Nancy, Author at Optima - Page 37 of 41

Modern Design at Optima with Knoll

Posted on February 18, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

Design permeates every corner of our communities. Across our multi-family properties, we utilize furniture designed by globally renowned Knoll to craft spaces that are sleek, modern and comfortable. Not just purveyors of elegant and stunning design, Knoll also has a history entangled with our own, beginning back in 1938.

Modernist Roots

Knoll was founded in 1938 by Hans G. Knoll, a German immigrant based in the United States. Familiar with the seminal Bahaus School of Design and Modernist masters like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, he founded Knoll on the belief that modern architects would need functional, modern furnishings.

Later, Hans Knoll engaged with (and then literally got engaged to) Florence Schust, who studied with Mies van der Rohe at the Armour Institute in Chicago, and worked in the architectural offices from Gropius and Breuer in Boston. Her understanding of Modernist architecture, and the Bauhaus and Walter Gropius himself, transformed the Knoll approach to furniture design, placing new focus on offering objects that represented design excellence, technological innovation and mass production.

The Risom arm chair designed by Knoll at Optima Sonoran Village

Their strong vision attracted high-profile collaborators, such as Isamu Noguchi, who contributed to a collection of furnishings now heralded as classics in the pantheon of modern design. With a repertoire of pieces spanning including the Wassily chair, the Barcelona chair, the Tulip chair; over 40 Knoll designs can be found in the permanent design collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

As seminal collaborators with the Modernist architecture discipline, Knoll is a natural fit for our modern residential and commercial spaces. Their executive designs embody elegance, craftsmanship and emblematic details across seating, tables and desks. The thoughtful and artistic creations of Knoll bring expansive history, elevated design and of course, comfort, to our communities.

An Inside Look at Architecture Lingo

Posted on February 12, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

An intricate and technical field, the world of architecture produces a unique dictionary of jargon all its own. At Optima, our team works in a highly collaborative atmosphere where we all, from architects to property managers to construction superintendents, share ideas and hold conversations across disciplines — so naturally we all encounter the lingo of our architects. Now we’re decoding the secret language that we’ve all come to know and love.

BIM

Better known as Building Information Modeling, BIM is a 3D model-based process that has majorly changed the world of architecture. It’s a highly collaborative process that spans into the planning, design, construction, operations and management of buildings.

But BIM is more than just a technology or a phrase — when we expanded our offices to have a second location in Arizona, BIM became the language that connected our team, even across states. Using the technology as a streamlined method of communication, our architects in Glencoe and Scottsdale effectively craft and manage projects as if they were in the same room.

Building Envelope

A building envelope is the exterior shell of a building that acts as a barrier against the elements. This maintains a dry, heated/cooled indoor environment and helps in temperature control. The design is a specialized area of architectural and engineering practice and can vary based on the overall look of the building.

In many of our projects, such as Optima Kierland Apartments, the building envelope is a Low-E, UV protected laminated glass with a heat reflective coating. Beyond providing functionality and sustainability, this oft-implemented technique in our Optima projects creates a cohesive design language of beautiful, sleek exteriors.

Cantilever

A cantilever is any rigid structural element, such as a beam or a plate, that’s anchored at one end to a support, allowing the other end to overhang without support or obstruction. The balancing act performed by cantilevers creates gravity-defying architectural protrusions, often serving as stunning design elements.

At Optima Signature, we used cantilevered slabs to provide a column-free living room with breathtaking, sweeping views of Chicago. A tool employed to create our mindful, simple and sleek Modernist silhouettes, cantilevers are yet another piece of our common architectural tongue.

Louvers

Louvers are angled slats fixed at regular intervals in a door, shutter or screen to allow air or light to pass through. Originating in the Middle Ages to help with kitchen ventilation, louvers have evolved into an element used to redirect light or add privacy. Louvers serve just this purpose, paired with perforated sun screens and our signature vertical landscaping system, at Optima Sonoran Village.

Stay tuned for future features on the world of architecture lingo at Optima.

