Steve Aluotto '80 of NK Architects Reflects On Recent AIA Awards
NK Architects, headed up by President and CEO Steve Aluotto ‘80, has been awarded four distinctions by AIA New Jersey: a gold medal in Non-Residential/Institutional for the Classroom in the Sky, and 3 merit awards in Non Residential Interior Architecture for the SUNY College of Optometry, Pediatric Optometry Suite, and in the Open Category for Kean University Liberty Academic Hall and Kean University School of Business and Public Management.
“Our market sector ecosystem at NK Architects is driven by improving the human condition. Higher education and health care are primary markets of ours. We are involved in both acute and ambulatory health care, research and development, and a wide variety of projects and services in higher education,” said Aluotto.
Aluotto and the team at NK Architects have designed for several universities in the tri-state area, including NJIT, Rutgers, Fairleigh Dickinson, Columbia, Princeton, SUNY and several others. He first designed for Kean University when he was a project architect at NK. An early project included Kean Hall shown below, a gateway building housing admissions, a student center, a conference center and the president’s office.
“Kean Hall was one of the projects we did several years ago, adjacent to the original Kean estate farm house,” said Aluotto. “One typical way of approaching historical context is to replicate it. The obligation of the architect is to challenge any notion of replicating what is there. When you are given the freedom by the client to explore the modern interpretation of historic context that you are adjacent to, it is a great design opportunity, to make a new statement that honors the past but embraces modern materials and technologies, as well the evolutionary interpretation of proportion and context.”
This philosophy and approach to design is reflected in the new Liberty Hall at Kean. Kean’s Liberty Hall was also constructed on a historic site, as the campus is built on what was the Kean estate, with the original Liberty Hall in front of the new building. The new building now houses the Liberty Hall museum and department of history.
“College campuses are a microcosm of society – the environmental quality of a campus is born from the evolution of culture and time and needs to reflect the energy of today.”
Reflecting on some of the formative experiences as a student at NJIT, Aluotto points out his class was the first to go through the five-year Bachelor of Architecture program in what was then known as the New Jersey School of Architecture. “There were no summer studios in Milan at that time. The faculty was very focused on applications to real world problems and the urban condition in Newark. Other experiences brought us out of Newark. The late Fred Travisano was a wonderful professor who was a practicing architect. In his studio we saw traditionally rural communities quickly becoming suburbanized and explored architectural solutions to address the suburban sprawl that was occurring at the time."
Aluotto adds, “There can be a culture shock going from high school to architectural education. It is certainly not all about drafting and designing buildings. It’s about exploring alternative concepts and developing awareness of social needs and social responsibilities, which is the foundation of the true power of architecture.”
Two Hillier College student projects reflecting the practice of exploring alternative concepts were also recognized with the AIA New Jersey Merit Prize: Biana Sanchez & Radia Ali, for the Modular Village and Reyne Bennett, for the Live-Work project.
“Modular Village rethinks the design and build of future living conditions, proposing a mixed-use community integrated with sustainable living solutions. Our vision focuses on flexibility of construction, creating a modular system that is expandable, challenging existing models of affordable homes,” said Sanchez.
Live-Work is a glimpse into the revitalization of Newark's James Street Commons Historic District studied in Kevin Hofmann's Options Studio. “This adaptive reuse project, located at the intersection of University Avenue and James Street, aims to bring back those Live-Work opportunities which had once occupied the Commons. By reviving the brewing culture and industries that shaped the district throughout the 19th century, 85 University sensitively adapts to the site's past, present, and future community in the form of a craft brewery and a residential addition,” said Bennett.
“The architect is the quarterback for all the design and engineering disciplines required on a project,” said Aluotto. “You must be accountable for delivering the design within budget and schedule deadlines. At NK Architects we look for young professionals who have that renaissance approach towards the profession who maintain awareness of all the diverse aspects of what it means to be an architect.”
Aluotto advises students to stay centered on areas of strength and interest and remember that with the ‘renaissance’ education they can focus on any part of the profession. NK Architects is currently seeking talented young professionals including those with a background in digital design.
