Wrapping Up a Year of Celebration: Highlights from Our 60th Anniversary
We reflect on highlights from our 60th year!
Ghosts Stories of Kindleberger Mansion
Where our memories collide with those that once called the Kindleberger their home.
Common Themes…Then and Now
60 years of experience and the themes of practice we strive for are still applicable today.
Branches in Grand Rapids… Then and Now
While OCBA’s roots are in Kalamazoo, our branches have reached to Grand Rapids.
Roots in Kalamazoo… Then and Now
OCBA is rooted in Kalamazoo, but we’ve had a few homes, including the Kindleberger Mansion and now Argos East.
Leadership… Then and Now
Bob O’Boyle would say if you have talented people, provide them with great projects and a supportive environment, the business will inevitably be successful.
How We Work… Then and Now
60 years of OCBA, what has changed? How we work has moved from hand-drawn graphics to computer-generated renderings.
Placemaking
The essence of Placemaking is that it comes from the voices of those who will use the space– it’s not about design, it’s about how it evolves out of the community from which it serves.
Letter From The President — December 2021
OCBA strives to be a thought-provoking leader in these three areas. Our goal on every project is to use a diverse, deep-rooted native plant palette that supports pollinators and sequesters carbon; manage rainwater by restoring or mimicking natural systems so that flooding is reduced; and work with the community to create beautiful spaces that are equitable, diverse and vibrant.
Green Systems
We utilize green infrastructure, which uses green systems to filter and absorb stormwater where it falls (learn more about this here). Green systems are nature-based solutions for urban water management, and these systems can be a number of different things.
What is ‘Green Infrastructure’?
In the past several years, ‘sustainability’ and ‘going green’ have become popular buzzwords— but what do they actually mean? To us, these are more than catchy marketing terms that sound nice. In fact, our entire business is based on something called green infrastructure, which is both sustainable and (you guessed it) green!