Architecture Addiction, The Official Blog of

(…but I can’t wait to get out of here until then.)

I just read this article in the Architect’s Paper.

In January another hopeful, a high-speed intra-regional transportation system designed to link a necklace of Southern California airports and ports, transitioned from planning to implementation phase when the LA City Council approved a joint-government authority to oversee the development of its initial operating segment (IOS). The authority will supervise and approve route selection, the Environmental Impact Review (EIR), financing, land acquisition, bids, and construction on a proposed route linking Los Angeles to the Ontario Airport.

If funded and built as currently conceptualized, the entire system would be completed by 2030, move at speeds of up to 300 miles per hour, and provide transportation for up to 500,000 riders a day.

300 miles per hour! You mean I won’t have to leave my apartment an hour ahead of time to get someplace that’s only five miles away anymore?

I just read this in the Guardian…

Frank Gehry has unveiled plans for his Serpentine Pavilion - the ninth in a series of temporary summer buildings commissioned by the Serpentine Gallery in London.

Um…

I have to ask…

Does this look like a dumped-out a box of building parts to anyone else?

I just read this article in Architect Magazine about the world of the near future.

The water world.

You know, because of green house gases, climate change, melting glaciers, changing coastlines…

As the oceans heat up, they expand—up to eight inches in height already—and melting glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica continue to pump up the volume. The flow of ice into the sea has doubled over the past decade and over the next century could cause a 20-foot rise, making densely populated regions like the Nile Delta uninhabitable. In the U.S., even three more feet would flood every city on the Eastern seaboard. If you remember the aerials in An Inconvenient Truth, you know how this might look: Whole coastlines shrink as water spills inland and redraws the map of the world.

Architecture Research Office of New York has come up with some ideas for how to deal.

Fast-forwarding to 2106, ARO imagines a postdiluvian Big Apple as Big Venice—canals for streets and boats in lieu of cars. To maintain comparable density after the flood, ARO inserts new buildings over the public right-of-way. Spanning curb to curb, these unique structures, called “vanes,” would become reeflike foundations for a new communal habitat. “We have nature all around us—it’s the water,” says ARO’s Adam Yarinsky. “It’s not green space, but it’s natural.” Rediscovering the city’s relationship with the rivers, he feels, can “transform a catastrophe into a revelation.”

A design firm called Field Operations has another idea: Biopolis.

As principal James Corner explains, the first four centuries of the city’s development have been driven by economics—for example, about 3,600 acres of landfill have been added to Manhattan to increase available real estate. But he sees the city shifting from economics to ecology, becoming an integrated habitat of people, fauna, and flora—what he calls “a biological engine” and “an incubator for new life.” Instead of containing landscape within clearly defined boundaries—the Central Park model—vegetation would become the backbone of the community’s development. “Too often development and sustainability are seen as opposed,” says Corner. “But the two should go hand in hand.”

MIT students are finding inspiration from other watery locals.

Stilt villages have thrived forever in the Gulf of Thailand, so why not the Gulf of Mexico? Graduate students at MIT designed the storm-resistant Lift House for just this purpose.

Or what if people lived in billboards?

The Polish design firm Front Architects has designed a modernist twist in its “Single Hauz” concept. An occupied billboard, this simple box perched on a single post works with any terrain.

Or what about recreation in a floating parts like the architectural stylings of Norway’s Jensen & Skodvin?

Read the whole thing.

When I was first thinking about becoming an architect a few years back, I read a book called, Why Buildings Stand Up. I think it was here that I read about how when the Eiffel Tower was first built, the Parisians hated it.

And now, you know, everyone loves it. It’s so “Paris.”

I’m really surprised that the French would want to mess with something that’s so French…but they’re putting a big…hat?…on the Eiffel Tower.

You know what it looks like? The Ivory Tower at the end of “The Neverending Story,” where Atreyu and his Luck Dragon discovered that they failed to save Fantasia. Which I guess is kind of cool. I guess.

Not too long ago I told you about the Chronicle’s George Bush contest. You know. Design his library. On the back of an envelope.

They have a winner.

A medical illustrator from Dallas who spends his days drawing body parts and molecular structures has won The Chronicle‘s George W. Bush Presidential Library design contest.

Lewis E. Calver, an associate professor and chair of biomedical communications at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, beat out 120 other contestants, taking about 30 percent of the online vote with his beautifully drawn and carefully thought-out “Hole in the Ground” design.

The actual presidential library, which will be built at Southern Methodist University, will be designed by Robert A.M. Stern, dean of Yale University’s School of Architecture and head of Robert A.M. Stern Architects, a design firm best known for luxury condominiums and other high-end projects. The projected price tag is around $500-million.

The other day I told you about how my dad asked me if I was too old to go back to school to become an architect.

I responded by telling him that I was too young to resign myself to the alternative.

So imagine my delight when I came across this article on Canada’s Carlton University site.

“My own experiences at Carleton University illuminated the philosophy that underpins my professional success and personal fulfillment: Never stop learning, do what you love, and give back to the community,” says Azrieli, who at the age of 73 returned to school and graduated from the School of Architecture with a master’s degree in 1997, fulfilling yet another of his dreams.

Seventy three years old! And he goes back to school for his graduate degree in architecture! That’s rad. (And it makes me feel better about being 32.)

Last night I went with my sister and my boyfriend to the AIA 2x8 exhibit at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. If you’ve never been to West Hollywood before, it was way too West Hollywood for us.

PODS was one of the major sponsors, so the 32 banners of student work were strung up inside of 16 PODS. That’s one POD per LA architecture school.

Here’s me checking out somebody else’s work.

My mom called me up – somehow she got lost – to ask for the address on Melrose Avenue. I told her, “An address won’t do you any good. Just look for the ginormous green building and the huge blue building right next to it!”

She showed up with one of my other sister, and my uncle came along too.

Here’s my uncle, me, and my boyfriend.

Here are my sisters.

My favorite part of the evening (aside from hearing my name announced) was the paradigm shift. For the past year, members of my family have been telling me that they doesn’t understand why I would give up a “good job” to go be an architect.

I think this exhibit (and my Harvard acceptance) showed them that not only am I serious about this architecture thing, but that I’m good at it. I have promise.

While we were standing my my POD, an architect came up to me and told me that I have what it takes. My uncle couldn’t contain himself: “Tell him where you’ve been accepted!”

The architect gave me his card and told me he’d like to stay in touch.

Here’s me in front of my name…with my eyes closed. That’s part of my banner to the left.

Here’s the left side of my banner…

And here’s the rest of it.

A couple of weeks ago I told you about my Natural Home subscription, status: MIA.

I don’t know if it was my unanswered emails to the International Institute of Bau-Biology, or my nice note to a Natural Home rep who registered on this blog, but either way, my first issue has finally arrived!

If you haven’t read an issue of Natural Home, I encourage you to give them a try. It’s basically a monthly resource guide of green products, green architects, green design ideas, green construction… (I’m trying to see how may times I can use the word “green.")

It’s the only magazine whose ads I pay just as much attention to as the regular articles.

(P.S. They didn’t pay me to say that; I really do like them!)

I just read this article by Jessica Hilberman in my current issue of Coastal Living magazine.

When Will and Phyllis Wade began to plan their dream house in Gualala, California, the couple turned to Berkeley-based Arkin Tilt Architects. Their friend and LEED-accredited (glossary) architect David Arkin instituted his five-point design philosophy to create a green home that works well for the Wades and the environment.

1. Harmonize with the site.
Preserving trees and other natural features wins points with any green building program, so when David was faced with the challenge of
building around a creek on the Wades’ property, he did all he could to save it. An approved septic plan required putting the creek in a culvert, but instead of diverting the waterway underground, David designed around it. “The creek is a real amenity that would have been a shame to lose,” he says. “Ecologically it wouldn’t have been a smart thing to do, either.”

2. Build as little as possible.
This house’s greenest feature, David says, is its small footprint. Inspired by the design of grain silos, he planned a two-story, split-level structure with a total of just 1,311 square feet of interior space. The inventive design not only minimizes the neighbors’ sight lines into the Wades’ house, but also maximizes the couple’s views of the ocean. “Many people ask how they can build a house that uses less energy, and the answer is build less house,” David says.

3. Minimize energy dependence.
In addition to ensuring tight construction and a well-insulated structure, David installed high-quality windows—the majority of which face south for maximum light and heat gain in winter. Radiant floors throughout the house reduce year-round heating costs, and a gas-fired stove serves as the central hearth in case of a power outage.

4. Maximize resource efficiency.
Will, a builder by trade, helped David by donating his collection of salvaged and recycled wood—collected from creek beds, old work sites, and nearby Pirate’s Beach—for the house’s structure. They used vertical grain, old-growth redwood Will found for exterior siding, and a salvaged wine tank to build sliding, barn-style doors.

5. Demonstrate the beauty of ecological design.
“We strongly believe that for ecological design to take hold, it must be uplifting and inspire delight in the natural world,” reads Arkin Tilt’s Web site. From the house’s far-reaching views to its eco-friendly details (such as the “grasscrete” paved driveway, which allows rainwater to seep into the ground rather than pooling next to the foundation), each element of this house enhances the building’s look and function.

Architect David Arkin, practices in Berkeley, California and may be reached at 510.528-9830.

For better or for worse, green, greening, and greenification have become trendy.

This is good because it drives consumer demand, which drives the market (or is it the other way around?), which in turn drives innovative products and services, as well as driving down the price tag.

So that regular people can afford to be responsible too. (I’ll come back to this statement in just a moment.)

But this trendiness is also bad because some of my more cynical pals think that all this brouhaha about living in harmony with nature and treating the earth and all forms of life with dignity, respect, and honor…is a fad. They, how shall I put this delicately…they resist changing their life “style,” their behavior, and worst of all, they cling rigidly to their paradigms.

(These people also don’t “believe” in global warming.)