Giving Back: Cleaning Up Skokie Lagoons

Posted on February 10, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

As part of our commitment to the built and natural environments, our team regularly organizes outings that give back to the community. Not only do these opportunities allow us to create meaningful impact, but they serve as team-building and bonding exercises, as well. Most recently, we took a trip out to local Skokie Lagoons to help keep the area clean.

Skokie Lagoons are just a short drive from our Glencoe office. An 894-acre destination, the lagoons are the premier spot for both people and wildlife, offering critical natural habitats and the chance for visitors to appreciate the outdoors through canoe and kayak rentals, biking and hiking trails and picnic areas.

To help restore the area with healthy woodland, savanna and prairie habitats, Skokie Lagoons relies upon volunteers to regularly remove invasive plants such as buckthorn, garlic mustard and Canada thistle.

Working with the Cook County Forest Preserve, our team joined the Shedd Aquarium for a Great Lakes Action Day to help restore the local habitat and encourage amphibians and other wildlife to thrive. We cut and burned the thick and concentrated invasive buckhorn brush to make room for native flora and fauna.

To learn more about the Skokie Lagoons and how you can support wildlife restoration, visit their website.

Office Collaboration Spotlight

Posted on February 5, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

From the big picture to the day-to-day details, Optima’s success depends on our team communicating and working together. We sat down with two members of our architecture team, Pete Foerster and Colin O’Donoghue, to learn more about how Optima’s office collaboration creates engagement, cohesion and community.

With architecture teams based in two locations, what keeps you all connected and engaged?

Pete: “When the Arizona office opened in 2000, we wanted the two teams to be symbiotic and to have the same processes. Our processes, policies and standards remain the backbone of how we all operate.”

Colin: “The most natural and easy way to collaborate is when one office has a demanding schedule that requires more help. When a project in a specific location has a demanding schedule, we can all jump in and help out. This gives us a chance to speak daily, if not hourly, with our team in Arizona.”

How has your experience at Optima shaped the way you work with other architects?

Pete: “Working at Optima for almost 20 years, many of my historical best practices have come from how long I’ve worked with David Hovey Sr. I understand and take pride in the company philosophy and I’m happy to teach it to others. My door is always open for anyone on my team.”

Colin: “Our architecture team embraces Optima as a family-owned and design-led business. We really see ourselves as family members. You’re able to let your guard down internally and to learn from each other. At Optima, you have to think more holistically and problems actually get solved quicker.”

Can you share a specific example of when collaboration yielded surprising or exciting results?

Pete: “When the Arizona office opened in 2000, we wanted the two teams to be symbiotic and to have the same processes, but that’s hard to accomplish. Our team had to create new standards to keep things running efficiently. Having our core values helped remind people of what’s important.”

Colin: “With the roof deck at Sonoran Village, there are a lot of systems coming through the roof, but we had to divert them to accommodate amenity spaces. We had a very elaborate duct system that was tricky to resolve, but working with the field team, we were able to solve the problem together so it wouldn’t affect the roof terrace.”

With a talented group of people across two offices, our architecture team is an inspiring example of how collaboration works within Optima. As Pete says, “every day can be a surprise and every day can be a learning opportunity.”

Neighborhood Spotlight: Downtown Scottsdale

Posted on February 3, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

Home to Optima Camelview Village and Optima Sonoran Village, Downtown Scottsdale is a locus of access, spanning from arts, culture, shopping and nature. Here are just a few of our favorite spots:

Fashion Square

Nextdoor neighbor to Optima Sonoran Village, Fashion Square is an upscale, contemporary shopping hub. The Square features luxury shopping, dining and entertainment unmatched by anything else in Arizona. High-scale brands include Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Bottega Venetta, Saint Laurent and more. Scottsdale Fashion Square is also host to exclusive events and unparalleled guest amenities. The multi-level mall is the perfect place to while away the hours on a shopping spree, or even just window shopping.

Arts and Culture

Scottsdale is home to a bustling arts scene, with an abundance of cultural institutions, museums and galleries calling the area their home. Scottsdale Arts welcomes residents and visitors to experience performing and visual arts from around the world, with programming that spans far beyond being just a theater or museum. Meanwhile, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art hosts a premier collection of modern works in art, design and architecture. Other specialized locales include the Scottsdale Historical Museum, complete with one-room schoolhouse, and the Fiesta Bowl Museum, dedicated entirely to college football memorabilia.

