Celebrating Staff Promotions

These individuals have consistently gone above and beyond in their roles, demonstrating hard work, dedication, and a true commitment to the mission of BVH—to transform lives by creating places that contribute to the vitality of communities. Congratulations to each of you, and thank you for all you do to help us achieve our vision!

TORI HEUSINKVELT / ASSOCIATE

Tori’s dedication to client care has significantly strengthened our relationships. Her expertise and attention to detail have led to multiple client requests for her involvement in their projects. Internally, she has been a crucial resource, collaborating with the interiors group and managing the firm’s lunch and learn sessions.

DEB MEIROSE / ASSOCIATE

Deb’s skills in keeping BVH financials in order and dedication to ensuring thoroughness and accuracy are highly regarded by everyone who works with her at BVH. Her ‘can do’ attitude is a positive influence and big help to the Lincoln studio and the whole firm. Her tenacity in chasing down details and pushing us all is highly appreciated, as is her diligent work in preparing contract documents. We are grateful you are on the team and recognize your success with a promotion to Associate in the firm.

MADISON WARNEMUNDE / ASSOCIATE

Madison consistently delivers exceptional quality in her work, demonstrating a strong attitude and work ethic. She effectively balances and prioritizes multiple projects, ensuring they are completed on schedule and exceeds expectations. Her attention to detail, creativity, and ability to craft compelling content showcase BVH’s design standards, making her an outstanding Associate within our firm.

MEREDITH DANIELS / SENIOR ASSOCIATE


While Meredith has only been at BVH a short time, her work in honing BVH’s financial systems and thinking have already made a significant impact. Her leadership across the firm and working together with project managers, principals and fellow directors are helping move BVH’s business practices forward. Recently, Meredith’s work with HR issues and advocacy for staff has also demonstrated her strong interpersonal skills which we are all also very appreciative of. These factors all add up to Meredith being fully deserving of the Senior Associate designation.

PHUONG NGUYEN / SENIOR ASSOCIATE


Phuong’s design aptitude has consistently led to successful projects and satisfied clients, earning various accolades. She works tirelessly to improve herself and those around her, taking a significant role in leading design discussions, particularly in the Omaha office. Her deep involvement in the Omaha design community and consistent recognition by her peers are testaments to her great work and commitment.

JEFF PEDERSEN / SENIOR ASSOCIATE


Jeff’s experience, skills and dedication in guiding BVH’s operational systems are commendable. The work he has begun is moving BVH’s practice into a much better organized and efficient operation. His work with his fellow managing directors is helping to move BVH’s leadership to a place where the firm will benefit from greater focus in many aspects. His business development and mentorship of the Denver studio members are appreciated both by staff and leadership. We recognize all that you bring to BVH with your advancement to a Senior Associate in the firm.

GARRETT PETERSON / SENIOR ASSOCIATE


Garrett shows leadership through his everyday work, mentoring others, speaking up to push the team and their designs, while managing multiple projects to success through thoughtful, effective, and efficient workflow. He is highly coachable, maintains a positive attitude, and focuses on design and improving the firm and our work. Garrett has also stepped into more leadership roles recently and is becoming a recognized voice in the Lincoln studio.

TRISTAN VETTER / SENIOR ASSOCIATE


Tristan’s leadership is quiet yet invaluable. His extensive Revit knowledge and ability to communicate design intent through construction documentation are exceptional. His tenacity and dedication to seeing ideas through to completion make him a critical asset to BVH.

ROGER SLOSSON / ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL


Roger has tirelessly worked to advance design and client relations for 36 years. He has become a trusted advisor and friend to many clients who continually look to him for repeat projects. His honed technical skills paired with his excellent design appreciation make him a key project manager who advances design excellence while ensuring the building is functional and operationally efficient for decades to come. His mentorship in the studio, project guidance and leadership in the firm are fully deserving of the Associate Principal designation.

Flexible Learning Environments: Carving Out Space for a Learning Commons

Through our background in educational design, renovation, and historic preservation, BVH designers and architects have found creative ways to re-think even the most challenging of floor plans. The following are a few strategies to consider:

REMOVE LOCKERS

Now that most students have a laptop and fewer books, many schools are finding that they need very few lockers, if any. In schools where lockers are grouped, this can provide a substantial amount of space for flexible learning. Sometimes even corridors lined with lockers will have enough extra square footage to add narrow work areas. Classrooms that line these areas can also be opened up with overhead doors to expand classroom space.

