The beginning of almost every year is typically quiet around the Lott3Metz clubhouse: holiday overload and heavy snows have even the busiest of clients bedded down for long winter's naps. 2011 has been no different. During the first part of this year we've been planting the seeds for a bountiful 2011 construction season. The sun is out, the snow is gone, and we're hard at work.

One of the most exciting projects in our office right now is the renovation and expansion of Vandenberg School for the Child Discovery Center: a Reggio Emilia charter academy in Grand Rapids. Vandenberg School was designed by Henry H. Turner and constructed in 1922 for the Grand Rapids Public School system. While beloved by its surrounding neighborhood, in recent years it has been underutilized and in danger of being torn down for parking. The Child Discovery Center's interest represents Vandenberg School's latest last chance as recently reported by the Grand Rapids Press.

Our work at Vandenberg School is the most important type of community design we do: helping businesses and neighbors make the highest and best use of our City's resources. It is also a public design process of the finest grain requiring a methodical interaction between users, neighbors, and the City. With a little skill and patience; a project like Vandenberg can be rewarded with a quick, quiet, and complimentary approval at a local commission like we received on February 16th, 2011.

As with every community design project we undertake, I can't get through a meeting without flashbacks to Christo's Running Fence documentary. We're all Christo now.

We can't wait to get the kids moved into Vandenberg.