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Join the dialogue every week on our new Blog (http://blog.fxfowle.com/) as we explore issues, initiatives, and ideas related to design, urbanism, sustainability, and technology. You can also follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/FXFOWLE, connect with us on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/companies/fxfowle, and interact with us on Architizer at http://www.architizer.com/.

FXFOWLE Ranked in Inc. Magazine 500|5000 List

FXFOWLE was ranked in the 2010 Inc. 500|5000 list, an annual compilation of America's fastest growing private businesses.  Sponsored by Inc. Magazine, the list measures the financial growth and headcount of 5000 companies across 25 industries nationwide, and highlights entreprenurial businessness that have thrived despite the economic turmoil.  2010 marks FXFOWLE's first year on the list.

SAP Americas Headquarters Achieves LEED Platinum Certification

FXFOWLE's headquarters expansion for SAP Americas in Newtown Square, PA, has achieved LEED Platinum Certification, the highest rating given by the U.S. Green Building Council. Totaling 210,000 square feet, SAP Americas is currently the largest LEED Certified Platinum building in the State of Pennsylvania. The new four-story building received the maximum LEED points in the water efficiency and innovation in design categories.

"As a global provider of business software and technology, SAP Americas asked us to design a contemporary workplace that incorporates the most advanced environmentally-sustainable practices," said Guy Geier, FAIA, FIIDA, LEED, Managing Partner at FXFOWLE. "SAP's new building reflects its strong global image and creates an inspirational working environment that embodies both the company's technological leadership and environmental consciousness. The expansion employs many sustainable strategies that are familiar to FXFOWLE, but for this project we combined them in new and innovative ways."

In addition to LEED Platinum Certification, SAP Americas headquarters expansion received the Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR certification, an ongoing initiative by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which encourages architects and their clients to design and operate buildings that reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. The expansion received a Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR rating of 92 out of 100 (a rating of 50 indicates average energy performance, while a rating of 75 or better indicates top performance and earns certification).

Since opening in May 2009, SAP Americas has been recognized with several design awards from prestigious cultural institutions, publications, and organizations, such as the New York State Chapter of the American Institute of Architects; The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies; Environmental Design + Construction magazine; a William H. Bates Memorial Award/Delaware County Planning Commission; and Architectural Review/MIPIM.

ED+C August Cover Story is the Center for Global Conservation

The August issue of Environmental Design + Construction, a monthly magazine that covers national green building news and trends, features the Wildlife Conservation Society's Center for Global Conservation at the Bronx Zoo.  The coverage, which includes a cover image and four page editorial, is a result of the project winning ED+C's Excellence in Design award in the Institutional category.

A 10-minute podcast interview with Sylvia Smith, Partner-in-Charge of the project coincides with the release of ED+C's August issue. Sylvia discusses how the Center embodies the mission of the Wildlife Conservation Society, its biophilic design strategies, and construction challenges.  Listen to the podcast here.

Chicago Athenaeum Honors Two FXFOWLE Projects

The expansion SAP Americas' headquarters in Newtown Square, PA, and the master plan Nordhavnen: City Regenerative have been honored with 2010 International Architecture Awards from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. The International Architectural Awards are the highest and most prestigious distinguished building awards that honor new and cutting-edge design.

The recognition marks the latest in a series of award wins for both projects. SAP Americas' headquarters expansion recently received an Award of Merit from the American Institute of Architects' New York State Chapter, and the project also won a 2009 American Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum and European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.  Nordhavnen: City Regenerative has been recognized by the Boston Society of Architects, World Architecture News, and Architectural Review/MIPIM for its holistic vision for creating a sustainable city district on a waterfront site in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

Bruce Fowle Honored by AIA New York Chapter

FXFOWLE Founding Principal Bruce Fowle is the recipient of the 2010 Harry B. Rutkins Award for Service to the profession. The award is given by the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects at the discretion of the Honors Committee, headed by the Chapter president. Bruce also received the award in 1994 for his participation in the Oculus Special Commission for Zoning for the Upper East Side.

Citing his contributions to the profession, the AIA stated that “Bruce has dedicated his career to sustainability, innovations and excellence in design, and mentoring and collaboration.  His engagement with the profession, colleagues, the community, and society are exemplified by his and service to the Chapter as founder and chair of the Planning and Urban Design Committee, a member of the AIANY Committee for NYC Rezoning, a member of the Board of Directors, and as Chair of the 2009 Design Awards Luncheon; by his service to the city with his participation in New York/New Visions Coalition for the redevelopment of downtown; and by his service to the Institute and the profession by participating in the NYC Green Codes Task Force, the selection committee for Edward Larabee Barnes Gold Medal Award, and numerous community and academic endeavors.”

