It has been one year since the passing of Jon M. Huntsman Sr., the visionary philanthropist who started a movement that transformed the upper edge of the University of Utah into a state-of-the-art cancer campus.

In his memory, a pillar of light could be seen emanating from the west side of the original HCI research building last night. The feature was originally Huntsman’s idea. As construction of the building was near conclusion in 1999, Huntsman envisioned a light originating from the cancer center that would reflect HCI’s commitment to push forward cancer research and provide exceptional patient care. The light became known as the Beacon of Hope.

Due to limitations in technology available two decades ago, the feature was not continuously lit. Architectural Nexus designed a renovation for the beacon and construction began in January 2018. Over the past twelve months, further improvements were made to update the installation with energy-efficient lighting panels. The new Beacon of Hope has 61 individual lighting panels embedded with pixel LED lights, each with an operating life of 30 years.

Today, the Beacon of Hope serves as a reminder that his vision lives on and will not stop until cancer is eradicated.

South by Southwest, the annual conference and festival held in Austin, Texas, will host a session led by Arch Nexus President, Kenner Kingston and International Living Future Institute CEO, Amanda Sturgeon. The March 11^th event is titled Nature Tech: Rewilding Human Habitat.

Regenerative Design suggests that we must restore each place we encounter to a condition of wholeness. Seeing nature as free technology is a key step in restoring our buildings, neighborhoods and communities to their full potential.

To leverage this technology, a critical shift in philosophy is taking place. The built environment is no longer simply a “machine for living”. Instead, a new notion of shared and intensely local habitat for people is coming into focus; one that is informed by the simple truth that WE ARE NATURE.

For more information on this and other 2019 SXSW events, click here.

Green Building & Design Magazine recently featured the cover story: Defined Design Arch|Nexus SAC. Calling the LEED Double Platinum project – and California’s first Living Building, one of the most sustainable buildings out there. This article highlights the building history and walks readers through details of how Arch|Nexus SAC optimizes sustainability. Read the full story here.

Are you in Chicago attending GreenBuild 2018? Don’t miss tomorrow mornings breakout session, presented by Arch Nexus’ Kenner Kingston and Patty Karapinar: Regenerative Design through Adaptive Reuse.

If architecture is the largest energy-consuming and emitting sector of the US economy, architecture is also the solution. Much of our green building industry is focused on new construction on greenfield sites, yet existing buildings within and around cities are ripe for regenerative design opportunities. Through thoughtful adaptive reuse, we are poised to transform our cities and the lives of the people within them. By reinvesting in the building stock we have, we take the most sustainable action of all in that we avoid further consumption of not only building materials, but also open space, clean air, and precious natural resources.

Click here for further details.

A new center designed by Arch Nexus for those who are experiencing homelessness opened this morning in Salt Lake City. The Volunteers of America Center for Women and Children offers women an opportunity to detoxify in a safe and supervised residential environment with their children. The Salt Lake City Center offers 32 new beds that will serve approximately 450 individuals annually. Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County leaders spoke at the event in support of the cause to aid those who will benefit from the new center.

For 2018, ENR Mountain States has awarded two awards to projects designed by Arch Nexus.

Primary Children’s & Families’ Research Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute received a Merit Award in the Higher Education/Research category and Cornerstone at Cottonwood Corporate Center, Phase Two won the Best Project Award in the Office/Retail/Mixed-Use Development Category. Both of these buildings represent many years of had work and collaboration among many stakeholders and we are very proud to have been involved in helping to bring these magnificent projects to reality.

Last night, the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah hosted a ground breaking ceremony to commemorate the beginning of construction on an expansion of their facilities. The existing Equestrian Center is being expanded to create flexible space for the arena to accommodate a wider array of events. This part of the campus will also include additional meeting, staff, and physical therapy space as well as a parent viewing area. Along with the expanded Equestrian Center, a new Recreation Center will be built. The Recreation Center includes an indoor, conditioned arena that will be able to be adapted for a variety of sports.

The National Ability Center empowers individuals of all abilities by building self-esteem, confidence and lifetime skills through sport, recreation and educational programs. We are proud to be a part of helping further the mission of such an inspirational organization.

We are happy to announce that the first registration for a Living Building in Utah has been made! Community Rebuilds, a nonprofit organization, is endeavoring to construct the first series of Living Buildings in Moab, Utah.

The mission of Community Rebuilds, is to build energy efficient housing as well as provide education on sustainability, and improve the housing conditions of the workforce through an affordable program. As a licensed general contractor in Utah and Colorado, Community Rebuilds constructs affordable and energy efficient straw bale homes, working with and training a dedicated group of student intern volunteers on each home project. These students are young emerging professionals with the desire to participate in an experiential program as they learn how to build low carbon, modern natural buildings. For more information on this amazing program please visit the Community Rebuilds website here.

Wish us luck as we begin this journey together with Community Rebuilds to create the first Living Buildings in Utah!

This week is Salt Lake City’s eighth annual Design Week, a five day festival showcasing the diversity of our city’s thriving design scene. To celebrate Design Week, Arch|Nexus SLC is hosting a studio tour on Wednesday, October 3rd, from 4PM to 6PM. Please join us at 2505 E Parleys Way, Salt Lake City and check out our double LEED Platinum office space. We look forward to meeting you!