Its time to green out!

t

http://cleantechnica.com/2012/09/28/suntech-to-help-power-congo-hospital/

http://www.the9billion.com/2012/09/20/seedbomb-vending-machines-the-latest-in-urban-guerrilla-gardening/

http://cleantechnica.com/2012/09/25/delhi-inaugurates-its-first-solar-powered-water-treatment-plant-owned-operated-by-students/

http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/05/pnnl-unienergy-new-redox-flow-battery-for-wind-power/

http://inhabitat.com/v3solars-photovoltaic-spin-cell-cones-capture-sunlight-all-day-long/

http://cleantechnica.com/2012/09/28/suntech-to-help-power-congo-hospital/

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/blogs/696/Green-Companies-Have-More-Productive-Workers.html

http://www.architectmagazine.com/architecture/clinton-global-initiative–the-case-for-activism.aspx

http://www.alexsteffen.com/2012/09/a-note-on-strategic-urbanism/

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/6014/climate-change-could-kill-100-million-2030-if-world

http://www.ecouterre.com/adidas-by-stella-mccartney-debuts-water-saving-drydye-t-shirt/

My co-worker, Bruce, recently reminded me of these principles when he sent me and our office a quote from something he had recently read.* The text took me back a long, long way back (xx years in fact!) to my University of Texas days. It brought to mind just how much I use my architecture education in my day-to-day endeavors.

Firmness represents the rationalist view; every building needs a foundation, after all. There are certain minimal elements that need to exist for something to be considered architecture; this is firmness. The term speaks to a building’s engineering, something quantifiable that can be reduced to mathematics. For residential spaces, Corbusier eloquently stated: “The house is a machine for living.” I would grouse the fact that the Gehry buildings are not so big on the properties of firmness. They are built for fashion, not the ages.

Commodity is humanism. A building is used by humans and must conform to this reality. In our modern culture, this usually trickles down to what architects call “mod-cons” (modern conveniences) – but the principle of commodity has such a broader, richer reach. Some may argue that best humanist bathroom would have shag carpet. Or would it? To be cleaned easily, it would be tiled, or have a floor of a material that is quick and easy to sterilize. It may not be so luxe on the tootsies, but at this point in history a hard surface is the most humanistic choice for our bathrooms. (at least until nanotechnology gets to the point of making shag not only plush, but also super-clean!) We appreciate volume in our bedrooms and living rooms and – if space is limited – we will settle for smaller areas that connect to or are subservient to these areas. This is commodity. Guest cabins on a cruise ship are fairly small, but the dining room and other public spaces are quite grand. Or commodious.

Delight is romanticism. Ah! The intangible! It is the most important element, at least for most human beings. What is it about a space that makes it enjoyable – that inspires memories, or brings us back? It might be the color, texture or lighting level. It’s that thing that makes us remember, or attracts us, or has us finding pieces to take along to the next space in our lives. The Gehry examples just aren’t fair because they span so many levels of the principle of “delight.” The exterior is whimsical, reminding us of our childhood. It embodies the movement of wind, and things that are ethereal, not concrete. Delightful, when caught – and even when not! At the interior, there is all kinds of art – a visual and auditory treat. Oh, my! How delightful when such good examples of either are presented in a wonderfully-embracing container. Delight!

For example, the principles of firmness and rationalism have become the most exciting part of my involvement in our projects for NuStyle Development. We’ve determining the optimum amount of residential units that an existing building can contain to ensure a successful return on investment. NuStyle’s co-owner, Todd Heistand, is all about building his apartments for 50 years, knowing that there will likely be a new use for the building in about that time. So thinking through the way all of the building systems can have the least maintenance over that lifetime is a part of the puzzle we put together as his architects.

Commodity (or humanism) impacts our choices for walk-in bedroom closets, tiled kitchens and bathrooms, rain-glass finish on shower doors, extra closets and full-size appliances in large, suburban-style kitchens. Hum-drum? Possibly. But with all of the housing options that exist out there, NuStyle Development has matured enough that they want any prospective tenant to know that, because they will be renting an apartment from NuStyle development, they can expect certain amenities (or “modern conveniences” in architect-speak).

The Farm Credit Building, now known as The Bank, has given me a chance to engage delight (or romanticism). Built in the 20s and 30s and renovated in 2011, The Bank was a complex from the early twentieth century that is now marketed to people who were born near the start of the twenty-first century. We delivered high ceilings in the living rooms and bedrooms (as opposed to 8-foot suburban style). While the building does not allow for great views, there is an abundance of natural light. The public corridors take you a step back in time, evoking the building history.

Then there’s The Highline. Built in the 1950s and renovated in 2012, it is marketed as a high-end mid-century apartment complex in a landmark building known to a large local population. What to deliver: a series of proportional public lobbies that evoke the elegant apartment buildings that were built in that era (not a “wow,” but an “ah!”). Each apartment unit features an entire wall of windows. How odd in this age of slap-up apartments! And how urban both then, and now. A public terrace overlooks the local modern sculpture garden, over the elevated lawn…it’s a view that symbolizes the mid-century ideal of a tower garden apartment – realized at last in Omaha, 50 years later.

What an exciting profession we work in! We’re able to take the best cues from the past, and use them in our present-day designs.

