TAP Architecture

Kenneth Dennis joined TAP Architecture in 2007, rose quickly to Partner in 2012 and is now named Principal. Kenneth serves as the Principal of Design for the Firm and has responsibilities of new business development.

Kenneth has designed several notable buildings including Catholic Charities in Tulsa, Westtown for the Homeless Alliance in Oklahoma City, several MAPS Schools for Oklahoma City Public Schools, and the new Southwest Police Briefing Station for the OKC Police Department.

Kenneth completed his undergraduate work at Florida State where he received a Bachelor of Environmental Design in 1992 and received a Masters of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma in 2004.

Kenneth is expert in sustainable design and has a passion for improving k-12 education and architecture that serves and elevates people beyond their current condition. Kenneth is active in the community and profession and earned the Outstanding Volunteer Award for AIA Oklahoma in 2009. He is past President of the American Institute of Architects Central Oklahoma Chapter, serves on the Board of Education for Deer Creek Public Schools and sits on the Riverfront Design Review Committee.

We are excited to announce that the John W. Rex Elementary, designed by TAP, recently bid at $10,359,000, just under $4 Million below the original base budget of $14,250,000!!!

The Downtown School is scheduled to open August, 2014. Their website is up and running and may be found at http://www.johnrexschool.com/

Please join us for the 12th Annual AIA Architecture Tour! WestTown Campus, located at 1729 NW 3rd Street, owned by the Homeless Alliance and designed by TAP ARCHITECTURE, is one of seven locations that will be featured in the tour. The tour is open to the public. Go to http://www.aiacoc.org/tour/ for a list of tour locations.

Saturday, April 13, 10am-4pm.

Purchase tickets at www.aiacoc.org/tour/ or TAP ARCHITECTURE, 415 N. Broadway Avenue

$12 in advance/$15 day of tour

Anthony McDermid, Principal and Co-Founder of TAP ARCHITECTURE, was recently named President of American Institute of Architects, Oklahoma Chapter.

Anthony is the Past President of the Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture, Past President of AIA Central Oklahoma, member of the Board of Advisors for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Board for Historic Automobile Alley, Past President of the City Rescue Mission, Chairman of the Board for deadCENTER Film Festival, a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma, and is a recipient of the Leadership Oklahoma Paragon Award, among many others.

AIA Oklahoma is one of 300 AIA component organizations (chapters) across the country and around the world to serve the needs of U.S. architects at the national, state, and local levels, including American architects working in foreign locales.

The Mission of AIA Oklahoma is simple:

Promote and forward the Mission of Institute within Oklahoma

• Facility unity and communication among architects and AIA chapters in Oklahoma
• Promote public awareness, understanding an appreciation of architecture
• Coordinate government affairs and laws which relate to architecture, the profession of architecture and the environment
• Promote professional continuing education
• Recognize and demonstrate the quality of the contributions made to society and the built environment through design award programs and public awareness events

Members at TAP Architecture had the great honor of volunteering at the City Rescue Mission the week before Christmas. The City Rescue Mission is located Downtown, Oklahoma City and offers services to the homeless and needy by providing the following, among other things:

Emergency Shelter

The emergency shelter provides for client's most basic needs like food, shelter and clothing. Clients are assessed upon entry to the shelter in order to finding solutions to their homelessness.

Bridge to Life Recovery Program

The Bridge to Life recovery program is an 8-10 month program that provides educational, emotional, economic and spiritual bridges to help each client find solutions to their homelessness.

Social Services

The CRM’s Social Services department helps clients access a variety of resources available to help them succeed at life outside of the Mission. We partner with over 70 agencies to provide comprehensive care.

Impact Hunger Food Resource Center

One of the greatest reasons that City Rescue Mission exists is to provide food to those who are hungry. With the Impact Hunger Food Resource Center, City Rescue Mission is providing nutritious, client-choice grocery options to the near homeless throughout our city.

TAP helped setup and prepare the Mission as they began the Holiday Season and Christmas festivities in which anyone was welcome to attend. Families were also invited to come to the Food Resource Center to get food for their Christmas meals as well wrapped gifts for their children.

Also being a client of TAP, the City Rescue Mission is near and dear to our hearts as we continue to improve the quality of the Mission through the built environment.

