Creating Shared Visions
CasaBella Celebrates Cinco de Mayo
5/5/2008Each year CasaBella creates a bookmark highlighting a piece of Mexican history and showcasing one of our latest projects.
This year we highlighted the Aztec Sun Stone. A veritable monument to art and science, the monolith was initially housed at the Zocalo, Mexico City's central plaza, at the base of the Metropolitan Cathedral. A hundred years later it was transferred to Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology, where today it stands as the institution's centerpiece.
We are currently working on the Holiday Inn Hotel in San Antonio. This 194 room hotel will be the first LEED certified hotel for the Holiday Inn hotel chain. The hotel will share with guests the sustainable features of the hotel with the installation of a Green Touchscreen kiosk in the lobby. The project is scheduled to be completed Summer 2009.
CasaBella Begins Work on Austin Recycling Center
4/11/2008CasaBella has recently begun work on the first phase of the single stream recycling facility in Austin. The City of Austin currently has an outdated dual stream recycling system which requires citizens to presort items to be recycled. The single stream system will not require presorting thus make it easier for the citizens of Austin to recycle while also helping the City of Austin to achieve its goal of zero waste disposal by the year 2040.
The new Solid Waste Environmental Center (SWEC) will include a service center, vehicle maintenance facility and environmental park. The project is scheduled for completion in early 2010.
Mexican American Cultural Center Awarded Gold Medal
12/31/2007The Texas CEC has awarded the Mexican American Cultural Center with a Gold Medal for Engineering Excellence. CasaBella Architects together with Jose I. Guerra, Inc. are honored the MACC has received such recognition.
The award recognizes projects with outstanding achievements within the engineering community based on uniqueness, originality, technical, value to the engineering profession, complexity and how successfully the project met the needs of the client.
Mexican American Cultural Center Awarded Certificate of Merit
11/15/2007CasaBella Architects and Solis Constructors, Inc. have been awarded the Certificate of Merit from the Associated Builders and Contractors Central Texas Chapter for our work on the Mexican American Cultural Center.
The award is given to firms in recognition of excellence in construction and exemplary contribution to the construction industry in the Central Texas area.
Ullrich WaterTreatment Plant Receives Design Award
10/12/2007CasaBella Architects was awarded the 2007 Texas Construction News Best Public Building Award for their design work on the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant.
The project expansion was ambitious. It included an increase in water treatment capacity, two additional sedimentation basins, a new five-level lime building spanning new basins, a new chemical building, an expanded electrical building to accommodate additional pumps, and other support facilities. CasaBella worked with CDM to develop a master plan that minimizes the impact of the facility on the adjacent residential neighborhood, including innovative use of materials and careful attention to aesthetic elements in this engineering-heavy project.
This project was also awarded the AIA Austin Merit Award for Design Excellence in 2006.
Fiore 5-Star Green Building Residential Development
9/1/2007The Fiore 5-Star Green Building Residential Development, a modern and green community, is a refreshing alternative to the standard tract home neighborhoods. With a shared vision by both the Client and the Architect, the design team has planned a unique residential environment that encourages a better quality of life through increased community interaction, thoughtfully designed private courtyards and energy efficient homes that are respectful to the site and the environment.
Organized around two main "Alley Parks," the homes of Fiore are inspired by the simple forms and indoor/outdoor spaces of old world villages in a modern setting.