April 05, 2011

John Kane on Doing Quality Projects with Less Money and in Less Time

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today’s post is a continuation of yesterday’s – a conversation with architect John Kane, the principal of Architekton who was behind the sustainable and beautiful Tempe Transportation Center and the audacious and amazing Tempe Center for the Arts. If you missed Part I, catch it here. Most big-name architects have a big ego and downplay collaboration. Not John Kane. This is what he has to say about it: “The idea of how to work collaboratively is a really fun one. How to include the consultants and the clients much earlier on in the process to do sustainable projects (is…

April 05, 2011

John Kane on Regional Architecture, His Local Heroes and Favorite Buildings

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet On the 24th of March, I spoke with Architekton principal, John Kane at his fabulous Downtown Tempe office. Below is part I of our conversation: The architect who’s influenced John most: “In the early days, Zaha Hadid was one of my heroes. She still is one of my heroes. But I think she’s the one, when I was in school, the profession was going one way and she kind of shook it all up. I think I’ve always admired that kind of panache and the excitement in the way she works and the art of the whole thing.” His…

April 04, 2011

John Kane on Regional Architecture, His Local Heroes and Favorite Buildings

by: Taz Loomans

April 01, 2011

7 Things You Should Know About Stardust Building Supplies

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet 1. How Stardust Building Supplies got started: The stars aligned and two guys who had the same idea at the same time came together and went for it. The first guy, an investment banker, saw his neighbor remodeling his home. He noticed that his neighbor was tossing perfectly good cabinets in the dumpster. When he was driving out and about, through poorer neighborhoods, he thought, what a shame, these people could really have used those cabinets! The second guy was demolishing his house to build a new one. The day he and his wife were moving out, their maid…

March 30, 2011

Car-Free Stories: A Seatless Bicycle and the Stigma of Cycling for Women

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet On Wednesdays, I usually post an update on the Castaway House. But our team is still in the middle of choosing a contractor to work with, so I’ll give you an update next time. Today, I’d like to share a car-free story with you. Yesterday at around 2:00pm, I said goodbye to my friends Kathleen and Doreen and walked over to my bike that was tied to the sign post at La Condesa. I put my computer and gunny sack into my big silver basket and proceeded to unlock my bike, like I usually do. But then it struck…

March 29, 2011

Urban Cycling and the Fetish of Mobility

by: Kevin Kellogg

Tweet Today’s post is by architect/urban planner/thought leader Kevin Kellogg: Phoenix is a great town for mobility. Great swaths of asphalt beckon motorists and the great distances between destinations keep us on the road for a good portion of our lives. In another sense, mobility appears to welcome the hard working and the ingenious, as the relatively shallow roots of society indicate room for ascension and to improve our lot in life. Looking closer beyond the promise of this young city, it begs the question: is anyone really going anywhere? Or, does it matter? For all the focus on transportation…

March 23, 2011

Two Renderings of the Castaway House

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Castaway House Update: The front, rendering by Cavin Costello The courtyard/garden, rendering by Cavin Costello

March 22, 2011

Interview with Architect Marlene Imirzian

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting with architect Marlene Imirzian at her office in Sunnyslope. I’m a big fan of Marlene’s not only because of her fantastic work and embededness in the community but because she is a great example of a premier woman architect here in the Valley. Below is our conversation. Blooming Rock: Can you tell me a little bit about working with Gunnar Birkerts and William Kessler and how its influenced your work? Marlene Imirzian: I am an architect because of Gunnar. Gunnar Birkerts is not well known today but at the…

March 21, 2011

Proposed Road Diet on Central Between Camelback and Bethany Home Road

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet On Saturday I attended the first Annual Bicycle Summit of Phoenix at the Burton Barr Library put on by the City of Phoenix. It was wonderful to hear about proposed bike infrastructure improvements, existing safety and traffic laws, and programs and events concerning cyclists. It was also a great opportunity for the biking community to get together and be heard. I commend the organizers – City of Phoenix bicycle coordinator Joseph Perez and traffic engineer Kerry Wilcoxon for making a concerted effort to listen to what the bikers of Phoenix need and want. Although the summit this Saturday was…

March 16, 2011

Integrating a Contractor Early at the Castaway House

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A lot of times designers and architects tend to dream big and forget about the budget. And important part of making realistic plans is to put numbers to the design as early in the game as possible, so you know you’re not way off track. So at Castaway House, now that we have solidified a schematic design for the house, both interior, exterior and landscape, we are getting bids from contractors. There are two reasons to do this early in the game rather then when the drawings are complete and into the city for permit review, which is the…