The State of Architecture in Our State
South Dakota Summer 2022 It’s July and we are in the throws of construction in South Dakota. I can’t help but notice the cranes and in-progress buildings as I drive through Sioux Falls and the surrounding communities. Construction is booming on the eastside of the state, and I’m sure it’s no different in the west. …
DESIGN IN THE HILLS 2022
Design in the Hills 2022 is set for Thursday, July 14 through Friday, July 15 in Rapid City, South Dakota. If you haven’t registered already, please do so by Tuesday, July 12. Register Here: Design in the Hills 2022 Each year, AIA South Dakota focuses on projects and places of interest in the Black Hills, …
Pella Offers Two New ADA Options
(Sponsored content by Pella Windows) Pella Offers Two New ADA Options When it comes to having it all, Pella Impervia fiberglass is an overachiever. Pella Impervia products are engineered for the rigorous performance requirements of a commercial building and now have options that meet ADA requirements. Pella’s Impervia sliding patio door features the lowest standard …
New Uses for Historic Buildings
Not all great historic buildings can be saved for their original purpose. Sometimes they are vacated due to new ownership, sometimes they become too small and many have accessibility issues. When a building is remodeled for a new purpose, architects call it adaptive reuse. Buildings that cannot find new uses are often abandoned and eventually …
Road to the Register
(Cover image by Sandra Lea Dickenson, AIA Emeritus) Her name was Margaret Wellington. She was the wife of Dr. Raynor Wellington, history professor at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. Margaret was a member of the building committee for a new home for the First Congregational Church in Vermillion, South Dakota (now known as …
Designing a better tomorrow
(Sponsored content by Pigott, provided by MillerKnoll.) With work and life entering a new era, MillerKnoll can help organizations seize this opportunity to reinvigorate their culture, improve the health and productivity of their teams, and foster a greater sense of belonging for their people. Since the start of the pandemic, the world’s understanding of the very …
Cities We Love: Mitchell
Mitchell, SD Mitchell offers the best of small-town living, family centered amenities, and a broad array of attractions and activities. With a population of almost 16,000, it is the 6th largest city in SD. Mitchell is the primary hub for many surrounding small towns which adds an additional 6,000 people to it’s micropolitan population. Mayor …
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