VOL. 126 | NO. 192 | Monday, October 03, 2011
SPECIAL EMPHASIS Architects & Engineers
By LESLEY YOUNG
Updated 2:56PMWhen Todd Walker was named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he did not take it as a cue to rest on his laurels.
Todd Walker, founder of archimania PC, is pictured with models of the company?s design work including a proposed project at 52 S. Front St., left, and a Harbor Town residence.
(Photo: Lance Murphey)
?I think of it as something that humbles you once you get it. It made me want to do better, to aspire to be more like other fellows,? said Walker, 48, principal and co-owner of Downtown architecture and design firm archimania.
Less than 2 percent of U.S. registered architects are granted an AIA fellowship.
Walker was chosen in the design field.
?It?s a tight-knit group. Of the 2 percent elected, only 15 percent acquire it in design,? he said.
A native Arkansan who earned his architecture degree at Mississippi State University and studied at the University of London, Walker formed archimania in 1995 and set up shop on South Main Street well before it became a destination area.
Since then, he?s expanded his office to occupy the two neighboring storefronts, and brought progressive and innovative design to the Memphis ? and American ? landscape.
?We specialize in doing something creative or innovative and authentic,? Walker said. ?Clients don?t hire us if they?re looking for the status quo.?
A recently completed example of Walker and company?s cutting-edge design is the Memphis Veterinary Specialists hospital on Trinity Creek Cove in Cordova.
?The owner wanted for people to think of his being forward-thinking when they see the building,? Walker said. ?That?s one of the things we specialize in ? rebranding or creating new images for businesses as it relates to the buildings they live and/or work in.?
When met with the challenge of designing a dining and meeting hall for the Tennessee governor?s mansion, an 80-plus-year-old Georgian-style house that needed a little love, Walker and his business partner, Barry Yoakum, also an AIA fellow, took the design below street level.
?We took a creative approach to solve a very complicated problem,? Walker said. ?We wanted to be extremely sympathetic to the existing site and have a low impact to the grounds.?
They designed a 14,000-square-foot conservation hall that includes a 160-seat meeting room and an open atrium and courtyard made of glass walls.
?We try to bring a fresh perspective to what we do,? Walker said.
That freshness has earned Walker and his firm numerous awards, more than 100, on a local, regional and national level. They?ve even won awards for designs that never came to fruition.
?The local AIA chapter created awards for projects that never made it to construction, especially in light of the last few years and the economy,? Walker said.
Archimania received a citation award for the design ? a ?tall, slender? 12-story building that would have been at 52 S. Front St. and would have included retail, office, condominium and penthouse space.
?It would have been a really iconic building Downtown,? he said.
Walker and his team of 13 have managed to keep their head above water during the downturn, forestalling any layoffs and even counting one of their best years to date.
?We haven?t lost any people, and that?s something we?re very proud of. We?re family. We don?t even have to say it. It?s kind of implied,? Walker said.
He attributes the firm?s preparedness and aggressiveness for their survival in a time when many firms are closing.
?In 2008, we began to see things happen in the local economy and in Nashville, and it made us think about what we were going to be doing, so we prepared for 2009. We began answering (requests for proposals),? he said. ?Coming off of such a bad year in 2008, 2009 ended up being one of the best years we?ve ever had.?
Keeping focused on the company?s economic landscape is key.
?We exist on the archimania economy. We have to forget what?s happening on the other side of the world ? or the country ? and just pay attention to what?s happening to us,? he said. ?Things are moving slower than normal, but you have to be optimistic, hope for the best, and strategize every time you can.?
Source: http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/oct/3/walker-helps-build-archimanias-success/
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