It’s that time of year when we all reflect, give thanks, and start thinking about next year.  It has been a bit more difficult over the past few years to find things to be thankful about.  The economy has reached record statistics in almost every aspect possible.  Unemployment, homelessness, and unrest have plagued millions.  Needless [...]

Our renovation of the Charlotte Housing Authority’s (CHA) Charlottetown Terrace highrise is in the final stages of completion.  The 1975 building houses low income disabled residents and has not had much work done to it for the past 35 years.  Axiom Architecture was hired to design a major renovation of this building to provide the [...]

I was fortunate enough to attend an AIA Charlotte sponsored event this past Friday night.  It was the first of an architectural film series held at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.  We viewed Eric Bricker’s film “Visual Acoustics – the Modernism of Julius Shulman.”  Check out:  www.juliusshulmanfilm.com The movie documents quite cleverly Mr. Shulman’s [...]

While running this morning with my trusty iPod Shuffle, the Simple Minds’ “Theme for Great Cities” popped up.  It’s a cool instrumental, mid-tempo song with a steady beat.  If you allow your mind to flow with the rhythm and consider the title while listening, it can also evoke images of city life, flashing lights, busy [...]

I recently stumbled across a few archived local news blurbs about neighborhood revitalization in Charlotte.  One in particular focused on federally funded programs many organizations have been pursuing this year.  Center City Partners tied into this through tax credits in hopes to push along projects such as revamping the Hutchison Shopping Center area in the [...]

I recently read an article in “Rolling Stone” written by Al Gore.  It was another chapter in his view on climate change and environmental conditions.  This piece rehashes several facts and theories represented in his documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth”.  It digs a bit deeper, however, and points out several other interesting tidbits – one of [...]

As an architectural firm specializing in housing and multifamily design in the Charlotte and Carolinas region, we are greatly encouraged by the positive vibe that continues to pulse through our industry.  Multifamily Housing (primarily on the Apartment rental side) is back on the rise! Last week, I attended the “Interface Carolinas” conference at the Charlotte [...]

I have three daughters.  Each of them has very different and distinct personalities.  So, when asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” – the answers vary quite a bit as well.  Our 11-year old claims she wants to be a baker.  Our 8-year old wants to be an artist and our [...]

A proposal was put forth last night by the County Commission to eliminate $426,000 for homeless support services in the upcoming County budget.  $392,000 of that amount is funding for 5 case manager positions for Moore Place.  Those positions are the heart of the supportive services plan that makes programs like Moore Place succeed. The [...]

Last week I read an article in the Arizona Business Gazette about the pending real estate recovery.  According to the article, a group of commercial real-estate experts who spoke at the Urban Land Institute’s 2011 Real Estate Summit in downtown Phoenix indicated that “only the youngest, hippest, best-funded and most attractive retail and office buildings [...]