Cote Renard Architecture

Nippers - Jacksonville Beach

2012-01-27T13:30:00.001-05:00

Months ago we posted some pictures we took at Nippers Beach Grill right before they opened. Today we are posting the professional pictures, enjoy...

A little refresher...we took an old building that was not in the best shape and gave it a completely new look. A lot of our inspiration came from the the Bahamas and the original Nippers, with a little contemporary flare. All of the siding is new, along with the entry tower, sometimes it is amazing what a simple fresh coat of paint will do.

We worked with Marsha Faulkner at Studio M on the interior design of the project. We removed the old carpet floors, demolished walls to find carpet behind sheet rock and a neon, glow-in-the-dark alien mural...the things you find in remodels. We redesigned the space to have stained and sealed concrete floors, board and batten walls with recycled barn wood accent walls. A new sliding door systems allow the restaurant to be opened to Beach Marine. The ceiling was supposed to have a lot of sails to create a levels and spaces to absorb sound, however the Fire Marshal was not convinced the sprinkler system would work properly, so our sail design got cut down and an interesting piece was lost. We tried to show our point, but we could not change his mind.

The Cote Renard family has dined there several times over the last year, we have yet to find a dish we do not like. Chef Kenny Gilbert does an excellent job creating Bahamian inspired dishes...the drinks aren't bad either.

All Photos courtesy of Rob Parham Photography

Greatest Creation

2012-01-24T10:06:00.000-05:00

On Tuesdays Cote Renard posts about our creations. Today I am posting about the most amazing thing I have ever taken part in creating.

One year ago today my wife, Kristen and I welcomed our first child into this world. Today is Nicholas "Cole" James Renard's first birthday! The last year of our life has flown by amazingly fast, it seems like just yesterday we had this little bundle that slept all day, only to wake up to eat. Today we have this growing boy, who won't sit still, is full of curiosity, and just as stubborn as Mom and Dad. Here are a small hand full of my favorite images from his first year.

Happy Birthday Son!

Architect Crush: BUILD LLC

2012-01-20T13:00:00.000-05:00

While reading "The Indispensable Architect" in the latest issue of Residential Architect we read a sub-article featuring a conversation with Andrew van Leeuwen of BUILD about their blog. After reading the article we decided to check out their blog...Wow!

The blog shows their love and dedication to their craft of architecture. They write about their work, work of those they admire, design details, lessons they have learned, books they have read, among many other topics. We found it very interesting that we stumbled on this blog days after making our New Year's Blog(res)olution. This is what we want our blog to be like when it grows up. They are doing a great thing, we don't want to copy it, we want to be inspired by it (and some other great blogs about architecture). We want our posts to inspire, educate, and promote good architecture.

BUILD is a Seattle based firm that approaches their architecture and projects from a design-build standpoint. Like Cote Renard the are a small firm that seems to have more residential work, but they do have some commercial projects under their belt. They are problem solves, we read that they were dissatisfied with the costs of contemporary cabinetry, so they opened up their own cabinet shop for their projects. We can go on and on about their work and philosophies, but if you are interested please visit their website and read more about them for yourself.

Innus Arden by BUILD, image courtesy of BUILD website

Davison Residence by BUILD, image courtesy of BUILD website

Photograph by Ben Benschneider

We have never had the opportunity to meet Kevin Eckert or Andrew van Leeuwen of BUILD...maybe someday. We just admire their work and the way they go about it. Have a great weekend!

Cote Renard Blog

2012-01-17T14:48:00.002-05:00

No pictures today...sorry.

As those of you who follow us will notice the Cote Renard Blog, we'll call the the CRB moving forward, has gone through some changes. There is a new page format, we have figured out how to allow for post comments (so comment away), and we have added some blogs and websites we like. We have been inspired!

Our 2012 Blog(res)olution

We are going to post on Tuesdays and Fridays, for now, that may be a little optimistic and we may end up only posting once a week.
On Tuesday we are typically show off something we are or have worked on and on Fridays we are going to post something we are looking at.
We are going to be a little less formal in our postings.
We are going to grow our following.