RECONSIDER THE LIBRARY

A recent middle school client recognized that their facility was no longer receiving enough value out of the large amount of square footage allocated to book storage in their library. BVH redesigned the space into a grade-level learning commons and classrooms. After some additional shifting of spaces, the renovated school had a total of three learning commons supporting the core classrooms for each grade. The former library now has a smaller presence in each commons with stored books available on request. Books are curated depending on what students are currently studying and recirculated to keep the selection fresh and appealing.

For school districts that are not ready to transition to a decentralized library, there are other options. Meeting rooms for group projects or specialized work (i.e. 3-d printing) can be added. Flexible furniture that can be configured into “us, me or we” workspaces can replace heavier, traditional furniture. Also, focusing on acoustics is critical. By using acoustical materials on the ceiling and walls, it is possible to have group interaction co-exist alongside quiet, individual work. Not only does this shift give the school more flexibility in how the library is used, it also better reflects the workplaces students will be experiencing when they graduate.

ACTIVATE THE CAFETERIA 

Like libraries, dining areas take up square footage that could be used for learning when they aren’t being used for lunch. A toe in the water approach could be as simple as changing the furniture. Instead of the typical round tables with eight seats, tables of varying heights and sizes could be used. Add casters and you have the ability to reconfigure the cafeteria into a number of dining, learning or special event options. Next steps might be to add power, data and wall-mounted monitors throughout the cafeteria, so that it is a welcome place for laptop use and presentations. In a more extensive renovation, schools could consider opening up perimeter classrooms with overhead doors to make the cafeteria easily accessible for use as a commons.

REMOVE THE EGG FROM THE EGG CRATE

When schools are laid out with classrooms double-loaded along a corridor, known as the ‘egg crate’ floor plan, adding a learning commons can be particularly challenging. One solution is opening up key classrooms to serve as a commons for the surrounding spaces. In schools that are seeing demographic shifts toward lower enrollment, this may be an easy transition. However, schools that are already using every square inch of teaching space may have to examine their facility utilization more carefully. Instead of classrooms belonging to individual teachers, could the classrooms belong to the grade level and the commons be used for part of the day, everyday? Imagine a space with softer seating, writable walls, mini libraries and larger display monitors. The space could transition throughout the year to be used for hands-on science experiments or a research zone to prepare for a social studies presentation. The good news is that even with the most inflexible floor plans, a design team can find ways to re-configure space to meet the learning goals at your school.

At BVH, we know that adding flexible spaces to schools takes more than a renovation project. The re-design requires change management for everyone, which isn’t easy. However, the outcome is worth the effort. After adding flexible learning spaces, our clients have reported better collaboration among students and teachers, and improved student engagement without compromising test scores.

 

We Took a Moment to Ask—Who’s Been Inspiring You?

Shout out to all of the amazing individuals who make up BVH! We will continue to share the ways we inspire one another, grow from each other, and recognize the hard work of our team members.

BVH Architecture Receives Two AIA Nebraska Excellence in Design Awards

We are honored to receive an Architectural Citation Award for the Bridge Park :: Park Bridge project and an Architectural Honor Award for the Metropolitan Community College Automotive Tech Facility. Learn more about each project:

Metropolitan Community College Automotive Tech Facility

Bridge Park :: Park Bridge

Meet Our Newest Principals

MIKE DAILY / PRINCIPAL


Mike is a sought-after project manager, building technology guru, and a mentor to many within BVH. In addition to the great work he oversees for our clients, he is a loyal Teammates mentor and our BVH Tailgate raffle king. We truly appreciate Mike and everything he has done for the firm throughout his career spanning three decades with BVH. Mike’s skills have continued to cultivate BVHs core values in people, knowledge, and wonder. His leadership is appreciated both within the firm and by the repeat clients who come back to him.

MATT SMITH / PRINCIPAL


Matt has provided wise and passionate leadership to BVH clients and our staff over his nine years with the firm. Consistently, clients return to Matt for his thorough project management as well as his ability to work through project challenges. Under his leadership, complex projects and schedules become manageable, achievable goals–producing results clients are proud of. Inside BVH, Matt is a respected team leader who mentors staff and ensures the BVH culture continually grows.

