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BUSINESS NEWS TLC ENGINEERING FOR ARCHITECTURE, INC. ADDS PHILADELPHIA OFFICE TLC Engineering for Architecture, Inc. announces the opening of a new office at 1601 Market Street, Philadelphia, led by Tony Esposito, PE, LEED AP, managing principal and senior mechanical engineer. TLC is providing integrated MEP, fire protection, life safety, structural, technology, and energy services on numerous projects in the region, thus the new location reinforces the firm’s commitment to the region. “Long time clients and friends of our firm have engaged us on exciting projects in the northeast,” stated Michael Sheerin, CEO of TLC. He continued, “Tony’s knowledge of the region and willingness to return to the northeast combine to create an expansion that allows us to assist our clients from a local office, as well as expand our relationships and continue to grow our firm.” Ranked by numerous industry publications as a leading full service engineering firm, TLC works with architects and building owners to engineer facilities that are resilient, efficient to operate, and support the mission of the building owner. TLC provides engineering services for an array of market sectors, including healthcare, hospitality, offices, and education and is an acknowledged leader in high performance building design and operation. TLC Engineering for Architecture, Inc. is headquartered in Orlando, Florida with offices across Florida, Tennessee, Texas, and Louisiana and now Pennsylvania, providing engineering and energy services across America and around the world.
LMN ARCHITECTS EXPANDS AND RENOVATES THE GREATER COLUMBUS CONVENTION CENTER The Greater Columbus Convention Center expansion and renovation breathes new life into this emblematic civic complex. The $140 million, multi-building project adds 137,000 square feet of new space and renovates 800,000 square feet of the existing structure. Schooley Caldwell Associates served as associate architect for the project, with Corna Kokosing Construction Company and Elford, Inc. as construction manager. In the nearly 25 years since the original convention center was constructed in 1993, downtown Columbus has undergone a dramatic transformation. The new expansion reflects this growth, recalibrating the experience of the facility to the current urban fabric of the city – engaging the pedestrian activity and public spaces of downtown, as well as the thriving Short North neighborhood. The prominent new glazed civic entry embodies this transformation. “A driver for the expansion was to better integrate the building with the neighborhood and city,” notes Wendy Pautz, AIA, LMN Architects ’ design partner for the project. “Areas of glass reveal the activity happening inside the building to the outside world, most notably where the transparent pavilion meets the exterior plaza.” This transparency continues throughout the building with a new entry to the main exhibit hall and windows in the meeting rooms. Says Pautz, “The test of the project is how well it serves visitors and the surrounding urban
environment. Its success is as much about how it engages the street as what happens inside.” Inside, the renovation renews the original building’s complex composition of spatial experience. The distinctive, multi-layered finishes are enlivened through the use of color and light, while interior spaces are reimagined in response to today’s convention market with enhanced flexibility to accommodate a wide range of events. Sculptural lighting with custom color configurations animate the ceilings of the two multi-purpose ballrooms, enabling the interior expression to be choreographed to unique visual characteristics of each event and to complement the theatricality of the existing Battelle Grand Ballroom which LMN previously renovated in 2010. A series of pre-function spaces along the main concourse, which runs the full 15-acre extent of the north and south buildings, create a sequence of public spaces that activate the architectural experience with the social energy of the event. These nodes are defined by luminous glass walls and openings to the sky and street – providing internal daylight while further embellishing the building’s external presence as a prominent civic venue. Upgraded systems throughout the building include wall coverings, ceilings, carpeting, social seating, way finding, digital technology, sound systems, and lighting. The project anticipates LEED Silver Certification.
CONFERENCE CALL, from page 7
JM: The firm needs to take care of all employees, especial- ly your top people and provide what they need to flourish and be happy. That does not mean throwing more money at them. The company culture is the single most important as- pect of long-term retention of top people. Employees want to belong and be part of something positive and special. Each firm needs to build and promote their culture across the board and position the firm as a place where employees love to work. We are always recruiting, even when we don’t have a current opening. You need to build a bench of people who are in the industry so that you can reach out to them when a staffing need arises. TZL: What’s your prediction for the rest of the year and for the next five years? JM: Healthcare and logistics projects were strong in 2017. The same looks true for 2018 and 2019 based on speaking with our clients about their capital project plans for the next two years. Longer than that is hard to say. Typically, in a presidential election year, capital expenditures tend to drop off so we expect to see a softening of spending in 2020.
fun team that meets regularly to plan company events that cover the gamut – happy hours, parties, themed dress days, horseshoe competitions, sporting events, outdoor activi- ties, casino trips, amusement park trips, and fun contests like cooking competitions, best Halloween costume, “Big- gest Loser,” and more. “The company culture is the single most important aspect of long-term retention of top people. Employees want to belong and be part of something positive and special. Each firm needs to build and promote their culture across the board and position the firm as a place where employees love to work.” TZL: The talent war in the A/E industry is here. What steps do you take to create the leadership pipeline need- ed to retain your top people and not lose them to other firms?
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THE ZWEIG LETTER January 1, 2018, ISSUE 1229
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