North Shore Residence Inn

2012-01-13T14:41:00.000-05:00

It is Friday and we are sticking to our New Year's resolution of blogging on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Here is another hotel Nicholas Renard developed while at Architectural Alliance in Columbus, Ohio. North Shore Residence Inn sits directly across form the home plate entrance to PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA. The 10 story hotel has 180 suites is owned by Kratsa Properties.

Image looking at the Hotel and PNC Park.

Parking lot entry.

Mr. Renard designed and managed this project up until the time he left Columbus for Florida, at that time the project was in the Construction Document phase. The owner wanted the hotel to sit as a backdrop to the architecture of PNC Park. The project went through several design iterations before finally settling on this traditionally influenced design with contemporary touches. The materials and design details take inspiration from other buildings in the Northshore area.

Guest lounge.

Billiards Room.

This has to be the smallest indoor pool in a hotel.

Guest suite.

Images are courtesy of Architectural Alliance.

Southside Works Springhill Suites

2012-01-11T15:43:00.001-05:00

Before moving to Jacksonville Nicholas Renard worked for Architectural Alliance in Columbus, Ohio. One of his last projects he saw through construction documents was Southside Works Springhill Suites in Pittsburgh, PA. The hotel has completed construction and is now open, it is owned by Kratsa Properties based out of Pittsburgh.

Here are a few images of the hotel courtesy of Architectural Alliance.

This 115 room, six story hotel was in the office for several years and saw it share of changes throughout that time. Mr. Renard began assisting with the design, he stepped away to work on some other projects and came back to salvage an over budget design. This one one of five hotels Mr. Renard was overseeing before he left Columbus.

We will post images of another one of the hotels in the coming days.

Jackson Brown Renard

2011-08-29T16:26:00.001-04:00

It is with a broken heart that we tell our friends, after a tremendous fight with renal failure, that Jackson let his parents, Nick and Kristen Renard know it was time for to let him go. He will be forever in our hearts.

He passed peacefully in his parent's arms Thursday August 25th which was his eighth birthday. He got an early birthday present and cake the night before, which he enjoyed.

As some of you know he was diagnosed with renal failure earlier this summer which put him in the hospital for eight days. He was able fight back and come home to enjoy two months with his family before his passing. He had more good days than bad over that time, he destroying many squeaky tennis balls along the way. The Tuesday before his passing he enjoyed one last beach trip with his mom and dad, where he summoned up enough strength to eat two cheeseburgers and play a little fetch in the surf.

Many of you got to know Jackson when visiting our office as he barked at you from Nick's office when you opened the door. He flirted with the ladies, he sometimes let the guys pet him and often times fell asleep and started snoring during meetings. The Cote Renard family and office will never be the same.

We would like to thank Ponte Vedra Animal Hospital for all that they did for him and the support they provided his parents at the end. The veterinarians and their staff are great people.

Thank you for all the prayers and thoughts for us and him.

Jacksonville Beach House

2011-05-18T10:43:00.004-04:00

Cote Renard Architecture recently finished preliminary designs on built-to-specifications house in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. We worked with Rob Ford of The Ford Company Construction, to complete the design.

The lot and house footprint are small, making great use of space we packed a lot into the house. The design takes key living elements and aligns them with large openings to capture as many views to the Atlantic Ocean as possible. The exterior of the house has a coastal cottage look, with a white stucco base on the first floor and shake siding on the second and third floor, with white trim accents. There are two eight foot deep balconies (one on each the second and third floor) on the East side of the house which add to the exterior living space.

More information about the house can be found here.

Nipper Opens May 16th!

2011-05-13T15:52:00.014-04:00

Nipper's Beach Grille opens May 16th! We thought it would be great to show off some images of the project to end our week of blog postings (three has to be some kind of record, at least for us).

Chef Kenny Gilbert is the Executive Chef and Part Owner, you can read more about his impressive bio on the Nipper"s website.

Nipper's is a remodel project in Beach Marine on Beach Blvd. in Jacksonville Beach. The 9,300 square foot space has a 2,300 SF kitchen, with the remainder of the space as dining, bar, private party and support rooms. There is also a large exterior deck space next to the restaurant which also has a bar. Design and construction lasted ten months.

