The concept of eradicating homelessness while simultaneously providing hands-on architectural training at Arch Nexus, has caught the attention of reporters and Nexus Builds is making headlines. Solving Homelessness through community, connection and tiny homes: A story of Seattle and Salt Lake explores the history and goals of the Block Project and describes the process by which Nexus Builds is helping. Also noted, is the fact that Salt Lake City zoning laws recently changed to allow accessory dwelling units, such as a tiny home.

As quoted by KSL The reality is each person is “a couple of missing paychecks or a broken relationship away” from experiencing homelessness, according to Brian Cassil, principal and director of communications at Architectural Nexus. And since “homelessness is a community problem,” he said, it’s a cause worth investing in.

About Us:
Architectural Nexus is a people driven, employee-owned, architectural design firm focused on inspiration, stewardship and regeneration. Our company is comprised of two office locations; our headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah and Sacramento, California.

Responsibilities:
The successful candidate will work with an integrative team of landscape architects to develop and document holistic designs for for a variety of project types. Applicants should be prepared to collaborate across disciplines to create regenerative places to enrich people’s lives through connection to the natural environment. Applicants should also enjoy working in a collaborative environment, demonstrate strong communication and design skills, be inter-personal, a self starter, and a problem solver.

Benefits:
Nexus is an ESOP (employee-owned company).
Our SLC office is LEED DOUBLE PLATINUM (NC & EB).
Our Sacramento Office is the only Certified Living Building in California.
We offer large-firm opportunities in a small-firm culture.
Competitive salaries based on experience and abilities.
Excellent medical and dental benefits.
Matching 401(k) plan.
Twice yearly incentive and accountability bonus program.
Excellent holiday and vacation benefits.
Paid volunteer opportunities.
Six weeks of paid leave following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child.

Skills and Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture required.
Licensed Landscape Architect or on licensure path required.
LEED accreditation a plus.
AutoCAD experience required.
Civil 3D experience a plus.
Lumion experience a plus.
LandFX experience a plus.
Adobe Suite experience a plus.
3-5 years of landscape architecture experience required.

Email resumes to:
Brian Cassil
Principal | Director of Communications
bcassil@archnexus.com

Thanks for sending your resume; we look forward to getting to know you.

Arch Nexus is honored to have been chosen as Engineering News Record’s Intermountain Area Design Firm of the Year for 2019. We express our gratitude to ENR Mountain States and the selection committee, who had many qualified contenders. We also share our appreciation to the many individuals who work every day to make Architectural Nexus worthy of this recognition.
This year’s selection was made based on regional revenues, new initiatives, current projects and several other factors such as:

-100% employee-owned this year.
-Salt Lake City office being a double LEED Platinum
-Design and operation of a Certified Living Building—our office in Sacramento.
-Building a Living Building Tiny Home on our property to be donated to a program that’s dedicated to ending homelessness.

We are truly humbled and grateful for this recognition. Thank you ENR!

About Us:
Architectural Nexus is a people driven, employee-owned, architectural design firm focused on stewardship, inspiration and regeneration. Our company is comprised of two locations; our headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah and Sacramento, California.

Responsibilities:
The successful candidate will work with an integrative team of interior designers to develop and document holistic designs for for a variety of building types. Applicants should be prepared to collaborate across disciplines to create regenerative places to enrich people’s lives through connection to the natural environment. Applicants should enjoy working in a collaborative environment, demonstrating strong communication and design skills, be inter-personal, a self starter, and a problem solver.

Benefits:
Nexus is an ESOP (employee-owned company).
Our SLC office is LEED DOUBLE PLATINUM (NC & EB).
Our Sacramento Office is the only Certified Living Building in California.
We offer large-firm opportunities in a small-firm culture.
Competitive salaries based on experience and abilities.
Excellent medical and dental benefits
Matching 401(k) plan
Twice yearly incentive and accountability bonus program
Excellent holiday and vacation benefits
Paid volunteer opportunities
Six weeks of paid leave following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child

Skills and Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design
NCIDQ licensed or on licensure path
LEED accreditation a plus
Revit experience required
Sketch-up experience required
3-5 years of interior design experience required

Email resumes to:
Brian Cassil
Principal | Director of Communications
bcassil@archnexus.com

Thanks for sending your resume; we look forward to getting to know you.

The annual International Living Future unConference is nearly upon us and several from Arch Nexus will be presenting at the 2019 event. The Friday morning session features Arch Nexus Director of Sustainability, Patty Karapinar and Arch Nexus Site Design Leader, Jennifer Styduhar. Together they will present Abundance through Collaboration: Fostering Community-Based Food Access. Participants in this session will gain perspective from Karapinar and Styduhars’ real-world examples of private-public collaborations utilizing community-driven local food production and Urban Agriculture Imperative scale jumping with a school district. This process increased equity, environmental outcomes, youth education and job skills.