BRYAN SOLKO / PRINCIPAL


Bryan’s leadership on large and complex projects, development of BVH quality assurance, and sustainability efforts within the firm have proven invaluable over his career with BVH. For nearly twenty years at BVH, Bryan’s passion for design and an innate connection to the land have helped lead to simple-yet-creative solutions inherent to their environment. His realistic perspective and demeanor are guideposts for our staff and clients to follow. Beyond his work in the BVH studios, Bryan gives back through many volunteering efforts and his board leadership in the community. We look forward to the future Bryan will build, both for BVH and for our clients.

Celebrating Staff Promotions

MACKENZIE HUBER / ASSOCIATE


Mackenzie has been instrumental in establishing the firm’s presence in Denver and has been a crucial component of the Denver studio. She consistently provides excellent work on assignments for her clients and is always willing to fill in wherever the firm needs. She continues to be an invaluable asset to the company due to her problem-solving and analytical abilities.

KIT WILLIAMS / ASSOCIATE


Kit’s passion for design excellence has made her a valuable leader at BVH, even though she is relatively new to the Omaha office. She took on multiple challenging projects, and through her leadership and dedication to the client, she achieved success. Kit is encouraging, modest, and firm-focused, and she significantly impacts the company’s development.

TIM HEMSATH / SENIOR ASSOCIATE


Tim is a leader, a consensus builder, and a thought leader on sustainability. Through sustainability lunches and the appointment of sustainability advocates for each project, he has ensured that sustainability is discussed at the onset of each assignment. Tim’s enthusiasm and dedication to high-performance architecture have contributed to the development of the field.

CYNTHIA RAY / SENIOR ASSOCIATE


Cynthia has established herself as an experienced design expert in various project sectors. Her ability to communicate with others is reflected in her designs’ spaces and relationships. People look to Cynthia for guidance and trust because of her expertise and leadership.

AMANDA SCHNATZ / SENIOR ASSOCIATE


Amanda can connect with and gain the trust of all clients she works with and deliver outstanding projects for them. She is an excellent listener and genuinely appreciates discovering and responding to the needs and desires of her clients. As a leader in the studio, the entire team looks to her for guidance and direction in every aspect of our work.

ADAM SITZMANN / SENIOR ASSOCIATE


Adam is an outstanding project manager and representative of the BVH culture. His most significant contribution is doing whatever is necessary to ensure the success of projects. Repeatedly, he has gone above and beyond to ensure that clients achieve outstanding results. Adam possesses a natural talent for architectural business and marketing.

HAILEE TURNER / SENIOR ASSOCIATE


Hailee has proven to be an internal and external leader and professional at BVH. She is an asset to multiple departments within our organization and ties these departments together to create a unified culture throughout our three distinct studios. This could be quite a challenge for any company. Still, her ability to remain consistent with the One BVH vision within our studio culture continues to pay dividends by genuinely differentiating us from our competitors in multiple regions.

EVAN GUNN / ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL


Evan’s leadership performance as Team Leader and Project Manager for BVH over the past fourteen months has been exceptional. With over 18 years of experience, Evan has developed a robust and systematic approach to overseeing project managers, mentoring team members, and achieving success in complex projects. His position as Associate Principal is well-deserved.

Southeast Community College Academic Excellence Center Receives National AIA Educational Design Award

The Academic Excellence Center for Southeast Community College in Nebraska solves one of the most paradoxical challenges facing many community colleges: creating a broader community among a nontraditional, commuter-based population. Focused on introducing equitable opportunities for study and connectivity to the rural context that drives the college’s STEM programs, the center is a differentiator that accelerates the value proposition for today’s learners.

“The center is a simple, elegant solution that remains sensitive to its context. It allows students to engage with their peers, a critical consideration for any commuter college.” – Jury comment

The center is the first new facility built through a revitalization plan for the college’s Beatrice campus, south of the state’s capitol. The project is a cornerstone for an anticipated transformation of the campus, which has a student population of just over 1,000. Across its 51,700 square feet, the center supports a wide range of STEM disciplines, from physics and health sciences to music and fine arts. Its construction sets a new bar for campus development and highlights critical programming through its cutting-edge learning environments, offices, and public space.

Envisioned by the team and college leaders as a machine for learning, the new center’s orientation, form, and fenestration optimize daylight in all learning spaces. Its primary classrooms leverage indirect daylight from adjacent open collaboration and circulation. The balance of direct and indirect daylight is further distributed along a primary circulation spine to create a dynamic experience that supports impromptu social connectivity. The team’s strategies offset most artificial lighting needs while simultaneously enhancing the learning experience and bolstering connections to the surrounding community.