I’m coming back now to my statement earlier about “regular people” and “affording to be responsible.”

A common complaint I see in the Letters to the Editor sections of certain green design-friendly mags (Dwell comes to mind), is that “regular people” would love to emulate the life “styles” of those whose green living graces the glossy pages of these periodicals, but they…can’t…afford it.

To that I say, yes, you can afford it.

Let’s take a quick look back through time at other “regular people” who could afford to live in harmony with nature:

• Cavemen
• The Eskimos
• The Aborigines
• Amish, Quakers, and Shakers

What am I saying here? I’m saying that okay, maybe a geothermal heat pump is a little out of your price range at the moment, but you know what’re some pretty cheap – if not free – ways to be a trendy friendly Mr. or Ms. Greeny McGreenerson?

• Recycling
• Never using styrofoam
• Not littering
• Refuse to buy products that contain too much extra packaging
• Walk more
• Or ride a bike
• Or take the bus
• (I was going to say “hitchhiking, but then I changed my mind, unless you live in some place that’s a little more neighborly than LA.)
• Until you can afford a totally electric car, keep your car well-maintained (yes, this means do your oil changes every 3,000 miles) so that you can get better fuel efficiency
• Forgo the embodied energy in food that is transported hundreds or thousands of miles away by growing your own produce. Yes, even if you live in a little apartment.

You can think of a few more, I’m sure.

If you find yourself getting caught up in the I-can’t-afford-this and I’ll-never-get-to-have-that tantrums, take a moment. Set down the magazine. And think. There is plenty that you can do, right now, with what you have, with what you know, right where you are. No more complaining. No more excuses. You can live in harmony too.

When you join Architecture Addiction’s Field Trip to Japan, you’ll see the Ise Shrine.

Believers think the spirit of the sun goddess lives there and that it’s the spiritual home of the Japanese royal family.

You may have seen pictures in your first semester History of Architecture class.

Your professor may have told you that the Japanese rebuild the Ise Shrine every 20 years.

Why every 20 years?

That’s the time fathers felt it best to teach the art and science of building to their sons.

The shrine has been at the center of the Shinto faith; they have been doing this for the past 1300 years.

Sacred logs are felled and hauled hundreds of kilometers upriver to rebuild the Ise shrine.

I found this video for you about the hauling ceremony. (I use the word “ceremony” loosely – it looks like a lot of fun!)

Take a look at what else you’ll get to see — in real life – when you come with us to Japan.

Polish up your Japanese.

It’s here!

I wanted to make sure every thing was straightened out with our switch to lower reservation deposit before I put up Architecture Addiction’s latest Field Trip to Japan.

I also wanted to tell you about how you can pick up some key Japanese phrases.

Let me tell you about a few of the highlights of our Field Trip:

■ Guided sightseeing of Osaka, including Osaka Castle and museum
■ Tour Director-led sightseeing of Kobe
■ Guided sightseeing of Kyoto
■ Nijo Castle
■ Golden Pavilion
■ Heian Shrine
■ Guided sightseeing of Nara
■ Todaji Temple
■ Kasuga
■ Shinto Shrine
■ Visit Miho Museum and pottery village of Shigaraki
■ Visit to Mikimoto Pearl Island and Ise-Jingu shrine
■ Scenic cruise of Lake Ashi
■ Guided sightseeing of Hakone
■ Ascent of Mt. Fuji
■ Tokyo
■ Sumida River cruise
■ Visit to Tsukiji fish market

I’ll tell you more about our Japan Field Trip tomorrow!

Until then, check out the details.

How do you say that in Japanese?

I think I told you this already, but it’s coming up tomorrow, so I thought I’d mention it again.

The AIA 2x8 exhibit is tomorrow evening at the Pacific Design Center.

My most recent alma mater, LAIAD, has selected me (and another classmate, I believe) to represent.

That’s all to segue into what I really wanted to tell you. My BIG news.

I got an email today from Amanda at AIA-LA telling me that I won the PODS $3000 scholarship!

That’s $3000 of debt I don’t have to accrue!

Anyway, you should go. You can meet me, and a lot of other architecture students. Think of the networking!

Here’s a map.

In other news, I received two more Decision Letters. A thick one from the University of Oregon …and a thin one from Yale.

When my professor saw my portfolio the other week, he said this would happen. He said that Yale doesn’t have a sense of humor, and, that in mind, my portfolio was “risky.”

(I get that a lot.)

I countered, saying that my portfolio was representative of what I had to offer, and that I wouldn’t want to go someplace that didn’t appreciate what I had to offer. In other words, my portfolio was calculated to weed out the schools that would not be a good fit for me.

(I recommend you do the same. Or not.)

I have yet to hear from MIT. Their site says that applicants will hear back by April 1st.

(April Fool’s Day? That’s not funny.)

Architecture Addiction’s Field Trip to Tuscany includes a trip to Florence.

So I found a video of Florence for you to watch!

I went to Florence back in 2000 and I’ve been wanting to go back ever since.

If you were planning on leaving for a Field Trip to Tuscany on May 10 or June 14…

Sorry! It’s SOLD OUT!

There are eight remaining departure dates:
July 19
August 16
September 20
September 27
October 11
November 1
November 29
December 6

I also wanted to let you know that I had a little heart-to-heart with our Field Trip Team about the reservation deposit. I thought it was a little high. I didn’t want it to get in the way of you reserving your spot.

So we lowered it.

By a lot.

Check it out.

Because (almost) nothing is more intriguing than ancient Incan stonemasonry (HOW DID THEY DO IT???), let’s talk about a little of the history behind the ruins at Sacsayhuamán.

Sacsayhuamán (also known as Saksaq Waman) is a walled complex near the old city of Cusco, in Peru.

Some believe the walls were a form of fortification, while others believe it was only used to form the head of the Puma that Sacsayhuamán along with Cuzco form when seen from above. Like much Inca stonework, there is still mystery surrounding how they were constructed. The structure is built in such a way that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. This precision, combined with the rounded corners of the limestone blocks, the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward, is thought to have helped the ruins survive devastating earthquakes in Cuzco.

The Spanish harvested a large quantity of rock from the walls of the structure to build churches in Cuzco, which is why the walls are in perfect condition up to a certain height, and missing above that point. Sacsayhuamán is also noted for an extensive system of underground passages known as chincanas which connect the fortress to other Inca ruins within Cuzco. Several people have died after becoming lost while seeking a supposed treasure buried along the passages. This has led the city of Cuzco to block off the main entrance to the chincanas in Sacsayhuamán[1].

On March 13, 2008, archaeologists discovered the ruins of an ancient temple in the periphery of Sacsayhuaman; it is believed to have been built by the Killke culture which occupied the site between 900 and 1200 AD.[2]

Thanks, Wikipedia!

We’ll be looking at the Incan ruins of Sacsayhuaman during our Field Trip to Peru. To give you a pre-trip glimpse, I found this video taken at Sacsayhuaman. It’s got some pretty rad computer models (”Reconstrucción Virtual“) of what the site used to look like.

Reserve now!

Architecture Addiction’s 11-day Field Trip to Peru features a guided sightseeing tour of Cusco.

I found this day-in-the-life style video taken in Cusco that I thought you’d like to see.

Check out all the details of the Field Trip.

We have seven remaining departure dates:
*** May 11
*** June 8
*** June 22
*** July 13
*** August 10
*** September 14
*** October 19

Reserve your spot now!

I love my new subscription to Coastal Living magazine. It’s like if you took Architectural Digest and scraped off all the fussy arrogance and gilt (but kept the price tag).

A couple of days ago I told you about this article I read in my latest issue of Coastal Living magazine by Allen B. Bunting. So I went onto Coastal Living’s website and I found some more of Allen’s recommendations.

INSULATION
According to the National Audubon Society’s energy guide, properly insulating your home can save up to $135 in energy costs per year. With concerns about indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy efficiency on the rise, some manufacturers heed the call with eco- and health-friendly options at prices often comparable to conventional insulations.

• BioBased Systems’ BioBased 501 spray-in insulation (a soy-based polyurethane foam) expands to fill cracks and crevices, creating an airtight seal with high thermal resistance.

• Made almost entirely from postindustrial cotton and denim fibers, Bonded Logic Inc.’s UltraTouch batting contains no chemical irritants.

• CertainTeed’s GreenGuard-certified InsulSafe SP blow-in insulation is odor- and formaldehyde-free.

• Johns Manville’s Spider fiberglass insulation resists mold and is formaldehyde-free.

ROOFING
When it comes to roofing, durable, eco-friendly alternatives such as slate, metal, and composite- or recycled-material tiles deliver looks and performance.

• EcoStar’s Majestic Slate Traditional tiles are a resource-friendly alternative to slate. Made from recycled plastic and rubber, the durable tiles have superior fire- and impact-resistance ratings; available in nine colors.

• Re-New Wood Eco-Shake shingles (made from 100 percent recycled vinyl and cellulose fiber) resist fading, are fire-retardant, and can withstand extreme weather conditions.

• Made from 98 percent post-consumer recycled metals, Rustic Shingles mimic the look of wood shake shingles, but will never warp, crack, or mold.

WINDOWS & DOORS
If you’re in the market for new windows and doors, look for models with a low U-Factor (the measurement of a window’s heat flow). On average, U-Factor values range from 0.25 to 1.25. Even better, save energy and dollars by sealing air leaks around existing windows and doors with caulk.

• Andersen’s 400 Series windows feature dual-pane glass with an argon chamber for added insulation. High-performance low-E4 glass, according to the company, makes the windows up to 41 percent more energy-efficient than standard.

• JELD-WEN’s moisture-resistant AuraLast wood windows and doors are manufactured using a water-based treatment that vastly decreases volatile organic compounds.

• Pella’s Designer Series patio doors and windows have double- or triple-pane glass to cut heating/cooling costs and to keep between-the-glass shades safe and dust-free.

CABINETRY
Green up your kitchen or bathroom with eco-friendly cabinetry, available in a variety of styles and finishes.

• Made from plywood that is LEED-certified, Greenway Cabinetry Inc.’s Breathe Easy kitchen and bathroom cabinets are formaldehyde-free, and use only water-based glues and low- to no-VOC finishes.

• Neil Kelly Cabinets’ Naturals Collection includes clean-lined cabinets made from recycled and Forest Stewardship Council–certified wood; they’re available in low-VOC paint finishes such as Buttermilk, Gingham, Pale Lavender, or in natural oil or wax.

For unique and resource-conscious drawer and cabinet pulls, try one of the following:

• Aurora Glass pulls, hand-made from 100 percent recycled glass.

• Schaub & Company’s Michigan Naturals knobs, made from Great Lakes stones and 100 percent recycled brass.

KITCHEN & LAUNDRY APPLIANCES
• Bosch’s 800 Series Evolution dishwasher is equipped with a condensation drying system that eliminates the need for an active drying agent.

• For small kitchens, consider space-saving options such as Fisher & Paykel’s Double DishDrawer. You can run one drawer at a time to accommodate smaller loads and minimize energy, water, and detergent usage.

• Maytag’s Epic high-efficiency front-loading washer is Energy Star–certified and features automatic water-level sensor and temperature control.

• Fisher & Paykel’s top-loading AquaSmart washer and AeroSmart dryer are energy- and water-efficient.

FIREPLACES
Energy-efficient fireplaces can supply heat to a room without the electrical costs.

• Lennox Hearth Product’s Country Collection stoves (formerly Country Stoves) are EPA Phase II–certified for clean, efficient burning, and are available in wood- and pellet-burning models.

• Miles Industries’ fireplaces do not require an electrical hook-up to provide energy-efficient radiant heat; remote control and programmable options are also available.

I just watched the trailer for Archiculture, a full-length documentary about the architectural thesis, as shot by architects.

Archiculture is a feature length documentary that examines contemporary issues surrounding the realm of architecture through the perspective of university students during their final thesis semester.

The film follows the protagonists through the evolution of their respective senior thesis projects and the internal and external conflicts each student faces during this intense year-long process.

Interviews with family, friends, significant others, industry professionals, architects, and design professors are woven throughout the film to create a story that builds an intimate connection between the characters and the audience.

The emotional storyline will reveal a breadth of experiences ranging from the 4AM deadline dash, to the fulfilling sensation of graduation.

The film provides viewers with an in-depth look into the creative yet competitive process of architectural education while also depicting current issues such as the role of architecture in society, the disproportion of gender and race within the profession, and environmentally conscious design.

The story is structured in a way that chronologically follows the students’ development of their theses and continually builds suspense as the final critique looms.

The film concludes at the students’ final thesis presentation as they find themselves on the brink of their adult and professional lives, and the closure of their adolescence.

Watch the trailer.

Just the other day I made a remark here calling Zaha Hadid’s Chanel pavilion blobitecture.

I just came across another article by Chin Mui Yoon in the Star about Zaha Hadid…and the Chanel pavilion.

Upon closer review, maybe it’s not as blobby as I previously thought. I mean it’s no Disney Hall.

But it’s kind of…floppy looking. Like one of those neighboring skyscrapers dropped its beret. I like the skylights. They look like a burgeoning community of cells like you might see under a microscope in microbiology lab. I like that.

But the reason why I’m coming back to the pavilion is because of a point Yoon makes in the article.

Hadid looks exhausted. That’s normal in her profession it seems, as she once said to the press, “Architecture requires 100% dedication; if it doesn’t kill you, then you’re no good.”

No, not that one. I mean the point about a woman doing very very well in a typically men’s profession. She’s the first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize. She’s certainly not the only woman architect – we all know that – but challenge people to name just one other famous woman architect.

No really. Try it.

Women approach architecture differently than men, and that’s worth taking a look at. I’m going to come back to this topic in future posts to try and spread the word about other women architects throughout history.

In other news, the AIA 2x8 exhibition is this Thursday at 6:30 pm at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. You should go! I will be there representing LAIAD (& myself).

In other other news, we’re working on getting the pricing for a Field Trip to Japan. Stay tuned; I expect to release the details within the next day or two.

Need some easy ways to green up your remodel? I just came across these suggestions from Allen B. Bunting in my latest issue of Coastal Living.

Recycled Carpet and Flooring
• Billions of pounds of carpet end up in landfills each year, but several carpet companies strive to limit this impact by creating new products from recycled carpet fibers. FLOR, a company that specializes in residential carpet tiles, has instituted an R&R (return and recycle) Program. Homeowners can arrange to have old tiles picked up and shipped back to the plant for recycling.

• Carpet giant Shaw Industries, Inc. has made advancements through its Shaw Green Edge initiative and its products. Those include carpet cushions certified by The Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label air-quality testing and labeling program, both recycled and recyclable carpet and carpet tiles, and sustainably harvested hardwoods.

• Mohawk offers options that include laminate flooring made of 75 percent pre-consumer recycled content, and everSTRAND carpet made entirely from recycled plastic bottles. The company also sells designer doormats made from recycled tires.

• If carpet’s not your style, don’t forget that wood floors can be recycled, too. Reclaimed wood flooring adds character and an aged look to interiors that new materials can’t match. Old Grain, a company specializing in reclaimed wood, assists contractors and homeowners in selection and installation.

Recycled-content Countertops
• Cradle to Cradle Silver-certified IceStone uses post-consumer recycled glass to create glass-and-concrete surfaces in a variety of colors at prices comparable to high-quality granite.

• Renewed Materials LLC produces a modern eco-friendly look with Alkemi, made from 60 percent post-industrial scrap aluminum. This creates countertops that function like solid surfaces but look like art.

• For a natural-looking option that won’t off-gas, look to Richlite. The company specializes in high-quality paper-composite surfaces that are stain- and heat-resistant.

Low-VOC Paints and Finishes
• Many paints contain high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), potentially harmful air pollutants. Limit your exposure with low-VOC options, such as the Ayurveda Essence collection by AFM Safecoat.

• Sherwin-Williams’ Harmony primers and flat, eggshell, and semigloss paints claim to be no-VOC, low-odor, and mildew-resistant, which is vital in coastal climates.

• Glossy finishes generally contain higher VOC levels. If your project requires a high-gloss paint, consider American Pride Interior Waterborne High-Gloss Enamel.

• Low-VOC alternatives are also available for exterior jobs. Check out Opera Paints Silicon Quarzo or American Pride Exterior Low Lustre.

* You analyze everything as if it were a building.

* You confuse sunrise with sunset; today with tomorrow.

* The alarm clock tells you to go to sleep.

* You’re not ashamed to sleep or drool in class anymore, especially during theology or english lectures.

* You cut your finger and the first thing you think is if your blood would look good on your model and if you can finish it.

* You say “It’s only midnight- I have a a lot of time to finish this.”

* Whenever you finish a project and you don’t have other school work to do, you don’t know what else to do with your time.

* You understand what 4B, 2B, B, HB, H, 2H, and 4H are, and have lots of each type.

* You know what Super glue tastes like.

* You celebrate space and observe your birthday

* You hear from other people “Didn’t you wear that yesterday?” followed by “or the day before?”

* Pencil smudges and ink smears are the bane of your existence.

* Coffee, Extra Joss, and Red Bull are tools, not treats.

* You have four food groups- candy, caffeine, coffee, and junk food.

* People are nauseated just by smelling your caffeine breath.

* You are surprised when you see a new building materialize overnight in your school and criticize it.

* You think it’s possible to create space out of nothing.

*Your room mate files a ‘Missing Person Report

*Your non-architect friends don’t get excited when you talk about minimalism anymore.

* You’ve slept more than 20 hours non-stop in a single weekend.

* Days don’t exist anymore, everything is based on number of hours of work.

* You fight with inanimate objects (knead eraser figurines, paper clip airplanes, pencil swords.. etc.) because it’s the only fun you get.

* You can fall asleep on any surface (your drafting table, keyboard, hallway floor, toilet cubicle)

* Your brother or sister thinks he or she is an only child.

* YOU WRITE IN ALL CAPS LETTERS!!

* You’ve listened to all your CDs in less than 48 hours.

* The biggest decision you have to make near the end of the term is “pencil, or ink?”

* Computers are known only as the white box of death. (They keep crashing on you).

* You’re not seen in public, and your parents have a better social life than you.

* You have no life and admit it.

* You avoid eating, sleeping, or going to the hospital even when you’re seriously injured just because you need to finish a model

* You wear a usb drive around your neck.

*You’re dating another architecture student.

*You know all the 24-hour places in the area.

* You lose your house keys and you don’t notice until after week.

* You give gifts wrapped in tracing paper.

* You ask Santa for architecture supplies for Christmas

* When asked if you like the Guggenheim Museum, you reply Which one?

* You refer to outside your drafting or working area as the “Real World.”

* You’ve brushed your teeth and washed your hair in the university’s bathroom.

* You’ve discovered the benefits of having none or very short hair, and started to appreciate inheriting baldness.

* You’ve used an entire role of film to photograph the footpath.

* You don’t see the other side of the campus anymore.

* You’ve listened to every song in your ipod in less than two days.

* You wonder if beds ever existed and thought they were just myths.

* You know the exact time the vending machines are refilled.

* Being in architecture gets you excused from attending your other classes.

* You always carry a deodorant, facial wash, toothbrush and toothpaste to school.

* You become excellent at recycling when making models.

* You are a “Fourth Year” not a senior because you’re not graduating anytime soon.

* You make a continuous and monotonous, hoarsey whine when you speak.

* You heard the same song play more than three times in one night

*You have waited three hours in the middle of the night during competition week to print out a project, just to realize the damn plotter is spazzing out and

* There’s no one to fix it until the next day.