The exterior received a complete face lift to help the building pay homage to it's Bahamian inspiration. The interior carries the the theme throughout with bright color and lots of natural light. We even got to use recycled barn wood and although it came from the Midwest, it still adds a lot of charm.

Like all remodel projects it was never not interesting, but we had a great team to work with. We are very happy and excited about how great the project looks. Cote Renard Architecture (Nicholas Renard) worked in conjunction with Studio M Interior Design(Marsha Faulkner) to complete the design. It was built under the supervision of Benchmark Commercial Group Inc (Jonathan Plumb).

2011 EDP Facelift Competition

2011-05-09T21:54:00.030-04:00

Nicholas Renard was honored Friday May 6th when he received the People's Choice award and Grand Champion Award for his entry into this years Emerging Design Professionals competition. For his honors he received a gift card (donated by Breaking Ground contracting and TLC Engineering) and a Knoll Chair (donated by IFS Building Solutions).

Mr. Renard also submitted an entry for the a bulding on Beaver Street owned by the Clara White Mission. This entry competed well, but it did not win any awards.

You can see all twelve EDP entries here.

Carbon Challenge

2011-01-31T21:53:00.020-05:00

Nicholas Renard took an honorable mention in the Carbon Challenge Design Competition held by the APA (The Engineered Wood Association). His design was voted "most affordable" and although we are a bit bias, we think he deserved better honors.

The house site is on a corner lot in River Town Development in St. John's, Florida, a new community just outside of Jacksonville, Florida. The development is composed of house lots, open "green" spaces, lakes and parks. The house are to be sited with a front porch along the street and alleys behind the house for access to the garage. The neighborhood is meant to be eclectic similar to some of the more sought after neighborhoods in Jacksonville. The allowable home styles for the neighborhood are Arts and Crafts Movement, Southern Vernacular, Mediterranean, American Farmhouse and Classical and Colonial Revival. Nick's affinity towards the American Farmhouse made his choice of style simple.

The house is 2,300 SF, with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. The design incorporated affordable sustainable strategies throughout as part of the competition guidelines. Comment from the judges: "A great livable floor plan that accepts the challenge of a corner lot with front and side galleries in addition to an exterior Venetian dining porch (enclosed with operable louvers). The structure is rational, very buildable and would be a very positive addition to the neighborhood.

The competition was heavily weighted on the entrants ability to best meet the ATHENA EcoCalculator for Residential Assemblies. Sixty percent of the score was base on the results of the calculator.

Cote Renard Architecture's Big News!

2011-01-31T14:53:00.000-05:00

Cote Renard Architecture is excited and proud to announce a new member to our family. On Monday January 24th at 2:53pm Nicholas Renard and his wife Kristen welcomed their first child into the world at Baptist Beaches Hospital (the nursing staff could not have taken better care of the family!) in Jacksonville Beach. His name is Nicholas James Renard after his father but as dad is commonly called Nick; baby will be called Cole. At birth Cole weighed 7lbs 12oz and measured 20 inches long. Everyone is healthy and the whole family is home getting used to their new normal.

Dad is already working on making his son a Bearcat fan.

Cole catching a nap on his favorite blanket.

It has been to long since our last post...far to long. For awhile it was because we did not have a lot to post but over the past few months it was because there were not enough hours in the day. Hopefully these last few months are a sign of good things to come. We are planning to do a lot more posts over the next few months to keep everyone up to date. Stay tuned!

TARAA Dog Kennel

2010-06-03T10:19:00.011-04:00

Cote Renard is happy to announce that we have been asked to help TARAA (The Animal Rescue and Adoption Agency) with their new 800 square foot dog kennel. TARAA is a local non-profit, no kill organization, as dog lovers ourselves, we are glad to donate our design services for this small project.

TARAA will hold the first of several fund raisers planned for this summer, Thursday June 3rd at Casa Marina Hotel. Below is a story that ran on First Coast News Monday morning.

From First Coast News website:
Swap Your Clothes, Shop to Help Jacksonville Animal Shelter
edited by Michelle Jacobs

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Cleaning out your closet can be a hassle. Where do you put all the clothes you're not wearing anymore? To donate or not to donate?

