Entries by crosskeyarchitects
Building Wellness in the Community
Wellness: the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the result of deliberate effort The built environment is a physical, (temporarily) permanent representation of our community and ourselves. We live, work, love, and play in buildings and the space between them, and the organization and character of those buildings reflect […]
Every Building Needs a Champion
Whether new construction or renovation, every structure needs a champion, specifically, a sustainability champion. Sustainable buildings are often thought of by developers, owners, and architects, as being more expensive than conventional construction. The standard design approach is, “what can be done with the budget available?” However, once a commitment is made to designing healthy and […]
A Tale of Two Conferences
An architect and a business development specialist walk into the 2016 Connecticut Housing Coalition Annual Conference. These are their responses to the event. From the Eyes of an Architect Often in architecture we hear speeches about how important it is that we provide affordable housing, that entreat us to pat ourselves on the back for […]
6 Ways to Give Your Life ‘Concept’
As illustrated by Bernard Tschumi, without concept, architecture is just a building. This, of course, is also true with life. Without identity, our lives lack meaning. Has anyone ever asked you, “Why did you choose architecture?” I’m asking you now. Dig deep. Deeper. It’s not because you like to draw. It’s not because you didn’t […]
Living Buildings
An architect’s purpose is to shape the world in which they live; each structure designed is a monument to the time, place, and culture in which it was built. During his first visit to Montgomery Mill in Windsor Locks, CT, Max Ballardo of Crosskey Architects observed that time inscribes decay, nature regains its natural habitat […]
Hotel America (5 Constitution Plaza) – Hartford, CT
Hartford embraced ideals of urban redevelopment and responded to the Connecticut Redevelopment Act of 1945 and the Federal Housing Act of 1949, and created the Hartford Redevelopment Agency in 1950. These acts incentivized the clearance of entire inner-city slum neighborhoods in many historic cities across the country to make way for urban renewal projects. Hartford […]