The design firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc. has become VSBA, LLC and is now under the leadership of president and principal Daniel K. McCoubrey. McCoubrey, together with fellow principal Nancy Rogo Trainer, will build on architectural and planning principles instituted by founders Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.
Dan McCoubrey was principal-in-charge for the Curtis Institute of Music’s new Lenfest Hall and for additions and renovations at the Allentown Art Museum. He recently directed a series of projects for Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., including a new research library. He has led projects for Penn, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, the Barnes Foundation, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, among others. A graduate of Penn’s School of Architecture, he has taught at Drexel since 1986, lectures widely, and is a member of the Philadelphia Historical Commission Architectural Review Committee.
Nancy Rogo Trainer was recently principal-in-charge for renovation of historic Fay House at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard, where she directed renovation of Schlesinger Library and campus planning. She led campus plans for Villanova, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford and designed projects at Harvard Divinity School and Bryn Mawr, among others. A graduate of Penn’s School of Architecture, Nancy teaches at Drexel, lectures extensively, and is a member of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.
After over fifty years as one of the world’s most renowned architects, Bob Venturi has retired from practice, while Denise Scott Brown continues to publish and present her work. +
Related Stories
| Jan 19, 2011
Architecture Billings Index jumped more than 2 points in December
On the heels of its highest mark since 2007, the Architecture Billings Index jumped more than two points in December. The American Institute of Architects reported the December ABI score was 54.2, up from a reading of 52.0 the previous month.
| Jan 19, 2011
Large-Scale Concrete Reconstruction Solid Thinking
Driven by both current economic conditions and sustainable building trends, Building Teams are looking more and more to retrofits and reconstruction as the most viable alternative to new construction. In that context, large-scale concrete restoration projects are playing an important role within this growing specialty.
| Jan 10, 2011
Architect Jean Nouvel designs an island near Paris
Abandoned by carmaker Renault almost 20 years ago, Seguin Island in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, is being renewed by architect Jean Nouvel. Plans for the 300,000-square-meter project includes a mix of culture, commerce, urban parks, and gardens, which officials hope will attract both Parisians and tourists.
| Jan 10, 2011
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group: ‘There’s a significant pent-up demand for projects’
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group, a national corporate real estate development firm headquartered in Skokie, Ill., on the growth of urban centers, project financing, and what clients are saying about sustainability.
| Jan 7, 2011
BIM on Target
By using BIM for the design of its new San Clemente, Calif., store, big-box retailer Target has been able to model the entire structural steel package, including joists, in 3D, chopping the timeline for shop drawings from as much as 10 weeks down to an ‘unheard of’ three-and-a-half weeks.
| Jan 7, 2011
How Building Teams Choose Roofing Systems
A roofing survey emailed to a representative sample of BD+C’s subscriber list revealed such key findings as: Respondents named metal (56%) and EPDM (50%) as the roofing systems they (or their firms) employed most in projects. Also, new construction and retrofits were fairly evenly split among respondents’ roofing-related projects over the last couple of years.
| Jan 7, 2011
Total construction to rise 5.1% in 2011
Total U.S. construction spending will increase 5.1% in 2011. The gain from the end of 2010 to the end of 2011 will be 10%. The biggest annual gain in 2011 will be 10% for new residential construction, far above the 2-3% gains in all other construction sectors.
| Jan 7, 2011
Mixed-Use on Steroids
Mixed-use development has been one of the few bright spots in real estate in the last few years. Successful mixed-use projects are almost always located in dense urban or suburban areas, usually close to public transportation. It’s a sign of the times that the residential component tends to be rental rather than for-sale.