Though the college did not articulate specific energy conservation goals, the team employed a purposeful approach to sustainability that nurtures user well-being and comfort while ensuring the facility’s longevity and a return on investment that correlates to the college’s overarching business plan. It meets the Architecture 2030 Challenge through a 70% energy reduction and a photovoltaic-ready infrastructure that will help move the college to a net zero master plan.

A vital gateway to the campus, the center is both a destination and landmark for the college community. It is an aesthetically contemporary solution that responds to both program and considerations while still celebrating the unpretentious rural vernacular of Nebraska.

Learn more.

The Museum of Nebraska Art and the Benefits of Mass Timber

In 2020, BVH Architecture was selected by MONA to reconstitute the home for Nebraska art. The addition, drawing heavily on the established visual language of the region amplifies museum programs through choreographed moments of discovery. We carefully selected materials to ensure MONA’s legacy of beauty and sustainability. Among those materials is mass timber, which Timberlyne will provide.

At the end of January, BVH Architect Matt Fitzpatrick and team members from Whiting Turner took a tour of the Timberlyne Shop in Boerne, TX.

Our team was very fortunate to see the actual beams, columns, and steel connections being fabricated and finished for our project on-site in real-time. Timberlyne’s impressive new Hundegger robot and routing machine were fully displayed, creating the most complex joinery applications imaginable. We are also thankful to have met the talented technical team behind the scenes responsible for running the machines and creating the production documentation!

– Matt Fitzpatrick, AIA

Using an exposed mass timber structural system recalls an elevated yet distinct Nebraska aesthetic. Patrons will experience the warmth of the exposed wood, the subtleties of the natural material, and the evidence of MONA’s desire to perpetuate a high-performing, sustainable building. Using cross-laminated timber (CLT) in place of a different system allowed the structural system to be nearly carbon neutral on this project.

Why Did We Choose Mass Timber?

BVH previously posted a biophilic overview of the human health and beauty of biophilic design. Mass timber is a rich material from nature—connecting us to biophilic patterns found in wood. Humans prefer natural materials over synthetic recreations because we can discern the difference. The exposed wood’s textures, colors, and patterns can only be achieved through natural processes.

In addition to their biophilic health benefits, trees sequester carbon emissions (CO2) during their lifecycle. When we harvest wood for use in our buildings, the timber we use still contains some of this stored carbon, effectively sequestering it for the lifespan of the building. After its use in a building, timber can continue storing carbon as long as the timber remains intact, whether reused or recycled.

Quantifying this stored carbon—what our industry calls embodied carbon—is an increasingly important and needed component to understanding a building’s environmental impact over its life cycle. Each material used for our buildings impacts our environment from their extraction, manufacturing, and installation—which occurs in air and water pollution, water and energy consumption, and the carbon emissions that impact global warming. However, mass timber or other biological materials can reduce and potentially eliminate significant carbon emissions.

For MONA, BVH evaluated the carbon emissions of MONA’s new construction and renovation. Measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions per square foot (kgCO2e/sf), the average embodied carbon of a steel framed structure is 34.5 kgCO2e/sf, whereas a timber structure averages 22.7 kgCO2e/sf. In addition to timber columns and beams, MONA is utilizing cross-laminated timber (CLT) decking instead of metal decks for the floor structure. Evaluating the total mass of timber’s embodied carbon from the beams, columns, and decking, including the steel connections and miscellaneous steel structural elements, totals one (1) kgCO2e/sf, nearly carbon neutral. Finally, for an overall perspective of carbon emissions, we incorporate the whole building enclosure, substructure, and interior finishes into the analysis achieving carbon emissions of 17 kgCO2e/sf.

Exploring the carbon emissions of our work aligns with BVH’s core value: the pursuit of knowledge. Carbon emissions and environmental impacts of our building designs are measurable and vital to understand and reduce. Our excitement is twofold: a mass timber structure can reduce the overall carbon footprint, and restoring the existing building further avoids carbon emissions. Patrons of MONA will not see the carbon emissions, but they will experience the beautifully biophilic mass timber structure alongside Nebraska-inspired art.

 

Southeast Community College Academic Excellence Center honored with Architect Magazine Award

MERIT / ARCHITECTURE / INSTITUTIONAL
BEATRICE, NE
BVH ARCHITECTURE AND MULTISTUDIO

Visually inspired by the agrarian vernacular of its Beatrice, Neb., locale, the 52,000-square-foot Academic Excellence Center for Southeast Community College stems from the institution’s desire to enhance the student experience on campus by providing a welcoming, light-filled place to study and learn, converse and commune with peers, and interact with faculty through both formal and spontaneous meetings. Building community for its academic population is a major goal for the college, and the center is a step in a larger expansion plan to achieve it.

Designed in a partnership between Kansas City, Mo.–based Multistudio and Omaha-based BVH Architecture, the three-story structure is programmatically driven and consists of classrooms, laboratories, and multipurpose spaces. Thus, the design centers around the building’s main circulation, a glass curtain wall–enclosed communal spine that spans the center’s length and provides ample opportunities for social interactions, whether between classes or at campus gatherings.

Decorated with movable furniture and brightly daylit, this wide passage also creates informal study areas. From the outside, a scrim wall superstructure fronts this transparent architectural element, creating a space for exterior circulation between the two and a dramatic façade effect that references metal grain silos and light filtering through a barn’s wooden slats. It also helps offset glare and heat gain, reducing the building’s overall energy use.

— Elizabeth Fazzare, Architect Magazine’s 2023 Architecture & Interiors Awards Issue

February 09, 2023

CTE Spaces: Focusing on Community & Industry Needs

BVH has been involved in dozens of CTE projects in the past decade and we have seen overriding themes that are consistent markers of success for our clients. These include:

In this blog post, we want to focus on the final point, which is often overlooked. Highly successful schools start the process of engaging the community, both locally and more broadly, very early in the process. Many try to build these as they are designing, or worse yet while construction is underway. This will inevitably lead to time delays, changes, and increased costs. Starting months and in some cases years before the start of design is ideal so that the school community is built collectively and comprehensively. This also creates a great opportunity for increased support in terms of funding, programming, and curriculum development.

Some examples of community partnerships building include:

Sandy Creek High School | Fairfield, NE
In building the curriculum and dream of the Nebraska Center for Advanced Professional  Studies (NCAPS), the school reached out and connected with 80+ industry partners to help inform their various pathways. In a community population of 6,200 with 115 students at the high school, they had to reach both close and distant partners to make all the connections work.

Lincoln Public Schools ‘Bay High’ | Lincoln, NE
Skate + Music + Fashion: LPS partnered with nonprofit Rabble Mill, known for its unique approach to serving underserved youth to create this focus CTE program. Bay High’s mission is to provide creative, entrepreneurial-minded students with the tools, access, and stewardship to be successful creators of tomorrow. It doesn’t hurt to have someone like legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk in your launch in addition to 12 community partners (including BVH).

Fremont Public Schools Career Center | Fremont, NE
Fremont Public Schools (FPS) is pulling together both industry and community college connections to build its new CTE Center. Industry partners helped to inform the programs and curriculum that help create career connections with local industries in robotics, construction, automotive, health, and fabrication industries. Metro Community College (MCC) and FPS have a long-standing partnership wherein students have opportunities to earn college credit while in high school and have a direct pathway to MCC to further their education.

Umoⁿhoⁿ (Omaha Nation) Public Schools | Macy, NE
In this reservation community, Omaha Nation Public Schools (UNPS) has created a CTE facility that will help foster community revitalization at the core of a challenged community. With limited local industry or community resources, UNPS envisioned a facility that would fulfill community needs in the areas of automotive technology, construction, early childhood learning, and healthcare, while creating career opportunities for students at the same time. Dining and shopping options were once a 45-minute drive outside of town. Now a local cafe and community store help foster community and local craft sales all within the school facility.

We at BVH are excited about the future of education and the emerging potential that CTE pathway spaces are creating for students and communities. Drop us a line if you have any insight or questions we can help you with as you think about your Career & Technical Education or Pathways facilities.

Check out our recent webinar for the Nebraska Council of School Administrators!

Recent BVH CTE Projects:
Lincoln PS/Southeast Community College – The Career Academy
Lincoln PS Zoo School Science Focus Program
Lincoln PS Bay High
Lincoln PS Northstar HS Aviation CTE Addition
Centennial PS
Lexington PS
Omaha Nation PS
Fremont PS
Wisner PS
Cross County PS
Wilber PS
Nebraska City PS
Omaha Public Schools – 11 schools CCAP master plan

23 PK-12 projects in the past 10 years

 

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