What a summer for b9!

Office Outing 2014 | Boating on Lake Union

b9 has turned into “b-almost-9″ (coined by Caroline) with 3 new additions to our formerly modest 5-person team.

There has been plenty to do here, and we’ve been keeping ourselves busy with exciting new projects and a new office! But more on the latter, later…

We’re excited to present the work of local Seattle artist and architect-in-training Becca Fuhrman this Thursday, June 5th from 5-8pm!

Come join us for an exhibition opening and reception of “Early Bird Special” – a mixed media portrait series that examines the “typical” characteristics of a beauty portrait that go past the ideal and captures the idiosyncrasies, imperfections, and humanity of its subjects.

Becca Fuhrman studies a wide breadth of art, design, and architecture. Her interest in the human condition, its representation, and experience are the driving force behind her work. She continues to explore these themes within visual communication and representation as a project manager at Studio 216.

We’re located on 210 S. Jackson St in Pioneer Square, and this exhibition is a part of Pioneer Square’s celebrated First Thursday Art Walk. So stop by, and enjoy some great art, soothing wine, and fantastic company!

This winter, the B9 team spent a portion of our time to focus on the b9Lab aspect of the practice. The b9 Lab was established to explore our interests in architecture, research new materials and building methods, and allow us opportunities to participate in design competitions. The Folly Competition was an exploration of the intersection between architecture and sculpture and the increasing overlaps in reference and concepts between the two disciplines. As the name of the competition suggests, a folly stands between the two disciplines and it is the task to give our interpretation of a folly for the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, New York (Sponsored by The Architectural League of New York).  The winner(s) of the competition will be given a $5000 production grant towards realizing the project.

Read more on the Folly competition, Socrates Sculpture and the Architectural League here.

Our competition entry:

What is the current condition of the architectural folly? In a cultural climate so infatuated with imagery and distraction, we can easily imagine the folly as the most fashionable form of architecture; a glossy image, a recent post, a quickly forgotten snippet. In the constructed object, however, we find a different set of values. We can pause at the folly. We can slow down. We can consider the folly as a landmark in our way that disrupts our frantic pursuits.

Lobby is conceived as a disruptive landmark, a threshold between the park and the city. Positioned at the entrance to the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, NY, the proposal pulls visitors through its’ porous edges and separates the experience of the city from the experience of the sculpture park. Inside this folly, space is condensed and the experience is intimated. You can hear the feet of the person just across the aisle. Shadows are cast on flowing walls of fabric. The typical elements of construction are stripped of their solidity and allowed to flap in the wind, open up to the sunlight, and cast unexpected shadows.

Site Plan

View of Lobby from park entry

Sitting on a platform in the Lobby

View at night with light at the heart of the Lobby

Section through Lobby

Lobby is practical and achievable. Standard materials and methods of construction are applied in unusual ways. Our palette is a simple one: dimensional lumber (2×2 and 2×4), steel connectors, plywood, paint and fabric.

Lobby is flexible and adaptable. The construction of our proposal is based on a system of modules that derive from the dimensions of our material. This system can be reordered to accommodate a variety of unexpected challenges and opportunities. This could also mean that elements of the folly begin to spread into other areas of the sculpture park.

Lobby provides a memorable relief valve for the visitor.

View of path into the Lobby

View to the park from the Lobby

There were over 200 entries for the competition and although our entry was not selected, we will be exploring future ways to realize our Folly | Lobby.

Stay tuned for more b9 Lab projects in the future.

We’re excited for this one: b9architects is lucky to have local artist  present her whimsical and textured “Stacked: A Series of Twisted Totems”. On August 1st at 5pm, come on by the office at 210 S Jackson St for a chance to meet Amy, check out her work, and enjoy some refreshments.

If you haven’t been down to the Pioneer Square First Thursday Art Walk, you don’t want to miss this one. In addition to Amy’s work, there are dozens of galleries to explore nearby as well as a network of alleys that are coming together to present Alleypalooza from 5pm – 9pm. So drop on by b9 to say hi, check out some art, and then get lost in the alleys of Pioneer Square!

We are happy to announce that a b9 project, Family Share, will be one of seven featured for the first annual AIA Explore Design Home Tour. The tour will take place onSeptember 14th, 2013 and features excellent work by a group of local architects including Suyama Peterson Deguchi, David Neiman Architects, Adams, Mohler + Ghillino Architects, Johnston Architects, NK Architects, and Coop 15 Architecture. The tour will also be a component of the Seattle Design Festival.

Lately, we tend to view architecture through carefully framed photographs that are limited in their ability to tell the whole story of any given project. This tour will be a great opportunity to actually experience a type of work that we see every day (in our own homes), but rarely have access to (in other people’s homes). It will also be an opportunity to see some really superb homes. Contact AIA Seattle for more details. We hope to see you out there!

Family Share is located in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle.