T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R C A P TA I N S O F I N D U S T RY
CONSTRUCTION LEADERS www.constructionleaderstoday.com
Tyson & Billy DESIGNING SOCIAL CHANGE With service and community in mind, Tyson and Billy Architects PC have been creating dream living conditions for low-income senior citizens nationwide since 1919.
TODAY
T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R C A P TA I N S O F I N D U S T RY
CONSTRUCTION LEADERS TODAY
Editor-in-Chief Todd Weaver Editor Diana Doyle Executive Editor Jonathan Mack Assistant Editor Joseph Orange Creative Director Emily Detoro Art Director Stephanie Hess Director of Advertising Julian Vu Production Coordinator Jason Rone Assistant Production Coordinator Elizabeth Macks Photography Editor Ian Palmer Video Director Susan Maybach Editorial Director Kate Darling Editorial Production Rachel Goldberg Copy Editor William Finch Assistant Copy Editor Amy Roberts Correspondents Brandon McBride (W), Aaron McGaskey (SW), Juan Orellana (NE), Steve Peters (Nation), Mike Rodgers (Nation), Juan Stewart (SE) Vendor Relations Director Diana Stephens Vendor Relations Eric Miller, Dov Teta Advertising Sales Coordinator Patricia O’Brien Advertising Sales Director Peter Jostens Advertising Sales Moe Kazemi, David Levi, Tom Nichols Publisher Steve Reed
OZ WORLD MEDIA, LLC 1330 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVENUE SUITE B1 WASHINGTON D.C. 20036 Construction Leaders Today is a quarterly B2B trade journal that services the construction industry in architecture, custom build, geothermal, green building, specialty architecture, posttentioning, and new technology sectors. CLT has a readership of 100,000 C-Level executives within the energy industry. We do not accept subscription requests from the general public, however an abbreviated version is available on our website.
WWW.CONSTRUCTIONLEADERSTODAY.
midwest | architecture
by Jane Caffrey
&BILLY
TYSON
Ronald G. Billy, Jr., Principal at Tyson & Billy Architects, P.C., recently attended an open house at one of the firm’s completed structures—a 60-unit Prairie Style apartment complex located in Rockford, Ill. The building, called Spring Ridge, is a low-income mature living facility whose residents allocate a third of their income to paying rent. At the gathering, an elderly woman to reside in the complex approached Billy. With tears in her eyes, she exclaimed, “At this point in my life, I never thought I’d live in a place so beautiful.” For Billy, projects such as these are most rewarding. “For me to have received that kind of a compliment was more humbling than anything else,” he said. “As architecture, the buildings are beautiful. But if it doesn’t impact the lives of the end user, it’s ultimately an object. A successful project for us is when the end user is extremely happy.” Thus, the underlying philosophy at the firm subsists: architecture with social significance. As one of the oldest continual practice architecture firms in the Midwest, Tyson & Billy Architects has been serving
1
4 Construction Leaders Today
2
architecture | mid-
constructing social change: Tyson and
Billy projects go beyond handsome architecture by also meeting public need
clients nationwide since 1919. The firm has evolved under the direction of five presidents, each of whom contributed unique styles and philosophies to the company legacy. In its infancy, Tyson & Billy defined the Rockford, Ill. skyline with its News Tower, and went on to excel in industrial and residential designs, completing projects in Great Britain and Japan. The firm later acted as a pioneer in modern design concepts throughout the 1970s. In the following decades, under President Bruce G. Tyson, Tyson & Billy began a major effort towards creating socially conscious architectural works and grew as a leader in the housing, educational, and religious fields. “Bruce Tyson saw a push towards senior housing,” Billy said. “He knew that the baby boomers were going to retire one day, and made multiple unit senior housing facilities a concentration. That has been the backbone of what we’ve been doing since then. We’ve also expanded on that and are creating housing for persons with special needs. It’s the latest product that we’re designing.” Today, with eleven professionals on staff, the Rockford-based company
serves clients in Illinois, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Florida. “We’re a small firm, but we’re a high output firm,” Billy said. As a seasoned and creative design studio, Tyson & Billy boasts a portfolio of diverse projects, in the commercial, ecclesiastical, educational, country club, industrial, and interior design fields. While particularly specializing in the housing industry, the firm focuses on private and multi-family residences, group homes, special needs housing, independent senior living, skilled nursing and assisted or supportive living facilities. It also shows a special interest in Not-For-Profit projects, and works with housing development agencies, churches, and private developers to meet the expanding market for assisted care facilities and related special use housing. As the evolution of Tyson & Billy Architects continues, the design studio will maintain a concentration on projects with social influence, and anticipates penetrating new markets in assisted living. A major initiative that the company foresees in upcoming years is development living facilities for adults with autism.
“When adults with autism move out of the public school system at 22 or 23, they currently don’t have a lot of options,” Billy said. “We want to create model programs by providing housing with occupational therapy, creating a community within itself so that these residents have access to a more meaningful life.” The firm plans to design living facilities for children with traumatic brain injury and victims of warfare, as well as create hospice facilities that enhance peace of mind, spirit, and body for residents. Thus, although proven capable in a wide assortment of projects, Tyson & Billy maintains its emphasis on architecture with social impact. “Success lies in the philosophy that we can reach the end users and change their lives in a positive way,” Billy said. CLT 1. Spring Ridge, Rockford, Ill. A common sitting area around a fireplace for residents and visitors. 2. Victorian Woods, Decatur, Ill. Exterior of the courtyard entrance. 3. Morning Star Village, Rockford, Ill. Entrance canopy and bridge that extends over a small creek.
3 Summer 2010 5
T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R C A P TA I N S O F I N D U S T RY
CONSTRUCTION LEADERS www.constructionleaderstoday.com
1330 New Hampshire Avenue NW Suite B1 Washington D.C. 20036 info@constructionleaderstoday.com www.ozworldmedia.com
TODAY