TAP ARCHITECTURE is very pleased to announce the addition of a new member to the TAP Design Team

TAP ARCHITECTURE welcomes a new member to our Design Team. Mike Patterson is a 2008 graduate of Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor's of Architecture. Mike has experience managing projects from schematic design all the way through construction administration. Mike has over 4 years of experience and excels at collaborating with clients and engineers for successful project completion. He has completed NCARB Record and passed 6 ARE Exams. Mike’s interests and hobbies are constantly evolving but he is currently involved in running, woodworking, house projects, and most importantly, spending time with him wife and daughter.

 

Anthony McDermid, Principal at TAP Architecture, and Caleb McCaleb, President of McCaleb Homes were recently honored with the Clearing the Path Award at the Mayor’s Committee of Disability Concerns.

Twenty First Annual Award Luncheon October 30, 2012. In support of the concept of creating residential spaces to make our community accessible to everyone, TAP Architecture and McCaleb Homes have embraced the Universal Design and CLEARING THE PATH idea for all of us. A qualified residence for this award must have clear access, clear passage and clear use.

TAP and McCaleb Homes received the award as a result of the design and construction of "Porches at Arbor Creek",their most recent development together. McCaleb and TAP reveal how Universal Design is impacting Residential Design and is on the rise in the home-building market. There has been a huge interest in accessibility-friendly homes lately with the idea that people want to live in their homes longer, and for some, into their old age. This comes after a time when the ideal time period to stay in a house, for a lot of people, was 5-7 years. "Buyers are telling us these days that "This is the home were going to live in for the forseeable future.' It's not just empty-nesters, but all the way down the price range." McCaleb said. With the economy today, people are thinking about building or moving into a home to grow old in, also with the idea that they will be able to stay in their home later in life, versus some kind of retirement facility. With this, comes the notion of accessibility and comfort and making life easier in case of a wheelchair or handicap due to age or illness. McCaleb, The Home Builder, and McDermid, the Architect, have collaborated in order to take such elements into consideration in the Porches at Arbor Creek. "We have been designing to accommodate accessibility in commercial buildings for two decades and applying the same principles to single family homes makes perfect sense."McDermid said. "We are fortunate to partner with an enlightened and progressive builder like McCaleb Homes in a forward looking and inclusive design approach that provides an accessible option for owner-occupied home buyers."

 

Rick receives his Fellowship Award at the CSI 2012 Honors and Awards Gala in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Originally constructed in 1957, the abandoned, 4-story parking structure located in the Heart of Midtown, across the street from 1492 and Louie’s, has had a facelift. It has now been renovated into beautiful apartments overlooking the bustling Midtown area and a breath-taking view of downtown Oklahoma City and the magnificent Devon Tower. The building is located in one of the Oklahoma City's up and coming neighborhoods which offers a mix of residential, commercial, retail, and plenty of restaurants. The modern look of the Twelve Twelve Building brings a strong and unique contrast to its historic neighbor, The Osler, and is very recognizable. Together, with our client, we took an old, inefficient parking garage and re-purposed it into an economically viable, mixed use project that acts as a catalyst to Midtown's momentum. What used to be a neighborhood eyesore is now a neighborhood gem.

We embraced our client's vision to continue the revitalization of the Midtown area, striving to create a sustainable neighborhood in a clean, friendly, urban district.

Exposed concrete structure throughout serves as a reminder to the building's previous life and contributes to the overall character of the interiors. Interior finishes include: hardwood floors, recycled glass counter tops, progressive color palette.

The project includes 24 contemporary luxury apartments with mixed - use on the first floor. All apartments were leased prior to the construction being complete

 

TAP ARCHITECTURE worked closely with the progressive leadership of the City of Piedmont to design a new Municipal Campus that builds community through expressing their identity and culture. The design incorporates outdoor public space and gardens to connect the campus to adjacent community recreational amenities. The project includes:

Phase I - New Police Facility (6,422 SF)

• Offices
• Briefing/Training Room/Public Meeting Room
• Holding Cells
• Auxiliary Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

Phase II - Renovation & Addition to George Fina Municipal Building (8,455 SF)

• Offices
• Conference Room
• Courtroom / City Council Chambers

Today, Piedmont is one step closer to realizing its dream of creating an all-inclusive Municipal Campus to serve the citizens of one of the fastest growing communities in the State of Oklahoma.