§         Can a building have meaning? 

“Design,” architect William McDonough wrote, “ is a signal of intent.”  What do we intend to say and do when we design a building?  During the 19^th and early 20^th century, we approached our civic and institutional buildings as signaling our expression of a particular people and place.  That has changed.  Over the past half century or longer though, we put up buildings and create developments that mimic the designs of every community elsewhere.  “The geography of nowhere” is what social critic James Kunstler calls it.  The choice is ours: Rethink how we design so that our buildings evoke the spirit of a particular place or continue design practices that signal indifference about our home looking like every place else.  Both routes are meaningful.  Only one resonates with meaning and significance.   

§         What does this building mean?   

The literary scholar Frank Kermode once defined a new classic as a work that when placed on a long shelf of books with many other old classic texts, subtly shifts all of these other works.  We view the Birmingham Fed project similarly. This renovation project represents both a new and old way of developing: taking a 1920s era institutional building that was originally intended to connote assurance, stability, durability, and permanence and rethinking how those values are articulated in the 21^st century.  If the original building was a repository for monetary capital (you should see the restored vaults inside), this renovation stands for the spiritual wealth of a community looking to redefine itself after years of being de-coupled from land and community. This project draws on LEED guidelines to incorporate a wealth of information regarding heating, cooling, water management, lighting, powering, and managing of buildings. Beyond that, this project seeks to re-catalyze a sense of community, hoping to recharge the liveliness of downtown Birmingham, make this city center a true work-live-play center with a sense of renewed, shared purpose and vision for all of its citizens.    

§         What is LEED? 

LEED (or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a point-based system developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council to evaluate the degree to which a building meets baseline criteria for high-performance sustainable design and performance criteria.  Depending on the number of points a building is credited with, it can achieve a certification level of LEED certified, silver, gold, or platinum.  All Melaver development projects are constructed to a minimum of LEED certification. Plainly stated, a LEED building is a structure designed foremost from the guests’, tenants’ and community’s point of view, not the developer’s.    It is a building which provides the occupant with greater comfort and control over the temperature of the individual work space. It reduces eye strain by reducing glare on one’s computer screen.  It reduces airborne allergens and irritation from fumes.  From the community standpoint, the building respects its surroundings and those who live and work in the area. It takes less from the surrounding environment, leaving resources to others. It encourages surrounding vibrant activity.  A sustainable building is a place where its occupants are proud to come to work or stay, are more productive throughout the day, and leave with more to give their family when they get home.  A sustainable building enhances the overall health of built space, facilitates the financial growth and spiritual well-being of the community, and reduces impacts on the natural environment.