Design Wire August 2024
Built in 1855 for carpenter Richard Evans, the Evans-Cummings House, known colloquially as the GINGERBREAD HOUSE, is a landmark Victorian-era residence in Norway, Maine. After undergoing historic preservation over the past several years, the home has reopened to the public with an art exhibition called If You Lived Here, You Would… Presented by DRIVE BY SPACE, the exhibition features work by artists Michelle Grabner, Valerie Hegarty, Alex Jovanovich, and Adam Payne. According to a press release, “If You Lived Here You Would… is a consideration of the home’s past that offers a glimpse into its potential future through a selection of sculptures, paintings, drawings, and mixed-media pieces—brought to western Maine for the very first time—by a group of internationally recognized and acclaimed artists.” The exhibition is on view through the remainder of the summer.
BIRDSAFE MAINE, a partnership among MAINE AUDUBON, the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE, and the PORTLAND SOCIETY FOR ARCHITECTURE, launched the inaugural BIRD SAFE AWARDS to recognize companies, educators, designers, architects, and other individuals in Maine doing their part to protect birds from accidental window strikes. L.L.BEAN, MEMIC, SADDLEBACK MOUNTAIN, and BIGELOW LABORATORY FOR OCEAN SCIENCES received awards for Corporate Excellence; YARMOUTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL and Dr. Perlut at the UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND received awards for Educational Excellence; and representatives from SIMONS ARCHITECTS, ALISBERG PARKER, DAVIES TOEWS ARCHITECTURE, REDFERN PROPERTIES, JUNIPER DESIGN AND BUILD, and GOLOGIC were recognized for Excellence in the Design Community. “Our award winners are working on the cutting edge of green architecture, designing innovative solutions for a problem that kills as many as one billion birds in the United States each year. These winners were not required to act, but rather listened to the wishes of their employees, students, clients, and advocates. We’re grateful for their work and look forward to a brighter future for Maine’s birdlife,” says Nick Lund, advocacy and outreach manager at Maine Audubon.
The latest two-in-one appliance from FISHER AND PAYKEL is a major triumph for those who have high ceilings or prefer a streamlined, contemporary kitchen aesthetic: the 36-inch INDUCTION COOKTOP WITH INTEGRATED VENTILATION eliminates the need for a bulky range hood thanks to a nine- speed fan that removes odors, smoke, and steam. Previewed at the 2024 KITCHEN AND BATH INDUSTRY SHOW in Las Vegas, the sleek glass cooking surface, which uses induction technology to heat only the cookware and not the entire cooking surface, is more energy efficient than traditional gas and electric stovetops. Featuring precise touch-and-slide temperature controls and four different cooking zones, the elegant appliance is a game changer for the future of kitchen design.
GOVERNOR JANET MILLS signed an executive order this spring with the goal of increasing the number of women in Maine’s male-dominated construction industry. In the executive order, Mills outlines strategies for the recruitment, training, and retention of women in the construction workforce, including grant opportunities to incentivize hiring women, connecting construction businesses with women in apprenticeship and trade programs, collecting and sharing data from contractors and subcontractors in the state, and surveying organizations (including contractors, staffing agencies, and labor unions) to determine what barriers are preventing women from working in the industry. “Women are a crucial part of Maine’s workforce, and they should be welcomed and embraced in every sector of our economy, including those traditionally dominated by men, like the construction industry and the trades. This executive order will create pathways for more women to enter and succeed in these important jobs at a time when our state and the industry needs them most,” Mills said in a statement. Women currently make up about 15 percent of Maine’s construction workforce, which is slightly higher than the national average of 11 percent.
In preparation for the 2024 SUMMER OLYMPICS in Paris, CHATILLON ARCHITECTES embarked on a multiyear restoration and renovation of the GRAND PALAIS DES CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES, a dramatic Beaux Arts palace originally built for the 1900 World’s Fair. Referencing archival documents like the original building design by architects Henri Deglane, Albert Louvet, Albert Thomas, and Charles Girault, the team from Chatillon reconnected the building’s three main spaces, removed partition walls to reopen inaccessible spaces to the public, reinforced the nave’s ornate cantilevered balconies, and added modern-day technology throughout the building. Nearly 50 companies, more than 200 subcontractors, and around 900 site staff worked together on the project, which will undergo a brief pause as the building’s massive atrium hosts fencing and taekwondo competitions during the Olympics. The Grand Palais’s full rehabilitation is expected to be completed in 2025, at which point the building will host artwork from the CENTRE POMPIDOU as the modern art museum undergoes construction.
The historic steamship KATAHDIN, the star exhibit at the MOOSEHEAD MARINE MUSEUM in Greenville, is celebrating its 110th birthday this year. Affectionately known as Kate, the boat is undergoing significant preservation efforts led by the BOOTHBAY HARBOR SHIPYARD so that it may continue to share the steam boating and marine heritage of the Moosehead Lake Region with visitors. A multiyear fundraising campaign called KEEP KATE CRUISING set an initial goal of $2 million and received $500,000 in federal funds for restoration, including a new upper deck, fantail deck, and side decking. Kate, which still cruises the lake five days a week and hosts nearly 8,500 visitors each year, is listed on the NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES.
Lauren Goodman, the Montreal-based designer behind sculptural furniture firm STUDIO LAUREN GOODMAN, is known for transforming local waste into elevated, unique objects. Her latest series, called FRESH CATCH, showcases carefully deconstructed lobster traps salvaged from the coast of Maine that have been organically rearranged and welded back together to form upcycled chairs, shelves, and side tables. “Material exploration is one of the driving forces behind my practice,” Goodman says. “I’m interested in concepts like renewal and repair. I like seeing beyond the material in front of you to expand its potential.” Having spent summers in Maine with her family
since childhood, Goodman knew exactly where to look when she first considered working with a single waste stream. “Derelict traps and other fishing gear can be devastating for ocean life, and just getting them off the shores and out of marine ecosystems makes a positive impact. The lobster trap itself is such an iconic symbol for so many, especially in New England, and the opportunity to transform this otherwise unwelcome material into a functional piece of furniture is really invigorating,” she explains.
Visitors to Portland’s BACK COVE TRAIL will spot some new animal friends this summer: a pair of 20-foot-tall egrets performing their distinctive mating dance. The bamboo sculpture called Dancing for Joy (By the Will of the People) is a temporary public art installation by internationally renowned artists Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein of THE MYTH MAKERS. According to TEMPOART, the nonprofit organization that commissioned the sculpture, “The collaboration between Dodson and Moerlein [grew] out of a mutual love of the wild: Dodson takes inspiration from the mysterious nature of birds that spark her imagination, and Moerlein takes inspiration from events in the natural world that leave visual marks and strike a narrative chord in the artist. Although monumental in scale, their ephemeral bamboo sculptures are temporary in nature. Made from natural materials, they are site specific and respond to their local audience.” Dancing for Joy will be on display until 2026.