So, during a critical mass ride in NYC, a police officer took out a cyclist. I guess he was pissed the guy was riding a bike instead of driving a Hummer. Boo hiss. It's time the East Coast cyclists take back the streets. This kind of behavior is the exact reason the world is getting more brainless.
Check out the vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
PreFABULOUS
It's been an architectural quandary since its inception. The idea that a person could order a house in a catalog, have it shipped to their home, and build it for less than the cost of onsite construction has never quite been successful. The best of the best have tried, but they always seemed to come up over budget. Now, the Museum of Modern Art is revisiting modular, prefabricated construction with some cutting edge architectural firms that have some incredible solutions supported by very 21st century concepts. Prefabrication is a hugely green concept because the materials are created in a factory, controlled environment away from the elements. This produces a much more sealed building envelope and reduces the risk of mold. Congratulations to Philadelphia architectural firm Kiernan/Timberlake for building the cellophane house, one of the highlights of the exhibit.
Cellophane House Graphic Perspective
The Web site for this exhibit is a must-see. It's http://www.momahomedelivery.org/. The site has the history of prefab housing, process journals, installation videos, and more cool shit.
If you go (and you damn well should), it's running till Oct. 20 in MOMA's West Lot, 54th Street.
Cellophane House Graphic Perspective
The Web site for this exhibit is a must-see. It's http://www.momahomedelivery.org/. The site has the history of prefab housing, process journals, installation videos, and more cool shit.
If you go (and you damn well should), it's running till Oct. 20 in MOMA's West Lot, 54th Street.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Eating Green
We've come a long way since the days of the old McDonald's Styrofoam menu. Restaurants across the country are now taking big steps to reduce waste and energy by getting certified with the Green Restaurant Association. Why is it important to get certifications from outside, impartial agencies? Because then we can avoid the trend of "greenwashing," which is when a company, a product, or a building talks a big game about sustainable practices without the actual numbers to back up the claims. It usually means they're lying or exaggerating. This certifications means the business can not only prove its sustainable practices, but also that it cares enough to have them proven.
These are some of the basic guidelines for the GRA:
- Energy Efficiency & Conservation
- Water Efficiency & Conservation
- Recycling & Composting
- Sustainable Food
- Pollution Prevention
- Recycled, Tree-Free, Biodegradable & Organic Products
- Chlorine-Free Paper Products
- Non-Toxic Cleaning & Chemical Products
- Green Power
- Green Building & Construction
- Education
If you want to know about restaurants in your area that are certified, check out this Web site:
http://www.dinegreen.com/default.asp?displaypage=memberhome&
The only PA restaurants that I noticed were the Pita Pit in Philly (great place) and Arooga's Grille and Sports Bar in Harrisburg. Here's a video on Arooga's becoming the first green restaurant in the Keystone State:
http://www.wgal.com/video/16948298/index.html
I'm so proud of Central PA right now.
Peace.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Dansko's Green Headquarters
Why build green?
Here are a few reasons ...
"In the United States alone, buildings account for:
• 70% of electricity consumption,
• 39% of energy use,
• 39% of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions,
• 40% of raw materials use,
• 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually), and
• 12% of potable water consumption."
(U.S. Green Building Council - www.usgbc.org)
So reducing all of these statistics makes perfect sense, but few really understand the true impact that a green building can make on one's day-to-day life. Fortunately, I was able to get a glimpse at the new corporate headquarters for Dansko shoes, which is just outside of Philadelphia. It is a LEED certified Gold building (second highest). What does a sustainable building look like? What are the systems that make it sustainable? What is it make of? What are the implications for a workplace environment that decides to put the employees' health first?
This is the front door for the corporate entrance for Dansko. Notice the large windows and solar shades towards the top of the windows on the left. These shades keep sunlight out during the summer and invite it in during the winter. The glass also has glazing on the lower portion to reduce heat gain during the day.
This is one of the largest living walls in the Philadelphia area. It spans the entire length of the walls and two stories high. A living wall is constructed with an air filtration system and a water system behind it to keep the plants healthy. The plants are basically grown hydroponicly. A foam of sorts keeps the plants in their place on the wall. Solar lights are programmed to turn on for a few hours in the early morning to give the plants their daily sunbath. Oh, and the big dog in the photo belongs to Dansko founder Peter Kjellerup. He had another big ole pooch wandering around as well. You gotta love a successful businessman with two huge dogs and a conscience.
Here's a closeup so you can see how the plants were installed.
This is the outlet retail space portion of the building. Multiple sources of direct and indirect light are not only green, they're profitable - just ask Wal Mart. You know if they're doing it, it's profitable. This room utilizes radiant heating, which keeps the customers' feet warm as well as reducing energy costs because the room doesn't have to be heated as much. See that sock looking thing in the ceiling? That's a fabric HVAC duct. The curved roof of this room aids in water collection and reflects the light back into the atmosphere, avoiding the occurrence of a heat island effect.
This is the office portion of the building, where the shoe design magic happens. Notice that the lights in the center of the room are bright, while the ones near the windows almost look like they're off. The use of dimmable ballasts allows for there to be a constant level of footcandles from one end of the room to the other because the lights dim on their own by measuring the footcandles entering from the windows. No strain on the eyes anywhere in the room. No waste of energy by leaving the lights on high in the daytime. Also notice the vents and carpet tiles in the floor. This building is unique because it is utilizing a new trend in design by putting the plenum (the about three feet of space used for electrical, HVAC, etc.) below the floor. The huge advantage of doing this is that the designer can leave the ceiling high and exposed and reduce the use of material for ceiling tiles. It also allows the space to be completely flexible and customizable. The vents and carpet tiles are easy to pull up by maintenance crews, so if the use of the space changes or you add a new desk, the HVAC system can change accordingly. If you don't like a lot of air conditioning blowing on you, you can turn off the vent at your feet. No fighting with office mates. Plus, heating and cooling from the floor means that the temperature is being brought in for primary use up to the height of a normal human being as heat drifts to the ceiling. No blowing in air conditioning at high intensity from a ceiling point.
My favorite part of the building is the giant green roof that is accessible by the employees to enjoy. All the rooftops on this building are either on angles or green roofs. The normal green roof uses only three inches of soil. This one is much deeper so they could use a variety of plants. Green roofs reduce the heat island effect, collect water, eliminate the stormwater runoff that would normally occur with any building, naturally and efficiently insulate, and reduce the need for maintenance of the structure. There are some green roofs in Europe that are 60 years old and still haven't needed more maintenance than some regular trimming.
So, to wrap up some of the other cool features of this building ... They have a major parking lot that uses pavers that allow grass to grow through, so, permeable surface, no runoff. The other portion has stormwater ponds, which run all the water off into a vegetative area that is capable of handling it.
If your company is so green, then one would have to think about the quality of the workplace, too, right? This building, for 40 employees, will have a childcare facility, a full commercial kitchen for catering, a lunch room, and yoga and fitness room. Every workplace should have something like this, or at least a neighborhood spot that your company pays for you to use. I'm sounding like a socialist right now, aren't I? Damn right.
The thing that I took away from this building the most was the air and light quality. They had just painted the day before I visited. No paint smell, no VOCs (volatile organic compounds found in everything from carpet glue to clothing). No new building smell. Just clean, healthy air. No glaring fluorescents either, just a calm level of consistent lighting. This is a beautiful place to work. Hopefully, we will all have a quality workplace environment to spend our days. It makes perfect dollar sense - less sick days, more productive staff, lower energy costs.
For more on the Dansko story (it's a good one) and their building efforts, check out http://www.dansko.com/flash.aspx#innersole
Here are a few reasons ...
"In the United States alone, buildings account for:
• 70% of electricity consumption,
• 39% of energy use,
• 39% of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions,
• 40% of raw materials use,
• 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually), and
• 12% of potable water consumption."
(U.S. Green Building Council - www.usgbc.org)
So reducing all of these statistics makes perfect sense, but few really understand the true impact that a green building can make on one's day-to-day life. Fortunately, I was able to get a glimpse at the new corporate headquarters for Dansko shoes, which is just outside of Philadelphia. It is a LEED certified Gold building (second highest). What does a sustainable building look like? What are the systems that make it sustainable? What is it make of? What are the implications for a workplace environment that decides to put the employees' health first?
This is the front door for the corporate entrance for Dansko. Notice the large windows and solar shades towards the top of the windows on the left. These shades keep sunlight out during the summer and invite it in during the winter. The glass also has glazing on the lower portion to reduce heat gain during the day.
This is one of the largest living walls in the Philadelphia area. It spans the entire length of the walls and two stories high. A living wall is constructed with an air filtration system and a water system behind it to keep the plants healthy. The plants are basically grown hydroponicly. A foam of sorts keeps the plants in their place on the wall. Solar lights are programmed to turn on for a few hours in the early morning to give the plants their daily sunbath. Oh, and the big dog in the photo belongs to Dansko founder Peter Kjellerup. He had another big ole pooch wandering around as well. You gotta love a successful businessman with two huge dogs and a conscience.
Here's a closeup so you can see how the plants were installed.
This is the outlet retail space portion of the building. Multiple sources of direct and indirect light are not only green, they're profitable - just ask Wal Mart. You know if they're doing it, it's profitable. This room utilizes radiant heating, which keeps the customers' feet warm as well as reducing energy costs because the room doesn't have to be heated as much. See that sock looking thing in the ceiling? That's a fabric HVAC duct. The curved roof of this room aids in water collection and reflects the light back into the atmosphere, avoiding the occurrence of a heat island effect.