* The quote reads: “…Delight is sadly an often neglected trait of architectural design. Although we are all taught early on in architecture school about Vitruvius’ founding rules of ‘firmness, commodity and delight’, delight in this context generally means a pleasing built appearance, but why not take a more literal approach? Nature reminds us of the refreshing power of delight in life, it can rekindle that childlike wonder we had before the world was dulled by routine and expectation. The built environment is capable of inspiring wonder as well, not only by large formal and structural gestures like those of Ghery, but also by small unexpected details that challenge expectations in a playful way. Ghery’s Guggenheim Bilbao and City of Wine building create delight by contrasting the existing city vernacular and challenging expectations of what a building should look like.” From architecture and delight | littlegreenseed

Bike on frosty paws!

t

http://www.copenhagenize.com/2012/10/can-you-improve-bicycle-infrastructure.html

http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/48207

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/nov/01/cyclist-pedestrian-canal-towpath

http://inhabitat.com/the-d-bike-is-a-build-it-yourself-bike-that-can-be-assembled-like-a-jigsaw/

Here are some sites that are pretty interesting.

Go Green!

t

http://inhabitat.com/ghana-to-utilize-poo-power-in-quest-to-use-10-renewable-energy-sources-by-2020/

http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/11/door-door-collection-reduces-waste-hernani-spain/

http://inhabitat.com/the-o2-pursuit-is-an-air-powered-motorcycle-that-can-travel-62-miles-on-a-single-charge/

http://inhabitat.com/the-saphonian-wind-turbine-ditches-blades-for-a-more-efficient-and-less-expensive-design/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/06/hurricanes-climate-change-fossil-fuels

http://www.ecology.com/2012/10/31/benefits-urban-trees/

http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2012/10/30/could-liquid-air-be-the-fuel-of-the-future-the-green-piece/

http://cleantechnica.com/2012/11/12/marks-spencer-to-source-19000-mw-from-shanks-waste-to-energy-project/

http://thisbigcity.net/berlinomics-power-from-trash/

Arch on!

Mike T.

Lebbeus Woods, Experimental Architect, Dies. Interested in learning more about Woods’ work? Read about The Light Pavilion, his experimental light space in Chengdu, China (and its construction, too).

Building Bytes: 3D printed bricks for architectural structures

Architects Turn Disused Parking Garages into Pop-up Homes

Super-Efficient Solar Powerered Internet Schools

Urban Legos: A conceptual cure for civic blight blindness

 Feature Image: Lebbeus Woods, Havana, 1994.

We’ve even been on the League of American Bicyclists’ Bike Friendly Business list since 2009.

Today, we wanted to share some bike-centric links to articles for you to enjoy.  If there is something you find interesting, let’s start a conversation!

Looking Cool On Your Commute

A Retrofittable Wheelchair Aid

Do We Need Traffic Lights for Cyclists?

Help! I’ve Fallen … 

Elevated Bike Highways

Ride on!

Mike T.

Today I am sharing some links to articles that will hopefully inspire you to be a part of the solution.

The Swedish are such good recyclers they have to import garbage!

Top 6 Green Supportive and Low Income Housing Projects

Renewables Help German Grid Reaches Record Reliability

The Entire Earth Could Be Powered by Wind

7 Tips to Green Your Kitchen

America’s Green-est Restaurant is Simply the Coolest (See feature photo!)

Green on!

Mike T.

 Feature photo of The Grey Plume by Erin Giannangelo 

I thought back to before the bridge was built, when it was first being proposed and funds were being allocated. At the time, many Omahans expressed opposition and even animosity about the bridge. Some people thought that $22 million was too much to spend on “just a bridge.” Others thought that a foot bridge between Nebraska and Iowa was just a case of linking “Nothing” to “More Nothing.”

The typical taxpayer is generally most concerned about the cost of a project and uses this as their baseline for decision-making. So it took some visionary leaders who were willing to fight for the project and raise funds to make the bridge the reality that stands today. They understood the potential that beautiful public spaces have to powerfully impact a city and its inhabitants.

Great design is the reason we have a pedestrian bridge that is so well-used by the public; it is what makes our bridge a public icon and destination, rather than a utilitarian eyesore. We’ve all seen the bridge teeming with runners, cyclists, people in love, and parents spending time with their kids. Would this bridge be used as much as it is if it looked like the typical Omaha overpass? Absolutely not!

I’m sure you can think of numerous examples of eyesores throughout our city—and throughout every city for that matter. But where do you see the iconic ones? More often than not, these places exist in areas where people tend to congregate. Because everyone—whether they realize it or not—enjoys design that creates space where people want to spend their time.

As designers, we are passionate about improving the architectural landscape of our city through every project that we work on—no matter how big or how small—because we believe that everyone longs for beauty, and everyone deserves it.

Written by Ryan Fisher / Photo by Erin Giannangelo

We are blessed with a staff of creative individuals from diverse backgrounds who create a rich design dialogue within our firm. They will certainly enrich our conversation as we begin this blogging journey. We should note, however, that getting a group of “creatives” to agree on something as insignificant as the studio music selections can be difficult, let alone the challenging topics on the subject of design.. With that said, we have included a DISCLAIMER: not all views shared in this blog are consistent with the views of our entire staff.

One thing we can all agree on are the core principles that we weave into everyday life here at APMA: