Alaska Islands & Visitor Center

Alaska Islands & Visitor Center

CIVIC & CULTURAL

Alaska Islands & Visitor Center

ROLE:  Architect
CLIENT:  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
AWARDS:

2005 Merit Award for Excellence in Architecture – American Institute of Architects, AK Chapter

2005 Design for Life Award-Public Buildings; American Society of Interior Designers, WA Chapter

This visitor center is sited on a natural bluff with occupied spaces arranged along the southern façade to maximize views of Kachemak Bay. The intent is for all occupants to feel a connection with coastal Alaska. Thus, the building orients itself toward the sea coast, and turns its back on the adjacent highway. The coastal façade is open and inviting, while the urban façade incorporates solid sound buffer walls to reinforce the permanence of the institutions housed within. The upper and lower floors remain connected visually by means of open areas or overlooks. Other connections to nature include access to interpretive trails and various outdoor amenities such as an amphitheater and plazas. 

The building was programmed as an important community element, having a distinct local identity and expressing a strong historical association with artisans. Hence, the design team commissioned original works within the building to integrate with the architecture. The seamless result has been well received. 

  

This 35,000 SF facility is shared by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve.  It is essentially divided into three distinct functional components: Visitor Facilities, Educational Program Spaces, and Headquarter Offices. An 832 SF laboratory and research area provide space for scientific research of marine wildlife and educational purposes. 

  

General Contractor:  Jay-Brant General Contractors, Homer 

Amangiri Resort

Amangiri Resort

COMMERCIAL / HOSPITALITY

Amangiri Resort

ROLE:  Architect of Record – Aiken Architects
CLIENT:  Canyon Land Development, LLC
PROGRAM 34 Guestrooom Luxury Resort with 12,000 SF Spa

Located in the canyon lands of southern Utah, this ultra-luxurious resort is set among the layered landscape at the north of Lake Powell. Overlooking starkly beautiful desert scenery and the Southwest’s iconic flat-topped mesa rock formations, Amangiri (‘peaceful mountain’) is located in the USA’s Grand Circle region. Five national parks, numerous national monuments, and the Navajo Nation Reservation, the largest Native American reservation in the United States, surround the resort 

The resort’s abstracted ruin forms are realized in cast concrete, steel, and glass. The heart of the resort is the large swimming pool which is engaged into the site’s natural rock formation. Amenities include multiple options for dining, a yoga studio, a gallery, fitness center, pilates studio, library, and a living room. 

PG&E Headquarters Remodel

PG&E Headquarters Remodel

COMMERCIAL OFFICE / EDUCATION

PG&E Headquarters Remodel

ROLE: Architecture & Interior Design
CLIENT: Pacific Gas & Electric
DESIGN BUILDER: Roebbelen

The renovation of the eighth and twenty-seventh floors of PG&E’s headquarters is now complete. Located in San Francisco’s financial district at 77 Beale Street, the newly renovated floors include meeting rooms, offices, a dining area, quiet spaces, and lounge areas for viewing the bay. RIM provided architectural and interior design services from conceptual design through construction documents for both floors including furniture and room layouts.