Consider "swapping" your old clothes for gently used ones all for a good cause. It's call a "swap shop" event, and all proceeds benefit The Animal Rescue and Adoption Agency (TARAA), a non-profit no-kill organization for the welfare and protection of animals.

Jennifer Coscia is the founder of TARAA, and she told Good Morning Jacksonville viewers on Monday that this type of fundraiser is the first of its kind on the First Coast.

Women can shop at this fundraiser by bringing 10 perfect condition clothing items, shoes, accessories and handbags to the Casa Marina Hotel on Thursday, June 3rd, between 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Once there, the swap shopping begins. Women can buy other items for $2 per item. The money spent on the items is donated to TARAA's shelter for homeless animals.

High ticket items will be considered for the minimum bid silent auction, including a Gucci and two Besty Johnson bags.

Several raffles will be offered throughout the evening for prizes including a $300 Casa Marina package, image consultation package and various gift cards.

You can also adopt a new pet during the event.

Men are welcome to attend, but the swap shopping is for ladies only. Whatever items are not sold will be donated to Kloset Karma.

You can see the video from the news at:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=89122477001

Manis Residence

2010-04-01T13:02:00.009-04:00

Cote Renard is excited and honored to announce that we have been chosen to be the architect of record for the Manis Residence in Jacksonville, FL. Lane Manis is the executive director for American Institute of Architects Jacksonville, her husband Steve is a local Civil Engineer. They had their choice of Jacksonville architects for the job and of the architects to submit floor plan concepts, Nick Renard's best met what Lane and her husband Steve were looking for.

The project is an adaptive reuse of an old commercial building in the Springfield area of Jacksonville. For the most part the project is an interior design project, as very little is to be altered on the exterior facade. The old storefront that sat along the sidewalk will be removed and replaced with a cast iron gate system to create a front porch.

The interior will be contemporary in design, with the intent to make a focal point of the existing brick masonry walls and wood structural framing. The design works to cover as little of the brick walls as possible. The floor plan is divided into two zones which run parallel to the long axis of the building. The zone closest to Liberty Street will house the public activities of the house (living, dining, kitchen and den) and will be open from one end to the other. Half walls, counters, and changes in ceiling height are used to help define spaces in the public zone. The private zone, furthest from Liberty is more divided, holding three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, storage, laundry and mechanical space.

This is a very exciting project for us and we plan to make this a feature of our blog over the coming months. At this time construction documents have been issued for permitting.

DOCOMOMO Jacksonville 2010

2010-03-31T12:15:00.005-04:00

Cote Renard was asked to put the pamphlet together for the 2010 DOCOMOMO tour in Jacksonville, FL. "DOCOMOMO stands for DOcumentation and COnservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the MOdern MOvement. Initially founded in 1988 in The Netherlands, there are now DOCOMOMO working parties in over 40 countries. The organization is dedicated to the study of significant works of Modern Movement architecture, landscape design and urban planning around the world." More information about DOCOMOMO can be found at http://www.docomomofl.org/.

The 2010 tour and lecture featured the work of Jacksonville architect Robert Broward. Nick Renard worked with Lane Manis (AIA Jacksonville), Richard Shieldhouse (DOCOMOMO) and Catherine Duncan (Form Architecture) to create the pamphlet. Here are a couple of pages.

It was great to learn about Robert Broward's work through the creation of this pamphlet. The DOCOMOMO tour and lecture pulled the experience together and did a great job displaying why Robert is such a significant part of Jacksonville's architectural history.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy, it is available, for download on the DOCOMOMO Florida website or on our FTP website. Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in a copy.

LIT - "An Intimate Nightclub Experiance"

2010-03-26T15:37:00.000-04:00

LIT on Ocean Street in Jacksonville, FL finished construction in early winter 2010. The project was almost a year in the making, with Cote Renard Architecture. LIT was an adaptive use project that transformed a 100 year old building into a nightclub. The design features a mural painted by The Thomas Cusack Company in the early 1900s, advertising Coca Cola and Amheiser Busch.

To create a unique backdrop for the bar, the existing second floor was pulled away from the wall, allowing for a two story view of the mural.

