BOKA Powell was honored to participate in the 2018 RETROSPECT exhibition, sponsored by AIA Dallas. Established in 1990, RETROSPECT is a public outreach event designed to promote architects, architecture, AIA Dallas and its activities to the community. RETROSPECT demonstrates how architects lead efforts to make our city a better place to live, work and play.
This year, organizers challenged design teams to think about the “IMPACT” of design on Dallas and its citizens. Exhibits will be installed at Dallas’ NorthPark Center through Wednesday, April 9, 2018.
DESIGN STATEMENT
Architecture improves our communities, helps companies take flight, improves health and wellness, and supports us in our golden years. As we conceived this year’s RETROSPECT exhibit, we considered the many layers of architecture’s role in shaping the human condition that, when properly aligned, illuminate a view of how design impacts us all.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
BOKA Powell has been privileged to partner with non-profit and community-oriented organizations throughout our more than 40 years of practice in North Texas. This year we highlighted Frazier Revitalization, Inc., (FRI) and The Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas.
Frazier Revitalization, Inc. (FRI) developed the Hatcher Station Health Center, operated by Parkland Health & Hospital System. The clinic provides much-needed primary care services to residents of the Frazier Neighborhood, near Fair Park. According to FRI, the clinic is “wildly successful,” more than doubling the number patient visits the first year it was open, and increasing patient visits this past year by 40%. “The beautiful clinic serves as a beacon to the neighborhood, they are all so proud of it, and it is touching the lives of the residents in so many ways,” said FRI President and CEO Dorothy Hopkins.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas grants wishes to seriously ill children across the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and beyond. BOKA Powell designed the charity’s Irving headquarters, including The Dream Tower where Wish Children fantasize about their perfect wish. As part of the Make-A-Wish chapter’s growth and success, BOKA Powell is now working with the organization to plan its new, larger headquarters offices in North Dallas, which will allow them to work with many more families and enhance support for the North Texas chapter’s satellite offices in El Paso, Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, Fort Worth, and Tyler serving 161 Texas counties.
In addition, we extend our gratitude to JC Staub and the students of the Gilbreath-Reed Career and Technical Center. For many years, JC has helped BOKA Powell with fabrication of our RETROSPECT displays. JC teaches manufacturing engineering and robotics to Garland ISD students at Gilbreath-Reed, which opened in 2017. Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses teach skills that translate into professions. Students in CTE courses receive real-world experience and hands-on training in some of the most high-demand fields, allowing graduates to work their way through college or enter the workforce straight out of high school. Students can also earn industry certifications and college credit while in high school. As part of preparation for this year’s RETROSPECT, JC’s students used BOKA Powell’s exhibit to learn how to bend and shape metal, weld, and powder-coat.
Many thanks to JC and the Gilbreath-Reed students.