Archive for September, 2011

September 28, 2011

An Essay by Will Bruder: What Can We Aim For?

by: Will Bruder

Tweet This week I am posting Will Bruder’s excellent essay for the 98th Arizona Town Hall meeting, “Capitalizing on Arizona’s Arts and Culture”. I’ve posted the essay in 3 parts. In today’s post, which is the third and final part, Will gives us a 6-point plan on how to move forward in Arizona in ways that we can tap into our unique local resources and plug into the sustainability progress happening globally. Make sure to read Part I and Part II of this essay if you haven’t yet. If you’d like to read Will’s entire essay in one sitting, you…

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Tweet This week I am posting Will Bruder’s excellent essay for the 98th Arizona Town Hall meeting, “Capitalizing on Arizona’s Arts and Culture”. I’ll be posting the essay in 3 parts. In today’s post, which is the second part, Will gives an extraordinary account of the history of architecture in Arizona. If you missed part I, where Will defines architecture and the urban fabric, catch it here.  If you’d like to read Will’s entire essay in one sitting, you can find it on the Arizona Town Hall report starting on page 76. Arizona’s architectural identity is built on a foundation…

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Tweet This week I am posting Will Bruder’s excellent essay for the 98th Arizona Town Hall meeting, “Capitalizing on Arizona’s Arts and Culture”. I’ll be posting the essay in 3 parts. In today’s post, Will defines architecture and the urban fabric. How does Arizona’s unique architectural character add value to the lives of our residents/visitors and how can the urban fabric of its towns and cities help move our state forward in a distinctive and sustainable way? In this essay I will address these questions and suggest ways that we can protect and sustain our already unique heritage while embracing…

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Tweet It’s one thing to complain about the empty lots that plague our city, but it’s a very different thing to actually DO something about it. That’s why I’m so impressed by the A.R.T.S. (Adaptive Reuse of Temporary Space) initiative which aims to activate vacant lots. A.R.T.S. is a project that was spearheaded last April by the Roosevelt CDC and its visionary leaders Cindy Dach and Kenny Barrett. The latest installation of A.R.T.S. is the Valley of the Sunflowers, a field of sunflowers on a 2-acre vacant lot in Downtown Phoenix. Not only will this field be startlingly beautiful in…

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Tweet As you may know, Paul and I moved to Red Mountain, which is just outside the Woodlea Historic Neighborhood, about three weeks ago. We used to live at 3 Palms, in the Avalon neighborhood, between Osborn and Thomas near 16th Street. When we first decided to buy Red Mountain, I knew we’d be a lot closer to my office – Lux Coffeebar. But I didn’t realize how close we’d be to other stuff that we like too. We have one car between the two of us and most days Paul takes it to work. So I have to navigate…

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September 14, 2011

Interview with Will Bruder – Third Segment

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today’s post is the third segment of my interview with architect Will Bruder. If you missed them, make sure to take a look at the first and second segments as well! In today’s segment, Will talks about his vision for transit oriented development in the Valley, what excites him most about our city, the one building type he thinks is in sore need of transformation and finally, who he thinks should be the next mayor of Phoenix. Part VI Will’s vision for transit oriented development: Part VII What excites Will most about Phoenix and the one building type we…

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September 13, 2011

Interview with Will Bruder – Second Segment

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today’s post is the second installment of my interview with one of my favorite architects, Will Bruder. If you missed the first segment, make sure to catch up here. In today’s segment, Will talks about some strategic changes that need to take place to make Phoenix a great city and why he calls Phoenix home. Part IV What would make Phoenix into a great city:   Part V Why Will calls Phoenix his home:   Stay tuned tomorrow for the final segment of my interview with Will!

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September 12, 2011

Interview with Will Bruder – First Segment

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet One of the reasons I love being a blogger is that I have an excuse to talk with the people I admire most about things I’ve always wanted to ask them. I had such an opportunity two weeks ago with Will Bruder, a world renown architect who is responsible for such architectural masterpieces as the Burton Barr Library, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, the Henkel Headquarters, and the Vale among a myriad of other projects and project types. In Parts I, II and III of the interview, shown below, we talked about the role of the architect in society,…

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September 07, 2011

The Red Mountain Report: Before and After

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Here are some before and after shots of Red Mountain: Exterior Before: After: Note: The landscaping will be part of phase II of the renovations. It’ll be in soon and I’ll show you photos when it’s ready! The west unit’s kitchen: Before: After: The east unit’s kitchen Before: After: The east unit’s main bath: Before: After: The east unit’s half bath Before: After: The east unit’s living room Before: After: The east unit’s bedroom Before: After:

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September 06, 2011

The Red Mountain Report

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet These past two weeks I’ve been immersed in the Red Mountain renovations. We were lucky to get a tenant one month in advance, but this meant we had a hard deadline of being move-in ready by September 1. This gave us about a one-month time frame to complete renovations on two units. I learned a lot in this whirlwind of activity. I was not only the owner, the designer and the project manager, but I was also the general contractor. I was responsible for finding, hiring, and managing subcontractors to make the renovation happen well and happen on time….

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