The design highlights the existing structure, leaving the brick bearing walls and wood floor joists exposed and highlighted by lighting. The age of the materials gives them a great beauty that could not be overlooked.

We worked with Dustin Greer, the managing partner at LIT, on the interior finishes. For the most part we were just a muse for Dustin's creative mind. We suggested using the second floor sub floor and Dustin came up with the exterior facade treatment (not pictured) and the design on the bar half wall. It was a very interesting process, which resulted in a great space.

Myers Residence

2010-03-26T14:39:00.001-04:00

This Palm Beach Style residence in North East Florida was designed by Brian Cote, AIA and built by Benchmark Homes (www.customluxuryhomes.com) for Major League Baseball pitcher Brett Myers and his family. The 10,000 SF house, features 5 bedrooms, 6 full baths and 3 half baths house.

The main kitchen has stainless steel appliances, two islands and custom wood cabinets. It is complimented by the summer kitchen that has a built in gas and separate charcoal grill, a under counter refrigerator and a beer tap.

This residence features many amenities such as the indoor custom dog kennel and the two lane bowling alley (both pictured above). In addition, the residence has a wonderful exercise room (with sauna) , a media room and a guitar room.

Article Featuring LIT

2010-03-08T16:35:00.004-05:00

Cote Renard Architecture designed bar featured in the Jacksonville Daily Record. Our images from the project will be uploaded shortly, in the mean time enjoy the article!

New club at 11 N. Ocean St. finding its niche

The centerpiece of Lit’s interior decor is a vintage piece of advertising art painted many years ago on the brick wall behind the bar.
by Max Marbut

Staff Writer

The latest addition to Downtown’s Entertainment Zone around East Bay Street and the area around the Florida Theatre has another venue that’s attracting a crowd. The grand opening of Lit at 11 N. Ocean St. won’t be for a few more weeks but Downtown workers and residents have already discovered the new watering hole.

By 30 minutes deep into Happy Hour last Friday afternoon, there wasn’t an empty seat at the bar and the rest of the after-work patrons were conversing and mingling with their drinks in their hands. Most had just left their offices and came to Lit for a few beverages and to meet friends. Several were Downtown residents who said the club’s atmosphere is a welcome and unique addition to the neighborhood.

The club’s entrance on Ocean Street between Bay and Forsyth streets doesn’t really offer a hint to the decor inside. Enter the door, turn right and then left and you leave Downtown behind and find yourself in an intimate space illuminated by overhead fixtures that wash the brick walls with soft light. Candles on the bar and tables add to the mood.

As for the music, it’s kept at a level during Happy Hour that doesn’t interfere with carrying on a conversation. Later in the evening when the DJ goes on duty, it’s more of a club atmosphere.

The idea, said Operating Partner Dustin Greer, is to provide an alternative to the dance clubs in the neighborhood. Lit is more laid-back, he added, and a great place to take a break from the full-on club scene.
“I think there are more clubs per square foot in this part of Downtown than anywhere else in Jacksonville. Between here and Market Street we’ve got six clubs, two restaurants and the Florida Theatre. Every venue has a different vibe,” said Greer.

He also said Lit’s reputation will be built on a quality experience from the call brands in the wells behind the bar to strict rules for dress code and decorum.

If you think you recognize one of the faces behind the bar, it may be because you’ve visited the lounge at the Casa Marina Hotel at the beach. That’s where bartender Veronica McLean worked before she came to Lit.
The native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, arrived in Jacksonville via San Diego. She said Lit’s urban feel, clientele and location were the factors that motivated her to give up the beach bar scene in favor of the urban core.
“I’m from a big city and I missed the vibe,” she said. “It’s great to see Downtown growing and we’re attracting a very stylish crowd of young professionals.”

McLean said a libation from her homeland has been a hit at Lit. It’s called the “Caipirinha.” The Brazilian version is made from a South American liqueur called “Cachaca.” but McLean said the Americanized recipe she makes with rum or vodka has become a popular choice. The cocktail involves crushing limes with granulated sugar and then adding the spirits.

“It’s kind of like a Mojito but without the mint,” said McLean.

