TAP Architecture

Located at the hub of entertainment and social life, the Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown-Bricktown Hotel will be an invigorating addition to downtown. TAP ARCHITECTURE’s urban design is inherently modern and enhances the urban social atmosphere for its guests.

James R. Thompson II, Vice President of New Century Investments, is excited about Oklahoma City’s inclusion as host city for the Aloft brand. “We look forward to introducing Starwood’s upscale and affordable Aloft brand to Oklahoma City.” “We expect Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown-Bricktown to appeal to both sophisticated travelers and area professionals with its eclectic and electric experience, lively re:mix sm lounge and wxyz sm bar.”

Senior Vice President of Specialty Select Brands for Starwood Brian McGuinness adds, “Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown-Bricktown will deliver a compelling blend of urban style and social interplay to downtown Oklahoma City.” “With its bold design and lively social atmosphere, Aloft caters to the next generation of travelers who expect their lodging to facilitate their constantly evolving lifestyle.” The hotel is scheduled to open in 2013.

See more: http://blog.newsok.com/okccentral/2011/02/16/new-aloft-hotel-renderings/

TAP ARCHITECTURE Scholar Program Recognizes OU Student

During the past 21 years, TAP ARCHITECTURE has supported architectural education with student awards and programs valued at over $65,000. This year we are pleased to announce the TAP University of Oklahoma Portfolio Award winner Khoi Nguyen.

Mr. Nguyen, a Junior at University of Oklahoma, produced a creative hand-rendered architectural portfolio that stood out amongst the school’s Second Year portfolio assignments. Khoi, with a GPA of 3.81, has been recognized as an exemplary leader and scholar by the OU Architectural School faculty. Toni L. Rice, OU Student Adviser, describes Khoi as “always positive, always willing to volunteer for any project or cause the school might have.” TAP presented Mr. Nguyen a $500 check. He is the son of Ban and Nyen Nguyen of Edmond, Oklahoma.

The TAP OU Portfolio, a biennial award, goes to the student exhibiting the best Second Year Portfolio, as determined by OU faculty. Students are selected based on criteria established by the Faculty including GPA, design ability and demonstrated leadership.

TAP‘s support for architectural education has evolved as academic needs and programs have grown and changed. Twenty years ago TAP recognized the need to encourage the use of computers in architectural education and initiated a competition to encourage computer generated graphics and design. As technology grew to dominate architectural design, TAP repurposed its educational support to encourage hand drawing. TAP’s program has offered a variety of incentives to students including summer internships and leadership mentoring programs.

In April 2010, TAP’s interior design project at Visual Image Advertising was selected to be included in the AIA Central Oklahoma Architectural Tour as part of their annual Architecture Week event.

Innovation meets innovation in the collaboration of two award winning Oklahoma firms. The body and soul of the agency represents the “one big idea” of service and invention offered to Visual Image advertising clients. A free form core of collaborative design and service space is surrounded by formal functional elements in a physical metaphor reflecting the art and imagination of process within Visual Image’s successful business culture. TAPARCHITECTURE designed the client journey originating at the polished Account Service level, then traveling up to the progressive Creative Level where media-consulting magic happens.

Project design & space planning for new offices in 10,000 square feet on two floors of a historic downtown Oklahoma City building.

Left to right: Zack Woods and Dennis Hairston, TAP; Chef David Henry of Will's Café and Lobby Bar; Kenneth Dennis, TAP

As part of Architecture Week 2010, the Central Oklahoma Chapter of the American Institute of Architects announced an exciting new event, Decadent Design. Architecture impacts where we live, work, play and eat. Chefs and architects teamed up to create desserts inspired by Oklahoma’s Architecture. Public was asked to vote for BEST DESIGN, BEST TASTE, and BEST OVERALL.

TAP ARCHITECTURE teamed with Chef David Henry of Will’s Café and Lobby Bar to sweep the awards for BEST TASTE and BEST OVERALL with their delectable rendition of Oklahoma’s “Myriad Gardens Crystal Bridge.” Vanilla and white chocolate panna-cotta with cherry duet was used to construct the “bridge” to span a dark/light cherry sauce “lake”. Three tuile round intersected the panna-cotta, symbolizing the delicate structural ribs and the signature round façade of the Crystal Bridge. The baby mint leaf garnish alludes to the Bridge’s botanical setting.

TAP ARCHITECTURE, dedicated to quality urban design, had a great time participating in this tasty homage to Oklahoma design.

TAP ARCHITECTURE Scholar Program Recognizes OU Student

During the past 20 years, TAP ARCHITECTURE has supported architectural education with student awards and programs valued at over $65,000. This year we are pleased to announce the TAP University of Oklahoma Portfolio Award winner Adelle York.

Ms. York, who will be entering into her third year in the University of Oklahoma College of Architecture in the fall, produced an architectural portfolio that stood out amongst the school’s Second Year portfolio assignments. She had incorporated a spread of six years of her own freelance work as an artist, as well as photographs of hand-crafted models and process sketches. Adelle, with a GPA of 3.88, has been recognized as an exemplary leader and scholar by the OU Architectural School faculty. TAP presented Ms. York a $500 check. She is the daughter of Pat and Catherine York of Denton, Texas.

The TAP OU Portfolio, a biennial award, goes to the student exhibiting the best Second Year Portfolio, as determined by OU faculty. Students are selected based on criteria established by the Faculty including GPA, design ability and demonstrated leadership.

TAP’s support for architectural education has evolved as academic needs and programs have grown and changed. Twenty years ago TAP recognized the need to encourage the use of computers in architectural education and initiated a competition to encourage computer generated graphics and design. As technology grew to dominate architectural design, TAP repurposed its educational support to encourage hand drawing. TAP’s program has offered a variety of incentives to students including summer internships and leadership mentoring programs.

TAP ARCHITECTURE Scholar Program Recognizes OU Student

During the past 19 years, TAP has supported architectural education with student awards and programs valued at over $65,000. This year we are pleased to announce the TAP University of Oklahoma Portfolio Award winner Brandon Coates.

Mr. Coates, a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma, produced a creative architectural portfolio that stood out amongst the school’s Second Year portfolio assignments. His portfolio was set apart from the rest by a clean, simple composition and the exhibition of excellent hand drafting abilities. Brandon, with a GPA of 3.88, has been recognized as an exemplary leader and scholar by the OU Architectural School faculty. At the University, he is involved in Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Campus Activities Council, and the American Institute of Architectural Students. TAP presented Mr. Coates with a $500 check. He is the son of Harry and Betty Coates of Seminole, Oklahoma.

The TAP OU Portfolio, a biennial award, goes to the student exhibiting the best Second Year Portfolio, as determined by OU faculty. Students are selected based on criteria established by the Faculty including GPA, design ability and demonstrated leadership.

TAP‘s support for architectural education has evolved as academic needs and programs have grown and changed. Twenty years ago TAP recognized the need to encourage the use of computers in architectural education and initiated a competition to encourage computer generated graphics and design. As technology grew to dominate architectural design, TAP repurposed its educational support to encourage hand drawing. TAP’s program has offered a variety of incentives to students including summer internships and leadership mentoring programs.

Old Central – New Home of OSU Honors College, Stillwater

Awards: AIA Central OK Preservation Honor Award, State Historic Preservation Citation of Merit, Build Oklahoma Award

“Well, Josiah,” said Cash Cade, the wily superintendent of construction for the Oklahoma A & M College Building, “it’s gonna be a hot one today. No trees to block the wind across this prairie either so don’t sit here a thinkin’ it’ll be cooler later. Times a wastin’ so you best get up on the roof an’ lay on these hot old metal shingles…” Josiah knew the end of the day would come quicker the sooner he started so he climbed the long ladder to the top and began the arduous, sweat-laced task of putting the shingles on the roof, each placed by hand with the exactness only pride in craftsmanship brings…

How did this 100 year old shingle held in my hand actually get on the building? My mind could only invent the circumstance from snippets of recorded history. Yet a great weight was felt upon my shoulders with the one thing I knew certain as I held this piece of history…respect the labor, sweat, determination, and pioneer spirit of the man who placed it there so many years ago. Though too deteriorated to save, historic precedent dictated that this evidence now in hand lead in only one direction-to respect this long- assumed-lost artifact, accurately recreate it as far as the available evidence allowed us, without conjecture, and perhaps carry on the same legacy of craftsmanship started nearly 100 years in the hope a future someone would also respect our legacy of work.

Such was the mind set of the design team tasked with the restoration of Old Central at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK. Add a dedicated Owner and expert craftsmen with a common vision and you have the remarkable rehabilitation story of Old Central, part restoration, part preservation and part rehabilitation. Through a vocabulary of clear definition of old and new, with the elder informing the younger and the younger respecting the elder, yet living comfortably in each others grasp, Old Central has new life breathed into it. We hope it stands as an example of what can be done with proper dedication to historic rehabilitation tenets. The work accomplished by the team will now become a past tale to a future generation. History speaks from the physical we save; history gasps at the physical lost. Fortunately, standing in the halls at Old Central you can clearly hear the echoes of the generations past and aspire to be heard by those in the future. Congratulations to OSU for their vision and dedication to save a historic jewel, for we are all now entwined in the story of Josiah!

Rick Lueb, Project Architect, Principal, TAP ARCHITECTURE

TAP ARCHITECTURE sponsors paid apprenticeship for architecture students

Through the “TAPprize,” the Oklahoma City architectural firm TAP ARCHITECTURE has awarded more than $25,000 in cash prizes to local architecture students over the past 15 years. This year, the firm hopes to offer contacts and knowledge, not just cash, as the venerable TAPprize becomes a paid apprenticeship.

Partners in the architecture firm will work with University of Oklahoma architecture students throughout the semester, critiquing their studio projects at milestones along the road to completion. In May, the student with the best project will be awarded a paid summer apprenticeship at TAP ARCHITECTURE.

The first critique will take place from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 14, at TAParchitecture, 415 Broadway. Forty-five students from three sections of Third Year Studio and their professors will assemble at TAP for a formal “critique” of their work.

“TAParchitecture revamped the TAPprize because we wanted to build relationships with the architecture students,” said Anthony McDermid, principal of TAParchitecture. “We hope that this ongoing interaction throughout the semester – and the summer apprenticeship – will offer students a better understanding of the practice of architecture. We also hope to encourage talented graduates to stay in Oklahoma City, rather than moving away.”

In May, TAP principals will select a winner, awarding a paid summer apprenticeship to one OU student. The apprentice will shadow firm leaders working in all areas of architecture, including marketing, business operations, project production and construction administration.

The TAPprize Apprenticeship also is being offered to students at the Oklahoma State University School of Architecture.