Catch Erica McBride and Peter McBride in the Friday afternoon session, Truth or Dare? Let’s Get Honest About Achieving Healthy Indoor Air Quality. Erica McBride is the Building Manager at Arch Nexus SAC. Maintaining a Living Building requires specialized and specific knowledge, passion, patience, and often long hours; demonstrating these day-to-day, Erica advocates for sustainable changes for buildings and how they operate and are maintained.  Arch Nexus Associate, Peter McBride is passionate about design and was the Arch Nexus SAC Building Manager during the challenging process of becoming California’s first Living Building. Together Erica and Peter will contribute their knowledge and experience to this “Best Practices” session, taking a strong lessons-learned approach that looks at the final success of achieving indoor air quality results within LBC’s thresholds through a series of failures and discoveries.

Earth Day made for a perfect date to break ground on the latest sustainable design from Arch Nexus. The new zero-energy 26,000-square foot Daybreak Library will offer a unique rooftop experience designed to incorporate urban re-wilding and support an active community.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, South Jordan Mayor Dawn Ramsey, and representatives from the County Library were in attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony to discuss the importance the library will be to the South Jordan community.

“As this part of the County continues to see rapid growth and development, the Daybreak branch is going to be in the center of everything,” Library Director Jim Cooper said. “It’s a great opportunity for people in Daybreak and the surrounding communities to experience a County Library branch a little closer to home.”

See more from the groundbreaking here.

The latest edition of Trim Tab, a publication of the International Living Future Institute, features an article by Kenner Kingston. In the piece, Kenner details a defining moment he experienced at the 2017 ILFI unConference. “I realized I was witnessing something truly unique: the answer to what had moments before seemed to be an unsolvable problem. Within minutes, the question of how Arch Nexus could help formed in my mind.”

Enter, Nexus Builds. Joining forces with The Block Project, employees of all levels at Arch Nexus are volunteering, collaborating, designing and constructing a home. Every employee at Arch nexus will have LBC experience by the end of 2019 and Nexus will be the only organization in the world to have designed, owned, operated, and built an LBC project. What’s more, one more person currently experiencing homelessness will have a house by the end of the year.

Read the full Trim Tab article here.

SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah–The County Library announced the groundbreaking for its Daybreak branch, which will take place at 10 am on Earth Day—Monday, April 22—at 11358 Grandville Ave (approximately 5600 S) in South Jordan.

“As this part of the County continues to see rapid growth and development, the Daybreak branch is going to be in the center of everything,” Library Director Jim Cooper said. “It’s a great opportunity for people in Daybreak and the surrounding communities to experience a County Library branch a little closer to home.”

Because the role of the public library has evolved drastically over the past decade, Arch Nexus and the Salt Lake County Library system have worked with residents to fine tune what type of facility is needed in the community. The Daybreak branch will redefine the whole notion of library, acting as a as a de facto community center, a co-working space, a bridge for the digital divide and a nurturer of lifelong learning and literacy.

Construction will begin following the ceremony, with an approximate finishing date in summer of 2020. The new, zero-energy 26,000-square-foot branch will be open to everyone, and offers a unique rooftop experience designed to incorporate urban re-wilding and support an active community.

Construction has begun on the new Salt Lake County Kearns Library. The 35,000 square foot facility will be adjacent to the previous building. The new site allows for a relocation along 5400 South to increase visibility, access and usability. Arch Nexus has produced the new design to help regenerate the Kearns community, serving as a seed to create lasting change and to cultivate the people and place.

Community leaders gathered Monday for the groundbreaking ceremony. Salt Lake County Library Director, Jim Cooper spoke to the audience stating “I couldn’t be prouder to be associated with the Kearns community and the things you have done to bring the new library to Kearns. Finally, we are delivering on that promise!” Cooper also invited participants to try out the virtual reality tour provided by Arch Nexus, to experience what the future library will be like.

Arch nexus President, Kenner Kingston shared that it is an honor for Nexus to have been given the responsibility of creating the new design. Regarding the former site Kenner stated “It struck us that the level of passion and care for this community was not being reflected by the physical environment… our job is to reveal that.”

The new design brings people together in a comfortable fashion, welcomes cultural diversity, provides a sense of choice and opportunity, and mixes the kind of creative yet cozy ambiance that one thinks of when they imagine a library. Working with R & O Construction, the new library will be complete by summer of 2020.

The 10^th annual Intermountain Sustainability Summit will be held at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, March 21 – 22, 2019. Online registration will be available through Tuesday, March 19^th and walk up registration will be available onsite. The two day event will conclude with an afternoon workshop presented by Kenner Kingston in the Shepard Union Building room 404.

Intermountain Living Future Workshop:

What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?

Come to this half-day workshop, tailored to the unique nature of the Intermountain West, to learn about and discuss how you can help to “support the transformation toward communities that are socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative.” – ILFI Mission Statement

Who should attend: Building Owners and Operators, Architects, Construction Managers, Designers, Engineers, Realtors, Students, and those who want to go beyond LEED.