*You can dance Miranmar at 3am without a single ounce of alcohol in your body.

* You take notes or leave messages using your steadler pens or kurekolors.

* You combine breakfast, lunch and dinner into one single meal.

* You see holidays only as extra sleeping time.

* You start to wear black.. always.

* You’ve got more photographs of buildings than of actual people.

* You’ve taken your girlfriend (boyfriend) on a date to a construction site.

* You’ve realized that French curves are not that exciting.

* You can live without human contact, food or daylight for days, but when your pc gets a virus while you’re doing your autocad, sketchup or revit, you can commit suicide.

* You’ve been in the same room sitting in the same spot for 12 hours working on a project, and dying for a cup of coffee, but again too focused on your work to go and get one

* You hear the word party and know it has nothing to do with your plans for the weekend.

*You’ve tried to squeeze sixteen hours worth of term paper work into fifteen minutes and succeeded.

* You understand why architects have white hair and wear glasses.

* Your vocabulary changes ("short-cut” into “hypotenuse", “toilet” into “water closet", “electric fan” into “artificial ventilation")

* When you’re being shown pictures of a trip, you ask about the human scale.

* You use architecture tools to eat.

* You wake up to go to school and you’re already there.

*You know how much a cubic foot of concrete weighs (150lbs). haha duhh who doesn’t know that?

* You think trashcans can become artistic.

*Your concept of time is not forward, but a countdown from the time a project is due

* You can use Photoshop, Illustrator and make a web page, but you don’t know how to use Microsoft Excel.

* You refer to great architects (dead or alive) by their first name as if you knew them (Frank, Corbu, Mies, Norman).

* You can murder the person who called you lazy.

* You get excited about a book…on stairs…in a totally foreign language .

* Someone offers you an ordinary pen, and you are offended.

* You’ve got tons and tons of used masking tapes on your wall or anything that is near your drafting table

Zaha Hadid launches her latest architectural project in Hong Kong combining art, fashion and architecture. The “Mobile Art” pavilion backed by luxury goods brand Chanel, will tour the world for two years.

Nestled like a UFO among Hong Kong’s iconic buildings – the futuristic art pavilion was custom-designed by Hadid to house the work of 20 top global contemporary artists.

Watch the video.

One of my fantasies is to live in a city without any cars.

I live in Los Angeles and have some kind of anxiety attack every time I have to join a sea of red brake lights on any of our five hundred thousand freeways.

So. Fantasy City Item Number One: no cars.

What I’d also like is maybe some cleaner air? My boyfriend and I like to go hiking up in the Santa Monica mountains. Once we’ve reached the top, sure, we’ve got a great view of the ocean, but turn your head a quarter of an inch to the left and OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! It’s a thick, brown layer of NASTY covering the city. I mean you can barely make out the buildings downtown. And we inhale that stuff in with every breath. In twenty years is my doctor going to say, “Surprise, it’s cancer!”

So. Fantasy City Item Number Two: no smog.

And while I’m dreaming, how about less trash all over the place? The other day I was walking down the street and I saw this woman buy something from a taco truck and without a second thought she just removed the plastic wrapping and tossed it on the ground. OH MY GOD WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! There’s garbage in the gutters, on the sidewalks, on lawns, and don’t get me started about the alleyways.

So. Fantasy City Item Number Three: no trash.

Okay, okay, I know, how about all of the city’s electricity comes from solar panels. Or wind energy! I feel tingly just thinking about it.

And gray water irrigation!!

And it’s AFFORDABLE!!!

GUESS WHAT?

Dubai is doing it!

Masdar City will be the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, aiming to exceed the 10 sustainability principles of “One Planet Living™”– a global initiative launched by the WWF (known internationally as the Worldwide Fund for Nature and in the U.S. as the World Wildlife Fund) and environmental consultancy BioRegional.

A model of the Masdar City was unveiled at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. February 9th was Ground breaks for the construction of the city in this year.

Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, Director of WWF International’s One Planet Living initiative, said: ”Today Abu Dhabi is embarking on a journey to become the global capital of the renewable energy revolution. Abu Dhabi is the first hydrocarbon-producing nation to have taken such a significant step towards sustainable living.

“Masdar is an example of the paradigm shift that is needed. The strategic vision of the Abu Dhabi government is a case study in global leadership. We hope that Masdar City will prove that sustainable living can be affordable and attractive in all aspects of human living – from businesses and manufacturing facilities to universities and private homes,” Jeanreneaud continued.

Dr. Sultan al Jaber, CEO of the Masdar Initiative, said: “Masdar City will question conventional patterns of urban development, and set new benchmarks for sustainability and environmentally friendly design – the students, faculty and businesses located in Masdar City will not only be able to witness innovation first-hand, but they will also participate in its development.”

“We are pleased to be able to work with One Planet Living to make our vision a reality,” he said.

Pooran Desai OBE, co-founder of BioRegional and Technical Director of the One Planet Living Communities programme, said Masdar would be the largest and the most advanced sustainable communities in the world.

“The vision of One Planet Living is a world where people everywhere can lead happy, healthy lives within their fair share of the Earth’s resources. Masdar gives us a breathtaking insight into this positive, alternative future.

“In realising the goal of a sustainable future, Masdar is committed to surpassing the One Planet Living Program’s Ten Guiding Principles, covering issues that range from how waste is dealt with to the energy performance of the buildings.”

See the whole article and the models.

Look at the official Masdar site and its pretty flash pictures of our brave new world.

Hey, how about a video game about what it’s like to be us?

It’s called Building & Co.: You Are the Architect and it was developed by Elektro Games. As of this writing, there’s not a US release date yet.

Far from a simple building site simulation, this city builder will allow users to familiarize themselves with the building industry and help them learn about the issues linked with a real building site; from drawing plans to managing workers, choosing building materials and respecting the environment.

Features:

• * Draw the plans and build a large number of buildings in a 3D environment: residential buildings, hotels, banks, museums, hospitals, and even shopping centers!
• * Professional advisers will assist you in every field: staff, logistics, materials, architecture.
• * Career mode offers a progressive difficulty in various urban settings.
• * Sandbox mode offers an unlimited array of creativity and constructions.

Check out the screenshots.

It will be interesting to see if this game inspires…or deters… others to join our ranks.

Yesterday I told you a little bit about Neutra.

I just came across an article on archinect about Neutra’s VDL House in Silverlake.

The house was named a “World Monument 2000” by the World Monument Watch Society.

Unfortunately, VDL2 House fell into Watch Society’s 25% failure rate even though the house is located in one of the richest regions of the world.

The agony here is that people with a vague awareness of Neutra’s principles love to tout a multi-million dollar new home or renovation as “inspired by Neutra.”

Meanwhile, the architect’s own house is falling apart, and nobody, saved the informed, seems to care.

“Only those, who have lived in a Neutra House, would ever understand how wonderful the daily satisfactions and delights are and how much this experience help to augment the joy of living. This especially the case in this house which is built on three levels.

With the many glass surfaces, mirrors, pools that reflect trees and flowers, every step from room to room, stairway up and down, is an aesthetic and artistic experience, which I have the good fortune to enjoy, while I move about the house and watch the changing weather.

- Mrs. Dione Neutra

What can you do? Go visit. Get everyone you know to visit. Talk about it in class. Spread the word. All proceeds help.

The house is located at 2300 E Silver Lake Blvd in Los Angeles.

Tours of the house will resume on the 5th of April from 11-3pm and every Saturday thereafter.

The admission fee is $10.00 per person. Cash or check made out to Cal Poly Pomona Foundation.

Large Groups (10+):
The house is open by appointment for groups of 10 or more people on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Group appointments include a guided tour by our resident Director. Group tours are given in English, Spanish or French.

$10.00 per person. Cash or check made out to Cal Poly Pomona Foundation

See more about visiting.

Read the whole article

A University of Colorado at Boulder research team led by history Professor Robert Hohlfelder has discovered the remains of a 1,700-year-old Christian church submerged in shallow water in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of southern Turkey.

The stone church, about 20 meters long and 10 meters wide, apparently was built sometime after 330 A.D. on the shoreline of the ancient city of Aperlae. As the shoreline subsided over the centuries due to earthquake activity, the church gradually sank about six feet into the clear Mediterranean water, said Hohlfelder.

The Christian Church was established in a region once known as Lycia following the reign of Constantine I, the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity. The church remains were identified in June 1998 during a joint archaeological project begun in 1996 by a faculty-student team involving Hohlfelder and CU students as well as University of Maryland architecture Professor R. Lindley Vann and a group of MU students.

“There is a confusion of riches on the seafloor,” said Hohlfelder. “It looks like the structure had been added on to over the centuries,” he said. “We think this church, which has an elaborate apse, may have supplanted a seaside temple.”

Although apses usually are semicircular projections found at the east end of churches, “This apse has a unique design,” he said. Adjacent to the submerged church is a carefully constructed, multicolored mosaic as well as large stone columns, probably part of a temple where sailors came to pray before and after successful voyages.

The Aperlae church is likely the only underwater church known from that era, Hohlfelder said. It may have been dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors who was born near Aperlae.

“Virtually every city in the region of Lycia has a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas,” said Hohlfelder. “It is inconceivable Aperlae would not have one. Sailors would rush to these churches after successful voyages to give thanks.”

So far, Hohlfelder and Vann have discovered four churches in Aperlae — far out of proportion to the estimated 1,000 residents. “We don’t have a clue why there were this many churches,” Hohlfelder said. “Perhaps it was some sort of holy city or monastic center.” One of Hohlfelder’s graduate students on the expedition, Mary Wiland, is studying the churches for her master’s thesis.

Evidence for the 2,400-year-old city’s origins include a mound of snail shells piled on its outskirts and three stone tanks submerged in the harbor. Hohlfelder believes the tanks were used to manufacture and store a dye obtained from the snails known as “Tyrean Purple” that was shipped throughout the Mediterranean to the Roman elite.