Dining, Drinking and More

Residents of our communities don’t have to look far to find a bite to eat. On-site at Optima Sonoran Village, Kaleidoscope Juice provides a boost with delicious organic juice and coffee drinks. And just a short walking distance away, the vibrant Downtown Scottsdale dining scene brings flavors to satiate any taste palette.

The Great Outdoors

With Arizona set in such a gorgeous landscape, it’s only natural that there are bountiful parks and outdoor recreation areas to explore. Scottsdale offers immediate sweeping views of Camelback Mountain with Echo Canyon Trailhead just steps from Optima Sonoran Village, gorgeous greenery at Camelback Golf Course and the Phoenician Golf Course, and just down the road in bordering Phoenix, the Desert Botanical Garden provides a peek at desert vegetation.

As we continue to expand in Arizona, we look forward to discovering more in our favorite places, and learning about new communities, too. Stay tuned for more neighborhood spotlights on our other Optima communities.

Modernism in Chicago

Posted on January 29, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

According to the Tate Modern Museum, Modernism “refers to a global movement in society and culture that from the early decades of the twentieth century sought a new alignment with the experience and values of modern industrial life.” Within a broader cultural narrative, modernism emerged as a criticism of nineteenth-century societal order, and trickled down into everything from political activism, urban planning, psychoanalysis, art, and of course, architecture. As we’ve previously explored, Modernist architecture has an important place in America’s history. But how does it factor into Chicago’s past?

After the great Chicago fire in 1871, the city was a blank slate, re-planned over an entirely new grid. With the world’s first skyscraper completed by 1884 (at only ten stories), Chicago was positioned to be a groundbreaking city for architectural innovation. Our triumphant World’s Fair of 1893 solidified the city’s confidence and paved the way for Daniel Burnham to create his comprehensive city plan. Chicago’s architects banded together to decide how to best develop ever-evolving skyscrapers within the city. One such architect was Louis Sullivan, who helped found the Chicago School of architects around his belief that “form forever follows function.”

If Sullivan’s creed sounds familiar, it’s because function over form is a cornerstone belief embedded in the Modernist tradition. In the mid-1900s, architects from the growing practices in Europe came to the United States to avoid World War I, and subsequently, World War II. Iconic architects, including Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, came to Chicago to set up shop. Striking buildings of steel and glass defined an entire generation of skyscrapers, and still add to Chicago’s diverse range of architecture.

Chicago was a city that pioneered the world’s forte into stretching and sweeping skylines. Beginning with sleek and simple Modernist structures, Chicago’s architecture is now made all the more standout by the dynamic mix of styles it holds. From Art Deco to Art Nouveau, Chicago School to International Style, Modern to Postmodern, each style is made more its own when juxtaposed with its counterparts.

Through our own addition to Modernism in Chicago, we are proud to create buildings that contribute to the movement’s and the city’s larger legacy. To learn more about Chicago’s Modernist history, the Chicago Architecture Center offers tours specifically dedicated to the style and craft.

A Brief History of Steel

Posted on January 27, 2020May 20, 2024 by Nancy

One of the most utilized structural materials in the world, you’d be hard pressed to find a construction site not making use of steel. Yet what’s now a ubiquitous material was once so hard to come by that it was regarded as heaven-sent—literally. In paying our respects to steel, we’re diving deep into its rich and storied history.

Iron, The Metal From Heaven

Before we learned to smelt iron into steel, iron itself was an alloy hard to come by. Ancient Egyptians called iron biz-n-pt, translating to “metal from heaven.” In their time, iron did come from space, crashing onto earth embedded in meteorites. This metal from heaven had a higher nickel content than the iron dug up from the ground, making it supple, malleable and resilient—and more valuable than gems or gold. It wasn’t until 2,500 BC that miners began the arduous task of removing iron from the earth, and even then, it took hundreds more years to discover how to properly separate the precious ore and manipulate it.

