August 15, 2011

Phoenix: America’s Desert Metropolis

by: Will Novak

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Will Novak. One of the most exciting things about being a Phoenician is being from a place that looks unlike any other major City in the United States. Very few large American cities are in deserts and only two, Phoenix and Tucson, reside in the world’s most beautiful desert, the Sonoran. Phoenix needs to do a better job embracing the desert and leveraging our unique climate to become America’s and the World’s foremost desert metropolis. Embracing Xeriscaping In Phoenix’s early days its Anglo residents were strangely embarrassed by the Desert and the Arizona…

August 10, 2011

Sensitive Siting vs. a Turd on a Lot

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet On my way between Red Mountain and 3 Palms, I drive on Indian School between 16th Street and 11th Avenue a lot. I’ve been watching as the gay bar Padlock (which admittedly was a horrendous building) was torn down and in it’s place a Panda Express is being erected. What strikes me about this Panda Express building, which I’m tempted to refer to as the Turd, is that it’s tiny compared to the huge site it’s on. This is similar to my complaint about the Circle K down the street that was constructed last year. A veritable alter to…

August 08, 2011

Phoenix Landmarks…?

by: Ryan Glass

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Ryan Glass: This past 12 months I’ve been blessed with a reason to travel overseas and tour some fantastic cities. Having seen a number of castles, cathedrals, bridges, parks and rail stations, I am most grateful for an expanded sense of how public spaces can both succeed and fail. That said, the first question friends & colleagues ask when I return is always “how was your trip? what was (city) like?”. Inevitably, most people want to hear about the landmark places they expect you to go; “Oh, you were in London? Did you…

August 03, 2011

5 Examples of Cantilever Coolness

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet I have to admit, the structural engineering classes at architecture school weren’t my favorite. But when I see cool cantilevers, I go gaga. What is a cantilever in the first place? Wikipedia puts it simply: “A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end.” The longer the span, the cooler it looks! Below are 5 cool cantilevers to give you an idea of what I’m talking about: 1. Parking Canopies are awesome cantilevers: This is a double-cantilever, where the beams are supported by just one column in the center and then they overhang in two opposite directions. Parking…

August 02, 2011

The Red Mountain Report

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet This is the 2nd installment of The Red Mountain Report: This past two weeks we’ve spent largely figuring out what to do with the flooring in the east unit of Red Mountain. The original floor was vinyl tile: We definitely wanted to remove it, but were concerned it might be asbestos tile or might have asbestos adhesive. So we got it tested at this place called Fiberquant. They will test a sample you bring in for only $25.00. We tested the flooring in the west unit too, which has ceramic tile, just in case. It was a happy day…

July 26, 2011

What’s Happening at Planning and Development at the City of Phoenix?

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of sitting down with the Director to Planning and Development at the City of Phoenix, Debra Stark. We talked about all the different things the department is doing to encourage reuse of existing buildings, promote energy efficiency and take away barriers of building for small businesses. Merger of Planning and Historic Preservation with Development Services: The merger of three different but related departments initially occurred because of City budget cuts but according to Debra, it’s proven to be great for collaboration and the streamlining of services. About a year and a…

July 25, 2011

Eddie Jones on Design in Ruin

by: Eddie Jones

Tweet Today’s post is by one of my favorite architects Eddie Jones. I heard Eddie speak at the Arizona Historic Preservation Conference a few weeks ago about a new direction he’s taking with design. Find out why Eddie is tired of shiny new buildings and is more intrigued with the effects of time on the built environment. Edward (Eddie) Jones, with his business partner and brother Neal, were raised in the oil fields of Oklahoma. From a very early age the two bothers aspired to be architects and share a studio. Eddie was born in 1949 Texas and moved to…

July 20, 2011

The Red Mountain Report

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet What’s happening at Red Mountain? Airconditioning: One of the existing airconditioners did work, although not very well as it was old. The other airconditioner didn’t work at all. So we replaced both with brand new Goodman 14-SEER units. The big AC-drop at Red Mountain. They have to use a crane to get those heavy units up on the roof! Normally you can get a $400 rebate from APS for installing a 14-SEER unit. However, we got a deal from a contractor that we trusted but was not APS-certified that significantly surpassed the benefits of the rebates so we decided…

July 19, 2011

Notes from the Bus: Using Public Transportation and Being a Pedestrian in Arizona

by: Jennifer Gunther

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Jennifer Gunther: Taking the bus, hopping on the light rail and walking have been my usual means of navigating the Valley for the past two years. Every mile I have ridden or block I have walked has offered me a unique experience that driving from Point A to Point B could not. Although driving is its own pleasure, public transportation should be a desirable option for all Phoenix-area residents. It is imperative in the desert heat, which is at its most intense this time of year, that Phoenix and its surrounding suburbs reconsider…

July 18, 2011

Phoenix’s Need for New Public Squares

by: Will Novak

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Will Novak: Phoenix’s park system is something of an enigma: part of it is breathtakingly wonderful, the other part embarrassing. The City’s desert and mountain preserve system is world class and a jewel all Phoenicians should be proud of. However, Phoenix’s “traditional” parks and squares are poorly designed and often don’t even exist where you’d expect to find them. Phoenix has four areas that are either urban or semi-urban (Downtown, Midtown, Uptown & Biltmore), and not a single one of them has a well-designed urban park at their heart. In order for each…