Archive for the ‘architecture’ Category

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 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 06, 2011

6 Strategies at Red Mountain

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Red Mountain is a duplex that Paul and I just purchased located near 11th Avenue and Indian School. It is a new project in the development arm of Blooming Rock. Here’s a photo: Here are the specs: 1. Originally built in 1959 2. Constructed of 4″ block. Yes, it’s block even behind the board and batten. My favorite part – check out the weeping mortar which adds a very mid-century flair to the place. 3. Red Mountain is composed of 2 units that are roughly about 950sf, with each unit having 2 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths. Here are 6…

June 08, 2011

5 Reasons I Love Community Tables at Restaurants

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Last Sunday Paul and I had breakfast at La Grande Orange on 40th Street and Campbell. Our favorite place to sit there is the community table. The last time we sat there, we struck up a conversation with an 8-year-old and his mom. And this time we chatted it up with a guy who noticed my “got coffee? seattle” t-shirt. We ended up talking with him for over an hour! The community table at breakfast last Sunday at La Grande Orange. Photo by the author. This made me think about the beauty of community tables. Here are 5 reasons…

June 01, 2011

5 Awesome Things about the Castaway House Kick-Off

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A rendering of the courtyard at Castaway House by Cavin Costello I read this earlier today: The word “integrity” shares its root with the word “integer,” which means one indivisible thing. – Martha Beck This idea of ‘one indivisible thing’ ties in very nicely with what I wanted to write about today which is the integrated design kick-off meeting we had last week for the Castaway House. I know it’s been a while since I’ve written about the Castaway House, but that’s because we were in the middle of selecting a contractor to work with and also trying to…

May 31, 2011

Replacing Windows in Historic Neighborhoods Should Require a Permit

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Last month I was invited to participate in a Window Advisory Committee set up by the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission. This may sound a bit esoteric to many of you, but some important issues were discussed that pertain to our historic neighborhoods. Here’s some background. We have 35 designated historic residential neighborhoods in the City of Phoenix. You can find out where they are here. These neighborhoods fall under Historic Preservation Overlay Zoning meaning that they are subject to Historic Preservation Design Guidelines. So if you live in one of those neighborhoods and you want to make…

May 30, 2011

Michael Pinto on How Architects Can Save the World

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet In March, I had the pleasure of seeing architect Michael Pinto speak at the Taliesin West Spring Lecture series. Michael’s office, Osborn Architects, is based in Los Angeles, a city that faces a lot of the same problems as Phoenix, except magnified and sometimes it’s a little bit further ahead in addressing those problems. The reason I decided to interview Michael was that I could tell that he takes a much broader approach to architecture than just designing beautiful buildings. He actually thinks that architects can change the world for the better. And so I was hooked. Michael proved…

May 25, 2011

The Words and Forms of Paolo Soleri

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Last week I attended a special event organized by the AIA-Arizona an hour north of Phoenix at Arcosanti. I rode up with friends and sustainability wonks Jonce Walker, Joe Zazzera and Jeremy Stapleton in Joe’s Prius. The event included a tour of Arcosanti and a subsequent talk by Paolo Soleri. Mr.Soleri introduced The Lean Linear City concept to us and then proceeded to answer the questions of the various design professionals in the audience. Below is a photo essay of my unforgettable experience at Arcosanti mixed in with Mr. Soleri’s always remarkable thoughts. It’s a shortsighted proposition that we…

May 16, 2011

Frank Lloyd Wright, Santiago Calatrava and the Beauty of the Section

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet My husband Paul shook me awake the morning after I arrived in Milwaukee at 3am just 6 short hours before. Groggily I resisted being woken up, but he insisted. He said, “you’re going to want to see the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum”. Grudgingly I acquiesced and dragged my tired self out of bed. But once we pulled up to the museum, my face brightened and I felt a rush of adrenaline. It was a dark, rainy spring day in Milwaukee, but the museum addition jutting out onto Lake Michigan by Santiago Calatrava looked stunning…