No written history of Aperlae exists, but the archaeological evidence indicates it flourished despite a lack of fresh water and a poor coastline location for sailing, said the researchers, who are working closely with the Turkish Ministry of Culture.

The discovery of more than 30 large water cisterns indicate the Aperlae residents were able to sustain themselves without the benefit of a spring or river. Additional research in 1998 by recent CU-Boulder graduate Davis Alvey indicates the residents may have supplemented their water supply by building a series of sluice boxes in a major ravine running west of town that were used to trap and retain occasional rainwater.

The CU team speculated the sluice boxes may have been linked to a gravity-feeding water system that filled cisterns.

“Because of a lack of written history, this entire project must be done through archaeological work,” Hohlfelder said. He and his students used Global Positioning System satellite receivers, a rowboat, ocean buoys and snorkeling equipment to investigate and profile the ruins along and beneath the coastline.

Aperlae’s walls appear to have been fortified several times over the centuries to protect its residents, who were plagued by pirates in antiquity, Hohlfelder said.

By the first century B.C. Aperlae was probably under firm Roman control, prospering and expanding for the next several centuries, Hohlfelder said. By the seventh century A.D. as the Eastern Roman Empire crumbled, however, Aperlae appears to have been pirated and abandoned. Hohlfelder’s research was funded in part by the CU-Boulder Graduate Council for the Arts and Humanities.

Located on the southern coast of Turkey 15 miles east of the port city of Kas, CU-Boulder students involved in the 1998 field season included Alvey, Wiland and undergraduate history major Sarah Scaturro.

Source

While we’re putting together the details for our latest Field Trip to Japan, I thought you might like to see just a few of the things you’ll see there.

You’ll take a look at massive Osaka Castle, once the mightiest castle in Japan, with a museum dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the leader who built the castle.

Discover its exquisite pagodas and architecture, including the Todaiji Shrine, home to the world’s largest bronze statue of Buddha, and the Kasuga Shinto Shrine with its thousands of paper lanterns.

Upon your arrival in Kyoto, uncover the city’s past on a guided tour, including the intricate 17th-century Nijo Castle, the gold-leaf covered Golden Pavilion and the strikingly red Heian Shrine, constructed in 1895.

Discover Japan’s lush countryside as you wind your way through misty mountains to the Miho Museum. Designed by I.M. Pei, the Miho seems to melt into the mountainside.

I just found some video footage of Pei’s Miho Museum for you:

We one available departure date every month this year from June through November. Do any of these dates work for you?

Stay tuned! I’ll tell you more about it as the information becomes available.

I released the details of the Architecture Addiction: Field Trip to Tuscany the other day. I wanted to tell you more about it.

First of all, it’s pretty leisurely trip. You get to relax most of the time. At a spa. Which I think is just what most of us need.

But it’s not all about lying around getting massages (though that does sound nice). There’s lots of sightseeing too.

Our first full day there, we’ll have a guided sightseeing tour of Montecatini. This picturesque hill town, known for its spas, springs and thermal baths, lies amid the Pistoian mountains with enchanting views of the countryside.

Then the spa. You’ll spend an hour in the natural thermal grotto, a natural thermal cave discovered in 1849. The thermal steam bath eliminates your body’s toxins and all traces of stress. Follow this purifying treatment with a hydro jet massage to prep your body for a 20-minute, full-body therapeutic massage with essential oils.

One day, you’ll have a guided sightseeing of Florence to introduce you to the city’s Renaissance splendor.

Marvel at Brunelleschi’s massive pink, white and green Duomo, complemented by Giotto’s Campanile. Then discover the church of Santa Croce, home of the tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo as well as the Dante Memorial.

Stand before Ghiberti’s legendary Gates of Paradise, and pass the Piazza della Signoria. This evening, travel to the hilltown of Fiesole for a dinner of regional culinary specialties.

There’s more. Check out the full itinerary.

April 19th is already sold out, but you have ten more departure dates from which to choose.

May 10 might be perfect depending on when your semester lets out.

Or you can go during the summer and leave the States on June 14, July 19, or August 16.

If you’re taking the fall semester off (or if your mom wants to go), consider September 20, September 27, October 11, November 1, November 29, or December 6.

Check it out.

The other day, I talked a little bit about Brad Pitt’s charity for New Orleanians, Make It Right, and how the team of architects had been put together by one of my heroes, William McDonough.

This got me to thinking about something my University of Idaho History of Architecture professor, Phil Mead, told us in class.

“Study all the architects throughout history, and the ones who are working today. You’ll find a few who really resonate with you.”

He went on to say that we should pay special attention to what these architects have done, and what they continue to do. These architects become our mentors, and we can learn much from them.

I’ve identified not only William McDonough as one such mentor, but also Richard Neutra. I read just about every book the Los Angeles Library System had on Neutra last summer. We had studied him…briefly…in class, but it wasn’t until I dived in on my own that I fell in love with his approach to architecture.

Hold on, I just found this video of Neutra’s 1934 Sten-Frenke House in Santa Monica for you. (It’s even got cool dramatic music.)

How many windows did you count? If you answered, “Oh my goodness, all those windows are making me orgasmic,” you are correct.

During my intensive self-study of Neutra last summer, I learned that he was friends with Sigmund Freud’s son. This new way of thinking about the human psyche greatly influenced Neutra: he would psychoanalyze his clients before he designed for them. It was important to him to know what was going on, deep within the minds of his clients. And what he found is that people needed a deep connection to the outdoors.

It’s pretty much the exact opposite approach driving those nasty lookalike copy cat cookie cutter suburban spec “crap houses.” (Thanks, Brad Pitt!)

An obscene number of windows is critical.

Sunlight has been a component in healing ever since Greek hospitals included lots of outdoor areas for therapy. More recently in 1860, Florence Nightingale wrote that patients on the bright side of a hospital recovered better than those on the dark side. Her observations led to the construction of long hospital wings surrounded by gardens. In 1903, Neils Finson won the Nobel Prize for research that proved the benefits of UV light therapy on tuberculosis. Later however, the discovery of penicillin and the widespread use of antibiotics marked the decline of environmental therapies in architectural design. Henceforth, the prevailing trend was interior efficiency and spaces that moved further and further away from access to windows.

Statistics say that people spend 90% of their time indoors. People just aren’t getting enough sunlight.

My professor, Phil Mead, gave a talk about sunlight and architecture at a 2002 ASID meeting.

Typically, small daily doses of sunlight (an average of 15 minutes—not the prolonged exposures linked to skin cancer) provide enough Vitamin D production. But getting even this amount of sunlight is problematic if we always stay indoors. Many people get in cars that are in their garages and drive to other parking garages, which are often underground.

“If you go directly into your garage, the only real outside experience you get is driving your car, and you are inside,” Mead said.

“There is no other way to get Vitamin D, except to go outside. Outdoor rooms and outdoor kitchens, you just have to make them comfortable. So, it’s a matter of the architecture orients the outdoor space to the breezes and prevailing winds. Where it’s dry in Texas, you put on misters. A fan makes them (outdoor rooms) comfortable.”

“Some elderly housing provides gardens outside. But also the porches outside help—just getting them (older people) outside sitting on the porch. They do get indirect light. We don’t know how much; that’s some study we’ll have to do—I’ve been wanting to do for a couple of years—to see how much light you do get, Vitamin D you do get, when you’re in a shadow, when you get indirect sunlight.”

Read the whole thing

Architecture Addiction has just made its next field trip available. With all the stress of applying to grad school, I started thinking about all the stress that awaits me in grad school, and then I started thinking about all you architecture addicts out there who could really use a week to just relax, unwind, and, oh, I don’t know, spend a few days at a spa. In Tuscany. And maybe go see the Leaning Tower of Pisa while you’re at it. Doesn’t that sound like exactly what you need?

Travel through the Tuscan countryside for a visit to Pisa’s Piazza dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles). Here you can view the 12th-century Leaning Tower. This medieval bell tower has been tilted since 1173, and increases its angle each year, with a current overhang of 15 feet. Your guided visit includes a stop at the adjacent cathedral, older even than the Leaning Tower, and a visit to the Baptistery, with its precious Romanesque carvings and echoing acoustics.

I’ll tell you more about the field trip tomorrow. It’s Good Friday, so I have the day off, which means I’ll have plenty of time to go into more detail about how this quick week in Tuscany can really help you get your head straight. Did I mention we have ten departure dates remaining this year? Surely you can fit this in somewhere.

In other news, it was just brought to my attention that some pages on the Architecture Addiction site look pretty…crappy… in Internet Explorer. Specifically, the Spanish lessons.

I use FireFox. I love FireFox. For optimal viewing pleasure, especially if you want some free Spanish lessons, I recommend that you love FireFox too. If you don’t have it already, you can download it for free.

Brad Pitt’s non-profit, Make It Right, subsidizes the difference between what New Orleanians can afford and what it takes to build a new house.

A new sustainable house designed by one of the world’s foremost architects, that is, including Thom Mayne, David Adjaye, Shigeru Ban, and Kieran Timberlake. You can take a look at the designs here (scroll all the way to the bottom.)

“Our idea was, OK, these people need help rebuilding, so let’s bring in the great minds that we can find.” – Brad Pitt

Why? Check this out. I LOVE Brad’s answer:

“Because these people suffered a horrific event, and truthfully great injustice in the aftermath, and they’re still suffering that injustice. So what are you going to follow that injustice with? Crap houses with toxic materials and appliances that run up their electricity bills and may lead to a foreclosure? I mean, really. This to me is a social-justice issue. And to create something that’s equitable and fair and has respect and provides dignity for the family within is absolutely essential to rebuilding here.”

I mean, really!

The list of 13 architects was assembled by William McDonough + Partners and Graft, the L.A.-based firm.