This is the office portion of the building, where the shoe design magic happens. Notice that the lights in the center of the room are bright, while the ones near the windows almost look like they're off. The use of dimmable ballasts allows for there to be a constant level of footcandles from one end of the room to the other because the lights dim on their own by measuring the footcandles entering from the windows. No strain on the eyes anywhere in the room. No waste of energy by leaving the lights on high in the daytime. Also notice the vents and carpet tiles in the floor. This building is unique because it is utilizing a new trend in design by putting the plenum (the about three feet of space used for electrical, HVAC, etc.) below the floor. The huge advantage of doing this is that the designer can leave the ceiling high and exposed and reduce the use of material for ceiling tiles. It also allows the space to be completely flexible and customizable. The vents and carpet tiles are easy to pull up by maintenance crews, so if the use of the space changes or you add a new desk, the HVAC system can change accordingly. If you don't like a lot of air conditioning blowing on you, you can turn off the vent at your feet. No fighting with office mates. Plus, heating and cooling from the floor means that the temperature is being brought in for primary use up to the height of a normal human being as heat drifts to the ceiling. No blowing in air conditioning at high intensity from a ceiling point.
My favorite part of the building is the giant green roof that is accessible by the employees to enjoy. All the rooftops on this building are either on angles or green roofs. The normal green roof uses only three inches of soil. This one is much deeper so they could use a variety of plants. Green roofs reduce the heat island effect, collect water, eliminate the stormwater runoff that would normally occur with any building, naturally and efficiently insulate, and reduce the need for maintenance of the structure. There are some green roofs in Europe that are 60 years old and still haven't needed more maintenance than some regular trimming. So, to wrap up some of the other cool features of this building ... They have a major parking lot that uses pavers that allow grass to grow through, so, permeable surface, no runoff. The other portion has stormwater ponds, which run all the water off into a vegetative area that is capable of handling it.
If your company is so green, then one would have to think about the quality of the workplace, too, right? This building, for 40 employees, will have a childcare facility, a full commercial kitchen for catering, a lunch room, and yoga and fitness room. Every workplace should have something like this, or at least a neighborhood spot that your company pays for you to use. I'm sounding like a socialist right now, aren't I? Damn right.
The thing that I took away from this building the most was the air and light quality. They had just painted the day before I visited. No paint smell, no VOCs (volatile organic compounds found in everything from carpet glue to clothing). No new building smell. Just clean, healthy air. No glaring fluorescents either, just a calm level of consistent lighting. This is a beautiful place to work. Hopefully, we will all have a quality workplace environment to spend our days. It makes perfect dollar sense - less sick days, more productive staff, lower energy costs.
For more on the Dansko story (it's a good one) and their building efforts, check out http://www.dansko.com/flash.aspx#innersole
A warm welcome
The world is changing ...Or so we must hope.
I have come to the belief that if the human race does not change, there will be very little optimism for its survival, and therefore, the survival of many other species on this planet. We began taking from the earth long ago when we failed to accept our population losses in concurrence with famine, flood, and so on. We decided to plant our own crops. We refused to accept the life that nature gave us and decided we were superior to other species. We have since then destroyed the natural evolution of species on this planet. And we've justified it through myth, through religion, through politics, through business, through our routine daily lives. However, the solution is not a matter of saving the earth. The earth will endure as it did before we stepped our soft feet upon it. It is a matter of our being here to witness another sunrise. If we cannot learn from nature - from every atom around us that is directly interconnected with the atoms that are within each of us - then we are utterly lost.
Sound depressing?
It shouldn't. ...
It shouldn't sound depressing because human beings have evolved to do something that no other creature on this planet is capable of ... creation ... invention ... inspiration.
That is what I am trying to do here ... right now. To share creation, invention, inspiration that will drive myself, my friends, and anyone who might come upon this virtual meetingplace to awaken from the afternoon nap of indifference. To propel forward this revolution of cultural and environmental awareness that is on the cusp on taking hold. We cannot revert back to our hunting and gathering past, but we can evolve as a global consciousness. We are so close to realizing the only driving factor for what we call "goodness" in this world - we are all one.
I will share inspirations in nature from architecture, design, fine arts, literature, philosophy, business, and life. There is to presumptuousness here ... I do not know better than you or the next human being. I am quite simply open. So, I will share what I have learned from colleagues, friends, professors, professionals, and strangers in the hopes that I will remember and in the hopes that it might ignite a spirit in another. Please share anything and everything.
It is time to wake up.
*The above image is "Oversoul" by Alex Grey, 1997, oil on linen, 30" x 40". See www.AlexGrey.com for more.
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