Lit is open Thursday 9 p.m.-2 a.m., Friday 5 p.m.-2 a.m. and Saturday 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Greer said as business builds the schedule will expand to nights earlier in the week. The club is also open during Downtown’s signature events including the next First Wednesday Art Walk March 3.

mailto:mmarbut@baileypub.com
356-2466

Morrison Residence

2010-02-12T09:47:00.013-05:00

This stunning Santa Barbara-Style residence in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL was designed by Brian Cote, AIA and built by Benchmark Homes (www.customluxuryhomes.com). The 10,000 SF house, features 5 bedrooms, 6 full baths and 3 half baths and was the recipient of Concrete Homes Magazine's 2009 Concrete Living Award.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-18T15:29:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas

From:
Cote Renard Architecture

It was an up and down year for us all and we are looking for better and more exciting things to come in 2010!

We hope you all enjoy the season and more importantly time you are able to spend with friends and family.

Have a great Christmas,
Brian Cote and Nicholas Renard

See you in 2010, we have some great things we are working on that will be posted soon!

Urban Facelift

2009-12-08T16:46:00.003-05:00

Cote Renard is proud to announce that Nicholas Renard won second place in the 2009 Urban Facelift design competition. The competition was an effort by the Urban Facelift Project (Content Design Group, www.contentdg.com) and the AIA Emerging Design Professionals of Jacksonville to inspire the urban area of Jacksonville, FL. The competition took four existing buildings found in the downtown area and challenged the entrants to create new facades and uses for the buildings.

Existing Conditions at 644 W. Ashley St., Jacksonville, FL.

Nick's design proposal kept a lot of the elements that make the existing building appealing (except for the mansard roof). He designed a building within the existing building to create varying facade layers and an exterior entry the incorporates a "green" wall. This simple image competition proved to be very engageing to Nick, as he ended up designing the entire building including the interiors. He would love to see this become a "real" project someday.

The competition and winners were featured in an article in the Florida Times Union, please follow the link below if you would like to read the article:

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-12-04/story/designers_give_downtown_jacksonville_facelift

Downtown Jacksonville

2009-12-08T16:28:00.005-05:00

Every year we go to the annual Holiday Boat Parade held in Downtown Jacksonville held right after Thanksgiving. This year we remembered the camera. Although none of the boats are clear in the images we think the blur is pretty cool (especially the sail boat in the final image). Enjoy the images!

If you would like a copy of any of the images let us know.

Raise the Floor

2009-11-06T14:48:00.009-05:00

Cote Renard is proud to announce that Nicholas Renard was a finalist for 2009 Raise the Floor house design competition. The competition was put on by Raised Floor Living and the project site is located in the Murray Hill area of Jacksonville, Florida.

Nick combined the simple bungalow style found throughout the neighborhood with contemporary design. He kept the forms and construction simple to allow more of the budget to be dedicated to better material and sustainable strategies. The design is highlighted with Ipe wood rain screen, grass pavers, rain water collection and cork flooring.

He received an award for this at the monthly AIA meeting November 3, 2009, however his project was not selected to be built. His project was the most debated project and had very strong support from several jury members.

Please feel to contact us if you are interested in this project or other contemporary design.

Oral Explosions Eateries

2009-10-23T16:04:00.007-04:00

We finally got the chance to photograph Oral Explosions Eateries at night! It has been open since the beginning of summer and by all accounts a very successful project. The owner is very passionate about lighting, and the image of the building as a gateway to the San Marco area of Jacksonville both day and night.

We used white stucco columns and exterior LED wall wash lights that change color to bring the building alive at night. A small range of the colors can be seen in theses photos.

The building sits several feet above the side walk, so we used translucent glass panels to obscure, but not obstruct the view into the restaurant. The above photo shows the great shadows that are created at night. This works with the LED lights to really make the building dynamic.

We were able to use some great finishes and fixtures on the interior, especially the fixtures that hang over the ordering isle and the exposed spiral duct.

On the Boards: New Residence

2009-10-12T17:13:00.012-04:00

We are in the process of designing a this new 6,500 SF house in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. We are very excited to be working with the owner to incorporate many "green design" concepts throughout the project. Please enjoy the images, we will post more on this project as it gets futher into development.

Green Walk

2009-10-09T13:48:00.004-04:00

Did you know that asthma is the leading chronic illness among children and the cause of nearly 4,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. You are not alone, there are many more people who are unaware of the devastating effects of this chronic lung disease and I need your help to spread the word and make an impact.

To help make a difference and save lives, Nick has signed up as a participant in the American Lung Association of Florida's O2 Green Walk that will take place on Saturday, October 24th.

Nick and his younger sister, were diagnosed with Asthma early in their childhood, so this cause is particularly important to him.

We understand that the current economic conditions are difficult for most, but we encourage all who can, to donate to this cause. Even small contributions adds up over time. Please visit Nick's personal web page (nothing too exciting) and follow the instructions to make a secure online donation. You can link to the page by clicking on this blog entry title.

Thank you for the support.

11 Ocean

2009-10-09T11:52:00.013-04:00

We are excited to announce that permit drawings for the first phase of 11 Ocean Street are complete. This phase is primarily an interior remodel, converting the first floor space to a bar and restrooms.

The bar will have an industrial feel, and celebrate the wonderful mural that can be seen in the rendering above. We hope to uncover the the original wood flooring in good enough condition to salvage and replace as needed. The mural and exposed brick will be sealed to protect them from any further deterioration. We are also hoping to repurpose wood beams and studs that were left on the second floor, throughout the interior design.

McVeigh and Mangum are the MEP engineers of record on this phase and Flagstone Group Commercial will be the construction company.

Office Desk

2009-09-29T17:10:00.012-04:00

It has been along time coming, but Nicholas Renard has added another piece of furniture to his collection. The design uses a simple form to not distract from the beauty and interest of the material. The desk incorporates a cavity for drawings, scales, files and whatever else may go on a desk. The inspiration for the desk came to him at the DOCOMOMO event celebrating Modern Classics in the Spring.

The desk is constructed of one inch strips of plywood, rotated to expose the individual plys and laminated back together. Once assembled there is a lot of sanding...hours and hours of sanding. The finish is a natural stain and a poly-crylic seal.

The corner (top to front) detail uses a tongue and grove method linking the two pieces together.

The above image shows the built-in storage. It also shows Nick's screen saver, as a graduate of the University of Cincinnati he is very proud that his Bearcats, now ranked as the 10th best football team in the nation!

The desk is currently on display and in use at Cote Renard's office, please feel free to stop by anytime to see it. Nick has designed and built a counter top and a coffee table using a similar process. The legs of the desk were donated to by Total Office Solutions in Jacksonville, Florida.

Sustainable Classroom

2009-08-21T11:31:00.004-04:00

This is the design entry for the 2009 Emerging Professional competition for the state of Florida created by Nicholas Renard. The competition was about creating a new economical design for the "mobile" classroom units in the state of Florida.

This was an exciting project for Nick, as his wife Kristen teaches art in a "mobile" at Ft. Caroline Elementary. This design did not win at the state level, but it was a great opportunity for a design collaboration between Nick and Kristen.

Please enjoy the images, they were creating using our Revit software. Revit is now the platform on which all of the projects at Cote Renard are documented.

Competition Winner

2009-08-20T16:11:00.010-04:00

Cote Renard is proud to announce that Nicholas Renard won the jury and peer award for 2009 AIA Jacksonville Emerging Design Professional design skyscraper competition. He received an award for this at the annual AIA Jacksonville Deign and Honor awards gala on May 18th.

Nicholas wrote in his entry:

"Considering the common notion and proportion of a skyscraper to the city block; the awkward site and existing buildings proved to be difficult. This solution considers the surrounding buildings and uses different heights to relate to them."

This image is the competition board that was submitted, which now hangs in the lobby at Cote Renard's office.

First Post

2009-08-20T14:41:00.005-04:00

Cote Renard has entered the world of the blog!

We would like to give a special thanks to Ellen Leroy-Reed at Breaking Ground Contracting, moving from the role of LEED professor to Blog motivator.

It has been a long time since our last newsletter, so we have a lot of good things to show off. There will probably be a blast of blogs/posts over the next few weeks, so subscribe or at least check back often.

Have a wonderful day!