Architects Anticipate a Busy Year
Casaccio Yu principal Lee Casaccio (with principal George Yu) tells us that business is picking up for his firm, and for Philly architects, as development in some sectors revives. We anticipate being busier than we have been during the last four years, he says. (No more three-hour lunches on the golf course in this industry.) Things are still moving slowly, but there are more opportunities out there. Schools and nonprofits, for instance, are looking for new or renovated space. Recently the firm completed design work for the $2.4M conversion of a former synagogue into the new 19k SF Margaret Judge Brooks Center for Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania in Levittown.
"Clients seem to be thinking about the use of space from a more thoughtful perspective, George tells us. Projects are beginning with more studies and analysis. The Easter Seals projects, he says, involved a lot advance thinking to consider how spaces would impact the teachers and children. Underwater scenes on some walls and individual fish graphics were used to demarcate classrooms. (That's much better than the uncommisioned, ethically questionable "art" that kids used to draw on the walls when they were young.) A calming flow of space, softened edges without hard angles, and the water theme help make the kids comfortable, George says.