I read McDonough’s Cradle-to-Cradle a few months ago. Have you read this book yet? You have to read this book. It will change the way you think about everything. After reading it, I decided that I absolutely want to work with McDonough pretty much as soon as possible.

(I wonder if he’s on MySpace? And if he would be my Friend?)

Have you ever looked at a building and thought, “Man, that architect missed the whole point!”

Or, “That’s sooooo ugly!”

Or, “I could do better than that!”

(Isn’t that why you wanted to become an architect in the first place?)

For millennia, great and not-so-great leaders have celebrated themselves in monuments. The ziggurats of Mesopotamia, the pyramids, the Forbidden City, the Louvre, and Monticello all convey their builders’ legacies, as did the many lavish palaces of Saddam Hussein.

Modern U.S. presidents have only their presidential libraries. Now that the George W. Bush era is almost over, the world needs a place to archive the legacy of the 43rd president. That place will be Southern Methodist University, in a building designed by Robert A.M. Stern. The building will probably cost $500-million.

I’m sure anyone suffering from Bush-induced outrage would like a say in this building’s design. The Chronicle thinks so.

They’ve invited their readers to submit their own ideas for this Bush Library.

As long as it fits on the back of an envelope.

Take a look at the submissions they’ve received. You can even vote on your favorite.

Check out this video of a trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu –

It’s about four minutes long and it highlights just a few of the places we’re going to see. We’re going to be there for 11 days.

Join us. Read more about the Architecture Addiction Field Trip to Peru.

When you come along with Architecture Addiction, you don’t have to worry about airfare.

It’s included.

Accommodations?

Included.

A bilingual tour guide?

Included.

Meals?

Breakfasts, dinners, and some lunches are included.

What else is included.

Find out.

I just read this article on UAE Landscape Architect’s site called “Innovative program to encourage more graduates to enter the architectural profession”

Apparently there’s not enough of us. Or there are, but records show that people of our ilk tend to go into high-tech and management consulting. I don’t know about you, but I don’t stay up until 4 in the morning gluing tiny pieces of bass wood together so that I can go into…what was that? Management consulting? What is that? It sounds like a Dilbert cartoon.

RMJM, an international architecture firm with U.S. headquarters in New York City, and Harvard University Graduate School of Design will announce today the launch of a $2 million program aimed at tackling a global shortage of architects. The announcement will occur at 6:30 p.m. in Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, Harvard Graduate School of Design, 48 Quincy Street, Boston, MA.

RMJM’s $1.5 million donation, matched by another $500,000 from the Harvard GSD, establishes the “RMJM Program for Research and Education in Integrated Design Practice,” which aims to stem a “brain drain” in the design and construction industry. It is the largest cash donation received by the GSD since a donation from The Aga Khan in 1999.

Despite the current building boom, many recent graduates from architecture and engineering schools are choosing to pursue more lucrative careers in high-tech and management consulting, according to The Society for Marketing Professional Services, a nonprofit trade association serving the architecture, engineering and construction industry.

This dearth of talent could have major consequences for the design construction industry, experts say.

While perusing the recently released Architecture Addiction Field Trip to Ancient Peru and Machu Picchu, take a look at some quick facts about Peru

Population:
27.9 million

Size:
1,285,220 square kilometers

Capital:
Lima

Language:
Spanish, Quechua, Aymara

People:
Amerindian (54%), Mestizo (32%), Spanish descent (12%), Japanese (1%), Chinese (1%)

Religion:
Roman Catholic 93%, Protestant (6%)

Temperatures
Average monthly high temperatures in Lima (°F)

Jan    79
Feb    80
Mar    80
Apr    76
May    72
Jun    69
Jul    67
Aug    66
Sep    67
Oct    69
Nov    72
Dec    76

Geography:
Peru is geologically diverse. It is divided into three main regions—costa (coast), sierra (highlands) and selva (jungle). It spans from the Pacific Ocean to the snowcapped Andes mountains to the tropical Amazon rainforests. In addition to its Pacific coastline, Peru borders Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile.

Climate:
Peru has a temperate climate. Average temperatures range from 55-65 Fahrenheit in August to 66-82 degrees Fahrenheit in February. Temperatures and climate do vary considerably from up in the Andes to the tropical Amazon rainforest. Flora and Fauna: As it is geologically diverse, Peru is extremely ecologically diverse. The country is home to more than 400 species of mammals, 300 species of reptiles, 2,000 species of birds and 50,000 species of plants.

Culture:
The Peruvian culture is a stunning blend of the ancient Incan tradition and the more recent Spanish influence. The Incan past is evident in the remains of their advanced civilization, most notably at the legendary city of Machu Picchu.

Government:
Peru is a constitutional Republic. Alejandro Toledo is the president, acting as both the chief of state and head of government.

Food:
Peruvian cuisine is varied to match its diverse geological makeup and remains a blend of indigenous and European influences. On the coast, the focus is on seafood and shellfish. In the highlands, you’ll find more meat, rice, corn and potatoes. In the Amazon jungles, the mainstays are river fish, especially trout.

Clothing:
Light, loose-fitting layers with lightweight, comfortable walking shoes are recommended. A lightweight jacket and emergency rainwear is advised. Most Peruvians do not wear shorts except on the beach.

Health:
It is strongly advised that you drink only bottled water or other bottled beverages while traveling in Peru; avoid tap water. It is also advisable to avoid fresh fruits and vegetables except those that can be peeled.

Shopping:
Textile weaving and pottery make for great shopping items. Visitors often go home with handmade wool sweaters, scarves, blankets or hats, as well as ceramic pieces created in the ancient Incan tradition.

Money:
Currency is the nuevo sol. Credit cards are widely accepted.

Tipping:
As a rule of thumb, tip waiters 10% and an additional 5% or some extra coins for good service. There is no need to tip taxi drivers. It is customary to offer your Tour Director and driver a token of appreciation at the tour’s end. We recommend $2 per person per day for the driver and $3-5 per person per day for your Tour Director.

Passport/visa:
A valid passport is required, but no visa is necessary.

Time:
Five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. If it’s noon in New York, it’s 11:00 am in Peru.

Electricity:
220 volts, 60 cycles AC with two-prong outlets that accept both flat and round prongs. Some large hotels also have 110-volt outlets.

When I told my dad that I was accepted into Harvard, he was so happy that he wept. He is fond of reminding himself that he’s only one generation removed from Okies. This is a big step up for the whole family.

But yesterday he asked me, “Aren’t you too old to go to school?

A woman in the current class at LAIAD heard the same thing from her father.

I told my dad that my alternative was too continue doing dumb paperwork at my no-window artificial-lighting lingering-offgassing place of employment. I told him I was too young to resign myself to that.

My dad comes from a mindset that a steady, stable job with a pension was the best one could hope for.

First of all, that world no longer exists.

Secondly, I want more for myself than that. I want to go places. See the world. I want to share my passion for architecture with other people.

(The thought of not doing these things is pretty depressing.)

This is one of the reasons why I started Architecture Addiction: Field School. I wanted to make it not just possible, but easy to go just about anywhere, with all the logistics covered, at a inexpensive price. And I wanted to be able to make these opportunities available for a lot of other people too. I think we would be wiser if we saw more of how other people live all around the world.

I’ve made a tiny change to the Peru field trip site. I made the link to the travel insurance information easier to find. Now it’s right by the Reservation Form link.

We’re able to offer:

• * Trip cancellation & interruption protection
• * Medical and accident protection
• * Baggage & property protection

Take a look. When you fill out the reservation form, you can specify the insurance you’d like to add to your field trip.

I expect to roll out another Field Trip – to Tuscany! – within the next few days. Stay tuned. We have a mailing list sign up sheet at the top of this page on the right. It makes it a little easier to take advantage of all we have to offer if get the updates in your inbox.

I’ve just returned from LAIAD where I shared my tale of intrigue and adventure, yes, my tale of applying to grad school, with the current class. When I walked in, one of my professors told me that I was already starting to dress like a Harvard student.

Some things I told the class:

The Portfolio

1. When deciding what to put into your portfolio, you probably don’t have too much in the way of experience, so you’ve got to showcase your potential. My portfolio included all kinds of things not directly related to architecture. For example:

• quilting
• illustration
• pop-ups
• spray paint art
• ceramics
• wood sculpture
• stained glass
• nude model drawings
• a bowl made out of a record
• a large paper sculpture inspired by something I saw in a book about the Bauhaus
• [et cetera]

2. Don’t just write a description of your work. Write about how you came to the design decisions that you did. Take the admissions officers by the hand and walk them through your thought process.

3. You don’t want to fill up your portfolio with too many words, but you want to have enough words to explain your thought process, so then challenge becomes finding a succinct way of explaining yourself. Think of it as a game where you’ve got to get the most meaning into the fewest number of words, while at the same time avoiding unnecessarily complicated words.

4. Categorize your projects. For example, I categorized mine into four categories: Art, Craft, Drafting, and Architecture Projects. Arrange your portfolio pages like you would arrange acts in a performance. That means: save your very best piece for last, and lead the portfolio with your second best piece. As you progress through the portfolio, alternate a “strong” piece with a “weak” piece. This gets a little subjective, but go with your instinct here. By alternating your strong pieces with your weak pieces, the admissions officers are never more than one project away from something great. It prevents the sense of disappointment they might experience when suddenly faced with a weaker piece after a long string of “strong” ones. In the same way, it keeps them from wondering why you put a bunch of crap in your portfolio when they finally get to something good after a long string of “weak” pieces. Always end a category with a “strong” piece.

5. Don’t be afraid to show who you really are. My professors pointed out that I took a big risk with my cover. Let me describe it to you: I have two handmade fabric dolls in a boat (the U.S.S. Whoa Nellie). One of looking far out ahead with a telescope (made from a piece of rolled-up paper) while shouting my name in a huge “talk bubble.” When you open it up, you see four land masses, like a map. This is the table of contents, and each land mass bears a category name and the page number. I knew it was risky. But I also knew that I wouldn’t want to go to a school that didn’t appreciate what I have to offer. And this kind of stuff is what I have to offer. Like one of my professors said, You can’t see a portfolio like mine and not want to open it up.

