BSHM Finishes Solid Year with an Eye Toward the Future

Submitted by Jay A. Crafton, AIA, LEED AP, Vice-President

A growing portfolio of Primary and Secondary Education Facilities contributed to success for BSHM Architects during 2015 and that growth is expected to continue in 2016, accounting for a modest 2% increased billing for the year. Management organization altered in 2015 with the elevation of Brett M. Hendricks, AIA, to Senior Partner – President; Byron H. Manchester, AIA, LEED AP, to Senior Partner – Vice President; and the addition of Jay A. Crafton, AIA, LEED AP, and John F. Orsini, AIA, to Vice Presidents. Gary G. Balog, AIA, LEED AP will continue his position as Director of Education Environments for both K-12 and Collegiate facilities.

In business for over 50 years, BSHM Architects continues to provide design solutions in Northeast and Central Ohio regions on many academic, cultural and public facility projects from the Youngstown and Columbus Ohio offices. In recent years, secondary education has been a focus, gaining work at Ohio State University, Youngstown State University, College of Wooster, Seton Hill University, Westminster College and Ohio Wesleyan University. Current primary education projects under construction are Cleveland Heights-University Heights (CHUH) High School, scheduled for opening in September 2017 and Coventry High School located in the Portage Lakes area scheduled to open in August 2016. The CHUH project utilizes BSHM Architects’ extensive preservation / renovation experience, along with their K-12 academic design experiences into a new high school. Coventry High School represents the first and only design-build delivery system for a K-12 facility with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) in the State of Ohio.

In 2015, professional staff developments; Mike Vala, AIA; William Hrinko, AIA and Mike Ruscitti, AIA, achieved their Ohio Architects registration, expanding the number of registered architects available to ten.  In addition to staff development, BSHM invested in new computer workstations for the entire staff and upgraded the design software for each station with the latest Building Information Modeling (BIM) software available.  Various academic and public institutions request utilizing BIM software to assist in building analysis, energy reduction, energy modeling and facility management.

BSHM Architects remains to be at the forefront in sustainable design for K-12 school facilities in the State of Ohio.  Presently there are four (4) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects in the process of USGBC (United States Green Building Council) Certification and 17 projects Certified.  The record of certified projects include two (2) USGBC Certified; thirteen (13) USGBC Certified – Silver and two (2) USGBC Certified – Gold.   BSHM incorporates discussions with the clients and reviews sustainable strategies early in the design process providing facility and owner benefits throughout the life of the building.

Continued success for BSHM Architects will be shaped with an energized staff of emerging professionals, providing innovative design solutions for fully engaged clients to accomplish remarkable projects throughout the Valley.