New Vision for Water Street in Lower Manhattan

Sustainable Future for Rockefeller Brothers Fund

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) is a private, family foundation helping to build social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. For the organization's new headquarters in upper Manhattan, FXFOWLE designed the sustainable space to evoke the history and classic modern design aesthetics of the Rockefeller family. The headquarters' layout blurs the boundaries between public and private with a flexible, open-office plan that encourages better communication and collaboration amongst the Fund's staff, trustees, grantees, visitors, donors, and those they serve. RBF created a seven-minute video, Moving to a Sustainable Future, to highlight the benefits of the new space and capture the challenges the non-profit organization undertook to align its practices with its goal of protecting the environment. View the video below.

FXFOWLE Featured in ARCHITECT Magazine

FXFOWLE's headquarters expansion for SAP Americas in Newtown Square, PA, is featured in a nine-page article in the May issue of ARCHITECT magazine. Senior Partner Guy Geier, Associate Principal John Schuyler, and Founding Principal Bruce Fowle are quoted in the article, offering insight into the building's design, collaborative process, and sustainable innovations. Click here to view the article online.

Additionally, the firm is ranked No. 29 in the magazine's Annual ARCHITECT 50 listing, and No. 7 in the Top 10 Green firms list. FXFOWLE is the only green firm listed to have more than 80% of its professional staff LEED Accredited by the U. S. Green Building Council. 

The ARCHITECT 50 ranking recognizes the country's best architecture firms, taking into consideration ecological commitment and design quality in addition to profitability.  FXFOWLE is committed to bringing sustainability and design excellence to all its projects worldwide.  To see the ARCHITECT 50 online coverage, click here.

Baruch College Honors Sylvia Smith for Business and Civic Leadership

Baruch College honored Senior Partner Sylvia Smith, FAIA, LEED AP, with the Bernard Baruch Medal for Business and Civic Leadership for her outstanding success in business and commitment to her community. The College is part of the City University of New York education system, and the award is named in honor of its benefactor, Bernard Baruch-financier, statesman and advisor to presidents. This year, for the first time in the College's history, all of the medal's honorees are women and prominent leaders in New York City's real estate industry. Donna Shalala, President of the University of Miami and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services presented the honorees with their medals at the College's annual Bernard Baruch Dinner in April. Sylvia is the founder and leader of FXFOWLE's Cultural and Educational Studio. Committed to the improvement of the public realm in New York City as well as academia, Sylvia is an active member of the Board of Directors for the Design Trust for Public Space, and she sits on the Dean's Advisory Board for the University of Virginia, School of Architecture, the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of Dickinson College and serves as Chair of its Facilities Committee.

Lehman College Dedicates New Multimedia Center

Lehman College dedicated its new Multimedia Center with a special program in April. Designed by FXFOWLE, the Center is a place for the entire Lehman College community, and although its primary goal is to provides state-of-the-art capabilities for distance learning and media production, the Center is open to all who wish to improve their academic IT skills and ability to learn. Located in the core of Lehman College’s Carman Hall below an existing exterior plaza, the Multimedia Center was originally a double-height library space. FXFOWLE’s design doubled the footprint to 22,000 square feet by inserting an intermediate floor and a sky bridge, creating a two-story facility that connects the east and west corridors of the large doughnut-shaped building. The College prepared a promotional video about the facility and its programs. Sudhir Jambhekar, Senior Partner and and Susan Masi, Associate, were interviewed in situ about the space, and how the design goals were established and met. The video can be viewed by following this link.

­Nordhavnen Wins MIPIM/Architectural Review Future Project Award

FXFOWLE's concept design for Nordhavnen: City Regenerative has won a 2010 MIPIM/Architectural Review Future Project Award in the Regeneration and Masterplanning category, and will be honored at the MIPIM World conference  in Cannes, France in March. MIPIM is one of the world's leading property market events that brings together key real estate business professionals, investors, developers, end-users, architects, public authorities and property associations, among others, to present their current projects and to develop their business relations on an international level.

The Architectural Review/MIPIM Future Award is the latest in a series of awards the project has won.  In December, 2009, Nordhavnen was selected as the Best Urban Design Project (Unbuilt category) by World Architecture News; it also received an Unbuilt Architecture Design Award from the Boston Society of Architects. Nordhavnen: City Regenerative was designed by the firm's Urban Studio in a response to an international competition to define a dynamic, unique, and sustainable city district in Copenhagen, Denmark poised for growth over the next fifty years. The project connects urban infrastructure, extends existing water networks, and weaves open space through a series of neighborhoods and commercial nodes. It establishes a sustainable pattern of development; including mixed-uses, GBM modular housing (Global Building Modules), integration of natural systems with infrastructure, and a series of iconic urban farming towers powered by localized waste-water purification systems.

FXFOWLE Recognized by the EPA

FXFOWLE is pleased to announce that two of the firm’s projects have been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for achieving Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR, the EPA's mark of superior energy efficiency in building design. The designated buildings are the LEED Platinum certified headquarters expansion for SAP Americas, located near Philadelphia, Pa., and Eleven Times Square, a projected LEED Gold, class-A commercial tower in Manhattan. The designation means that the firm's two projects were designed with energy efficiency in mind and are expected to meet the EPA's guidelines. Once complete, they are eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR label after meeting energy use expectations for a year.