The Personal Statement

When I started thinking about what to write for my personal statement, I had this idea that admissions officers wanted to see stuff like, “I’ve been wanting to be an architect since I was two.” This isn’t me.

I didn’t know what I wanted to be for a long time. I was an advertising major for two years at Franklin Pierce College before transferring to the University of Idaho where I earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology (with minors in religious studies, chemistry, creative writing, art, and…maybe one or two more?).

I graduated. Joined the Peace Corps. I was in the Merchant Marine. The Navy. I moved to Savannah. I took short term jobs all over the country. I moved back to Idaho and finally took some career aptitude tests and finally “discovered” architecture. So I definitely couldn’t say that I had “always” wanted to be an architect.

Since I obviously couldn’t hide this, I made a big deal of it in my essay. I wrote about all of the places I’d been, and all of the experiences I’d had, and through them, I discussed my observations regarding design, order, logic, arrangement, order, scale, and urbanity.

When I get to the part of my personal statement where I finally become an architecture major, I wrote about how what I was learning in class just wasn’t enough, and I listed all the books and authors I read on my own, as well as the conferences I took the time to attend. What I was doing was assuaging any fears that architecture was “just another major,” while demonstrating that it was, indeed, a true passion.

I concluded by telling the class about the field trip to Machu Picchu.

I was just looking at my blog stats – Today was the day I made the reservation form available, and about two hundred people more than usual visited the site today. This is why I strongly encourage you to get your reservation form in as soon as possible before our seven remaining departure dates sell out.

Reserve now

Architecture Addiction’s first Field Trip is now available!

The in itinerary, departure dates, departure cities, and prices are up. And now the Reservation Form is also up.

And I’ve added the link on this page to the right. It’s the big one that says “Ancient Peru & Machu Picchu.”

I had a couple of people ask me why it took a little longer to get the reservation form up on the site.

Good question.

I had to make a little change to it.

Architecture Addiction Field Trips sell out so quickly that I wanted to add the option to request a Second Choice departure date. (You know, in case your first choice is already sold out by the time I receive your reservation.)

Now there won’t be any surprises.

I won’t have to tell anyone, “Sorry, you didn’t get it in fast enough; that date is sold out.” Now you can just tell me right up front: first choice date and second choice date.

In other news, I just received my information from Harvard! They have an Open House for Admitted Students on April 4th, and then a Systems for Inclusion conference April 4-6.

So here’s my dilemma. I was planning on driving over there anyway. A nice, loooong road trip out of Los Angeles. But this is a little earlier than I was planning. My niece’s first birthday party is on the 6th. I should say, my only niece’s first birthday.

What’s nice is that Harvard is also having an open house in LA on the 7th. So I might just do that. It’s hosted by Lehrer Architects.

Tonight I’m going to my (most recent) alma mater LAIAD to give a presentation about my Applying to Grad School experiences. It starts at 7:30. Check the site for driving directions.

First things first: The details of the Machu Picchu Field Trip are now available. The Reservation Form will become available later on today.

I’d like to give a big THANK YOU to Visual Link Spanish for providing us with free Spanish Lessons. Check the link to the right to get started.

There’s a quote I’ve heard that goes something like this: When you commit to doing something bold, the universe steps in to help. (Okay, I think I totally botched the quote, but the point I wanted to make is this…trip to Peru…and then free Spanish lessons become available? When you sign up for your field trip, other things will start to line up for you too.)

Next, I want to tell you about Taliesin alumnus Corey Crawford.

If you’re not familiar with what it’s like to study at Taliesin, let me tell you what I learned when I visited Taliesin West a couple of years ago. Students build their own desert residence. They are forced to contend with their ideas about design in a very real and practical way. It’s like I’ve been saying for years: architects need to actually live in the places that they wish to push on others. Something that “looks cool” on the computer screen might be a nightmare to dwell within.

Imagine sleeping in a canvas tent for an entire Scottsdale winter and in a student-designed shelter the next year. Mr. Crawford and classmates took up the primitive quarters; no heat, no plumbing; and “to be one with nature.”

“It allows time to figure out firsthand what would be better for design against the cold or the morning sun in your eyes,” he says.

His dust-caked three-year tenure sits in rosy memory. “It can still bring tears to my eyes,” he says. It also produced a protégé hoping to skip conventional employment or any brush with “cookie-cutter design.”

Two years and two jobs since leaving Taliesin, Mr. Crawford calls exposure to architecture firms “a good way to see what you don’t want to do. For the most part you’re just a drafter.

“I’m a hands-on person,” says the former U.S. Navy firefighter. “I can’t draw windows for someone else.”

So, last summer, at the cusp of 40, Mr. Crawford found himself free again to ponder the world according to Wright.

“I decided to get outside, hammer some nails. Make something beautiful,” he says.

Tomorrow’s a big day. Two reasons.

1. My LAIAD professor Bill Taylor (of Taylor Fierce Architects) has invited me to return to share my Applying to Grad School Experience with the current class. An old classmate of mine will be sharing her experiences too. If you’ll be in the Wilshire area tomorrow evening, come check it out. We’ll start at 7:30. This would also be a great opportunity to learn more about what LAIAD has to offer you.

LAIAD
3807 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 330
Los Angeles, CA 90010

2. Tomorrow is also the day that we’ll unveil our first Architecture Addiction Field Trip. The itinerary, schedule, and prices are up NOW and the Reservation Form will be up tomorrow.

We’re giving away FREE Spanish Lessons to help you prepare. Check the link to the right.

Okay, three reasons. Tomorrow’s St. Patrick’s Day. I’m not sure if that’s a national holiday, but don’t let that stop you from taking the day off work. You deserve it.

The 2008 departure dates for our Field Trip to Machu Picchu are:

4/13 (already sold out!)
5/11
6/8
6/22
7/13
8/10
9/14
10/19

Stay tuned…we’ll make the details and the reservation form publicly available on Monday.

Today we’re going to take a look at the history of Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu was constructed around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire. It was abandoned less than 100 years later. Most of its inhabitants died because of small pox before the Spanish conquerors arrived. Hiram Bingham, the credited discoverer of the site, along with several others originally hypothesized that the citadel was the traditional birthplace of the Inca people or the spiritual center of the “Virgins of the Suns".

Another theory maintains that Machu Picchu was an Inca “llacta": a settlement built to control the economy of the conquered regions. It may also have been built as a prison for the selective few who had commited such henous crimes against the Inca society. Research conducted by scholars, such as John Rowe and Richard Burger, has convinced most archaeologists that rather than a defensive retreat, Machu Picchu was an estate of the Inca emperor, Pachacuti. In addition, Johan Reinhard presented evidence that the site was selected based on its position relative to sacred landscape features. One such example is its mountains, which are purported to be in alignment with key astronomical events.

Although the citadel is located only about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Cusco, the Inca capital, it was never found and consequently not destroyed by the Spanish, as was the case with many other Inca sites. Over the centuries, the surrounding jungle grew to enshroud the site, and few knew of its existence. On July 24, 1911, Machu Picchu was brought to the attention of the West by Hiram Bingham, an American historian then employed as a lecturer at Yale University. He was led there by locals who frequented the site. Bingham undertook archaeological studies and completed a survey of the area. Bingham coined the name “The Lost City of the Incas", which was the title of his first book. He never gave any credit to those who led him to Machu Picchu, mentioning only “local rumor” as his guide.

Bingham had been searching for the city of Vitcos, the last Inca refuge and spot of resistance during the Spanish conquest of Peru. In 1911, after years of previous trips and explorations around the zone, he was led to the citadel by Quechuans. These people were living in Machu Picchu, in the original Inca infrastructure. Even though most of the original inhabitants had died within a century of the city’s construction, a small number of families survived so by the time the site was ‘discovered’ in 1911, there were still mummies (mostly women) in Machu Picchu and some families still living on the site. Bingham made several more trips and conducted excavations on the site through 1915. He wrote a number of books and articles about the discovery of Machu Picchu in his lifetime.

Simone Waisbard, a long-time researcher of Cusco, claims that Enrique Palma, Gabino Sánchez, and Agustín Lizárraga left their names engraved on one of the rocks at Machu Picchu on July 14, 1901. This would mean that they ‘discovered’ it long before Bingham did in 1911. Likewise, in 1904, an engineer named Franklin supposedly spotted the ruins from a distant mountain. He told Thomas Paine, an English Plymouth Brethren Christian missionary living in the region, about the site, Paine’s family members claim. In 1906, Paine and another fellow missionary named Stuart E McNairn (1867–1956) supposedly climbed up to the ruins.

In 1913, the site received significant publicity after the National Geographic Society devoted their entire April issue to Machu Picchu. In 1981 an area of 325.92 square kilometers surrounding Machu Picchu was declared a “Historical Sanctuary” of Peru. In addition to the ruins, this area includes a large portion of the regional landscape, rich with flora and fauna.

Machu Picchu was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1983 when it was described as “an absolute masterpiece of architecture and a unique testimony to the Inca civilization".[2] On July 7, 2007, Machu Picchu was voted as one of New Open World Corporation’s New Seven Wonders of the World. As a result of environmental degradation resulting from the impacts of tourism, uncontrolled development in the nearby town of Aguas Calientes (including a poorly-sited tram to ease visitor access), and the construction of a bridge across the Vilcanota River in defiance of a court order and government protests (which would most likely bring even more tourists to the site), the World Monuments Fund placed Machu Picchu on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world.

We are pleased to announce that Architecture Addiction’s first Field Trip will become available on Monday, March 17th (yes, St Patrick’s Day).

We’re going to go see Machu Picchu!

