We are excited to announce that the Salt Lake Cultural Core Action Plan has been unanimously adopted by both Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County, and that the Plan is being printed for posterity as this post goes live! Sparano + Mooney Architecture is honored to have been integral to the development of this master planning initiative, which seeks to make our downtown an even more dynamic and celebrated place to live, work and create.
Read MorePicture your perfect Saturday night: Does it include a musical performance at Abravanel Hall, followed by a stroll through downtown and a meal at one of the award-winning downtown restaurants, brewpubs or bistros? Or, perhaps it involves a ballet at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theater, stargazing at the Clark Planetarium, and an exhibition at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art? A Utah Jazz basketball game? An outdoor film in Pioneer Park? There’s no question about it – Salt Lake City is a vibrant community, with a rich artistic, civic, cultural and religious heritage, and we are proud to be involved with making our downtown an even more dynamic and celebrated place to live, work and create!
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Residential architecture in Salt Lake City is both intriguing and exciting at the same time. The city has a lot of great neighborhoods that, through the course of time and gentrification, have become a great place for us to live and work within. One example is the Central Ninth neighborhood close to the center of the city. We have had opportunities to work in this eclectic urban zone, including a recent project for which we designed a mixed-use housing project that combines the best in urban living with an inviting retail and public space.
We appreciate the opportunity to work on mixed-use projects such as this one because we know how important they are to metropolitan Salt Lake City. As a city with a strong and vibrant population of young professionals, Salt Lake City is one of the best places to live and work in the American West. Our urban zones that are being developed like the Central Ninth are a big part of that. Having an opportunity to contribute to urban zone developments has been an exciting challenge for Sparano + Mooney Architecture and one that we are happy to participate in as we create design solutions for these districts.
Read MoreThere is no shortage of contemporary architecture in Utah. For example, the famous John Sugden houses in Salt Lake City and Park City are some of the finest examples of modern residential architecture in the state. Even our very own green Maryfield home, which is the first LEED-certified home (LEED Silver) in Utah, is further solidifying the Beehive State as one of the most important places to be if you are interested in modern design. So why is it so difficult to convince the general public that contemporary architecture can be both beautiful and environmentally and structurally sound?
We are fully convinced that architecture is more than just another construction process. It is an art form by which talented artists - architects can incorporate function, form and beauty into a single package for either residential or commercial purposes. You might even say that architecture is a lot like the human body inasmuch as there are external parts you do not see covered by the beautiful exterior you do see. When done right, the resulting structure is both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sound.
Read MoreIn the small central French city of Claremont-Ferrand is a fascinating building with a storied history dating back more than 80 years. The structure is surrounded by residential neighborhoods and a beautiful park, making the ground on which it sits more peaceful than one might expect for such a magnificent structure. And now this building, which was once a 1930s era sanatorium, has been repurposed by a renowned French architecture firm for future architects.
Paris-based architectural firm Du Besset-Lyon was commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture to find a way to repurpose the aging building that had fallen into disrepair in recent years. After an initial study, the firm decided it was the perfect structure for a new architecture school run by the Ministry. Upon completion, it would be the latest in a series of 20 schools throughout France that teach young emerging architects the skills they need to create the design of the future.
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