From wrought iron made in primitive smelters, to cast iron made in ancient Chinese furnaces, to iron smelted in blast furnaces, the material remained challenging to produce in mass quantities and to use for a variety of purposes. Certain crafts, such as the delicate process of clock-making, called for a material that was even more malleable, even more resilient than iron. That material was steel, an alloy made by mixing iron and carbon.

One of three Bessemer Converters left in the world, at the Kelham Island Museum. Credit: David Dixon on Geograph, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed

The Dawn of Steel

The modern steel industry was officially born in 1856 when Henry Bessemer developed a more effective and inexpensive method of producing the precious alloy. Known now as the Bessemer Process, Bessemer designed a pear-shaped receptacle in which iron could be heated while oxygen was blown through the molten metal, reacting with carbon, releasing carbon dioxide and producing a more pure iron.

Bessemer’s process revolutionized the industry, allowing for the efficient transformation of iron into high-quality steel in mass quantities. In fact, once the steel industry in America adapted the Bessemer process too, they were able to catch up with Britain’s production, sparking an industry that generated more wealth than the 1849 California Gold Rush.

Steelmaking in America continued to boom as technology improved, allowing for higher efficiency, safety and yield. At the end of World War I, the improved production of steel is what allowed for the invention of skyscrapers. The skyline shot upward in cities like New York and Chicago, a testament to the true strength and power of the material. Steel became a staple in the Modernist structures of masters such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, as a material that not only allowed for a fierce, durable structure, but for a simple, bold aesthetic.

As the steel industry continues to propel forward, metallurgists seek to create more sustainable production methods, exploring electricity-based smelting and utilizing recycled steel for new projects.

Steel and Optima

Throughout our projects at Optima, steel functions as both a structural component and a Modernist aesthetic choice. In projects such as Relic Rock and Arizona Courtyard House, we utilized Corten steel, which is a 99% recycled material. David Hovey Sr. also utilizes steel in his sculpture work, moulding the material into abstract creative expressions. From humble beginnings to its inventive usage today, steel’s versatility still inspires us to venture into new endeavors.

Our Beliefs: Growth Mindset

Posted on January 23, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

As part of our culture at Optima, we hold a set of beliefs that helps us align our work with our goals. Internally, these beliefs are reflected in our culture, and externally, they shine through in the way we conduct ourselves with partners, customers, investors, colleagues and members of the community where we build. They embed meaning into our every project, and into our every day.

The first of our beliefs: we operate with a growth mindset.

Since the company’s inception, we have defined growth on our own terms. This confidence to establish our own definition of success has set us on a continuing and collaborative journey, encouraging each member of our team to constantly expand the base of our knowledge in service to our purpose.

Optima was founded by David Hovey Sr. and Eileen Hovey with a mission at its helm. We wanted to create a real estate firm where design leads the process, enabled by our vertically integrated business model. As the owner, architect, general contractor and developer, the degree of freedom that came with allowed us to challenge ourselves, to learn as we went and to improve each time we started something new.

From humble beginnings, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to growth by investing in our team members’ success. This takes the shape of a robust onboarding process for new team members, ensuring a seamless entry into Optima, and by providing continuing, thoughtful mentorship throughout their careers, by redefining our managers as “coaches” that help guide their team to be their most successful selves. We take pride in investing our time and energy into creating unique approaches that ensure our team, and each individual team member, thrives in the future.

And naturally, having a team set up for success allows our projects to be fueled by minds at their best. Therefore, we can tackle the work that we do with an unwavering vigor that allows us to continually learn, adapt and grow. That will always be how Optima operates.

The Life and Work of Henri Matisse

Posted on January 21, 2020May 20, 2024 by Nancy

Henri Matisse is often regarded as the most important French painter of the 20th century. Leader of the Fauvist movement, his work was expressive, colorful and rigorous, often depicting flattened forms and decorative pattern. He operated with a unique way of seeing, stating, “I don’t paint things, I only paint the difference between things.” To understand the influential work of one of art history’s greatest minds, we first examine his life.

