In reflection…..

This spring marks 25 years in the field of architecture for Ms. McCarthy, owner.  As we move through 2017 please note that our company name is now Turco McCarthy Architecture and Design and no longer TME Designs.  We celebrate 7+ years as an independent company serving clients in the multi family industry, tenant spaces, mixed use properties and single family residence owners and developers.  We even worked on the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy!

Last week on a consult, we were pleased to hear the following praise: “Thank you – you just help me fall back in love with my home!”  That is wonderful to hear and extremely rewarding.  Our philosophy is, “design is personal”; we are excited to explore those design ideas with you.

When a person thinks about water drainage and controlling water flow, a very important element in architecture design, it is not usually stimulating conversation.

Residences typically pitch a roof to a gutter which then deposits rain water into a downspout.  Whether aluminum or copper, the downspout is a functional rather than decorative element.

Commercial structures with flat roofs drain to internal roof drains with the hidden drains running to the rainwater piping.  However, these systems also require overflow scuppers, which are visible to the exterior of the building.  Again, a functional element but, one that can become a visual element on the façade.

In Saint Augustine, two high profile structures have decorative scuppers. Whether constructed in the 1690’s or the 1960’s, draining water off the roof of a structure is important.  Both these examples did so in an elegant way without losing the functional purpose of the scupper.

The Castillo de San Marcos, constructed 1695 and Flagler College, constructed in 1968 use scuppers to drain water and made them decorative.  Well, the Castillo de San Marcos is a fort which was not constructed with beauty in mind but over time, the grandeur and engineering brilliance makes it a work in art.  The stone scuppers are functional but look elegant with the stonework and simplicity of the site.

Flagler College on the other hand, has custom designed dragon faced scuppers.  Their beauty adds a layer of interest and detail to the ornate exterior design.  A visitor can sit and study the building and details such as these for hours.  So, even an element as simple as a scupper is important to the structural integrity of the building but it can also be elegant and visually interesting in appearance.

As a new Board member of the Architecture Foundation of Georgia (AFGA), Ms. McCarthy had the privilege to present scholarships to students at Southern Polytechnic University last week during a luncheon awards presentation.

Ms. McCarthy joined AFGA in March and Chairs the Scholarship committee.  She looks forward to strengthening the relationship between students and the architecture profession beyond annual scholarships.  Suggestions and thoughts are appreciated!

Congratulations and good luck to all 2013 graduates!

TME Designs is proud to celebrate 20 years in architecture.   Allyson T. McCarthy has been practicing since 1992 and is excited by the future and new challenges.

Thank you to all clients, colleagues, friends and family who have supported and guided her over the years.

The last few months have been a roller coaster of work and community endeavors.  First, TME Designs congratulates our Gwinnett County client who’s new sunroom addition was completed this summer, just in time for fall weather!  It is truly stunning.

TME Designs also picked up two new residential projects and submitted its first government proposal for work this summer.  We are excited by the momentum and hope it keeps moving forward!  See the following images sketched for the 7500 sf new residence to discuss architecture tone and scope.

TME Designs is also proud that its founding member, Allyson T. McCarthy, who was appointed to the Board of Directors of Caring Works, Inc., in the Oakhurst community of Decatur.  Caring Works is a non profit social service agency working to improve the quality of life for low-income individuals and families by helping to increase their ability to be personally and economically self sufficient.

Alexandr Rodchenko was a painter.  His painting techniques could be considered a basis for architecutural thought and design development.  By using a compass and a straight edge to geometric figures, Rodchenko created space within a two dimensional plane.  To Rochenko, painting did not exist as a simple color representation of reality, but rather an element of spatial structure.  The line and the plane formed these spaces.

The line links what goes before to what follows into a single organism.  It functions as a boundary, an edge or a skeleton forming the frame.  A line signifies passage, movement, collision, connection and intersection.  When a designer takes a line and places it within the three dimensional, that line becomes as least one of the above depending on the nature of its task.

The plane represents construction.  It is the projection of a feasible real structure.  Either planes derive forms by acting independently or by merging together.  If a plan moves forward or backward, its projection may be left behind.  This is a decision to be made by the designer.

Check out the Explore Atlanta contest at www.atlantamagazine.com or purchase a copy off the newsstand!

There are some great details of buildings around Atlanta featured but may not be well known.  See three contributions from yours truly at TME Designs.