Sparkflight Studios

Credit: Mario Aachen The holidays are here! It's a wonderful time to be with loved ones, exchange presents, and share in the joy of the season. Sadly, some families spend the holidays without gifts and sometimes even a hot meal or a warm place to sleep. It's easy to get swept up in all of the shopping and gift-giving frenzy, but taking the time to give back to our community can be the greatest gift of all. This holiday season, consider donating your time or resources to organizations that help our neighbors who are less fortunate. Here is a list of charities and non-profits where your support can truly make a difference: Three Square HELP of Southern Nevada The Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth Ronald McDonald House Charities Opportunity Village Family Promise of Las Vegas The true spirit of the holiday season comes from giving thanks and giving back by lending a helping hand to those in need. Give this season a whole new meaning by making the world a little...

Giving Tuesday has become a tradition for Sparkflight Studios.  What better way to finish off a Thanksgiving holiday enjoying time with family and friends than to extend that gratitude into a gift for your community? This year we're pleased to highlight a few community partners: Family Promise of Las Vegas UNLV - College of Fine Arts Desert Research Institute - DRI It is always difficult to choose recipients when there are so many good causes in need.  If you face this challenge as well, take a look at an article by Nurith Aizenman on KNPR's website: Why Giving Tuesday Raises an Uncomfortable Moral Dilemma. When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.   – Maya Angelou  

Rendering of the proposed mixed-use site In September, we introduced Sparkflight Studios' involvement in the 2019 AIA Blueprint for Better Housing , a mission to solve housing needs in our community. Anne was invited to be the Team Coordinator of the Multi-Family Mixed-Use group. She worked diligently with her team and alongside the charrette participants and members of the local community to create a design that was presented to AIA Las Vegas in October. The team proposed a 381,000-SF mixed-use, mixed-income development on the west side of Martin Luther King Boulevard, south of Lake Mead Boulevard, in the 89106 zip code. The team chose this site due to the economic disparity between this zip code and the rest of our city, with a diaspora of community members seeking opportunity elsewhere. This community has an intense desire to preserve its heritage and build a vibrant future for its children; Anne and the rest of the dedicated charrette team worked hard to come up with u...

One of the many activity stations On October 5th, Sparkflight Studios sponsored the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada at their annual Girls Day & Boys Nite Out . The event's goal was to create a fulfilling and exciting experience for the children, giving them the attention they deserve and leaving them with the confidence to grow and strive for the best future possible. And with one-on-one mentor support and 38 unique stations for all kinds of food, sports, fun activities, giveaways, and meet-and-greets with first responders, they definitely succeeded. Sparkflight Studios is proud to have been a part of this event, which hosted a record number of children and raised more funds than ever before, ensuring that the children and Youth Development Professionals in our community continue to receive their much-deserved support year-round.  We invite you to participate as a mentor, or with a gift, in 2020! A happy child with her mentor

At the halfway point of the charrette This year AIA Las Vegas put a call out to our professional community to coordinate a Blueprint for Better Housing.  This is our local chapter's response to a national project Blueprint for Better that challenges architects to work closely with community leaders to "...tackle key issues from rising water levels and more frequent natural disasters, to diverse housing needs and the increased urgency for sustainable design." After coordination with community stakeholders, the AIA identified three housing categories: Multi-family Mixed Use, Workforce Housing, and Micro Housing.  Key locations within the city were targeted as virtual project sites, and an all-day visioning charrette was held in late August.  Happily, our design teams, six total, consisted of a mix of non-architects like business owners, bankers, government employees, developers--and a few architects and landscape architects too.  This event was just the star...

Water Street District Canopy Sign Water Street District has arrived on the scene, and Sparkflight Studios worked closely with the City of Henderson to prepare a dramatic, LED-lit sign next to the City of Henderson Events Plaza.  This 4′-6″ tall sign is rendered in an Art Deco font in keeping with the area’s style from the Basic Townsite era.  It features channel letters facing each side of Water Street with pre-programmed seasonal options like St. Patricks Day, Winterfest, Industrial Days, and of course, “Go Knights!” Rendering in red; Water Street District Canopy Sign

Just when vacation mindset was kicking in this year, we got to exercise our brains instead.  June was full of learning opportunities with the AIA National Convention and Graphisoft Archicad's international conference both here in Vegas.  There were lectures, showrooms, technical trainings, and of course networking. Our team especially enjoyed the Archicad Key Client Conference! We learned new software tips, met fellow users from across the globe, and saw previews of where the tool is heading.  The  BIMx viewer and construction tool continues to get better, displaying our 2D drawings with the model to improve the construction team's understanding of design intent and aiding coordination.  It's all good--especially the interoperability with Rhino for modeling.  And don't forget the cool T-shirts. We're fans!!

Thank you to all those who have served and paid the ultimate price.  We remember them, and their families, this Memorial Day. See our tribute on Water Street...

Often to mark Earth Day, we list some local events that contribute to the "greening" of our valley and list sustainable actions that we can all take.  Scroll down for that content... This year the post is direr. Or, more hopeful depending on your disposition.  Small actions are wonderful, but not enough.  Mega steps are required if we want our next generations to be able to harvest food from the oceans,  live in our coastal cities, and enjoy the diversity of fauna and flora that we do now.  There is no Planet B. Today we see increasing extreme weather events and overwhelming scientific evidence of an anthropogenic-accelerated climate change. As designers and occupants of this amazing planet, we must take responsibility for our role in the acceleration.  Other than designing for " resilience ," what can be done to reverse global warming and related impacts?  Get informed.  Take action. Here is the evidence that it is happening: Glob...

It's so exciting to know that this project is coming to the Las Vegas Community!  Our office has been thrilled to work with Family Promise to design their Family Navigation Center.  YOU can be a part of making Las Vegas even better by contributing to Family Promise's capital campaign. Today is the #NVBigGive .  What can you do to make a difference? The mission of Family Promise of Las Vegas is helping homeless families transition to permanent housing and independence. This 8,745 SF Family Navigation Center is an extension of these values by providing spaces of learning, healing, and comfort. Did you know that... According to the 2018 Southern Nevada Homeless Census and Survey Comprehensive Report*: Statewide in Nevada there are 7,281 individuals who are homeless on any given night. In 2018 in Southern Nevada 15,000 children experienced homelessness and unstable living conditions. Lack of affordable housing is one of the primary risk factors for homelessnes...

Materials board for an office tenant improvement. A materials board is not an unusual object to find in our studio. It allows our clients to visualize their space with tactile feedback. In this particular presentation, we are complimenting the existing wall colors of beige and blue (P-1 & P-2) with earth tones emphasizing yellows and grays. Because the vertical elements are mostly homogenous, we selected a carpet tile (CT-1) with a non-directional patterning that creates a “shore-like” effect.   A majority of these products are sustainably sourced. Sustainability has always been an ethos of Sparkflight and selecting finish materials are an essential component of sustainable practice. For example, forbo (LT-1) is a global leader in sustainable flooring systems. Overall, they have the largest phthalate-free portfolio in the industry. Similarly, Interface (CT-1) offers sustainable products; this particular carpet tile has a 100% recycled content nylon in its...

Finish Line! Step, breathe in; step, breathe out. Scaling 108 flights of stairs and over 1,400 steps requires rhythm and patience. This past February our office participated in the American Lung Association’s Scale the Strat fundraiser as part of the Ninjaneers team. Participants climbed the stairwell of the Stratosphere to support research, patient education, and advocacy efforts. As you begin your ascent, you become aware that every step matters, no matter how small. Each increment is a small triumph. The same is true for the Lung Association: every dollar, every climb, every breath is a blessing and a gift. Sometimes we can be so focused on reaching our goal at the top that we can forget the joy of the climb. We are thankful to be a part of this important cause and look forward to doing it again next year! Written by James Maurer.

Walking into the World Market Center SFS recently had an office lunch at the Lou Ruvo Center before heading over to the World Market Center to view trends and styles in interior design. The SFS team observed several exhibits and was most excited at those that engaged the senses. To this point, the most extreme was TŌV’s “On Fleek” showroom— complete with an ice cream stand (and complimentary rosé). TŌV was an immersive experience in tactility, bold colors, and geometry. (Yes, plenty of millennial pink too). TŌV’s “On Fleek” showroom: candy, donuts, and Cardi B On the "Contemporary" floor there were several showrooms that allowed the team to investigate ways of combining materials and details of those mechanics:  How can brass and wood connect in sleek yet architectonic ways?  How can wood be used texturally?  More subdued than  TŌV, but still interesting was Four Hands’ showroom. Sleek design with a rustic palette defines their catalog. For exam...