January 7-9, 1998 Bill Blackburn, John Gieschen, Wade Clement, Gunner Kaersvang, Pat Gibson, Paul Lyons, and Bryan Ross met in a session to design a next step for Athenaeum International--designing pre-fabricated armature elements which can decrease our clients' costs and construction time. Eric Gibson, Reggie Thompson, John Miller and Pat Gibson acted as Krew.

Armature is the collection of major architectural elements defining the basic structure of a space.  The elements of the armature tie the space together.  As an example, the shelves and trim that run throughout the AI Boulder environment define an armature.  Generally, armature features large planes that define the character of the space and organize it so that smaller areas, like "villages" can be created within. In most architectural systems, the vertical walls form much of the armature.  If we could manufacture some of the basic armature, we could keep leasehold improvements to a minimum for our centers and our clients.

The team defined the types of spaces generally found within an environment and discussed how to vary the grammar of the space and still keep the general "feel." The team also completed a preliminary armature design and specifications for  materials, mechanical and electrical system. The design will be iterated over the next few months. Using our Design/Build/Use method, we can begin working with pieces of it now and form the basis for designs in the future.

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