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…
As the town of Sioux Falls was built, South Dakota’s attitude towards architecture was grand, yet utilitarian. Sioux Falls Architecture is characterized by the Richardsonian Romanesque style by late nineteenth century architect, Wallace Dow. Being involved the politics of the Dakota Territory lead to Dow’s success, and he is given much credit to Sioux Falls’s…
After the tragic fire at Notre Dame a couple weeks ago, attention quickly shifted to reconstruction- but the tricky question of the best way to rebuild may take a great while longer to reconcile. Straightforward preservation calls for reconstruction with matching materials when adequate documentation is available and sources for those materials still exist (both…
A few weeks ago, fellow emerging professional and architect Sienna Wegehaupt and I were invited to SDPB to discuss Blueprint South Dakota with host of “In the Moment,” Lori Walsh. We were so excited to be able to share our thoughts for how this blog can become a space to advocate for design in our…
Architects don’t spend all their time in the office; construction site visits are a big part of ensuring that projects are progressing as planned and open up a great opportunity for direct communication with the construction team and the project owner. In this career, each day’s tasks are different, and I’m fortunate to be able…
Thursday of National Architecture Week focuses on the importance of Civic Engagement. The following AIA articles highlight the power that architects and design professionals can have when combining forces with civic leaders and invested community members. The first article explains how working design sessions helped three communities who were rebounding from natural disasters or economic…