Matisse’s Early Life

Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (1869 to 1954) was a draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor, most renowned for his work as a painter. Born to a wealthy grain merchant in Northern France, he first studied law before finding his calling as an artist. His mother gifted him art supplies during his recovery from appendicitis. Through the gift, Matisse discovered “a kind of paradise” in creation, and made the decision to abandon law for a lifelong pursuit in art.

In the last decade of the 19th century, Matisse studied art in Paris, and was influenced by the work of early masters and modern artists such as Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin and Éduoard Manet. However, an 1896 trip to the island of Belle Île introduced Matisse to Australian painter John Russell, who then introduced Mattisse to Impressionism and the work of Vincent van Gogh, Russell’s dear friend. Seeing the vibrancy of Impressionism and van Gogh’s work, Mattisse’s style transformed with brilliant hues. Of his experience with Russell, Matisse said he, “explained colour theory to me.”

The Art of Matisse

After time spent learning from Russell, Matisse was plunged into the world of Fauvism at the turn of the century. The style began around 1900, continuing beyond the first decade. Part of an innovative group later dubbed “Fauves,” Matisse explored his new understanding of color through paintings with tones bright, clashing and dissonant from those natural to their subject. Even though he helped to pioneer Fauvism, Matisse never really fit in with the crowd due to his conservative appearance and strict bourgeois work habits. And although the radical movement eventually declined, Matisse nevertheless forged on.

The work that Matisse created during this period set the stage for the work he would create for the rest of his career. His focus on color continued, explored through what he called “construction by colored surfaces.” Even as his style and subject matter changed from abstract, to decorative interiors, to cut-out paper collages at the end of his life, this approach remained the same.

We are lucky to hang the work of Henri Matisse in our own communities. His consideration of form and color is reflective of our own thought process, and serves as a reminder that while style may change over time, a well-formed approach will always shine through.

A Tour of the Mies-designed IIT Campus

Posted on January 15, 2020May 20, 2024 by Nancy

The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is the place for Modernist architecture enthusiasts — and more specifically, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe enthusiasts — to be. Not to mention that the school is where Optima’s own David Hovey Sr. and David Hovey Jr. further honed their architectural education.

The campus, a place with a special place in our own heart and history, is home to the largest group of buildings designed by renowned architect Mies van der Rohe, arguably the most influential figure in American Modernism. As such, there is no better way to get an understanding of where our work began and where Modernism expanded, and to experience Mies’ philosophy than to explore the very campus that he designed and led.

Perlstein Hall designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Credit: Joe Ravi on Wikimedia Commons under the license CC-BY-SA 3.0

An Overview of the Campus

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe chaired the IIT School of Architecture from 1938 to 1958. During this time, he created a new master plan for the campus, the most ambitious he ever came up with, including twenty of his own works. This collection is the greatest concentration of Mies buildings in the world. Among the twenty are famous structures such as Wishnick Hall, Perlstein Hall, Carr Memorial Chapel and S.R. Crown Hall. Perhaps Mies’ most iconic piece of work, S.R. Crown Hall is the campus gem, a modern icon and National Historic Landmark, and even heralded by Time magazine as “one of the world’s most influential, inspiring and astonishing structures.”

Overall, the campus is a bold expression of the Modernist discipline, utilizing steel, concrete and glass minimalist frames as a radical departure from traditional college quadrangles and limestone buildings.

An Official Architectural Tour

A tour of the campus, offered by the Chicago Architecture Center, places special emphasis on Mies’ time as head of the IIT School of Architecture. The tour covers iconic Mies structures alongside newer additions such as State Street Village, designed by Helmut Jahn.

During the warmer season, tickets for the tour are available for purchase here. Though not required, advance reservations are recommended, and private bookings are available. Truly enhancing the reach of the experience, the ticket price also gives entrance to the Chicago Architecture Center within seven days of your tour.

As a piece of our own history at Optima, and as a grander piece of Modernist architecture’s history in America, the IIT campus is something that must be seen to be truly understood. Whether it’s on your own or with a tour, witnessing this iconic collection of designs is a necessity.

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Author: Nancy