Here are some of the things you will get to see in Peru:

Guided Sightseeing of Modern and Colonial Lima

• ** Cathedral
• ** Church of San Francisco
• ** Plaza de Armas

Guided Sightseeing of Cuzco

Incan ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Kenko, Pucapucara and Tambomachay

Full-Day Excursion to Machu Picchu, including lunch

Guided Sightseeing of the Sacred Valley of the Incas

What makes this field trip so exciting is that we have a number of available dates. So if one dates doesn’t work for you, we’ve got a bunch more. And your airfare is INCLUDED from any of almost 200 departure cities from around North America.

In other words, it doesn’t matter where you are, or when you can go… we can help you with your architecture addiction.

To celebrate our first Field Trip (and to help you prepare) we’re offering a series of FREE Spanish Lessons. See the link on the right to get started.

(I’m going to break out of this brown box for our last shot here)

I bet you can already see yourself there.

I just read this article in the Star by Christopher Hume called “The Apostle of Sprawl.” In it, he discusses this pro-suburbia wacko by the name Randal O’Toole who purports that people like suburbia and, get this, like their commutes in and out of their spaghetti mess of suburban streets. Ask anyone who lives in Los Angeles if they like their commute. If they “look forward to it.”

Last year, I moved a lot closer to work, but before that, I had my standard 40-mile drive to and from a monster of a suburb. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s called Santa Clarita Valley. Anyway, in the evening, after about an hour of stop-and-go on the 405, commuters pass under an over pass, and when they do, there’s this communal orgy of HONK HONK HONK-ing! Why? Because traveling under this overpass signifies that we are at last on the 5! We’re not home yet, but at least we’re on a different freeway!

People like their commute? What a fool.

Read the whole article

I just learned the news…

My hero, Nader Khalili passed on the fifth of this month.

I include here the letter from Cal-Earth:

Dearest members of Cal-Earth Forum,

I am bringing you the heartbreaking news that architect Nader Khalili died on Wednesday at 1:30 am holding the hand of his son, Dastan and myself and with the kisses of his daughter, Sheefteh, and those of his brothers still fresh on his cheeks. He left his body, and he left us behind to mourn his passing, to miss him, and to follow his passionate last instructions to every apprentice to carry on his work and keep alive his vision. The flames that ignited him in life and the quest that brought each of you to Cal-Earth to learn from him have touched all of us and led us on this path….the right path……. for arts, humanity and the environment. His work and words have inspired us and his spirit is powerfully alive in every work and word, building and echo that your enthusiastic and loving hands have helped to create for this world.

He soul imbues every grain of sand and every memory contained in Cal-Earth, which expresses so much of his personal life of the last 17 years. And your works, like seeds have been growing and flourishing in every corner of the world, carried on the water of humility that is so irresistible and nourishing….

khak shavam, khak shavam, ta ze to sar sabz shavam, ab shavam, sajdekonan, ta be golestan beresam….

We will hold a pre-burial vigil at Cal-Earth for those nearby on Sunday during the day, also to comfort each other….Cal-Earth is open any time for those who want to come and meditate. Candles have been kept alight in the Rumi dome since the time of his death.

His body will be buried in the coming week on Tuesday or Wednesday with Islamic rites in Oak Park cemetery in the City of Claremont in the bosom of his family and much of their history in America. This is about 35-40 mins. drive from Cal-Earth. There will be a public ceremony beforehand in one of the university gardens to honor his gift to humanity, with a ritual that reflects Nader’s love of simplicity, the arts, and with the dignity and nobility that he deserves.

Cal-Earth will hold a public memorial day to celebrate his life some weeks after that.

In these days please pray for his soul’s safe passage to the next life and support each other with love and kindness. Every day, every painful step for me without him is like walking on glass, but we must believe that there is a purpose to all things, and as he always said: When one door closes in the universe, another one is also opening. He is able to travel and be with each of you now.

With love,

Iliona

and all at Cal-Earth Institute

Please go to Cal-Earth to learn more about this stunning architect and his legacy.

I had thought the International Institute for Baubiologie went the way of the dodo, what with them not responding to my request to make good on their promise to give me a subscription to Natural Home magazine, but I just got an email from them. So they exist. So if anybody took me up on my suggestion that they start their own International Institute for Baubiologie last weekend then you should, um, you know, not.

Anyway, they sent the email to announce their Natural Building, Healthy Building Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s April 19th & 20th 2008.

Here’s what you need to know:

The conference highlights an unprecedented array of speakers from leading epidemiologist and public health scientist Dr. George Carlo who will answer the question “Is my wireless really safe?”, to Dr. Magda Havas and activist Libby Kelly experts in the field of electric fields and their impact on our health. Renowned natural building author Clarke Snell and author Dan Stih will offer insight into current trends.

Entrepreneurs Lisa and Ron Beres and seasoned Building Biology consultants will address the practical aspects of healthy building as well as mitigation when problems do occur. With ample time for audience questions and networking opportunities the event is a rare opportunity to gain an understanding of the importance of this emerging field.

The 2 day conference is preceded by a 1 day learning intensive on the subjects of EMR, dirty electricity and our health with Dr. George Carlo & Dr. Magda Havas. Autism activist Dana Gorman will also be on hand to discuss the EMR autism connection.

Join the Institute for Building Biology® and Ecology as they continue to promote the use of healthy building principles as a means to improve living and work spaces and the health of people who occupy them. Begin to gain the knowledge to make a difference. CEUS offered for AIA and IAQ.

The conference is presented by the Institute for Bau-biologie® and Ecology an internationally known pioneer for over 20 years in the area of healthy building. Platinum sponsors who have demonstrated strong support for the conference and the Institute are Mercola.com, Natural Home magazine, Green Nest, EcoNest, Bio-Solar, Conscious Design magazine and WEHL. In addition Clean Earth Recycling from Nashville is assisting the Institute to make this a more ecological conference.

I spent the last couple of months last year putting together my grad school applications. You know. Buy more transcripts. Buy more GRE scores. Write a bunch of essays. Talk a few people into writing letters of recommendations. Spending every few second on my portfolio. Stressing out (x 3). Freaking out when my boyfriend asks me for the 23rd time, “When are you going to be done?” Not sleeping. Losing 20 pounds from the stress (Okay, I’m not complaining about that one). And doing all of my regular course work at LAIAD. And working full time.

So a couple of days ago I received my first response. From Clemson. In a very, very thin envelope.

I wanted to go to Clemson because they are one of the few graduate architecture programs in the nation with an Architecture + Health program. And they’re highly rated. And, okay, they’re the least expensive of all the schools to which I had applied.

And they don’t like me.

I sent the dean an email to ask why. I told him how I’ve even started interning at a LEED consulting group. He replied telling me that there were 200 applicants for 30 spots. I guess that took the sting out. But not by much.

But it’s okay.

Because I just got an email from Responding School Number Two.

I got into Harvard!!!!!

Thank you Harvard!!! I love you too! You’re my BFF!!!

I just came across this article in The Pittsburgh Tribune Review by Kurt Shaw called ‘Ecology.Design.Synergy’ builds on architecture. While this article is chiefly about Pittsburgh’s RiverParc, what caught my attention is what they’re doing at Genzyme in Cambridge:

For example, with the Genzyme Corporate Headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., a project completed in 2004, the firm took the unique approach of designing the building from the inside out.

The central atrium functions as a sort of inner sanctum of the building, having gardens on various levels that thrive thanks to lots of sunlight. The natural light is allowed to come in from various points, including the ceiling. But the effect is furthered by a “daylight enhancement” system that includes a multiunit chandelier and computerized, movable light diffusors and mirrors that follow the sun and reflect the light into the lower depths of the atrium.

When I became a member of the International Institute of Bau-Biology last year, I was promised a subscription to Natural Home magazine. Despite several emails (and a call to Natural Home), my subscription never materialized, and now Google searches for the Institute turn up naught. Which I guess means it’s up for grabs. So if anybody’s free this weekend, you could start up The New International Institute of Bau-Biology. (And if you do, could I get a subscription to Natural Home?)

So I have to read Natural Home on line instead. There’s a lot less tactility to it, but it’s not so bad.

I just came across this article I thought you’d like to see about this home that’s officially recognized as a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

Eight years ago, when Karen Boness and Mark Feichtmeir got the opportunity to create their dream home, they didn’t know they would end up building an almost entirely self-sufficient house. Unsure of what they wanted, they headed to the bookstore where they found a wealth of information about environmental living. “I’d dreamed for many years of building an ecological home, but I really didn’t know much about it,” says Karen, a computer programmer at the time.

This just in from Star writer Christopher Hume:

Downtown density will prevail over slums of suburbia

At the moment of its triumph, suburbia is starting to show signs of collapse.

Having remade the face of North America, the tide now seems to be turning against the ‘burbs. The downfall won’t be quick, but already the unthinkable is starting to happen.

My heroes Bill and Athena Steen have been teaching alternative building techniques in southern Arizona for the past 15 years. I’ve been wanting to drive out there and join them for one of their week long courses for a few years now, but it seems like there’s always something in the way, like, you know, being an architecture student, or climbing out of the poverty hole, or earning vacation days at my For-Now job. But I haven’t given up. I’ve just reviewed their I’m looking at their web site, and I’m thinking about signing up for The Straw Bale Comprehensive course this April.

I’m also planning on a 7,800 mile cross-cross country road trip to go visit all of the grad schools that have accepted me. I just don’t know who those are yet. But I hope that my road trip would take me to the towns of all five: Eugene, Cambridge, Cambridge, New Haven, and Clemson. Along the way I want to see my friends in Boise, Boylston, and Savannah. And of course the Grand Canyon, because how can I not. And the Straw Bale class. Oh, did I mention I only have 10 vacation days in which to try all this? Something’s gotta give. If all five grad schools do want me (oh please, sweet Jesus), then I might have to postpone the straw bale class for a bit longer. But you should still go. It’ll be cool!