COMPONENTS AT WORK

State Office Building to Take Shape Beside Iowa State Capitol
HGA and substance selected to design the new structure
Designed to incorporate sustainable design strategies, reduce energy consumption, and provide a flexible work environment, a new state office building will soon be taking shape beside the venerable Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. The first major project within the capitol complex in 30 years, the structure will be created by the design team of HGA Architects and Engineers (HGA), the architect of record, and the Des Moines architecture firm, substance. The new building, which will house several state agencies and approximately 1,000 employees, is scheduled for completion in early 2011.

All the Hotel’s a Stage—Hard Rock Style
SB Architects wakes up Palm Springs with a high-end hotel experience; Shakespeare meets 21st century luxury hospitality
Shakespeare has finally become hip. San Francisco-based SB Architects has teamed with Hard Rock Hotels and Nexus Companies to develop the Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs, a 520,000 square foot, nine-story hotel and condominium on a 10-acre site. The project, which resonates Shakespearean theater coupled with today’s upscale hospitality, is aimed at attracting a young crowd from surrounding cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego, and Phoenix. Although the Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs is not a rock and roll theme hotel, its design functions as stage to allow guests to alternate as rock & roll “performer” or “audience.” Construction of the project begins in May 2008 and is scheduled for completion in 2010.