Staff Post by Wayne Visbeen

I have had the privilege of playing some of the most revered golf courses in the world in the past 15 years. Many of these classics have been in the East Coast, which has a wonderful tradition of great courses, and for me, even better, great clubhouses. In the East I have played, Oakmont, Oakhill, Baltusrol, Winged Foot, Merion, and most recently Ridgewood Country Club. These courses have all hosted PGA events and have a long tradition of golfing excellence. Several of these courses have two things in common that I want to refer to today: golf course Architect, A.W. Tillinghast and Architect Clifford C. Wendehack. Wendehack worked most prolifically in the 20’s and was responsible for some of my favorite clubhouse designs.

Winged Foot’s Clubhouse is considered by many the quintessential clubhouse and is one of the most beautiful I have visited.

Winged Foot

Mamaroneck, NY

Pennhills Country Club

Bradford, PA

Visbeen Associates has been selected to begin a process of master planning and designing several elements of the Ridgewood Country Club prior to their hosting the Barclays Event the summer of 2014. We are developing a practice facility and doing an addition and pro shop renovation. The future plans include a new pool, pool house, exercise facility and updated kitchen and dining areas. During this time, I have had the luxury of playing the course a few times and enjoying the beauty of this world-class facility. It is a great opportunity to become a part of architectural history.

Rendering of Ridgewood Country Club

Ridgewood Country Club

Paramus, NJ

Sketches done for Ridgewood Country Club

We are also working on another Wendehack Club, Hackensack Country Club in Ordell, N.J. to look at a new pool house and pool facility.

Hackensack Golf Club

Oradell, NJ

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Waterfront Design: Challenges & Opportunities

Next week Thursday, April 28, Wayne Visbeen will be leading a free educational seminar hosted by the Grand Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Wayne will present a pictorial essay on the design challenges and opportunities of waterfront living. Topics will range from site considerations and restrictions to functionality and aesthetics. Whether you're an architect or a waterfront enthusiast, you will find this presentation educational and entertaining.

Location: UICA, 41 Sheldon Blvd SE, Grand Rapids, MI

Time: 6:00p - Cocktail social hour with appetizers

7:00p-8:00p - Lecture

Cost: FREE so don't miss it!

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Introducing...Wayne Visbeen

Tuesday's post this week was all about our Visbeen Associates Staff Christmas party, but have you met all of our stellar staff? If not, stay tuned to this blog! Over the next month or so I will introduce you to each of our talented staff members. Although most of you may know him, our introductions will start with our fearless leader - Wayne Visbeen:

Architect Wayne Visbeen attributes his passion for design to a childhood spent on construction sites. Visbeen’s father owned a construction company in his hometown of Wyckoff, New Jersey, and his grandfather was a self-taught architect and builder. It’s no surprise that Visbeen loves to design. His natural abilities to understand space and structure have taken him on quite a journey since receiving his graduate degree from Lawrence Technological University in 1986. After working in retail design for companies like Taubman Centers and The Gantos Group, Visbeen decided to start his own firm in the early 1990’s.

Since the creation of VAI, he has independently designed commercial and residential projects all over the world, and garnered many awards. As a licensed architect and registered interior designer, Visbeen has the ability to fit plans together inside and out. One of his strengths is a “live design” approach. Visbeen is an artist, and can sketch floor plans from scratch. The client expresses a vision, and he puts it on paper. Due to his unique ability to “design on-the-go,” Visbeen is able to travel, work and draw anywhere.

Wayne has been married to his wife Marcia for 29 years. Their three daughters, Jaclyn, Julia and Elise, are out of the house, so the Visbeens spend much of their free time traveling as a couple. Wayne also enjoys playing golf, riding his bike and spending time with friends.

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eightWest Condo Design Challenge: Finale

On eightWest's show this morning, the winner for the Condo Design Challenge at River House Condominiums was announced by the judges, Wayne Visbeen, Peter Baldwin and Mary Witte. This challenge gave teams of interior design students from area schools the chance to design the interiors of a condo at The River House in downtown Grand Rapids. Congratulations to Julie Christopherson & Cat O'Brien from Michigan State University for a fabulous winning design!

If you missed this morning's show, you can view the segment below to see the presentations of the participants as well as the final winning design plan. A special thanks to the crew at eightWest, Terri DeBoer, Rachel Ruiz, the judges - Wayne Visbeen from Visbeen Associates, Peter Baldwin from AMDG Architects and Mary Witte from ROI Design, Bob Grooters and River House Condominiums and all of the participants of the challenge for a great competition!

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Clareville Residence

We certainly were honored when the homeowners of the Clareville residence (built by Jeff Segard with interiors by Julie Holmes) had these kind words to share:

We had a great experience working with Wayne and the entire crew at Visbeen Associates. We had a very narrow lot to work with, so when we decided to tear down our small existing cottage and build a new lake home, we knew we needed professional help to make the most of our space. In our initial meeting, Wayne listened carefully to what we were trying to accomplish, and started drawing out ideas even as we spoke. At the end of a very interactive three hour session, we had an initial floor plan concept and renderings of both the front and back elevations. It was really exciting as we literally watched our vision becoming a reality right before our eyes.

With Wayne’s original drawings in hand, the team at Visbeen took it to the next level; creating the detailed drawings and engineering specifications needed to actually build our home. Once we had agreement on the floor plans and exterior elevations, we went back to Visbeen Associates with our builder for several sessions where we worked out the particulars of the interior architecture. Those sessions were also very interactive and Wayne’s drawings were extremely helpful to us, our builder and our interior designer. They helped us visualize what the interior spaces could end up looking like, and begin to see how we would actually live in the space.

I would highly recommend Visbeen Associates to anyone, and, in fact, I already have. We had an altogether wonderful experience working with Wayne and his team, and we couldn’t be happier with the end product. We simply love our new home. It’s everything we dared to hope it might be.

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2010 American Residential Design Awards

Shorepointe

1st Place

Renovation, 1500sf & over

Bear Tooth Lodge

1st Place

Conceptual Design, 2501 - 4000sf

East 8th Street

1st Place

Multi-Family Design, 4 units or more

Reynard

2nd Place

Custom Luxury, 5001 - 6000sf

Horizon View

2nd Place

Custom Luxury, 3000sf & under

Pinehurst

2nd Place

Model Home, 4001 & over

Blaine

2nd Place

Published Design, 4001sf & over

Stratton

2nd Place

Conceptual Design

Innisbrook

2nd Place

Working Drawings

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Happy Birthday, Wayne!

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Heaven on Earth Home

Interior Designer, Margaux Drake, blogged about a design meeting with Wayne Visbeen and I thought you'd enjoy reading it here. What's your Heaven on Earth Home?

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Design Lines

Design Lines, a publication of the American Institute of Building Design, interviewed Wayne Visbeen about home management centers and here's the article. For ease of reading, read it on our website.

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National Make-A-Wish!

The playhouse that Wayne Visbeen designed for Lily's Wish made

national Make-A-Wish news!

Check it out.

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Designer Spotlight

We were thrilled when Whirlpool asked to highlight Wayne Visbeen and Visbeen Associates in the Designer Spotlight section of their premier Designer Newsletter. Check it out!

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